By: Phillip Mattie
I often see vocabulary as some sort of verbal projectile, a missile aimed at a listener or a reader that, when it finds its mark, produces some spectacular effect. After all, words are what we hurl at others. To get attention, to give it, when we give a speech, and when we are listening or reading are all times when a hefty briefcase full of words and their meanings come in handy. So, it’s important to build your vocabulary strong.
Whether you are going to write a letter to your lady love or give a presentation to your boss, it’s important to have a good stock of words to pull from. Below are some pro tips to building the ultimate silo of missiles for you to fire, though I will give one caveat: None of these exercises are easy. Each and every one of them requires time and effort, as all things worth learning do.
Proven Tips to Build Your Vocabulary
Please note that these tips have been compiled by English language experts and some leading online English tutors. So, these are really helpful:
Pro tip # 1: Read, Read, Read
No matter what, you need to read. Voraciously. Although, there are some books you should focus on, while ignoring others. Ignore whatever doesn’t challenge you, and by that I mean you shouldn’t read anything that was taught far below your grade level. Not that these books or stories don’t have merit, it’s just that you have conceivably grown beyond their level of difficulty in terms of vocabulary and complexity.
You should read challenging material. The classics, as some people call them, are always good choices. Go to your local book store and dig up a dusty volume. Additionally, you should definitely read anything and everything that interests you simply because (as I have stated in previous entries) those readings will inspire you and pique your interest, perhaps even motivate you to do some research of your own.
But, what does reading have to do with vocabulary? Reading is the medium in which these words get introduced into our lives. But unfortunately, vocabulary is built not on one single reading of an unfamiliar word. Vocabulary is built by doggedly using that word, repeatedly saying and writing and reading that word.
However, when you use a shiny new word, that word must be used in the correct context, otherwise you haven’t actually learned anything. For this purpose, I highly suggest having a dictionary handy whenever you read, so you can better implement the word’s intended use. This is not a big ask, I don’t think, having a dictionary with you. Get an app for your phone. I hardly think there is a person alive in this country without some kind of device able to perform this task. So remember, read, learn, and understand.
Pro tip # 2: Write with a Thesaurus
Remember that travel blog I asked you to start writing last month? Well, guess what? If you really want to push your limits, write with a thesaurus. A thesaurus, if you don’t already know, is a tool that helps you better select synonyms—words that share the same meaning. A thesaurus is a fantastic tool that really gets you wanting to use more interesting and varied vocabulary, and so I highly recommend you begin writing with one in your back pocket. But, if you cannot manage that, settle for another app for your phone.
The main benefit to writing with a thesaurus is that you will begin to use words you never have before. You are basically force fed new vocabulary words which you already know the meanings of. That’s the beauty of it; you already know what the words mean, as you are only looking for synonyms to a common word. After all, this thesaurus will be very helpful during university and college tutoring.
Take, for example, the adjective “clumsy.” I looked this one up on Thesaurus.com and lo, here’s what came up: bulky, heavy-handed, inept, ponderous, ungainly, unwieldy, blundering… The list goes on and on and on. All of these words share a common meaning, which makes learning them all the more simple; all you have to do is find a synonym of which you are familiar with. Poof. New vocab. But, don’t look now, for danger lies ahead!
Pro tip # 3: Word Choice Trumps Vocabulary
Ok, so you now have a new super-power to build your vocabulary. You are able to look up and learn new words at will, which basically means that you have access to some of the most obscure and unused vocabulary, ever. You can find a synonym for “beautiful” and say “pulchritudinous” instead. But, do you really want to? That’s why I trump word choice over vocabulary. It’s all about selecting the best possible word for whatever scenario you have written yourself into.
That’s what good writers do. They don’t go for the obscure or the unknown, they find the best possible word that will deliver their meaning in the most elegant, appropriate way. I find that William Shakespeare and his Early-Modern contemporaries are the best examples of this feat; it’s well known that Shakespeare’s vocabulary was much, much smaller than that of our own, as far as available words in the English language. But it was his word choice, the subtle selection of his vocabulary, the unbelievable ability to select the exact right word and put it in the exact right place, just so, so that we feel what he feels, and the line between reader and writer blurs. It’s a revelation.
Basically, you really have to want to learn new words. It doesn’t happen by accident, and like anything worth learning, it takes time and effort. Time and effort. So spend your time and effort reading something you enjoy. Write about yourself, what you do, what are you interests, and challenge yourself when you do it by introducing new vocabulary into your work. But, perhaps the hardest thing to do is finding the best, most elegant word possible.
Word choice will always trump vocabulary. Find the best word, even if it’s a common one, and put it where it will do the most good, where it will have the most impact. Remember, these are missiles we are firing. We want them to be accurate. So let’s hit our marks.
Hope you find these tips to build your vocabulary useful. You can use these whether you’re writing a college admission easy or writing a portfolio.