There are tons of strategies out there to help you improve your English vocabulary skills quickly and effectively. But there are so many that it can feel hard to sift through. Today we’ll talk about 3 proven strategies to improve your English for free!

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Proven Strategies to Improve Your English Vocabulary Skills

A common misconception about language learning is that some people are good at it, and others are not. But the thing is, we all had to learn a “new” language when we were infants and toddlers. Nobody’s born speaking their native language. You most likely don’t remember your first words.

Building your vocabulary to the point of being able to communicate is a long and complex learning process. But most of it (besides vocabulary or spelling quizzes at school) happens subconsciously. That’s what makes immersion the most effective method of learning a language. While traveling is a good was to immerse yourself, that’s not the only way!

All you have to do is maximize your study time.

 

3 Strategies to Improve English Vocabulary Skills

The strategies we’ll review today are metacognitive, meaning they involve thinking about your thinking. That may sound complicated, but humans learn by repeating and “recycling” ideas. When you read, you use certain cognitive strategies to understand what you’re reading. A metacognitive strategy means taking a second to fully digest what you’ve read in order to better interpret it.

Whether you’re learning new concepts or reviewing old ones, these techniques can help you retain and understand what you read. While the 3 strategies below focus on reading, don’t forget to work on your pronunciation and speaking, listening practice, and writing as a part of your daily practice.

1. Paraphrasing

To paraphrase is to summarize or to re-word what you heard or read. Have you ever tried to memorize a speech, only to blank out when it was time to present? Or have you read a book for a test but you weren’t able to explain the themes or character development very well? As analytical beings, we can take in a lot of information, but that doesn’t always meant that we’ll remember it.

So while you’re reading or listening, take a moment and let yourself simmer on what you’re taking in. Take a moment to paraphrase or summarize what you just saw but put it into your own words. That way, you can make sure retain what you learned and you can also even practice by writing in your target language.

Another place where you could try paraphrasing is when you run across new vocabulary words. Rather than getting stuck and getting out a dictionary, read then entire sentence and use context to figure out the meaning of the new word. Then, summarize or describe what that word means. For example:

“My grandmother constantly talks about antediluvian values that no longer apply to today’s industrialized society.”

You may not know what antediluvian means (I didn’t either). But by looking at the rest of the sentence, you might be able to figure it out. Did you deduce that it means ancient or outdated? You’re right! You don’t have to understand every individual word to get the gist.

So try paraphrasing to figure out new words and remember the information you’re learning.

2. Contextualizing

All writing is a reflection of the author’s society, culture, history, as well as their individual personality and objectives. One method for understanding reading passages of all kinds is to think about the broader context. Who is the intended audience? If it is a magazine article, who reads this type of magazine? Is the author’s goal to make readers learn something new, or reflect on a topic in a different way?

Thinking about these questions can help frame your reading in a more meaningful light. If you understand the context of the reading, you can also better comprehend the nuances of vocabulary words. In more controversial pieces, you may find stronger, more impactful verbs, while a humorous text may use colloquial expressions. Since it’s important to understand when it is appropriate to use certain words, contextualizing can provide a strong basis for knowing how to use vocabulary correctly.

3. Reacting

Being able to respond to things happening around you in your target language is a great way to improve your reactions and responses. A great way to do this is while in a country that speaks your target language since you have no other choice, but we don’t all have that opportunity. So how can you react on your own?

You don’t necessarily need to argue with yourself aloud (but self-conversation is great tactic!). However, reacting to what you read is an important part of higher-level language skills. Let’s say you read something you didn’t understand and you felt confused. If you can formulate a response to that, then you’re practicing and improving how you might respond in real life, or how you respond in your native language. You can also mentally react to how a certain passage conflicts with your views. Or think about how a concept works differently in your native language. The point is to ponder what you’re reading and engage with it.

 

BONUS STRATEGY: How to Learn Tons of Useful Vocabulary Words and Phrases

If you’re ready to learn a lot of vocabulary in just 5 minutes a day, then we’ve got a great hack for you. Our teacher Lizzie will go over some of our vocabulary learning hacks in the video below!

 

For More Information

These were just a few strategies to improve your English vocabulary but there are tons more out there! What works for one person may not work for someone else. So let us know in the comments below if you like these or would recommend something else.

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