Approximately half a million words. On average, the vocabulary of one person is 3000 words, that is, the expressive possibilities are rather limited. The more words you know, the more means you have for implementing thoughts in speech, the more pleasant and easier it is to talk with you. You can use the following methods to expand your vocabulary.
Communicate more - enter into word exchange with different people. You can learn a lot of new words from the interlocutor, especially if he is a representative of a different generation, a different profession, or has hobbies that are different from yours. In addition, in conversation, you can hear words from your passive vocabulary, remember them and actively use them. And don't be afraid to ask, unfamiliar word! Believe me, a person's desire to understand another helps to find a common language.
Read aloud. When reading "to oneself", only visual analyzers participate in perception. When your auditory is also involved, you learn new words better.
Do detailed on fresh tracks. While the text you read has not faded away in your memory, there is a chance to pronounce the rare words that you met in it. The child can be asked close to the text of the topic from the homework. If he is not familiar with some words, explain their meaning. This kind of vocabulary work will benefit both of you.
Each word of the Russian language has a synonymous row, consisting on average of 5-6 words (synonyms are words that are close in meaning). Take any text written by you and try to replace words in it with similar ones in meaning, but so that the content does not change and is understandable. If you find it difficult to find words, refer to the dictionary of synonyms.
Memorize poetry. This will not only allow you to show sophistication at the right moment, but will also help you master many elegant and graceful words that are characteristic only of poetic speech. They are not suitable for everyday life and gather dust in the backyard of memory, but this way you can at least get used to their sound in your head. You will see, it will be interesting for you.
Write down a dozen new words and try to compose a story with them. Words are often not connected with each other in any way, and it will be fascinating to weave them into a meaningful text. This will help not only to remember new words, but also to introduce something from the passive into the active vocabulary.
Replenishment of vocabulary is a prerequisite for successful mastering of a foreign language. Here are some powerful ways to memorize foreign words.
Cards
Write words on multi-colored cards on both sides: on one side - a foreign word, and on the back - its translation and an example of its use (it is more convenient to memorize words in context, that is, together with nearby words). It's a good idea to use flashcards of different colors to sort by parts of speech. Since the cards are not fixed, you will not memorize words in sequence and you can always shuffle them. They are small and compact, and you can work with them even on the road.
Stickers
Place name stickers on various items in your room or apartment. They will constantly catch your eye, rather remember.
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Words are the building blocks of language and one of the key determinants of education, profession, and social status. Therefore, you should always take care to increase your vocabulary. Nevertheless, for many people, vocabulary is replenished like this: new words fly into one ear, and fly out into the other. It's not that we're not trying to improve our vocabulary. Rather, we rarely get a chance to use it, or worse, forget to use it to eventually get back to where we started. Below are a few tried-and-true tactics to overcome these difficulties, learn new words faster, recall them more effectively, and memorize them forever. So, here are some great ways to increase your vocabulary. While the scientific community is still discussing some aspects of learning, there is a consensus about how memories are formed and anchored in our brains. The basic idea behind spaced repetition is that memories start to fade shortly after they are formed and disappear forever. With each repetition, the "duration" of the memory grows and grows, until eventually it stretches over your entire life. This is why spaced repetition of what you've learned is so important to effective learning. Whether you're using paper flashcards to repeat words or running software on your phone or computer, the advantage of spaced repetition is that you don't waste time recalling vocabulary that's still fresh in your head. Most students use flashcards to memorize words, constantly replenishing their number, and then looking at them first every day, then every week, until they completely give up this lesson. Not surprising, considering how awkward a pile of flashcards becomes after a few training sessions. The spaced repetition algorithm, based on past experience, predicts the moment when the memory is about to disappear, and then reminds you at that optimal moment. In theory, if you use this method regularly every day, you shouldn't see a word more than 4-5 times before it enters your long-term memory! You've probably heard stories of car crash survivors who can remember every little detail in the seconds before the accident. It is also difficult to forget the words that touched us to the core. This effect can be very helpful when studying vocabulary in conjunction with the previous tip. Instead of settling for a boring sentence like "A picture on the table," try something like "A photograph of my wife fell off the table when I got a call." Add this sentence to your spaced repetition algorithm and you will never forget the words "photo", "table" or "wife" in your life! Try to come up with new vocabulary related to people, places, or important events in your life. Just be careful not to overdo it with imagery so you don't get emotionally traumatized every time you need to use one of these words. Research shows that the vast majority of words are remembered in context. This quality cannot be overemphasized, since learning in the context of situations and utterances has tremendous benefits for all three aspects of vocabulary acquisition: learning, recall, and memorization. This means that you should never include words taken out of context in your vocabulary. Think of words as pieces of a puzzle - individually, they don't make any sense. But as soon as you connect at least a couple of parts, a more meaningful context arises. There are many ways to introduce context into your vocabulary, the easiest way to learn words in sentences. This provides additional advantages: it introduces you to several words at the same time and clarifies their meaning, which is not always obvious from simple dictionary translation. Besides sentences, you can learn words in stories, songs, or just in everyday situations. For example, instead of learning words related to weather, look up an online weather forecast and try to imagine talking about the weather next week and how it will affect the fishing you've been waiting for. Finally, you can also place words around you using sticky notes. You may have tried this method with nouns, but there is no reason to stop there! Just stick the white label on the refrigerator, wall clock on the wall, and mine on the laptop. Reading gives you the ability to repeat the same words, evoking an emotional response from you when you identify with the main character ... everything you need to effectively expand your vocabulary. Thus, reading is one of the most effective ways to increase your vocabulary. Despite the existing stereotype of book people as boring and antisocial people, studies have repeatedly confirmed that the language of a reading lover is much more expressive than other people. As you read, pay close attention to words you don’t know, but don’t try to grasp them immediately, or you will not be able to appreciate the narrative and eventually lose interest. Instead, highlight words that seem particularly useful or central to the story, and then try to figure out their meaning from context before knowing their true meaning. Be sure to read materials on various topics. The language will vary greatly depending on whether you are reading fiction, a glamorous magazine, or the daily press. If your book is also available in audio form, you should listen to each chapter before or after reading it. Before you can use any of the above teaching methods, you need a word list. Ideally, most of this vocabulary should consist of everyday words gleaned from reading, songs, movies, or conversations in the elevator. You need to supplement them with more abstract words to make them easier to remember. The language should be learned in such a way that you can use it in any situation. This is accomplished by memorizing in context, creating emotional associations with words, and generally using words as building blocks to create something more out of individual pieces of information. In most languages, it is enough to learn only 1000 basic words to understand 90% of the spoken language, and even the first 250 most common words make it possible to have a good conversation. Word games on their own may not be enough, but they are a fun and easy way to increase your vocabulary memorization speed, as well as pick up a random new word from your peers. Languages such as Japanese or Chinese are unfortunately not very suitable for this type of board game, but by searching the app store on your mobile device, you can find at least a few variations of games adapted for learning phonetics and writing. If you don't want to spend money on board games, or prefer meeting friends for coffee or hiking, you can try playing a word game instead. Some of the best old games of this kind are Cities (answer with a word that starts with the last letter of the preceding one), Associations (quickly say the first word that comes to your mind after listening to the previous word), and Metaphors (think of metaphors for things that you see around you). You can try any teaching method you want, but in reality, you will only make rapid progress when you start to truly appreciate the language. For its expressiveness, inner beauty, subtle differences between seemingly identical words and phrases. Feeling poor in your vocabulary? Open an explanatory dictionary and try using synonyms. Notice a pattern phrase? Try to find the root, prefix and suffix of a word and find out another way to use it. Instead of learning words as meaningless syllables, discover their etymology. More than half of the words come from other languages, and the richest Japanese vocabulary comes from Chinese. Studying the origins of the words you use can be very effective in strengthening the connections in your brain and suggesting the meanings of the words you will come across in the future. If you know that ortho means straight, you can quickly guess the meaning of difficult words such as orthodontist (a doctor who straightens your teeth) or spelling (correct spelling). Aside from the practical benefits, etymology can be incredibly addicting too! Did you know that the word dim sum ("little dumplings from Hong Kong)" means "touch the heart" or "broken heart"? There are countless legends that explain the hidden meaning of the word.1. Use spaced repetition algorithm
2. Make vocabulary personal and emotional
Neuroscientists experimented by showing subjects different words and sentences for a split second, while scanning their brain activity. Unsurprisingly, activity increased whenever subjects were exposed to personal and emotionally meaningful information.
There is a triple benefit. A very visual, emotionally impressive story is formed around the words.
3. To increase your vocabulary, study it in context
4. Build your vocabulary by reading different sources regularly.
5. Build a new vocabulary from a list of frequently used words
Therefore, it is not surprising that the best source of vocabulary is lists of the words most commonly used in everyday speech. This method is especially good for language learners on their own.
If you learn just 10 new words a day, then you will need less than a month of study to become fluent in the language.6. Play with the words you are learning
Crosswords and Scrabble are very useful if you are starting to learn Arabic or Indo-European. Boggle is also a very fun game adapted for several languages using the Latin alphabet. Playing Quiddler is a good way to expand your vocabulary, but unfortunately only exists in English.
7. Appreciate language
Russian is perhaps the most expressive language in the world.
And the number of words of our great and mighty exceeds five hundred thousand.
Well, just imagine!
Of all these five hundred thousand beautiful words that can express the beauty of the soul and the world around you, you know 4-5 thousand by force, and you use even less.
Want to argue?
Here's a little test.
Write in front of each next word its meaning (be honest with yourself - no one is looking at you :)):
Enough for the first time.
Now tell me, how many words from this list do you know?
How much do you use? Zero? Not much!
Don't worry, though!
You better think about how to increase vocabulary and show off your knowledge to your friends.
great and mighty
Friends, I want to say that you (and me for the company) are incredibly lucky.
From birth you have received the most powerful and expressive means at your disposal -.
There is no other language in the world capable of reflecting so emotionally a storm of feelings, worries and indignations.
Sometimes one word is enough for us to express a feeling or emotion, while foreigners need whole sentences.
No wonder the greatest poets sang "the great and mighty", and many peoples still sing about our poets and writers.
And knowing what kind of wealth you got, it's just a shame not to use it and to be an illiterate lazy person!
So let's get together and think how to expand vocabulary.
And I, in turn, will help you with this.
However, I can guarantee you a couple of extra thousand.
But only if you apply the advice you received and start working on your vocabulary.
So, as a small introduction, I will say that each person's vocabulary is divided into passive and active:
And if your passive vocabulary can count 4 thousand words, then the active one is unlikely to exceed 3 thousand.
So now your goal is to the maximum improve vocabulary.
After all, these are not stupid inventions of teachers, but tasks aimed at developing the child's vocabulary.
And in adulthood you will have to return to them again.
What is required of you?
Read a short story or chapter from a book, then retell it out loud to yourself.
Retell the text in as much detail as possible using all the words in the text.
If you do not know these words, then you will have to memorize them.
Interesting Facts:
- There is the so-called basic English, which consists of 850 words. It is believed that this is enough for ordinary life.
- The lexicon of A. Pushkin's works contains more than 20,000 words.
Lost in thought how to improve vocabulary, start reading all the books out loud.
We also add to our vocabulary by reading aloud.
After all, if you quickly scanned the text with your eyes, unfamiliar words may not stick in your memory.
But when reading aloud, all rare and unfamiliar words will be better remembered.
Reading aloud constantly, later you may not even notice how you start using more words and expressions in your everyday vocabulary.
Therefore, proceed differently.
In the evening, choose 2-3 new words for yourself, and the next day try to use them by inserting them into sentences.
For example, take the first word "suffragette" and use it whenever possible.
Your friend refused to go through the open door for her, and you told her: "What are you, a suffragette?" (for a minute, I presented your friend's reaction - it became funny :)).
Unfamiliar words used in everyday speech are memorized many times faster!
Memorizing verses or passages from your favorite books also expands your vocabulary.
Memorizing a poem and speaking it out loud, you thereby memorize unfamiliar words and subconsciously begin to use them in everyday speech.
and improve your vocabulary a bit!
Forward (laziness in the furnace!)
As you can see, the ways increase vocabulary pretty simple.
You just need to pull yourself together and start with at least one piece of advice.
And tomorrow you can start using unfamiliar words in sentences.
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Currently, there are many universal methods. Science does not sleep and brings more and more solutions to the real world. Unfortunately, not all methods work. To increase your vocabulary, you need to learn how to properly work with that part of the brain that is responsible for memory. And there are several solutions for this.
All methods are designed for foreign language learners. But copywriters can also benefit from this, because there are well-paid orders on the exchanges for translators.
The most popular way to memorize a large number of unfamiliar words in a short time is to enter lists and then gradually memorize them. The essence of the method: memorizing a list of words with their translation. This method is often used by students before passing the exam in a foreign language, when it is necessary to learn hundreds of unfamiliar, thematically unrelated words in a few hours. Using this method, you can learn a large number of foreign words in a short period of time and successfully pass the exam or simply replenish your vocabulary.
The disadvantage of this method lies in the characteristics of the human brain. Short-term memory works when memorizing a list. And it is impossible to say exactly how many words a person really learned and whether he will be able to apply knowledge in practice in a few weeks after passing the exam. The words learned in this way are transferred to the passive part of the memory. Reading books, many words will sound familiar, but it will be difficult to remember them.
The "twenty-fifth frame" method clearly captures the peculiarities of the perception of information by the human brain. It is known that the human brain can remember and reproduce twenty-four frames per second. But if the video shows twenty-five frames, then the last frame is automatically perceived by the human brain and transferred to the passive memory. Thus, a person remembers the last frame at a subconscious level.
This method is used by the creators of advertising videos. The viewer subconsciously remembers the product shown in the advertisement, becoming a consumer. Unfortunately, the method is not very effective, although it is easy to use. Also, it is worth noting that if you abuse this method of memorizing foreign words, difficulties may arise with the perception of memorized information. As in the case of memorization "in a column" information is entered into the passive register of long-term memory.
A simple and versatile way to memorize new information. How to use "sticky notes" to memorize foreign words? When creating "notes" it is best to use multi-colored small pieces of paper. A foreign word is written on one side of the sheet, and its Russian translation on the back. Glue the words where you will see them all the time.
This could be a computer monitor, a bathroom door, a wall near your bed, or a mirror in your room. Put the pieces of paper in your bag or wallet. Unfamiliar words will constantly flash before your eyes. The effectiveness of "notes" is several times higher than the method of 25 frames, because motor memory is involved in their creation and memorization. This is one of the best ways to increase your vocabulary.
To use this method, you need to have a notebook of synonyms for the foreign words you are studying. It is important that you feel comfortable using the synonym dictionary. There are several ways to maintain a dictionary of synonyms. It is possible to arrange one synonymous row on only one page. After reading a new text or hearing an interesting statement, write down the words you like in the dictionary of synonyms. You need to constantly replenish the synonymous dictionary, as well as flip through it in your free time. All this has a beneficial effect on the replenishment of your vocabulary. Words are constantly in the subconscious. Heard an unfamiliar word on the street - try to find a familiar synonym for it, so it will be easier for you to remember unfamiliar words and phrases (associative thinking works).
The introduction of a synonymous dictionary helps:
Vocabulary work is a fun, versatile way to memorize new foreign words. If you decide to use this method to expand your vocabulary, you should purchase a large dictionary, the volume of which should be at least seventy thousand words. Such dictionaries are distinguished by accurate, comprehensive articles, which indicate not only the translation of a word, but also examples of its use in speech.
By memorizing one word, you will learn other synonymous words, thereby increasing your vocabulary. You may come across a familiar word for which you do not know the translation. Exploring the vocabulary entry of one word, you learn "half-forgotten" words. It is worth paying attention to how unfamiliar words with prepositions are used, and in what syntactic constructions they are used.
Topic cards are often used to study large text. Literary texts of up to six thousand characters are suitable for using this method. Conversational topics on various everyday topics (my family, my favorite holiday, my dream house, cinema, countries, travel), as well as monologues from classic works of art, fairy tales and scientific articles are suitable. Thematic cards should be made of thick A5 paper.
The first thing to do is to select unfamiliar words and phrases from the text, write them out in a column, indicating the numbering. On one card, a foreign word is written, and on the other its translation, in which the word is used in the proposed text. Thematic cards should be gradually supplemented with new words on the topic. Experts do not recommend making separate cards for each new text.
This method contributes to a rapid increase in vocabulary, since when memorizing new words, motor memory, associative thinking, and also auditory memory work during the reproduction of memorized words. When using thematic cards, new information enters the active part of long-term memory.
The associative method captures the work of the human subconscious, establishes a connection between the incoming information and the methods of memorizing it. When using this method, all the studied words are accompanied by a certain bright factor, a subconscious association. The associations are images, videos, sounds, emotions, rhymes and much more. When you come across a familiar word in the text, learned using this method, you first remember the association, not the translation of the word.
Most often, this method is used to teach children a foreign language. Also, this method is used to educate adults who have a poor command of their native language. Using the associative method, you can memorize not only words or expressions, but also grammar rules in the form of tables.
The highest level of proficiency in a foreign language is determined by the ability to understand a text without literal translation. When you read unfamiliar text, you need to write down new words in a separate notebook or dictionary. After that, you need to close the text, and write its translation in front of each learned word. For better memorization, it is worth reading new words with translation several times in a row without memorizing them.
Set aside your translation notebook and read the text again without looking in the dictionary. If you can't remember the meaning of several words, try to find a synonymous translation. If you still can't do it, look up the translation in the dictionary. This process should be repeated until you literally memorize the translation of the text.
This is a laborious method that requires a high concentration of attention. Its use effectively affects the increase in vocabulary and the speed of understanding foreign speech by ear. With this method, you will learn not only to memorize words, but also to understand foreign speech by ear.
Oral or written presentation of a text in a foreign language helps to replenish vocabulary. Presentation is a free retelling of the text. First, a written retelling should be done, and then an oral one. When you retell a text, try to use words and expressions taken directly from the text, without replacing them with simplified vocabulary that is familiar to you.
Live communication with a native speaker of a foreign language has a positive effect on increasing vocabulary. Talk about different topics and with different people to talk to. Don't be afraid to make grammatical mistakes in sentences - the interlocutor will help you correct them.
In the speech of a native speaker of the language you are studying, you will certainly come across unfamiliar words. To better remember new words, ask the other person to explain their meaning to you, and then try to compose your own expression using this word. Communication with a native speaker of a foreign language helps not only to replenish vocabulary, but also to improve pronunciation and listening comprehension of foreign speech.
I would like to note that no method carries a 100% guarantee of memorizing foreign words. Each person perceives information differently, the result of memorizing new words depends on the individual characteristics of the person being exposed.
Many consider the delivered competent speech a talent that is given to the elect and is necessary only in some areas of activity. In fact, everyone should think about how to develop speech. After all, good diction makes you listen to the speaking person and trust his opinion more. In addition, this skill often contributes to career growth, especially if you often need to communicate with people in order to fulfill official duties.
Below are some of the most effective exercises to improve diction. Clear speech and a well-trained voice are the result of long and hard work on yourself. Therefore, it is necessary to perform these exercises regularly, and not from time to time, because this is the only way you will achieve progress in the development of your speech.
Short warm-ups will help you to adjust yourself to the clarity of pronunciation before performing any exercises aimed at developing diction. One of her options is to grip the pencil tightly with your teeth and say a phrase about 10-15 words long. Then take out the pencil and say the same phrase again. In order not to think about the choice of text every time, you can use any poem when performing this exercise.
Exercises aimed at improving their mobility and accuracy will also help to start speaking better and to strengthen the muscles of the organs involved in the speech process. After all, it is these characteristics that are required for the development of diction and high-quality pronunciation of sounds.
As you know, the most mobile organ of articulation is the tongue. Therefore, most of the gymnastics is associated with it. There are many exercises that, if done regularly, will eliminate the need to ponder over the question of how to develop speech. For example, you can stick out your tongue and try to reach them first to the chin, and then to the nose. Or, like with a brush, draw lines from the teeth to the larynx with smooth movements.
Tongue twisters for the development of diction are considered a classic training option. With their help, you can practice the clarity of pronouncing different consonants in a calm atmosphere. To achieve excellent results, it is enough to allocate at least 5-10 minutes daily for classes. However, there is one important rule for developing good diction: each phrase must be pronounced at a slow, medium and very fast pace.
You can start training with the simplest sentences that teach you to clearly pronounce one or two sounds. For example, it can be:
There are also more complex phrases that help to understand how to learn to speak clearly and quickly words, in which the pronunciation of two or more sounds in difficult combinations is practiced:
There are also special tongue twisters for developing diction and eliminating problems with the pronunciation of certain sounds. A good way to figure out what exactly will need to be corrected is to listen to your own speech from the side. After the problems are identified, you can start working on the development of diction.
First you need to learn how to pronounce an isolated sound correctly. Then it is necessary to achieve a distinction in speech of similar sounds, for example, "s" and "w" or "p" and "l". Pronouncing special phrases can be a significant help in correcting your speech, for example:
It’s worth moving on to working on the next sound only after you achieve the correct pronunciation of the first sound.
In addition to pronouncing tongue twisters, it is also useful to read aloud to develop diction. Recording your voice on a dictaphone can be a good incentive. Few people, having heard their speech, will not want to improve it. By reading sections from books and making audio recordings, you can practice pronunciation until it becomes almost perfect.
How to learn to speak so that it is really pleasant and interesting to listen to you? When reading aloud, avoid monotony and change intonation. In addition, it is worth changing the volume and reading speed, learning to highlight the most important points with pauses. But at the same time, control your speech so that such pauses are appropriate and not too long.
Also, do not lose sight of the fact that others are best perceived by a calm and confident voice. Whether it will be so depends largely on the mood and inner state of the person, his ability to control emotions. However, by developing diction, you can learn to speak calmly and convincingly. For example, why not imagine yourself as a politician and talk about the state of the economy in the country, sitting in front of a mirror?
Another important aspect to consider is the need for constant intellectual development and vocabulary replenishment. A well-developed person in any situation can maintain a conversation and find the right words. To become just like that, it is worth reading more, doing crosswords more often and attending various trainings on.
If you take even a few minutes every day to work on improving your diction, after a few months you will begin to speak well, and the voice itself will be transformed beyond recognition. At the same time, all the efforts made will undoubtedly be rewarded over time.
In the question of how to deliver speech, a very important aspect is the ability to control breathing. Without it, the text can be interrupted by pauses and breaths in those places where this violates its meaning or worsens emotionality. As a result, speech will become abrupt, and the meaning of what is said is perceived worse.
Therefore, one of the first exercises to develop diction should be training to develop correct breathing:
It is impossible to achieve positive results in the development of diction, if you do not understand the causes of speech disorders. Only occasionally are they associated with health problems and develop, for example, due to an abnormal structure of the jaw or a short frenum of the tongue.
For many people, speech problems are triggered by incorrect pronunciation of whistling and hissing sounds, as well as the absence of the sounds "L" or "R", or a violation of their pronunciation. A weakened articulation apparatus may also be the cause.
Even if a person can speak well, pronouncing all sounds correctly, in especially significant situations his speech can become blurry and indistinct. Indeed, when pronouncing words, the articulatory apparatus must very quickly switch from one movement to another. This is achieved only with active and intensive work of the muscles that need to be trained, for example, regularly pronouncing tongue twisters for diction.
However, the main reason for slurred, quiet speech is a person's shyness and lack of self-confidence. In such a situation, the development of diction is a secondary problem. First of all, you need to work on your own character and fight against complexes.
