Vocabulary Rhymes: Learning Vocabulary With Fun

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Children are, by nature, curious which makes it easier to teach them. But what adults often forget is that kids need to be taught in a way that attracts their attention, and engages them with the learning process. That is why traditional ways are less effective when teaching them. If you are teaching younger learners vocabulary, make sure to include fun interactive activities, such as vocabulary rhymes.

Parents read rhymes to their children from a very early age. Researchers have mentioned many benefits of this practice in their development. Do you know that they can be useful in language learning too?

In this article, we will discuss vocabulary rhymes and how they help in building a strong foundation of vocabulary for beginner-level students.

Let’s get started!

How Do Rhymes Help With Language Learning?

Rhymes are fun, no doubt. You surely loved them when you were a kid. But how do they help us? All of us were taught rhymes in kindergarten. Did you ever wonder why they were used in class?

Rhymes are often used to develop the pre-literacy skills of children. They make the learning process fun, but that is not the only advantage of them. Rhymes are taught to children for their many benefits as listed below:

Listening Skill Development

The biggest contribution of rhymes in children’s learning is developing listening skills. When you are reading your kids a rhyme or a story, children try to figure out what you are saying. They try to understand and visualize the story. They learn new words and concepts.

The practice of reading to children doesn’t only develop their listening skill but their speaking skill also. They try to mimic your speaking style and pronunciation.

It is often prescribed to ESL students to listen to audio clips and mimic them. This way, they can understand a word by listening and learning to use them in their speech. But for younger students, especially kindergarteners, the process might be complicated. For non-native young learners, you can use English vocabulary rhymes to teach them new words. These fun rhymes will have their attention and they will not be bored while learning.

Learn Pronunciation

What is the most interesting part of rhymes in your opinion? Obviously, the rhyming words! And how do rhyming words help? They help us understand the pronunciation of a word.

Have you ever explained to someone how a certain part of a word sounds like another part so that they can pronounce it correctly? Imagine someone cannot understand the pronunciation of ‘thorough’. You can say that it sounds like ‘borrow’. If they have trouble pronouncing the ‘tho-’ part, tell them it sounds like ‘Thanks’. People who have unique names often use this technique to teach others pronunciation. It is also a useful technique if you are explaining the pronunciation of a word from a foreign language.

Vocabulary rhymes are a great way to teach children about pronunciation. With rhymes, you are not actively pointing out the similarity in pronunciation of two words, but students will understand anyway. Using vocab rhymes, you can teach pronunciation of a lot of words without much effort.

Understanding Sound Patterns

Children who struggle to understand pronunciation from spelling can take the help of rhymes. We already know that not all similar-sounding words are not similarly spelt. Likewise, not all words with similar spelling sound the same. So, along with spelling, use rhymes to train your kids to categorize words depending on their sound patterns.

Rhymes teach children to recognize sound patterns. This is an important lesson that later helps a lot when students learn to write words after listening. Using vocabulary rhymes, you can teach your child how to differentiate between syllables and categorize them.

Curious about how many grammar rules in English? *Hint: the previous sentence had some grammatical errors!

Improving Creativity

Rhymes are not just similar-sounding words gathered. They have concepts. Each rhyme describes a scene or event, or similar things associated with their daily life. Through rhymes, children learn to imagine and visualize concepts. They develop their skill in language comprehension. This improves their creativity.

Some rhymes do include words that have no official meaning, for example, ‘Humpty-Dumpty’. But they are necessary to improve your kid’s imagination.

Implementing Vocabulary Rhymes In Lessons

Teach Rhyming Words

When you are teaching your students about syllables, start teaching them about rhyming words too. The words that have the same syllables and similar sounds will be easier for the students to remember. For example: ‘Gain, main, pain, rain’, ‘All, ball, call, mall’, or ‘Moon, soon, spoon’.

Vocabulary rhymes are a great way to teach homonyms and homophones, especially words with different spellings. Teach your students to categorize the words depending on their sound patterns.

Check the list of rhyming words below:

  • Air, layer, pair, stair
  • And, band, expand, grand, land
  • Any, many, penny
  • Ark, bark, clerk, mark, park
  • Ash, bash, cash, dash, mash, smash, splash
  • At, bat, cat, fat, mat
  • Bake, cake, make, stake, steak, wake
  • Bare, care, dare, hare, mare, mere
  • Bay, day, lay, ray, stay
  • Beat, greet, meat, meet, split
  • Been, green, seen, tin, pin
  • Bill, chill, kill, mill, till, will
  • Blue, clue, Flu, glue
  • Boat, coat, goat, moat
  • Book, cook, hook, look, took
  • Boot, brute, shoot
  • Bride, guide, hide, tide
  • Bump, lump, trump
  • Change, range, strange
  • Clip, dip, hip, lip, sip, tip
  • Drove, stove, grove
  • Face, grace, place, race
  • Gap, map, slap, tap, zap
  • Got, hot, not, pot
  • And many more…

Make Your Own Vocabulary Rhymes

After you taught your students about rhyming words, ask them to make short poems with them.

Let’s make a short rhyme about vocabulary. Can you think about a word that rhymes with vocab? Here are some useful ones:

Cab

Grab

King crab

Lab

Slab

Stab

Fab

Jab

 

We don’t need to use all of them obviously. A sample rhyme is given below:

To make myself good in vocab

I attend a class near the science lab

I go there every day using a cab

There’s a shop near the class that sells king crab.

 

Can you make such vocabulary rhymes on your own like this?

This practice helps them remember the meaning of those words also. After all, the rhyme needs to be meaningful. So, they also learn about the appropriate use of those words in a sentence.

Do Vocabulary Rhymes Help Older Or Adult Students?

Of course, everyone can be benefitted from vocabulary rhymes if used correctly. Search for rhyming words, learn their meaning, parts of speech, context etc. Then try to use them properly in a rhyme. It’s not mandatory for the rhyming words to come at the ending of a sentence. Try to play with the rhythm when you are making rhymes.

You can play games with your friends using vocabulary rhymes. The rule is to not only find rhyming words but also make a sentence with them. See how far you can go.

But before you start improving your skill, you must understand your current level. SpellQuiz Vocabulary Test can help you evaluate your skill and get a proper idea about where to start. Just listen to the audio clip at every stage and type the sentence with accurate spelling to pass the stage. Don’t worry about accents. The clips are recorded with professional artists.

Also, you can play the clip as many times as you like. The audio clip will be played at two different paces- normal and slowed so that you don’t have any problem understanding the words. It will take around 10 minutes for the test to determine your vocabulary range and assign you a grade or level. After getting the result, you can start improving your skill from that point.

Also, you should look for learning tips appropriate for that level. If you are looking for grade-appropriate words, don’t look further! SpellQuiz Printable Word Lists offer a wide collection of words divided into grades. There are multiple word lists for each level. Word lists are available for pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and adults also. Moreover, you can find special word lists for spelling bee competitions. Print them out, and hang them on your wall for a quick glance when necessary.

Final Words

Never underestimate regular evaluation. We have already discussed SpellQuiz Vocabulary Test. Will that be efficient for constant evaluation? You can, of course, use that. But SpellQuiz offers several other features that will make your learning process easier and more enjoyable. Consider SpellQuiz Spelling Test. This test is the best for daily or weekly assessment. The test is divided into grades as well so that you can find a test suitable for you. Take the test for your grade. When you start to excel, take the test from higher grades. Or you can take the vocabulary test to see if you are ready to advance to the next level.

Competition does inspire people to give their best to achieve something. Traditional learning environment utilizes this a lot. However, it is hard to find competition when you are learning on your own. But, not with SpellQuiz. SpellQuiz Spelling Bee Online is an online spelling bee competition where students from anywhere in the world can participate. There are scoreboards for daily, weekly, monthly, and all-time top spellers. It is a great platform to show off your skill and grow your confidence.

If you are worried about joining a competition right away, you can warm yourself up using SpellQuiz Practice Test. Practice as much as you want before joining the actual competition. It also lets you adjust to the online environment.

Happy learning!

Vocabulary Review Activities for Better Memorization of Words

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There is no point in learning new words if you are going to forget the old ones and need to learn them again. This way, it would be an endless cycle of learning the same thing without any actual benefit.

So, it would help if you found a way, such as vocabulary review activities, that can prevent forgetting old words.

In this article, we will discuss vocabulary review activities that can be used regularly. You can also use them as vocabulary exercises as well as vocabulary assessment tools.

So, let’s get started!

Is Daily Vocabulary Review Activities Necessary?

Most of the time, we focus more on vocabulary learning and keep the review activities for the end of the semester. But it would be more efficient if teachers make vocabulary review a part of their daily lesson plan or at least weekly.

It might sound like a hassle but reviewing the vocabulary words daily would help you in several ways.

It will reduce the monotony of learning. No one likes to read the same list repeatedly. Instead, give them a list of words first to learn the words and then use exercises to help them memorize the words permanently.

Also, vocabulary review activities don’t take much time. For example, ask the students to stand up. Say a word from the vocabulary list and ask for a definition. Whoever gives the correct definition will sit down.

You can also ask for synonyms or antonyms if they are part of your vocabulary learning. This is a quick and fun review activity you can play at the end of your class. I’m pretty sure the students will like it too.

 

Vocabulary Review Activities

Now, what type of activities would we be using in class?

Below are some engaging vocabulary review activities ideas for you to use in class and at home. Don’t choose only one of them, instead, try all of them. You can even mix different activities or create your own.

Think outside the box. Can you make a review activity that students can perform at home? You can use them as homework!

One clever strategy is to monitor which review activity is most liked by the students. Try to use them more in the class.

 

Traditional Fill in The Gaps

Traditional and effective, fill in the gap exercises are hard to beat when it comes to vocabulary review. You can use different types of fill in the gap activities for your students.

Also, you can give them independent sentences or a paragraph. You can give them a list of words that will be used in the exercise, or they can guess on their own. If you are giving a list, add some extra words to confuse them.

This activity also plays a part in learning the language. The student will have a better knowledge of the use of the vocabulary word in a sentence. They will learn about context which will give them the confidence to actively use the word.

 

Theme Based Word Web

Take a paper and write a theme word (Home, Job, Sports) in the middle. Now start writing words related to the theme word and draw lines between them to connect. You can choose one of the related words as your theme word for further expansion.

For example, which words are related to ‘Home’? Roof, Wall, Window, Door, Furniture etc. Now ‘Furniture’ can also be a theme word and related words would be Chair, Table, Lamp, Sofa, Bed etc. Again, what other words are related to ‘Home’? Bedroom, Living Room, Kitchen etc.

Then you can choose ‘Kitchen’ as another theme word. This activity would be enjoyable to students of all levels. For advanced level students, choose the theme word carefully because ‘Home’ or ‘Kitchen’ would be too easy for them. Instead, you can choose ‘Emotion’, ‘Law and order’ etc. as your theme word.

Check the example below for a clear idea:

If you are a teacher, divide your students into groups and give each group a paper. The group that writes the most word correctly will win. You can add these papers to your vocabulary board also for future reference. It can also be a fun activity for students at home.

 

Conversation

Just like filling in the gaps, holding conversation using the newly learnt words also give students an idea about the context.

But that is not all. Speaking practice is an amazing way to improve language, especially speaking skills. Many students, no matter how good they are at reading or writing, feel uncomfortable when speaking in a foreign language. Conversing in English will boost their confidence level.

 

Memory Card Games

Take two sets of cards. On one set, write the vocabulary words, on the other set, write definitions of the vocabulary words. Now, you can play several types of games using these sets.

  • Shuffle the cards and place them in a 4×4 or 6×6 grid pattern, depending on the number of cards. A student will turn two cards. If they match, the cards will be out of the grid. Moreover, if they don’t match, the student will turn them over again and try to match. If several students are playing, then if a student fails to make a match, then the next student gets a chance. If they make a match, they will get an additional chance.
  • Divide the students into two groups. One group will have the word cards, and another will have the definitions cards. A student from a group will read the card loudly and another group will find its match from the cards they have.

You can also write the synonyms or antonyms of the word. In that case, give the instruction beforehand or mention on the card that the written word is the antonym or synonym of the selected word.

 

Acting Out Words

Write the vocabulary words on cards, each card containing one word. Put them in a box.

Divide your students into two groups. A student from each group will pick up a card from the box and act out the word on the card. There will be a set time for acting for each word. The group clearing the most word will win.

This game can be played in various ways. If a group is unable to guess a word within the given time, the other group can have a chance to guess. Also, you can choose an equal number of words for each group. The group that takes the least time to complete will win. You can divide them into more than two groups.

 

Pictionary

Pictionary is a classic enjoyable game for vocabulary review. It’s just like the Acting out game, but instead of acting, the students must draw on the board to make their teammates understand. The rule is that they cannot use letters, numbers or symbols that can give away the word. The teacher should monitor the drawing to make sure the rule is not being violated.

If you’re interested in some fun activities to enrich your child’s vocabulary then you should definitely try out some vocab rhymes

Online Vocabulary Activities

Online vocabulary games are engaging, and students love them a lot. So, why don’t you use them for vocabulary review? Check out these online vocabulary games to use in your classroom:

 

Spelling City

When it comes to online spelling practice platforms, Spelling City is considered a pioneer. They have over 40 types of word games aimed to improve the student’s vocabulary and spelling skills. They also provide word lists suitable for students of all levels, from kindergarten to K-12. Please check the Spelling city review for detailed information.

 

ABCMouse

ABCMouse is one of the most well-known online education platforms. There are over 10,000 learning activities for teaching your child different core subjects such as math, science etc. The platform is mostly for pre-school learning. Here, in the ABCMouse review, you can find more about its features.

 

SpellQuiz

Quizzes are an entertaining way for vocabulary review and SpellQuiz offers different types of quizzes to assess your spelling skills, vocabulary range, grammar- basically your overall knowledge of English.

SpellQuiz Vocabulary Test evaluates one’s vocabulary range and assigns them a grade according to their skill. This test is particularly useful for someone who wants to understand the current state of their skill.

SpellQuiz Spelling Test is a useful tool too. In this test, a student will listen to an audio clip containing a complete sentence and they need to write it with accurate spelling. The test is divided into grades so that you can have an appropriate test for your level.

SpellQuiz also provides printable word lists for pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, students in grades 1 to 12, and adults. There are multiple word lists for each grade. There are separate word lists for spelling bee competitions which students can use to improve their vocabulary range.

SpellQuiz Spelling Bee Online is a spelling bee competition held online where students around the world compete against each other. Encourage your students to join the competition so that they can show their potential on a global platform. If they are nervous, they can take SpellQuiz Practice Test first. This will give them an idea about the online environment also.

As a teacher, you can monitor the progress of your students via the dashboard. There are various subscription plans for teachers depending on the number of students. But before purchasing anything, try the 14-day trial period to explore all the features to make a decision.

If you are planning a daily vocabulary review, make sure it doesn’t take much time. If you want to use the time-consuming activities, you better plan that lesson for review only. Try to make the activities more engaging and enjoyable so that students don’t feel pressured.

Happy learning!

Vocabulary Empowerment: Find Empowerment in Words

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What does empowerment mean? It means becoming stronger, more in control, and having confidence.

And how does improving your vocabulary can lead you to empowerment? That is what this article is all about!

Words are powerful, no doubt. What we say and how we say it has a great impact on us as well as on people around us. It influences our thoughts, and views, and defines our ideas.

Therefore, it is vital to choose your words carefully so that you can appear exactly as you want to in front of the audience. And vocabulary empowerment is your biggest weapon in this field.

Do you know some people’s worst fear is public speaking? They are afraid that they’ll make fun of themselves in front of others and tries to avoid speaking at any cost.

They sweat and stutter while in front of an audience, some are too afraid to even form meaningful words. Several reasons can be associated with it- one of which is their lack of knowledge of the language i.e., poor vocabulary.

Feeling nervous while talking is a more common incident among people who are using their second language, but even native speakers face this problem, especially in a formal environment due to the lack of vocabulary.

An enriched vocabulary gives the speaker confidence to express themselves fluently in any situation which opens more opportunities for them in every aspect of their life.

In this article, we will discuss how vocabulary empowerment works and its necessity in our learning process. You will learn positive empowering words that will be useful in the long run.

So, Let’s get started!

 

What Does Vocabulary Empowerment Mean?

In simple words, vocabulary empowerment means enriching your vocabulary to gain confidence.

Being able to communicate properly is a primary objective of learning a language. But to do that, you need a good command of the language. You need to know enough words to express your thoughts clearly.

Think about the language learning process for an ESL student. When you are at the beginner level, you will feel self-conscious, you may struggle to find the right words or don’t even know enough words to hold a conversation. Then what do you do?

You learn more and more words, you learn their roots, usage, and special uses if any. You use them in your speech or in your writing. The more you learn, the more your confidence grows. You can present yourself in front of others with poise. This is basically what vocabulary empowerment means.

 

How Does Vocabulary Empowerment Work?

Fluency

The biggest impact of a rich vocabulary is on your fluency. The more words you know, the more fluent you get in a language. Your comprehension skill improves. You not only can express yourself properly but can understand others’ points of view as well. You are capable of understanding and explaining sophisticated concepts.

 

Communication Skill

Better fluency leads to better communication skills. You know enough words to exhibit your every emotion, idea, thoughts and even synonym. Your speech or writing has fewer repeated words, you know all the rules to make them more engaging and attractive to people. You won’t back away from holding a conversation with a stranger or an authority figure because you know you can pull it off.

And that is when your confidence starts to rise. You know your worth and can let the world know about your potential.

Learn more about how daily vocabulary review activities can help you improve your language skills!

 

How Can We Use Vocabulary Empowerment for Our Benefit?

In other words, how can we enrich our vocabulary to become more fluent? We have some tips to share with you, but before that, you need to know how much you already know.

You must know about your vocabulary level and range before you start improving your skill. Otherwise, you might go through words that are too simple for you, or you learned them already. That is why you need SpellQuiz Vocabulary Test. It will assess your vocabulary range and assign you a level in just 10 minutes!

After that, you can find appropriate word lists for your level using SpellQuiz Printable Words Lists. The lists are divided into grades and available for pre-kindergarten and adult students. There are multiple lists for each grade so that you never run out of words. There are also separate word lists for spelling bee competitions so check them out too!

Now that you have an idea about your current vocabulary level, here are some tips for you to expand it further:

 

Never Forget to Read

Reading for acquiring new words doesn’t mean you have read those complicated journal papers or non-fiction books about abstract concepts. You can acquire thousands of useful words from children’s literature or your daily newspaper. Even textbooks of different subjects can be considered word banks.

The main point is to keep reading. Make reading a part of your daily routine. Books are now available online, why not utilize that? It might be hard for students, especially adults and ESL students to make time for reading in their hectic schedules. In that case, you can read online in your free time or while commuting from work to home.

 

Maintain A Record

You have heard this before, and you will hear it again. Keeping a track of your already learned words and the words you need to learn is the basic rule of language learning. You should have word lists containing their meanings and additional information about their roots, usage, synonyms, and antonyms- basically, anything that helps you understand the word accurately.

You can easily maintain this notebook on your electronic devices. It is easier to maintain that way. If you are more comfortable with traditional ways, that works too. Just make sure you revise your word lists regularly to prevent forgetting older words.

 

Theme Based Word Lists

When you learn vocabulary, you must make word lists. Dividing words into categories and having theme-based word lists can do magic for your learning progress.

You can make your word lists based on roots, suffixes and prefixes or spelling patterns. But you can also divide them into concepts such as emotion, technology, geography, cuisine, law, and order, and many more. This way, you can connect the words you learn to a common concept. It would be easier for you to memorize and use them accurately.

This approach is particularly efficient in real life. If you are in a situation where you are not fluent enough to understand the whole segment, you can look for keywords that will connect you to these concepts to understand the gravity of the situation to some extent. Your lack of knowledge about the language in a practical situation can create some serious problems and this method will help you avoid them.

As we are talking about concepts and vocabulary empowerment today, how about we make a word list consisting of empowering words? This concept has various applications in improving your mindset, motivation and obviously- confidence.

You could try out playing some vocab rhymes too. For example, try to find a word that rhymes with vocab!

 

How To Use Empowering Words?

Empowering words are words that promote strong and positive vibes. These words are especially needed in a formal situation or when giving a motivational speech. If you are writing to promote a product, use these words to describe the product. The clients will be convinced about the impact the product will have on their life.

 

Self-Empowerment Words

As self-talk has become a widely acknowledged trend of improving self-confidence, self-empowerment words are now a necessity. Associate empowering words with yourself to feel better about yourself, to feel at peace. Repeat in your mind how ‘ambitious’, ‘hard-working’, and ‘authentic’ you are.

And not just self-talk, the words you choose to describe yourself impact your subconscious and the opinion people have about you. That is why you should use vocabulary empowerment so that you can find proper words to describe yourself or to motivate yourself.

 

Female Empowerment Words

As you can use empowering words to build your confidence, you can also use them to motivate others. Minorities like people of different ethnicity, skin color, gender or sexuality often suffer from insecurities because of their differences. As you know the power of words, why not use them to empower the ones who need it the most?

Tell your daughter that she is a ‘Blessing’ to this word and a ‘force to be reckoned with’, and tell your colleague with a darker skin tone that their ‘achievements’ are ‘astounding’. Use these words when you are writing to inspire a community. Check the list below for more empowering words:

Amazing

Astonishing

Attractive

Audacious

Auspicious

Beautiful

Brave

Breathtaking

Brilliant

Captivating

Charisma

Chivalry

Confidence

Committed

Compelling

Courage

Curiosity

Creative

Dazzling

Dedication

Delight

Determination

Devotion

Discovery

Divine

Driven

Empowerment

Enriched

Exciting

Exclusive

Fierce

Force

Freedom

Genius

Genuine

Glory

Gorgeous

Graceful

Hero

Honor

Imagination

Impact

Innovation

Inspiring

Intelligent

Invincible

Jaw-dropping

Limitless

Master

Miracle

Motivation

Noble

Passionate

Powerful

Purpose

Preservation

Promise

Pursue

Radiant

Rare

Ravishing

Smart

Soar

Smooth

Soul

Strength

Spirit

Stunning

Tenacity

Transparent

Transform

Unbreakable

Unique

Value

Victory

Vision

Wild

Worth

Youth

Zeal

Love

Aim

Mark

Kindness

Hope

Pleasant

Wit

Charm

Glamour

Honesty

Work

Industry

 

For more vocabulary improvement tips, don’t forget to visit SpellQuiz Blogs.

But the main objective of vocabulary empowerment, that is, to improve your confidence, will not be achieved if you fail to use them in the proper situation. Learning them by heart will not fulfill the purpose, you must actively use them. You can write these words on a board and hang them on the wall beside your desk or in your classroom. Look at them when you are feeling down or encourage your students to look at the board when they feel depressed or disheartened.

Happy learning!

Why Do We Need Vocabulary Enhancer in Language Learning?

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Learning vocabulary is a never-ending process. The more words you learn, the more you advance towards fluency. You need to extend your vocabulary further and further to be considered fluent and a vocabulary enhancer helps you do exactly that.

There are certain levels of learning that help you understand how close you are to your desired level such as beginner, intermediate, advanced, and fluent speaker. To be considered fluent in a language, for example, English, you need to know over 10,000 words. But people need only around 4,000 words to hold a daily conversation.

As you can see, there is a big difference between being able to have a basic conversation and being fluent. Do you know that an average adult native English speaker can actively use around 20,000 words but their passive vocabulary exceeds 40,000 words?

Acquiring this many words requires a long time. Students often at one point in their learning process, become frustrated as there are big gaps to fulfil to go to the next level. You might feel like you know all the necessary words but still are unable to reach an advanced level. In times like this, a good vocabulary enhancer can be your best friend.

In this article, we will discuss different types of vocabulary enhancer, their functions, vocabulary enhancer online and offline, and many other things. You will find the necessary tips and tricks for enhancing vocabulary and making the process smoother.

So, let’s get started!

 

What Is a Vocabulary Enhancer?

A vocabulary enhancer means a device that will help you build and improve your vocabulary. It can be a vocabulary builder program, scheme, online app, or game- basically, anything that works for you.

Let’s consider reading. If you develop a habit of reading different types of articles, books, journals etc. to learn new words with context, then this method is a vocabulary enhancer for you. But normally, a vocabulary enhancer means a systematic process that helps you enhance your vocabulary.

Think about vocabulary learning programs. They provide step by step guide on how to improve your skill along with necessary resources, practice materials, wordlists etc. Good learning programs often combine different interactive learning methods so that students enjoy the learning process.

 

How Does a Vocabulary Enhancer Help Us?

So, a vocabulary enhancer helps us learn more words. Is that all? Of course not!

A good vocabulary enhancer teaches not only the words and their meanings but also their roots, usage, and many other things so that the student can actively use them in their daily life. There are several sectors of language learning in which a vocabulary enhancer plays an important role:

Better Comprehension Skill

Let me give you two scenarios. Both involve reading a book you wished to read for a long time.

In the first scenario, you have a dictionary with you while reading the book. Every few minutes, you need to check the dictionary to find the meaning of a word you just encountered but couldn’t understand. And after reading the dictionary, you go back to your book and read the sentence again to understand it. Sometimes, the meaning given in the dictionary doesn’t fully explain the context, so you have to search online, and maybe use a translator to understand it properly.

In the second scenario, you know all the words beforehand with context. You are able to read the book without any interruption. You understand the gravity of the situations, and the tension, and feel satisfied after completing the book. Which scenario do you prefer?

Vocabulary enhancer helps you learn new words that will actually be helpful in your daily life. You would be able to learn useful words, not just a bunch of words for the sake of learning.

Check out our guide on positive empowering words now!

 

Express Yourself Properly

How long are you going to use only ‘nice’ or ‘awesome’ to show that you’re impressed? Why not ‘Incredible’? Or ‘delightful’? Maybe ‘Astonishing’?

Your choice of words should be appropriate according to the environment. Three types of environments are mainly considered here: Formal, semi-formal, and informal. ‘Awesome’ is an appropriate word for a conversation between two friends, but not when you are giving a presentation in front of the CEO of a company. Similarly, ‘The documentation of the case study has been performed…’ will be better suited for a scientific journal rather than discussing the progress with a colleague.

With the help of a vocabulary enhancer, you will be able to learn words to express your feelings or ideas with better words. And not only that, but you will also be able to differentiate between synonymous words! It is important for a non-native speaker to understand that even though some words are considered synonymous, they are not appropriate in every situation.

Let me tell you an interesting fact. The words you learn help you understand more advanced level words. So, the more words you learn, the better you will be at understanding more complicated concepts and expressing them correctly!

Understand how vocabulary review activities can enhance your communication skills.

 

Better Communication Skill

Why does a person want to learn a language? To be able to read more documents? Or to be able to ask for direction when lost in a foreign country?

The main purpose of language is to communicate with others effectively. Our job is not only to express ourselves but also to understand others’ points of view. And for successful communication, having a good vocabulary is a must.

Communication skill is a key factor in the workplace. Due to globalization, many people are going abroad for job purposes or dealing with foreign clients while working in their own country. Having a good command of English is mandatory in these situations. Employers are always looking for people with good communication skills as they will be a representative of the company.

Recruiting officers in such companies choose their candidates carefully. They look for resumes that show impressive use of words and well-organized descriptions of the applicant. Many applicants never make it to the interview because their resumes fail to show their language skills.

Studies show that as the level of your vocabulary indicates your command of a language, it can also predict the level of success or failure you will receive in the professional field. So, a good vocabulary is important for having better jobs too.

 

Which Vocabulary Enhancer Would Be Suitable?

There are a number of vocabulary enhancer online and offline that can help you build your vocabulary. First, you need to consider a few criteria:

  • Do you prefer an online or offline environment for learning?
  • What is your preferred length of a vocabulary program?
  • How much time are you willing to spend every day on vocabulary learning?
  • How much would you like to spend on such programs?

Because of the modern hectic life, people are more interested in vocabulary enhancer online. They also have many benefits such as:

  • They don’t require additional equipment. Just your usual electronic device is enough.
  • Most of the vocabulary enhancer online have games as vocabulary activities that are enjoyable for students of all ages.
  • They are accessible 24/7 so students can use them at their convenience.
  • Many programs, such as SpellQuiz, offer adaptive learning that allows the students to advance at their own pace without feeling pressurized.

Check these vocabulary enhancer programs below to choose the most suitable one for you:

 

Spelling City

Spelling City is an online platform that promotes learning with word games. They started their journey in 2008 as an online educational platform and have become a pioneer in this field. It is one of the top destinations for both teachers and students around the world for educational purposes.

There are around 40 types of word games to teach vocabulary. They also offer vocabulary strategies and necessary materials of top-notch quality that guarantee visible improvement. The games involve all 4 basic skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) to ensure proper learning. They provide a massive word collection suitable for kindergarten kids to grade 12 students. The collection contains sight words, academic subject-related words and many more.

You can learn more about this platform from the Spelling City Review.

 

How To Spell

If you are an adult looking for a vocabulary enhancer, then How to Spell is just for you. The platform focuses on helping adults improve their language skills, though plenty of materials for students are also available. They have been in this field for over 10 years providing quality services to adult students.

How to spell offers spelling lessons, exercises, books, and other necessary materials. The lessons include spelling rules patterns, prefixes and suffixes, and the exercises are also divided into these categories. This makes it easier for the student to choose an area they are weak at and improve it.

Don’t forget to check their website for detailed information.

 

SpellQuiz

SpellQuiz is an online platform offering a variety of services to provide a complete solution to language learning. The learning activities available here are suitable for all students including pre-kindergarten, K-12, ESL, and adults.

SpellQuiz Vocabulary Test will immensely help you in planning how to improve your vocabulary. The test will estimate your vocabulary range and assign you a grade. You will have a clear idea about your current state so that you can find suitable vocabulary learning activities for you.

SpellQuiz Spelling Test is divided into grades so that you can find a test suitable for your level. The process is pretty simple: you will hear an audio clip that contains a full sentence. Write the sentence with accurate spelling to pass the level. The clips are recorded with professional voice artists, so you don’t need to worry about accents. Instead, you can improve your pronunciation skill!

Are you competitive? Does participating in a competition motivate you to put more effort? Then SpellQuiz Spelling Bee Online is your best friend. It is a virtual spelling bee competition where students around the world compete against each other. There are boards for top spellers of the day, week, month, and all-time. So, participate today and get your name on the boards!

If you are feeling hesitant about joining straight away, try SpellQuiz Practice Test first. This will give you an idea about the digital environment. You can practice as much as you can before joining a real competition.

So, what are you waiting for?

How Can Vocabulary Exercises Help Improve Language Skills?

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According to linguist David Wilkins, “Without grammar little can be conveyed, without vocabulary, nothing can be conveyed”. That single sentence pretty much sums up the importance of vocabulary learning.

Students should develop an impressive range of vocabulary while learning a foreign language that can help them properly express their thoughts and ideas in that language. And vocabulary exercises play an important role in building a strong foundation for that.

Vocabulary exercises are activities focused on understanding and memorizing the vocabulary words better. With these activities, students can have a clearer idea about the meaning, usage, pronunciation etc. of a word.

The activities require a lot of brainwork and use different types of memories so that the student never forgets the word and can actively use it whenever required.

In this article, we will explore different types of vocabulary exercises and learn how they can help us improve our language skills.

 

How Many Words Should I Learn to Be Considered Fluent?

Without knowing the proper word for an object, one can hardly express what they want even if they know all the grammar rules in that language. Imagine you went to a store to buy a shirt but don’t know the word ‘Shirt’.

Well, you may still be able to buy it but express it with other words (like ‘something you wear on your upper body’) or you may point to the shirts on display. But no doubt, it will be a hassle. Therefore, a person should acquire as many words as possible to be able to express themselves without any problem.

But how many words should a person know? Do I need to learn all the words in the dictionary to be considered fluent? Of course not.

The English language has over 470,000 words. But to hold a basic conversation, approximately 800 words would be enough. But that means you are still in the beginner level. To be promoted to the ‘Intermediate’ level, you need to know more than a thousand words. And to be considered fluent, be ready to learn more than 16,000 words.

Learning this many words in a foreign language needs proper guidance and continuous practice. Vocabulary exercises are the best way to ensure regular practice as they help you memorize the new words with context and remember old words so that you can expand your vocabulary in an organized way.

Check out our vocabulary enhancer online guide right now!

 

Importance Of Vocabulary Exercise in Language Learning

When discussing vocabulary learning, we often focus more on ways that help students acquire more words. Students are advised to read more books, and dictionaries, maintain notebooks to keep a list of learned words etc. But vocabulary exercises are hardly mentioned which makes people question the importance of this particular practice. Well…

Without practice, a student will forget what they learnt in no time. It is very easy to forget a word you just learnt but never used in your conversation or writing. That is why teachers always encourage the students to use the vocabulary words in daily life to memorize them easily. Vocabulary exercises make the process a lot easier.

 

They Make Memorizing Easier

Think about vocabulary word lists. They contain lots of words with meaning, and maybe example sentences too. Students are often asked to read the lists and memorize the words.

Let me be frank, it’s boring! You will be bored within a short time and eventually learn only a handful of words. Also, this approach has little to no use for students with short attention spans.

Now, try to complete the list with the help of vocabulary exercises. You divide the list into smaller parts. After completing a part, you use some fun exercises like scrabble, word puzzle or using words in your writing. You can feel that the words are easier to remember and use.

 You learn the context, can successfully use it and above all, you enjoy the activity. The approaches you take to learn a language will become more effective with exercises.

 

They Improve All Main Skills

One might think that most of the activities require only to either read the word from a passage or write the word in a sentence. That is not true at all. There are different types of vocabulary exercises that require listening and speaking skills.

For example, in SpellQuiz Spelling Test, the student needs to listen to an audio clip and write down the full sentence with accurate spelling. This test definitely assesses your spelling skill which is immensely important if you are using the vocabulary words in your writing.

But it also evaluates your listening skill. You need to have profound knowledge of the pronunciation of the words and be able to detect them by listening.

Using the newly learned words in your conversation is a wonderful vocabulary exercise you can practice. You can set a goal for yourself. Make a list of words you want to use in daily conversation and plan to use all of them within a given time.

You can practice these conversations with your fellow language learners, family, and friends. It will also boost your confidence in holding a conversation in a foreign language.

Want to learn self-empowerment words? Check out our guide now!

 

Skip The Boredom and Other Obstacles

Every student at one point, becomes bored with the traditional way of language learning, especially at the intermediate level. As mentioned earlier, it needs only more than a thousand words to be considered an intermediate level learner but more than 16,000 words to be considered fluent.

So, at one time, a student might feel that all their efforts are ending up in smoke. Many even start thinking about giving up.

But systematic practice can help you overcome this frustration. You can track how many words you have already mastered and how many more to go. Also, at the intermediate level, students tend to focus more on grammar which halts the process of vocabulary improvement. It is important to continue the vocabulary exercises to pass this level faster.

You can also cheer yourself up in some fun ways such as joining competitions. SpellQuiz Spelling Bee Online is a spelling bee competition held online where students around the world compete against each other. You can show your skill on this global platform and have a sense of achievement.

There are scoreboards showing the top participants of the day, week, month, and all-time to encourage students to put more effort into learning more words. Competitions like this will help you regain your interest in learning the language.

If you are hesitant about joining a competition right away, try SpellQuiz Practice test. You can practice as much as you want before joining the main competition. You might be unfamiliar with online competitions, so this practice test also gives you a chance to get accustomed to the new environment. When you feel confident enough, join the competition and show the world your potential.

 

Vocabulary Exercises: Tips Before You Start

Now that we learnt how vocabulary exercises will help us, it’s time to learn about different types of vocabulary exercises and start practising them. But before that, here are some tips for you to get better results:

Practice According to Your Level

Practising vocabulary exercises that are appropriate for your level is the fastest way to progress. Many intermediate students practice advanced level exercises hoping this will help them advance faster but the result, in fact, is totally opposite.

Advanced level exercises require advanced level skills which an intermediate level learner doesn’t have. So, this practice slows down the total progress.

Also, practising beginner-level vocabulary exercises will do no good either. No one likes to do the same task again and again. You have already mastered them so you might lose interest in learning as a result.

You will find plenty of exercises on the internet that is suitable for your level. Consult with your teacher about suitable exercises. If you are a teacher, monitor your students carefully so that you have a better understanding of their capabilities. Follow the school curriculum to get ideas on how to design the exercises.

 

Context Is Important

Traditionally, students are only taught the meaning of the words. That is not enough to be able to use it properly. If you are teaching new words to your students, always add context.

Teach them about how to use it and when to use it. Even though some words are synonymous, they cannot replace each other in every case. Ake sure that your students know about it.

Vocabulary exercises are immensely helpful in this case. Use activities that teach the students about different uses of a word. Give a situation to the student and ask if a particular word would be appropriate to use in it. Make sure the activities are interactive and students enjoy performing them.

 

Make Your Own Exercise

Not just teachers, students, especially ESL learners can create their own vocabulary exercises to assess their skills regularly. First, find out which learning method works for you and then create exercises accordingly.

Different types of activities are available both online and offline that may work for you. You can use the conventional ‘MCQ questions’, ‘Word Matching’, ‘Fill in the Gaps’ etc. or you could follow the unconventional ways such as ‘Crossword Puzzles’ or other word games.

Translating activities are also helpful as they allow you to enhance your skill in both languages. It’s not uncommon to find a new word in your mother language while searching for the meaning of a word in a foreign language.

There is no strict rule on which way you should follow. Whatever works for you is acceptable. So don’t shy away from using different methods and experiment with them. Good Luck!

If you are looking for fun vocabulary exercises or approaches to make your learning process easier, check out SpellQuiz Blogs.

Vocabulary Education for Achieving a Great Score In IELTS

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The importance of learning English is beyond description. It is the international language and medium of higher education even in most non-English speaking countries. Not just the medium only, most of the terms in any subject area are in English which is why you need to have a strong command of English.

Due to technological advancement and globalization, pursuing higher studies in a reputed university regardless of its location of it has become a reality.

That is why a great number of students dream to study abroad and receive a quality education from top-notch institutions around the world. But to achieve this goal, you have certain criteria to fulfill, and English Language Proficiency is one of them.

If you are planning to study abroad, you must have heard the term IELTS. This is the most widely accepted English Proficiency Test in the world.

Achieving a good score in this exam will open the door to the world’s top universities for you. But to do so, you must have a wide vocabulary range which is why vocabulary education is a must for you.

In this article, we would talk about IELTS and how to acquire an impressive range of vocabulary for the exam.

So, let’s get started.

 

What is IELTS?

IELTS stands for International English Language Testing System. It was introduced in 1989 as a standardized test for non-native English speakers. The test is accepted by over 3,000 academic institutions and many other professional organizations across the world.

The test is divided into 4 modules:

  • Reading
  • Listening
  • Writing and
  • Speaking

There are two main types of IELTS exams- Academic and General Training. The academic IELTS test is for students who want to get admitted to a university.

General Training is for the ones who are looking for a job abroad. The requirement varies from case to case. Contact the academic institution or the employer beforehand to make sure which type of IELTS test they require.

 

Reading

The reading module is a 1-hour test divided into three sections, each containing an article and various types of questions from it. The articles can be from newspapers, magazines, journals, training materials and many other online and offline resources.

 

Listening

The listening module has four sections. An audio clip will be played for each section and the student must answer the given questions according to the clip.

Various types of audio clips would be played such as conversations between two or more persons, class lectures or other guidelines etc. The time duration for this module is 40 minutes- 30 minutes for the test and additional 10 minutes for transferring the answers to the answer sheet.

 

Writing

There are two tasks in the writing module that need to be completed within 1 hour. Task 1 varies for academic and general training tests.

Academic test-takers need to describe a given graph or chart. Those who are taking General Training Test will write a formal, semi-formal or informal letter describing a given situation. In both cases, the student must write at least 150 words.

Task 2 is about giving one’s opinion. A topic would be given, and the student will be asked to share their opinion on the matter, analyze different points of view or discuss causes, effects, or solutions. They must write at least 250 words.

Want to enhance your vocabulary? Read our guide on vocabulary enhancer now!

 

Speaking

Speaking test takes around 15 minutes only. It would be a face-to-face interview where the examiner would ask questions about different topics- personal, social, or other- and the test-takers will answer and explain their answers.

Check out our guide on female empowerment words.

 

Why Do We Need Education Vocabulary IELTS For Preparation?

Of course, there is not a specific task for assessing one’s vocabulary range in IELTS, but if you look at the test structure, you will clearly understand the importance of vocabulary education. Let me explain it further with the IELTS test assessment criteria:

 

IELTS Test Assessment Criteria for Writing

  • Task Achievement
  • Task Response
  • Coherence and cohesion
  • Lexical resource
  • Grammar range and accuracy

 

IELTS Test Assessment Criteria for Speaking

  • Fluency
  • Lexical resource
  • Grammar range and accuracy
  • Pronunciation

In both cases, two criteria are common: Lexical resources and Grammar range and accuracy. Lexical resource means using common and high-level words or less common words, the ability to paraphrase and use them correctly. This basically means having a wide range of vocabulary. And to have a rich vocabulary, we need vocabulary education.

 

Simple Ways to Prepare For IELTS: Vocabulary Education

If you are willing to take the IELTS exam, most people will suggest you join a professional training centre and take a preparation course. It is a wise decision to do so. In the preparation course, they will provide all the necessary tips and tricks for the test.

They also offer free practice tests and mock tests so you would be thoroughly prepared before attempting the real exam.

However, building a strong vocabulary is not given much importance in most cases. It is something the student do themselves. The course may provide lists of certain keywords to use and detect but using only them is not enough.

For example, the course may provide a list of synonyms for words such as ‘increase’, ‘decrease’, ‘because’ etc. But if you don’t know any words related to the given topic, using only those words will not be enough to achieve a good score.

But building a rich vocabulary on your own can be quite difficult. You need to understand the current level of your skill first and the size of your vocabulary so that you can work on improving it further. But how to do that? Simple, SpellQuiz Vocabulary test!

The test will assess your vocabulary level, assign you a grade, and estimate the size of your vocabulary within just 10 minutes. After that, you can easily go through word lists suitable for your grade or for higher grades using SpellQuiz Words Lists. You will find multiple words lists for each grade and for adults.

Here are some tips for you to make the process easier:

 

Read, read, and read

Acquiring new vocabulary words is the basic step of vocabulary education and reading is the best way in this case. IELTS test takers are always advised to develop a reading habit. Not only this habit helps you learn more words, but it also increases your reading speed so that you can complete the reading module in the given time.

Try to read an English newspaper every day and read English storybooks also. Obviously, most of the test takers don’t have access to scientific journals, but you can search on the internet for articles.

One clever trick is to read the articles used in the IELTS reading practice test. There are plenty of practice materials available on the internet that you can read in your free time.

Usually, when we read, we tend to leave the unfamiliar words and try to understand the context without them but as an IELTS Test taker, you should focus most on these words and look for them.

Vocabulary exercises can help you grasp the concepts much better. Check out our guide now!

 

Maintaining A List Is A Must

So, you found a new word, what’s next?

Search the word in the dictionary and write it down in your notebook with meaning. You can use electronic devices as well for this task. Read them regularly and especially before taking the exam to remember all of them.

You can also do an interesting thing- find synonyms of that word and write them down too. This way, you can learn a lot of words in a short amount of time.

Many words such as ‘very’, ‘good’, ‘and’, ‘like’ etc. are frequently used in writing and conversation. But using the same word multiple times shows a lack of knowledge of English vocabulary. To avoid it, make a separate list of these high-frequency words with their synonyms.

Try not to use the same word more than once or twice in your writing or in speech; use the synonyms instead.

You can add the antonyms also in your list. Below is an example of how you should make your vocabulary education word list:

Main word: Intensive

Meaning: Very Thorough or detailed/ Vigorous
Synonym: In-depth, all-inclusive, elaborative
Antonym: Superficial, partial
Example: I am taking an intensive English language course to improve my understanding of the language.

 

Main word: Permit

Meaning: Officially allowing a person to do something
Synonym: Grant, license, legalize, authorize
Antonym: Prohibit, forbid
Example: Permitting access to your personal information can lead to various unpleasant situations such as information leakage.

If you list the words like this, you will have a clear idea about how to actively use the words and what other words can be used instead. If you can demonstrate this skill in the exam, achieving a good score will be no problem for you.

 

Work On Pronunciation and Listening

IELTS assesses your ability to understand the sound of the word and your pronunciation skill as well so make sure to include them in your vocabulary education.

The best way to improve your listening skill is to hear people talk with each other in English. Watch movies, TV programs, news reports, talk shows or videos on YouTube to understand different accents and pronunciation of words. Listening to songs also helps.

Watching the contents online enables you to rewind the same part over and over to understand the word better. You can also use subtitles for the movies.

Try to mimic the way a native speaker will pronounce a word. This way, you would sound native and would be able to detect the word in a speech. And not just words, try to learn idioms and phrases too as they are a good indicator of your language skill.

 

Spelling mistakes play a great part in reducing scores in reading, listening, and writing modules.

To avoid it, you should practice spelling along with your vocabulary education. Take SpellQuiz Spelling Test regularly to assess your spelling skill. You can also join SpellQuiz Spelling Bee Online where you can compete against users around the world and demonstrate your potential on a global platform.

SpellQuiz will help you in every step of your English Language Learning so don’t forget to join today.

Happy Learning!

English Vocabulary Easy Learning: Made Simple

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What is the best way to learn English vocabulary? Well, there is no correct answer to that question. There are several strategies to learn vocabulary faster but not a single one of them can be considered the ‘best’ way. Each person has their own way of learning style, so their strategies will be different also.

Then which one will be the best for me? That is a question we can answer. We will discuss different ways used for English Vocabulary Easy Learning in this article and you can apply them in your study to see which one works for you.

So, let’s get started!

 

How To Learn Vocabulary in English: Easy Ways

The traditional way to learn vocabulary is to make a list of words and memorize them. People also use a dictionary and start learning from one end to another.

There is nothing wrong if you are most comfortable with conventional methods. You should continue doing so if it brings out your desired outcome. But if you are not comfortable and want to make the learning process easier, you should look for other vocabulary easy learning ways. To do that, first, you need to understand your learning style.

Do you prefer listening over reading? Is it easier for you to remember after writing the word a few times, or would it be enough for you to just read?

Maybe you’ll be more interested in learning by playing word games. Factors like these might seem trivial but plays an important role in the learning process. And the methods we will discuss now utilize these traits:

 

Maintaining Notebook

If you are the kind of person who maintains a to-do list, listing down all the words you learn is the best method for you.

People who like to keep a track of their appointments, important dates, ideas etc. by noting them down would be comfortable with maintaining a notebook for vocabulary too. If carrying a notebook looks like a hassle for you, just use apps on your phone or other electronic devices.

 

Tips for maintaining an efficient word list

The main idea of this method is to have a list of words you have and haven’t learned. Whenever you see or hear a new word, note it down. Later, search the dictionary and add the meanings, example sentences, roots, and other information to your list.

It is easy to edit if you are using the electronic method, but if not, make sure to keep plenty of spaces between the words to add information later.

You can write down the meaning or definition in your own language. Or you can write it in English using simpler words. This way, you won’t need to rely on your first language much. You would be able to think in English as well which is immensely useful when having a conversation.

If a word has different versions as different parts of speech, write them down too. Words such as ‘advice and advise’, ‘practice and practise’, ‘affect and effect’ etc. can be confusing if you are trying to use them in your writing. So, you should have a clear idea beforehand.

Try out education vocabulary for ielts and learn how easily you can enhance your vocabulary.

 

Other Tips

Another useful tip is to divide your words into groups. You can base them on synonyms, the objects they represent etc. It makes remembering the words easier.

In that case, you must maintain a separate document that contains the categorized words. You can also divide them by roots, suffixes and prefixes, patterns etc.

Your work doesn’t end with listing the words down though, you should read them regularly to learn the words by heart. Also, don’t forget to check your old lists for revision.

This is an important part of your learning because, without revision, you might forget old words and end up with a poor vocabulary range. If you forget any old words, add them to your new list so that you remember to learn them again.

If you are looking for a reliable source of vocabulary words, try SpellQuiz Words lists. The words are categorized into two types: Spelling words and Spelling Bee words. The lists are divided into grades along with special lists for kindergarten, pre-kindergarten, and adults. There are multiple lists for each segment including sight words so they would be helpful for your active vocabulary expansion as well.

 

Word Games

Do you like to play games? Do you like the brain teasers? Then word games might seem interesting to you.

Scrabbles and word puzzles are common games that are played by almost every English learner. Teachers even use them in class to encourage students to learn new words. You can also play them with your family and friends.

One misconception about these games is that they are tabletop games, and you need lots of accessories and arrangements to play them. Totally wrong!

There are various online versions of these games and even apps for both iOS and Android. Just download one and start playing on your phone in your free time. Many of the apps even contain virtual dictionaries that explain the words and their pronunciation!

If you are more comfortable with offline games, then there are plenty of resources too. There are books containing crossword puzzles and word search games, even some newspapers contain them. Practice them every day to improve your knowledge.

 

Develop a reading habit

Are you a bookworm? Then you just won the jackpot! Reading is considered the best way to acquire new words therefore a suitable vocabulary easy learning process for book lovers. By developing a reading habit, you can have an unlimited supply of words.

If English is not your first language, reading an English story would be a little uncomfortable at first. Start with easy stories, maybe children’s books, then work your way to novels or non-fiction works of famous authors. If you are dreaming about higher studies or are pursuing higher studies, then reading an academic journal would be normal for you. They are excellent resources of related terms and formally used words.

Even reading the newspaper would do great help. Try to read them every day. You can develop your knowledge of current affairs along with your vocabulary skill.

 

Vocabulary easy learning via practical applications

It is hard to remember words without practically using them. It is quite common for students to forget the old lessons as the curriculum focuses on the new ones only. They might revise them for exams once or twice and then forget them completely after.

The same thing can happen to your vocabulary lessons if you are not careful enough.

If you are a person who likes to talk to people or write, the best way for your vocabulary easy learning is to put the words you learned to use. If you think carefully, common words like ‘natural’, ‘awesome’, ‘talent’, ‘funny’ etc. are easy to remember because you use them a lot in your conversation or in your writing.

But uncommon words such as ‘ambiguous’, ‘impediment’, ‘monotony’, ‘plethora’ ‘elicit’ etc. are not used heavily in our daily life. So, to remember all the words along with the new ones, we should find some practical uses for them.

Read our comprehensive blog on vocabulary exercises.

 

Using the vocabulary in writing

Adding the new words to your writing is relatively easier than adding them to your conversation. You have more time to think about your words than in conversation. You can use dictionaries, your notebooks etc. to make sure if the use of a particular word is appropriate in your writing.

As you research more, you understand the word better.

If you are a student, try to use the newly learned words in your homework. The topic you are writing about might be from other subjects.

If you are a writer, have a blog or want to develop your writing skills, using the vocabulary in your article increases the quality as well as your capability of using them.

Text messages are also a great way if you are more comfortable with texting than making calls.

 

Adding the words in conversation

Another great technique for vocabulary easy learning is using new vocabulary in conversation might be a bit hard for some people. If you are a non-native speaker in a non-English speaking country, most of your conversation might not even be in English.

People also feel hesitant about having conversations in English even when they have a chance. The best way to overcome the hesitation is to practice speaking with your close ones.

Do you have a friend in your ESL class? Offer them to have a conversation in English. Most likely they will take the chance and be glad that you asked them.

Start with typical normal day conversations to be comfortable with each other. Talk about your day, your likes and dislikes, some common interests that you share- there are literally thousands of topics to talk about.

Instantly bringing up words in your conversation might be too difficult for you so plan which words to use beforehand. Select a number of words you will use for a certain week and then set another few for the next one. If you keep practicing this way, listing beforehand might not be necessary at an advanced level!

If you are interested in more vocabulary easy learning processes, check out SpellQuiz Blogs. There are contain tips and tricks for improving your language skill, necessary resources, updates on the latest discoveries in teaching the English language and many more.

 

Don’t forget about testing

No matter what approach you choose, remembering old words is a challenge for every learner. Taking exams is the best way in this case. It is mandatory that you plan your weekly or monthly evaluation for monitoring progress.

Finding an appropriate way to test your skill can be hard for people unless you use SpellQuiz! SpellQuiz Vocabulary Test will determine your level within just 10 minutes. All you need to do is to listen to the audio clip played and write it down with appropriate spelling.

Now that you have understood your learning style and found your appropriate vocabulary easy learning process, start to work on your skill improvement today.

Happy learning!

Vocabulary Easy Words: Enhance Your Language Skill

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Whenever we talk about vocabulary expansion, we focus mostly on learning new words which are pretty uncommon and unknown to most people. Well, that is normal because you have already mastered vocabulary easy words, so, you need to learn words at an advanced level. But today, we will discuss building the foundation.

There are levels of vocabulary acquisition. Words like ‘Ball’, ‘Eye’, ‘Flower’ and similar basic ones are the base of one’s vocabulary skill, then comes ‘Think’, ‘Person’, ‘Consider’ etc.

After learning them properly, students advance to the next level which includes comparatively complex words such as ‘Charisma’, ‘Mercenary’, ‘Dichotomy’, ‘Insidious’ etc. Then they may learn the higher-level words which are mostly academic fields related to terms.

In this article, we will talk about how to build a strong vocabulary foundation for your kids or students using simple vocabulary words. We will focus on easy vocabulary words in English that are used on a daily basis so that the students can learn them without hassle.

So, Let’s get started!

 

Building Strong Vocabulary Foundation

We might not realize it, but the number of easy vocabulary words used in daily life by an average person is around 20,000. For native speakers, acquiring this much vocabulary is way easier than for non-native speakers because they start learning these words from birth.

But for most non-native speakers, even the vocabulary of easy words in English is learned in school. So, maintaining a strong vocabulary is harder for them. But with proper guidance, they can outperform any native speaker in terms of the number of words learned.

The process of building the foundation starts as soon as the children start learning. Children at this age are naturally curious about everything, and by nurturing this curiosity, teachers can help them build a strong vocabulary within a short time.

For beginner-level students, the process of teaching should include interactive activities so that they don’t lose interest. Here are some tips:

 

Make Sure They Understand the Meaning Properly

For students who are learning English as a second language, teachers should explain the meaning of each word clearly in their mother tongue. They should include pictures, videos, or other multimedia content even for easy words.

After teaching new words, the teacher should ask students to describe the words to understand if they properly understood the meaning.

 

Set A Goal

Setting up a goal motivates students to put more effort into learning. You can give them a target of 30-40 words a month (for advanced level students, it can be 30 words per week). Instead of giving the list beforehand, you should teach them the words in your class and hand out the list later. On the last day, evaluate the students’ skills with games. If they have learned the words properly, reward them with stickers or badges.

Check out the easy words for vocabulary education for ielts right now!

 

Vocabulary Games to Assess Their Progress

Games are a great way to examine if the students really understood the word. As the students are still in kindergarten or early level of education, make sure to use vocabulary easy words in these games and the words are already taught in the class. Check below for some game ideas:

 

Pictionary

In this game, the pictures you used in the classroom to teach the word will be used. Show the students a picture and ask them to tell the word assigned with the picture. You can divide them into groups and hold a competition.

For older students, ask one of your students to come to the board. Show them a word and ask them to draw on the board. Ask the rest of the students if they can tell the word from the picture.

Instead of pictures, you can also ask the student to act out the word. Whatever method you use, reward both the students who acted or drew and the ones who understood. This is a very fun way to teach easy vocabulary words.

 

Vocabulary Bingo

Make a 3×3 grid of words and distribute them among students. You can either read out the definition or show the picture assigned to a word and ask the students to say the word. The first one that answers correctly will be able to cross the word of their bingo. The first one who crosses three words in a row will win the round.

 

Search The Word

The game can be played in two ways- you ask the word or the definitions.

For the word game, make some cards that contain a word each. Pile them and give them to a student. Readout a definition or show a picture and tell them to find the correct word from the pile.

Or make cards with definitions and pictures. Speak out a word and ask the student to find the definition. You can also give the students a list of words and ask them to find all the related cards within a given time.

For more fun vocabulary games, check out SpellQuiz Blogs.

 

Proper Word Choice

The words you are going to teach must be appropriate for your students. Beginner level students obviously won’t be able to understand ‘Consideration’, ‘Admirable’ etc. Instead, start with fry or sight words. Below are some lists of appropriate vocabulary easy words for each grade:

Sight Words for Pre-Kindergarten

A

He

Me

She

We

An

I

My

To

Yes

And

It

No

Up

You

 

Vocabulary for Kindergarten students

After

Eat

Him

New

Some

Big

First

Just

Our

Them

By

Foot

Look

Play

Then

Come

Good

Make

Run

Under

Down

Head

Meet

See

Very

 

Vocabulary Easy Words for First Graders

About

Duck

Long

People

There

Bell

Glad

Low

Skin

Tree

Block

Grow

More

Snack

Try

Bone

Hook

Name

Spoon

Which

Drop

Ink

Number

Stuck

Wood

 

Sight Words for Second Graders

Because

Chew

Guess

Nerve

Shape

Bend

Disk

Length

Nurse

Sight

Bright

Event

Liquid

Place

Stamp

Build

Flight

Might

Pride

Weather

Bump

Found

Multiply

Record

Weight

 

For more words, don’t forget to check out SpellQuiz Printable Words Lists. The lists are divided into grades 1-12. There are also word lists available for kindergarten and pre-kindergarten students and adults. There are multiple words lists for each grade that includes sight words and uncommon words. Special word lists for Spelling Bee competitions are also available for spelling bee enthusiasts.

Check out our guide on English vocabulary easy learning for broadening your vocabulary skills now!

 

Vocabulary Easy Words for ESL Students and Adults

The words given to kindergarteners are not appropriate for adults and ESL learners. Those who are trying to improve their vocabulary already know those basic words. But there are still a large number of vocabulary easy words left to master. The list below contains some easy vocabulary words used in daily life and their meanings and synonyms:

Word

Meaning/ Synonyms

Adverse

Unfavorable, harmful

Advocate

Supporting something publicly

Allege

Claiming or declaring

Appeal

Making a genuine heartfelt request

Approach

Coming closer or nearer to something

Arbitrary

Based on a random opinion rather than a particular reason

Artisan

A skilled worker

Assure

Telling that something will happen without a doubt

Attitude

A way of behavior or values that are settled

Avarice

Greed

Bland

Lacking strong taste or characteristics

Boast

Pride, self-satisfaction

Bureau

An office or department dedicated to a particular field

Campaign

An organized method or process to achieve a goal

Candid

Frank, Blunt

Catalogue

List of items

Coax

Gently persuading someone to do something

Coherent

Logical, rational, consistent

Commit

Do, perform, carrying out an action

Comprehensive

Considering all the aspects of a matter

Concept

Idea, theory

Concern

Interested, anxious

Conduct

Manner, behavior, performance

Consider

Thinking carefully

Constant

Remaining same, unchanged

Contend

Managing something with difficulty, cope with

Contract

Formal Agreement, deal

Crew

A group of people working together, typically in a ship

Delicacy

Quality or fineness of something

Dense

Closely compact/ stupid person

Derive

Obtain, gain, acquire

Despair

Complete loss of hope

Dispatch

Sending something to a destination, mail, send off

Distinction

Difference, contrast

Elaborate

Involving complicated processes

Elude

Avoid or escape something cleverly

Encourage

Supporting, motivating, cheering up

Engage

Involving, occupying

Entertain

Amusement, enjoyment

Establish

Setting up a permanent basis

Esteem

Respect, admire

Exploit

Deriving benefit from something

Extort

Obtaining something by unfair means

Extravagant

Lack of restraint

Fancy

Sophisticate, high-quality

Flourish

Grow in a healthy way

Forsake

Abandon, leave, give up

Generate

Create, causing, making

Grant

Allowing

Gravity

Importance, seriousness

Humble

Showing modesty

Impose

Forcing someone/ putting restriction

Incident

Event, occurrence

Indication

Sign, symptom, mark

Insist

Demanding something forcefully

Institute

Organization, establishment, particularly education or science related

Intend

Plan, aim

Issue

An important topic

Journal

Newspaper, magazine/ Diary

Liberal

Considering different opinions

Majority

The greater number

Manifest

Show, demonstrate, display

Monetary

Related to money

Morbid

Abnormal or unhealthy interest

Multitude

A large number of people or things

Notion

Conception, belief

Notify

Inform, tell

Norm

Standard, Usual

Objective

Aim, goal, target

Ornate

Highly decorated

Overlook

Ignoring or failing to notice

Partial

Existing only by parts

Passage

Process of moving from one point to another, a way

Persist

Continuing something despite of oppression

Policy

Principle of action

Proceed

Begin a course of action

Reflect

Thinking deeply or carefully

Retort

Answering to something offensive in a witty manner

Sanction

Official permission or approval

Scheme

A systematic plan, typically large-scale

Sob

Crying while making noise

Steep

Sharp rise or fall

Symmetry

Similarity, exactly

Territory

Area, region

Vain

Having high opinion

Venture

Risky journey or step

 

When you are learning a new word, don’t just stop at learning its meaning. Learn about their roots, use them in sentences and try to actively use them in daily life so that the word is permanently stored in your memory. Maintain a notebook for the vocabulary easy words you are learning and review them regularly to prevent forgetting old words.

Vocabulary easy words are hard to forget because they are heavily used but maintaining a notebook will only increase assurance. Practice what you learned from this blog and don’t forget to check SpellQuiz for more tips and tricks.

Happy learning!

How to Prevent Vocabulary Errors?

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Consider these phrases:

  1. It’s going to rain
  2. Its lost
  3. Its color will fade
  4. The dog cannot find its owner

Which sentence is grammatically incorrect?

‘It’s’ means ‘it is’ whereas ‘its’ means ‘of it’. You need to understand this rule before using the words in your writing or in your conversation. Otherwise, you will be making vocabulary errors.

Improving your vocabulary doesn’t only mean learning new words every day. No one will ask you to recite every word you learned to see if you are really fluent in English. You have to use the words that you learned ‘correctly’ to show your skill and that is something even the native speakers struggle with.

In this article, we will discuss various types of vocabulary errors. We would learn about some common vocabulary errors we make in our daily life and their correct use. Lastly, ways to prevent these errors will also be mentioned.

So, let’s get started!

 

Why Do Vocabulary Errors Occur?

  1. Homophones: Words that sound similar but have different spelling are called homophones. Because of the similarity in the pronunciation, students often misuse them. For example: ‘There’ and ‘their’, ‘flower’ and ‘flour’.
  2. Part of speech: The same words with the same meaning can have different spelling depending on their use in a sentence. One such example is ‘advice’ and ‘advise’.
  3. Similar syllables: Some words are not homophones but to some extent sound similar such as ‘improve’ and ‘improvise’. Many people think that they have a similar meaning which leads to unnecessary vocabulary errors.

 

Types Of Vocabulary Errors

According to researchers, 40.2% of all types of errors made by ESL students are the incorrect use of words, that is, vocabulary errors. 23.6% of the errors occur due to errors in using prepositions, and only 4.7% occurs due to errors in differentiating between adjective and adverb.

According to another study, 50.8% of errors include wrong word choice and correct verb form. So, this is clear that the majority of the vocabulary errors are related to improper use of words.

There is another misconception that vocabulary errors in writing are the only ones we need to take care of. Native speakers don’t always follow the grammar rules in speaking so it’s natural to think that rules are flexible for speaking. But that is not entirely true.

Sure, vocabulary errors in writing are often highlighted because they are easy to spot. But in a formal environment, such as a job interview or class presentation, your speech is carefully analyzed.

So, any vocabulary error made there will hamper your impression in many ways. Not only it can cost you a job but can make you a matter of joke to everyone.

 Check out our guide on how to learn vocabulary in English?

 

Common Vocabulary Errors

In this section, we will explore some vocabulary errors made frequently and learn their correct use. The cases mentioned below are divided into 2 categories-

  1. Confusing Parts of Speech
  2. Incorrect Word choice

 

Confusing Parts of Speech

Advice/ Advise

This is one of the major vocabulary errors in writing. ‘advice’ is a noun and ‘advise’ is a verb.

Sentence: My doctor advised me to eat more vegetables. I follow his advice to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

 

Affect/ Effect

Both words are pronounced differently so be careful when using them in conversation. ‘Affect’ is the verb and ‘Effect’ is the noun.

Sentence: The effects of global warming are too many to ignore. It affects the ecological balance and our health in various ways.

 

Breath/ Breathe

Both the words have the same meaning, but ‘Breath’ is the noun and ‘Breathe’ is the verb.

Sentence: He breathed his last breath last night.

 

Bath/ Bathe

Similar to the words above, ‘Bath’ is the noun and ‘Bathe’ is the verb.

Sentence: It is visible that you haven’t bathed in a while. You should take a bath as soon as possible.

 

Practice/ Practise

These words are a bit tricky to use. According to British English, ‘Practice’ is the noun and ‘Practise’ is the verb. But in American English, ‘Practice’ is used in both cases. So, before using them, know which variant you are following.

 

Who/ Whom

Both ‘Who’ and ‘Whom’ refer to a person. But ‘who’ is used when that person is the subject and ‘whom’ is used when the person is the object.

Sentence: Whom would you trust more- me, or the person who has been lying to you for years?

In the first sentence, it may look like ‘whom’ is the subject, but it is actually ‘you’.

 

Incorrect Word Choice

Accept/ Except

The words do sound similar, but their meanings are very different. ‘Accept’ means receiving something whereas ‘Except’ means without or excluding. Another interesting thing is that ‘Accept’ is a verb and ‘Except’ is a preposition.

Sentence: I accept all your conditions except the one about the dinner timetable.

 

Among/ Between

‘Between’ is used to express a relation between one to another. The relation of only two items can be described with ‘between’. For more elements, use ‘among’.

Sentence: There is some tension going on between Carla and May. So, I gave Jake the responsibility to distribute the papers among the students.

Learning easy vocabulary words used in daily life can help you reduce your vocabulary errors. Check out our guide now!

 

Assure/ Ensure/ Insure

‘Assure’ and ‘Ensure’ have kind of similar meanings which is why non-native speakers are often confused about their use. The word ‘assure’ means telling ‘someone’ that an incident will definitely occur whereas ‘ensure’ means making sure that ‘something’ will definitely happen. ‘Insure’ simply means buying an insurance policy.

Sentence: I assure you that such mistakes will never happen again. I’ll ensure that the employees understand their duties properly.

This policy insures your belongings against theft.

 

Complement/ Compliment

This is another source of vocabulary errors in writing. However, if you don’t know the meanings of both words, conversations can be confusing too.

‘Complement’ refers to an additional object that completes the whole thing such as ‘complementary breakfasts’ that are offered when you book a room in a hotel. They complete the whole package. ‘Compliment’ means praising a person.

Sentence: Her dress perfectly complements her body. She is receiving numerous compliments at the party.

 

Historic/ Historical

‘Historic’ simply means famous or remarkable. It has no relation to history unlike ‘Historical’ which refers to something related to history.

Sentence: It is a historic moment for our team that we are gathered today to receive our awards. After the award ceremony, we will visit the historical sights of the city.

 

Fewer/ Less

This is where you need your knowledge of countable and uncountable nouns. ‘Fewer’ is used for things that are countable and ‘Less’ is used for uncountable things. Misusing them will cause grammatical errors along with vocabulary errors.

Sentence: We try to give as less pressure on our employees as possible but because we have fewer employees now than before, the company is struggling to meet the target.

 

Improve/ Improvise

‘Improve’ means making something better or becoming better. ‘Improvise’ means creating something out of blue to tackle the situation.

Sentence: She could not remember the exact dialogue in that scene, so she improvised it. Turns out, it actually improved the quality of that scene.

 

Literally

‘Literally’ means something happening in a literal manner. For example, ‘He is joking. Don’t take it literally’. But recently, it has become a synonym for ‘really’. Unless you are 100% sure that they are synonymous in a particular case, avoid using ‘literally’ and look for other synonyms.

 

Loose/ Lose

‘Loose’ means something unfitting, low, not firm etc. ‘Lose’ means forgetting or misplacing an object.

Sentence: I lost my brooch. That is why I let the scarf hang loosely from my shoulder.

 

Principal/ Principle

‘Principal’ is the person in charge of an institute or other organizations, mostly educational institutes. ‘Principle’ on the other hand refers to morals, values, and beliefs.

Sentence: The principal of this school has been running the institute for 20 years. His principle is to reward everyone for their efforts which is why everyone is devoted to working hard.

 

Stationary/ Stationery

‘Stationary’ means immobile; something that is not moving. ‘Stationery’ means items used in writing. There are many popular mnemonics to remember the spelling differences such as:

“Parked cArs are stationAry but pEncils are stationEry”

 

Concluding Thoughts

You must use these words in your writing and conversation to have a clearer idea about their use. Also, don’t try to learn everything at once because it will only increase confusion.

Most of the students often follow a program that gives goals and deadlines and doesn’t provide the freedom to advance in their own pace. That is why you should use SpellQuiz for your English Language skill development.

SpellQuiz offers fun and self-paced learning environment with SpellQuiz Adaptive Spelling that provides students total control over their learning speed and planning.

You can monitor your progress by taking the Vocabulary Test or the Spelling Test. SpellQuiz uses parameters such as mastered words, number of attempts etc. so that you can understand your improvement properly. You can also take practice tests before attempting the real ones.

There are also SpellQuiz quizzes based on the origins of the words, grammar lessons etc. that will help you gain a better idea about the language. The rich blog collection of SpellQuiz provides innovative and effective ideas to improve your learning so that you don’t have to search for tips and tricks all over the internet.

With SpellQuiz membership, you can experience all the offered features and have the necessary lessons that will help you avoid vocabulary errors in the future.

There is also a 14-days trial period for you so that you can have a glimpse of the experience before you decide to purchase anything.

So, join SpellQuiz now and improve your English skill. Happy Learning!

Why Is Vocabulary Expansion Necessary?

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Imagine being asked to describe your hometown. How will you describe it? Some of you might say

“I live in X city. It is a big city. Many people live here. There are many big roads in the city so we can easily travel around…”

Or some might say

“My hometown is X. It is a metropolitan city with a sound transportation system. It has become a melting pot of different cultures due to its huge population…”

Which one sounds better? Or fluent?

Knowing enough words to be able to address something is without a doubt a praiseworthy accomplishment. But describing something with more accuracy requires a good command of the language, that is, a wider range of vocabulary.

Vocabulary expansion is an integral part of mastering a language. The more words you learn, the better you are at understanding and explaining complex concepts. It is also linked to sounding fluent in a language.

In this article, we would discuss vocabulary expansion techniques and exercises. But first, we should understand properly why it is necessary to acquire more words.

 

Why Is Vocabulary Expansion Necessary?

The example given at the beginning clearly shows the difference between knowing English and being fluent in it. But what if sounding fluent is not one of my priorities? Do I still need to expand my vocabulary? The answer is yes. Let’s discuss why:

 

Language Development

There is no doubt that vocabulary is the building block of every language. It helps us to clearly express and share our ideas, thoughts, information etc. which leads to growing relationships. One of the most unique features of vocabulary is that it can help you express yourself even without any knowledge about grammar. And that is why vocabulary expansion is needed.

Let’s say you are in a bakery in the UK, and you have no knowledge of English grammar. You only know some words including the names of some foods. Don’t worry! Just go to the worker there and say, “Blueberry Muffin” You are just as likely to receive one as saying “Hi! I’d like to have one blueberry muffin, thank you”.

If you are still not convinced, think about how children learn to speak. Do they take grammar lessons before they start to speak? Most definitely not. First, they acquire the words such as ‘food’, ‘ball’, ‘sleep’, ‘eat’ etc. and speak only the words to convey their needs.

The more words you know, the better you can make people understand what you are trying to say.

Learning easy vocabulary words in English can you with your vocabulary expansion.

Comprehension

The biggest contribution of vocabulary is obviously incomprehension. Being able to understand properly comes before being fluent and better comprehension is the foundation of improving fluency in all skills- Reading, Listening, Writing, and speaking.

 

Reading

Imagine sitting down to read a book but not being able to do so because you don’t understand what is written. Every once in a while, you need to get up to find a dictionary or search on the internet for the meaning of the word.

This can be irritating to the point you give up reading the book or lose interest in reading entirely. Also, it can have a negative effect on your confidence. And not just that, if you face trouble understanding an academic document because of poor vocabulary, it will affect your academic performance greatly.

 

Listening

If you don’t know the meaning and pronunciation of a word, how would be able to understand what the speaker is trying to convey? Having a good command of pronunciation is essential to keep a conversation going.

Yes, we can ask the speaker to repeat what they said but how long do you think we can do that before they get frustrated?

Native speakers might not face this problem, but non-native learners need a wide range of vocabulary to improve their listening skills.

 

Speaking

Have you ever been in a situation where you are trying to properly describe a concept but no word in your vocabulary seems appropriate enough? Both native and non-native speakers can relate to this which is why vocabulary expansion is mandatory for both types of speakers.

Enriched vocabulary also boosts your confidence, especially in a formal situation where you are expected to show your skill.

 

Writing

Like the example about hometown, now try to describe your friend. Do you think describing him as a “good person” is fulfilling enough? Or using ‘well-mannered’, ‘poised’, ‘suave’, ‘empathetic’, ‘optimistic’ etc. would be more attractive to the reader?

A larger vocabulary is immensely important when it’s come to writing because making concepts crystal clear to the audience is one of the top priorities in this field.

Do you know another interesting fact? Vocabulary expansion enhances your capability of understanding complex concepts as well. For example, if you understand ‘manners’ and ‘etiquettes’, it would be easier for you to understand the meaning of ‘courteous’, ‘poised’, ‘elegant’ etc.

Better understand your vocabulary errors in writing so that you can efficiently expand your vocabulary.

 

How Can I Expand My Vocabulary?

Now that we are aware of the necessity, it is time to get some tips and tricks for vocabulary expansion. One thing we must understand is that everyone has their own ways and pace to improve their skills. Also, different techniques work for different people.

An adult might not have the facilities a student has, and a student mostly doesn’t have the already enriched vocabulary like an adult. So, for their cases, vocabulary expansion exercises and approaches would be different.

 

How To Improve Vocabulary of Students

As a teacher, you should set goals for your students and then design your curriculum to achieve them. Below are some ideas about vocabulary expansion for students:

 

Direct Teaching

Vocabulary expansion, by definition, is suitable for older students and direct teaching can be exceptionally effective in this case. Provide them with a list of words and ask them to memorize them with meanings and usage in sentences. Monitor their progress regularly.

 

Reading Sessions

Books are arguably the best exposure to new vocabulary; therefore, interest in literature can contribute greatly to vocabulary expansion. Students will be able to understand the concept of the words better if they are read in a passage.

Arrange reading sessions in your class and asks the students to read out passages. If they get stuck at any point, explain the meaning of the word to them. You can also read out critical parts and ask if they are understood properly. If a student knows a word beforehand, encourage them to share their knowledge with others.

You should also help them notice new words in a text. Ask them to write down or record the new word with meaning, roots, use in a sentence etc.

You can also ask them to listen to audiobooks to understand the pronunciation better.

 

Dictionary

Motivate the students to use dictionaries for vocabulary expansion. It is obvious that they would find it boring at first, but with proper guidance, you can grow their interest.

The students might not be interested in using a paper book, ask them to use the ones available online. Most of the dictionaries that are printed are also available online. The user-friendly interface along with audio explaining pronunciation would definitely be more helpful for the students.

 

Roots, suffix, prefix

Suffixes and prefixes are building blocks of the word, and the root holds the core meaning. Teaching the students about word these parts help them understand the meaning to some extent when seeing a new word. Below are some examples of suffixes, prefixes and roots of English words with meaning to teach students:

Suffix

Suffix

Meaning

Example

-er, -or

The one who does

Counselor, Narrator, Driver, Singer

-ist

The one who believes or applies

Narcissist, Capitalist

-ize, -ise

Becoming

Socialize, Civilize, Categorize

-less

Without

Helpless, thoughtless, countless

-ship

Holding a position

Ownership, Membership, Internship

 

Prefix

Prefix

Meaning

Example

Co-

Together

Cooperation, coeducation, coordinate

Im-, In-

Not

Immoral, Immortal, Independent

In-

Extreme

Invaluable

Inter-

Between

Intercity, international

Pre-

Before

Prefix, preview

 

Greek Roots

Roots

Meaning

Example

Auto

Self

Automatic, Automobile

Geo

Earth

Geography, Geology

Micro

Small

Microscope, Microcredit

Poly

Small

Polygamy, Polygon, Polycystic

Tele

Distant

Telescope, Telephone, Television

 

Latin Roots

Root

Meaning

Example

Audio

Hearing

Audience, auditory, audible

Bi

Two

Bicycle, Bilingual, Binary

Duo

Two

Duet, Duplex

Manus

Hand

Manicure, manuscript

Ped

Foot

Pedestrian, Pedestal

 

How To Improve Vocabulary for Adults?

If you are an adult trying to improve your vocabulary, it is most likely that you have to do it on your own. Here are some tips for your aid:

 

Routine practice

The first and foremost task is to make a routine and follow it seriously. You should set a goal such as learning a new word every day or learning 20-30 new words each month. Assign a certain amount of time every day for practice.

 

Reading practice

There is no alternative to this. Develop a reading habit. Challenge yourself to read a new book every month. Read newspapers or magazines in your spare time. Articles are the best source of subject-related words. Try to find articles about the topics related to such words.

 

Use the words in conversation

You should plan beforehand to add certain words in your conversation, especially on a formal occasion, or when you are giving a speech. Practice with a friend or family to enrich your active vocabulary.

 

It is essential to have a clear idea about your current size of vocabulary before you decide to expand it. Otherwise, you might be looking at word lists that are too complicated for you or words you already know. That is why SpellQuiz Vocabulary Test assigns you a grade based on your vocabulary size. The test only takes 10 minutes to assume how many words you might know and places you between grades 1 to 12.

You will hear an audio clip recorded with professional voice artists and you need to write down what you heard with proper spelling.

After receiving your grade, you should check SpellQuiz Printable Words Lists to find words that are appropriate for your grade. There are multiple lists for each grade and separated word lists for the spelling bee.

It might be a little overwhelming for you or you might be in a hurry for vocabulary expansion but being relaxed and steady bring out the best outputs in this case. With the SpellQuiz Adaptive Spelling scheme, you can advance at your own pace and monitor your vocabulary expansion progress through the dashboard.

Happy Spelling!