What's The Best Way to Learn New English Vocabulary?

Teachers report that the most frequent mistakes that ESL students make are vocabulary mistakes. English learners frequently choose an incorrect vocabulary word when they try to express themselves. Exactly why is vocabulary so difficult to understand correctly?

The most important reason is that students often learn vocabulary out of context. Maybe they try to understand vocabulary by reading คำศัพท์ภาษาอังกฤษออนไลน์ the dictionary. Or possibly they collect lists of words and memorize them. Some individuals buy vocabulary books. The problem with many of these methods is that you don't learn vocabulary in context. You don't see enough types of the term in sentences. So there is a constant really learn the right way to use the word.

Research indicates that the best way to understand new vocabulary is to learn read read. Seeing vocabulary in a natural context - for instance, in a newspaper or magazine article - will help you to make use of your new vocabulary correctly, and seeing it in context will even help you to remember it better.

So this is things you need to do. Read English books. Read English magazines. Read English newspapers. If you're in an English-speaking country, read the advertisements on buses and signs on the streets and highways. Read English stories. Read graphs and tables and charts. See the English operating manuals for your TV and washing machine.

Once you see a new word, write it down. Write down the entire sentence because this will remind you of the proper context for the word. Write down 2 or 3 or four different sentences where you've seen the word. Write down the definition of the word.

Pay attention to the element of speech of the term: is it a verb, a noun, an adjective or an adverb? This is also a common mistake that students make; sometimes they choose the proper vocabulary word, but they use a bad element of speech. As an example, they use a noun rather than a verb. They say "arrival" rather than "arrive." Or "departure" rather than "depart." Then when you discover a new word, be sure to learn its element of speech. And then take note of every part of speech for that word. As an example, if your new word is "protect": protect is the verb form, protection is the noun form, protective is the adjective form, and protectively is the adverb form.  Write down all four forms.

You are able to write your new words on a sheet of paper. Or you can write them on flashcards. You may even make flashcards online, on some online dictionary web sites.

To be able to remember your new words better, use them. Write some practice sentences and include the right context. Write a couple of sentences. Ask your English teacher or any English speaker to check your sentences. Do they sound right? Are they good sentences?

Once you learn vocabulary this way, you learn to put it to use correctly and naturally. It is the greatest way to understand new vocabulary. So start reading!