How to increase your vocabulary?

Answer 1

Learn Latin! 63% of English came from Latin, so you are constantly learning new words. Like: defenestration came from the Latin word "fenestra" (window). It means to throw a person or thing out the window.

Answer 2

First off, to agree with previous answers, yes, read! Reading will help you put words in context, so that although you may not know the specific denotative (exact dictionary) definition, you will know how it is used in conversation and literature (the connotation).

I used to play a game with my coworkers. Someone would pick a Word of the Day and try and stump everyone else. People would guess what it means, and once the actual definition was revealed, we would all try to use it throughout the day. It made learning the words more social.

Merriam-Webster (www.m-w.com), Dictionary.com, and several other people can Email you words of the day, which is cheaper and for some better than word-a-day calendars. This will expose you to more words, although actually increasing your vocabulary willr equire that you take those words and use them, trying to incorporate them into your conversations. And doing that may take time and effort - sometimes you come out with words that don't exactly fit in context. But don't give up!

Good Luck!

Answer 3

I had the same wish in high school so found there were several editions of Word Power (or How To Increase Your Word Power). These are simple & you take short tests within the book, to confirm you understand the meanings of the words. I found this very helpful. You can get a book called, "It Pays To Increase Your Word Power"- a good start!

Answer 4

Read a lot of books. Especially ones that are a little above your level. Keep a dictionary handy and every time you come across a new word, look it up.

Also, those "word-a-day" calendars work great. If you learn one word per day then you're well on your way. The key is that you have to use that word in a sentence at some point during that day. Work it into a conversation. If you can do that, you'll never forget the meaning.

Answer 5

Read. Read some more. Then practice writing a bit to test the words you learned. The more you read and practice writing the more confident you will become in using your new vocabulary to speak & write.

Answer 6

keep a dictionary by you. whenever i hear a word i don't know when i am watching tv or reading, i look it up. that way, you are confident when using certain words.