How to Build Your Vocabulary Effectively Vocabulary is the foundation of learning a language. Without it, none of the skills

How to Build Your Vocabulary Effectively
    Good morning. In today’s lecture, we shall discuss the strategies of learning English vocabulary. When we talk about learning English, we usually mention the four basic skills—listening, reading, speaking and writing. However, all of these skills cannot be sharpened without vocabulary. There are some basic steps to build your vocabulary effectively. First of all, we need to be aware of words. It is obvious that when a word is totally unknown to you, you have to be especially aware of words that seem familiar to you but whose precise meanings you may not really know. Instead of avoiding these words, you need to take a closer look at them. First, try to guess a word’s meaning from its context—that is, the sense of the passage in which it appears. Second, if you have a dictionary with you, look up the word immediately. This may slow down your reading somewhat, but your improved understanding of each new word will eventually speed your learning of other words, making reading easier.
    Second, it is easy to gain vocabulary through reading. When you have become more aware of words, reading is the next important step to increase your knowledge of words, because that is how you will find most of the words you should be learning. It is also the best way to check on words you have already learned. Then what should you read? Whatever interests you—whatever makes you want to read. There is no point in trying to read something you simply are not able to understand or are not interested in. The important idea is to find things to read you can enjoy, and to read as often and as much as possible, with the idea of learning new words always in mind. Third, the dictionary is a necessity to build your vocabulary. Remember, words can have more than one meaning, and the meaning you need for the word you are looking up may not be the first one given in your dictionary. Even if it is so, the other meanings of the word will help you understand the different ways the word is used. Also, the word’s history, usually given near the beginning of the entry, can often give a fascinating picture of the way the word has developed its current meaning. This will add to the pleasure of learning the word as well as help you remember it.
    Fourth, you should review the words regularly until you fix them in your memory. This is best done by setting aside a specific amount of time each day for vocabulary study. Set a goal for the number of words you would like to learn and by what date, and arrange your schedule accordingly.
    We have already discussed some external factors to assist us in vocabulary-building process. Perhaps the most important factor in a successful vocabulary-building program is motivation. It will be very difficult for you to study words month after month without a strong feeling that it is worth doing.
    OK, this brings us to the end of our lecture. I hope after today’s lecture, you’ll understand better the strategies of learning vocabulary. Thanks for your attention.