 One huge problem students are having in preparing for IELTS test is an inadequate amount of vocabulary. Every day , I would see and hear many students grasping for words to be able to express what they want to say in class. Many of them spend hours in memorizing vocabularies but are still having a hard time in remembering them. Some students improve significantly but others seems like had just wasted their efforts. Here are some tips to help students memorize:
Keep a vocabulary notebook.
When you learn a new word, add it to your notebook, and write down a sentence that will help you remember how to use the word.
2. Use a learner's dictionary. There are several excellent dictionaries for learners of English. These provide simple definitions and sample sentences to help you learn new words.
3. Choose words that are important to you. When you study topics and words that you are interested in, you remember them better.
4. Group words by topic to remember them. It is easier to study new words when you organize them into groups like foods or action verbs．
5. Make flashcards to study your new words. Put one English word on each card, and then put either the translation or the English definition on the back．After you study the words, review them quickly to see how many words you remember.
6. Use new words as many times as possible in your daily life. The best way to learn and remember new words is to use them when you speak or write．Try using at least one new English word every day.
7. Learn synonyms for new words. A synonym is a word that means the same thing is another word. You can expand your vocabulary by learning synonyms for your new English words．For example, "small" is a synonym for "little"．
8. Learn antonym for new words. An antonym is a word that means the opposite of another word. Learning an antonym for each new word can help you increase your vocabulary, too．For example, "bad" is an antonym for "good"．
9. Study word roots. Many English words have Latin roots. When you learn one root, you can often learn many new words．For example, the Latin root "port" means "to carry"，and this root is found in many English words like the following: export, import, and transport.
10. Learn prefixes．Prefixes are small groups of letters that you put in front of words to give them different meanings．For example, you can put in-, un-, or non- in front of many adjectives to give them a negative or an opposite meaning. The word "flexible" describes a person or thing that can change or be changed easily. So "inflexible" means just the opposite.
11. Learn how to pronounce each new word. An important part of using new English words effectively is learning how to pronounce them. As you know, many English words do not sound the way you think they will! |
