10 Easy Ways to Improve your English Vocabulary

Enhancing your English Vocabulary is very important for your professional growth. Over a period of time English has become more of a status & class symbol globally. However, its impact and importance, especially in the professional arena, can’t be denied. Speaking fluent English is no more a luxury, it’s more of a necessity these days. A good vocabulary makes you stand out in the public and also gives you a better understanding of the language. So, here are 10 easy ways to improve your English Vocabulary.

Reading

The first step towards improving your vocabulary is reading. You need to start reading from different sources. Reading English newspapers can be an easy but effective way of improving your vocabulary. While reading a newspaper you should focus more on the editorials. Reading novels, newspapers is a better option than blogs or e-articles as the print media (newspaper, books, novels,etc.) uses better framed sentences with conventional English that can amp up your vocabulary. While digital editions or blogs tend to use more slang or shortcuts. But if you wish to read online then you should be very particular with your choices.

Try Finding Unknown Words & Phrases

You need to find words and phrases that are unknown and new for you. This can only be done if you read regularly. After starting to read regularly you’ll come across few or many (depending on your current vocabulary) new & unknown words and phrases. You should mark these words and find their meanings if you can’t understand its usage in the passage or sentence.

Watch English Movies and TV shows without subtitles

If you are into English or Hollywood movies or TV series then you should avoid the dubbed versions. Also try to avoid the subtitles, initially you’ll miss a few dialogues or conversations. But after a point you get used to the conversation style, pace and accent of the actors.Like reading and speaking, listening is also a good practice to upgrade your vocabulary. Getting to learn while being entertained isn’t a bad option.

Maintain a Record of the New Words & Phrases

Always maintain a record of the new words you have discovered while reading, speaking or listening. Our memory span is very short and we tend to forget most of the stuff after a brief period of time. Maintaining a record will help you to recall the things that you have learnt. You also make sure to revise your notes whenever you feel like. Repeating the cycle will permanently restore many of the new and unknown words & phrases you have learnt.

Try Implementing the Newly learnt Words & Phrases in your speech

Once you have learnt something you need to start implementing it. While speaking, you need to start using the newly learnt words and phrases. By implementing them you’ll know their uses and impact. It will also give you confidence. However, it’s not an overnight process, there will be times when you’ll be unable to implement the new vocabulary in your regular speech. But with time the transition will become smooth and organic. And you’ll be able to use your vocabulary with ease.

Play and Learn more

Yes, playing games can also improve your vocabulary. Playing word games, puzzles and other such games can enhance your English vocabulary in a fun manner. There are many mobile games too which can help you in improving your vocabulary. It’s a good alternative for people who rarely read. It can also be used as a test to check your current knowledge and vocabulary level.

Try spending some time with English Language speakers

Speaking and listening to any language is one of the best and most organic ways of understanding a language better and enhancing the vocabulary. When you are surrounded by English speakers then you’ll have conversations in the English language and will definitely pick a few interesting & unknown words from people. You’ll also get a good practice of speaking and earlier we have discussed the benefits of speaking English in developing a better vocabulary. If you don’t have a group, a team of 2 or 3 can also provide the same results. Having or being in a group that aims to do the same (improve English Vocabulary) is a bonus and will enhance the whole experience. 

Start Journaling & Writing

Writing in general helps you to amp up your word game. Any individual who’s into writing will develop a good vocabulary after a point of time. It’s a very natural and organic process. Journaling will also give you an idea about your journey. This will help you in tracking your performance. When you see your past write ups and then compare it with present ones, you’ll notice a significant difference. This improvement will also motivate you to keep going and move forward.

Get out of your comfort zone

Getting out of your comfort zone is very important for progress and improvement in any field. Most of the time we tend to play in our territory and settings that are suitable & known to us. Only stepping out of the territory will bring challenges and opportunities for us. Running away from challenges may also take away your opportunities. So, never be scared of getting out of your comfort zone.

Practice and Perform

The final and the most important step is to practice. Regular practice only you’ll be able to perform. Practice is a constant and you need to keep the drill on. There is no point where you can say you have learnt everything and your vocabulary can’t improve. Even the best of the best have a scope of improvement. Definitely after a certain time you’ll reach a point where you’ll cover the basics and will have the gift of gab. But it’s up to you to tell how much is enough for you. Because there is no end to knowledge and information. Improvement is a life long learning experience and process.

Also Read: 5 Ways to Enhance your Communication Skills