By improving your vocabulary – you improve your Communication skills

improving yor vocabulary

When we talk of improving our vocabulary, the first reflex thought is the English teacher going on about the importance of vocabulary and testing us on it. However there is much more to improving one’s vocabulary than your English teacher in school trying to do so. The fact is that vocabulary can be enhanced during any stage of your life; from all levels of your education- school to college, work, anytime you realize the importance of being well versed with vocabulary. Someone who polishes his/ her vocabulary techniques is bound to improve their spoken and written communication as well.

No matter how fluent you are with a language the probability of you mastering every single word is highly unlikely. There is no escape from being meticulous when it comes to picking up new words and getting to know about them. This means that you can spend the rest of your life perfecting a language and still be able to cover something new each growing day. It seems strange how most of us think of improving our vocabulary only when it is time for a test or to prove to others, and never for us.

When we begin with the notion of improving our vocabulary for a particular test or event, chances are that we might not be able to remember the words in the long run. You may score well in the test in hand but this learning will only be temporary because you have just crammed words.

Improving the vocabulary

Read

If you really want to learn, take out the time to read a book and not just one book but many books. Try and read something that challenges you rather than something of plain interest. You will not be able to learn anything if you do not challenge yourself. Your learning needs to be on a consistent basis. Don’t think of learning 10 words in a day, one word a day is perfectly fine. Give yourself time to adjust to the word, read it, practice it, check out the meaning and know how it’s pronounced. All this will build up your confidence to use it also in the near future.

Experts say that reading is always a better way of building up a vocabulary because that way your brain is forced to analyze the word that is there on the page. While this is a very complex process, but at the same time a very effective one also. Most experts will tell you to pick a book outside the genre you generally read if it is for the purpose of improving your vocabulary.

Word games

Word games can play a great role in enhancing of your vocabulary. Make your word games to be more than the holiday retreat and see the difference. Scrabble, boggle, crosswords have been known to make a difference as these challenge your mind and practice them at the same time. Dictionary is that additional tool that you use while playing scrabble and have fun while you are encouraged to use new words.

Many newspapers run word games and thus it is up to you to be able to use such tools up to your advantage. Enhance your vocabulary on a weekly basis and try and solve more and more of them.

While the idea of picking up a dictionary and reading may seem strange and little undo-able but nonetheless it is something you can develop over a period of time.

Practice

The more you are able to practice the better are your chances of remembering the words you learn. Repetition is the key to learning. Use the words you pick up in conversations, write them down, write essays and practice in other forms as well.

In the end, you yourself hold the key to learning new words and in the process enhancing your vocabulary. Engage in things you think you will enjoy and chances of retaining what you learn is better and more effective.