Vocabulary Learning Strategies

In times of the internet a language student might feel a bit overwhelmed because there are simply too many options for vocabulary learning to choose from. However, as an advanced learner of English, I have managed to develop some effective methods and techniques for expanding my trove of English lexical items. Some of them might be helpful for you too, so keep on reading if you are not quite sure how to improve and expand your vocabulary.

To begin with, I would like to give you an overview of my most effective strategies and tools to…

…look up new words and phrases: I have to admit that for my initial research I usually use the online dictionary of Pons whenever I encounter a word or a phrase I am not familiar with. However, in order to get a deeper understanding of the word or phrase I then turn to the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA). Out of all the corpora we had a look at with Ursula, COCA is definitely my favorite one. It seems to me that this corpus is very helpful for language learners, because it allows you, for instance, to sort the results in various ways, to look for all kinds of collocations, to compare words and to look for different kinds of language, for example spoken or academic language. What I like most about COCA is the fact that it provides so many example sentences. Currently, the corpus contains 450 million words of text. 

…store new words and phrases: When it comes to storing new words and phrases I might just be a little old-fashioned. I like creating glossaries either on the computer or by hand, which provide the translation of a word or phrase as well as additional information, such as synonyms, antonyms, frequent collocations and example sentences. Although this is quite time-consuming, glossaries are a great way of storing information and the process of creating a glossary allows me to memorize most of the new words and phrases right away.

Besides glossaries, I also frequently use vocabulary.com, which is the quickest and most intelligent way of improving one’s vocabulary I have encountered so far. In a few seconds it basically provides all the information necessary to learn a new word or phrase, from definitions and synonyms to frequent collocations and numerous up-to-date example sentences. What is more, you can create your own vocabulary lists and learn them in varied ways.

…memorize new words and phrases: Again, this might seem a little "old-school", but I memorize new words and phrases best when I have a printed version of a glossary or list containing all the new vocabulary and go through the words one by one. In the first round I usually go through all of the words ticking off the ones I remembered and marking all the ones I did not remember with a cross in pencil. In the second round I exclusively focus on the words with a cross next to them and I basically keep going through them until there are no crosses left, because I have erased them all and chaged them all to ticks. What really helps me to quickly memorize new words and phrases is seeing them in context. So, good example sentences are essential.

The reason I prefer learning new vocabulary from a printed version and not from my laptop is that looking up and storing new words and phrases on the laptop takes so much time that once I have finished, I am really glad I can finally turn off it off. I am also not keen on using apps for studying vocabulary, because I do not want to stare into my phone for hours and hours.

Last but not least, I would say there are five characteristics which define a successful language learner. First of all, he or she is usually an independent and eager learner, who is always keen on improving his language skills and constantly seeking new knowledge. Furthermore, he or she tries to include his or her foreign language(s) in his or her daily activities as much as possible, for example by reading foreign newspapers, watching movies or the news in the original version, listening to podcasts, chatting or skyping with friends from abroad on a regular basis. Thirdly, a good language learner works very hard at improving his or her accent in order to sound more and more like a native speaker. Finally, he or she is preferably a life-long learner, who values the regular written and spoken use of the foreign language(s). The most important characteristic a good language learner should have is a certain passion for languages in general, which will be the driving force behind his language acquisition. I try to always keep these five characteristics in mind in order to improve and expand my English vocabulary on a regular basis and not just when the next exam is getting closer and closer. 

 [824 words]