One of the biggest problems for learners is acquiring vocabulary. In this post I bring to you some facts you can follow to achieve your goal.

IELTS PREP MASTERCLASS

When you learn a new word, write it down and also write down an example sentence using the word. It is important to write the example sentence yourself. This will help you remember the word better than if you copy an example from a book or your teacher.

Here are some more tips for learning vocabulary:

Use a notebook or flashcards.

• Some people like using notebooks because they can add new words in any order. Other people like using flashcards because they can move the cards around and put them into different groups.

Write one word on each page or card.

• If you write too many words on a page or card, it can be difficult to remember them all.
• Write the meaning of the word in your own language. You can also draw a picture if you want to.
• Write the word in English. When you look at the word, try to remember the meaning in English, not your own language.

Learn words in phrases.

• For example, instead of learning the verb ‘make’, learn the phrase ‘make a mistake’. Instead of learning the noun ‘advice’, learn the phrase ‘give advice’.

Organise your vocabulary.

• You can organise words in different ways. For example, you can organise words by topic (e.g. sport, food, travel), by word type (e.g. nouns, verbs, adjectives) or by how common they are (e.g. most common, less common, least common).

Review your vocabulary regularly

• Try to review your vocabulary every day. You can do this by looking at the words and saying their meanings, or by covering the meanings and trying to remember them.

Remember: writing vocabulary is only the first step. To really learn words, you need to use them. Try to use new words as much as possible by speaking, writing, listening and reading.

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