Want to Enrich Your Vocabulary? Here are Surefire Ways to Make it Happen

 

Whether you want to be a better keyboard warrior or looking to ace your SATs, there’s always a shortcut to enrich your spoken and written vocabulary. If you’ve already been cramming SAT textbooks and flashcards have not been working for you, there are much more convenient and surefire t ways to memorize a long list of new terminologies, which you can use naturally in your speech.

Try the apps

Physical flashcards are tedious because you associate them with studying. You can download apps to use on the go; most of them have the option to test you and mark a word as mastered based on how many times you’ve guessed the meaning correctly. It only takes a few minutes a day to test yourself, and while you cannot be entirely dependent on it, it will definitely help make your learning process more fun.

Some of these apps work exactly like traditional flashcards, but what makes them easier is that you can check them at any time of your convenience, and they also tend to be a fun way to pass the time.

Make it fun

Games can make learning fun, and those games don’t necessarily have to be flashcards where you have to guess what the word means. Instead of taking online quizzes that just replicate the tedious environment of a classroom, opt for games like scrabble, where you can challenge your friends and have fun as you learn. And if you ever feel like the competition is too fierce, using grammar tools like this will help you win without having to embarrass yourself. An unscrambler allows you to type in letters, and it forms words from those letters on your behalf. While you probably can’t cheat using this tool, it will certainly help you get the hang of the game until your vocabulary is rich enough for you to wing it.

Download newspaper apps

You don’t have to sit down with a textbook in order to make your learning experience worthwhile.You can download magazines and newspapers through mobile applications, which usually offer a wide and free selection to choose from. On top of that, you can easily highlight and annotate text on these apps.

That said, most of these apps come with a bookmark feature. If you ever find a piece that inspires you, or an article that has a unique style that you’d like to attempt copying, it’s much easier to go back to your highlights and bookmarks on a digital device.

Even if you’re interested in blogging or writing fiction, these apps will help make the habit of reading come naturally. Beginner writers may struggle to find the time to read, but a news piece or a magazine article is always easy to skim through.

Explore your online dictionary

No, we’re not suggesting that you take a look at the entirety of your dictionary in alphabetical order. Online dictionaries usually have sections where you can play some fun games and introduce yourself to new vocabulary while you’re at it.

Synonym quizzes, for instance, test your knowledge by making you choose the correct meaning of an SAT word through a similar synonym. Most of these quizzes allow you to go back to the questions you got wrong so you can take notes. You also have the option to replay the same quiz so you can master new terminologies easily.

Buy an e-book reader

Learning a new word that is listed amongst many is a little difficult to remember in the long run. When you come across new terminologies as you read, you’re more likely to recall the meaning of the word because it’s associated with a full sentence.

And you don’t have to ruin your novel by highlighting or underlining unfamiliar words. An e-book reader will add any word you looked up in a flashcard system that you can go back to at a later time.

SAT sentence completion

This is another fun online game where you get to choose or guess the correct word to be placed in the blanks. This isn’t just a game for juniors; you’d be surprised by the variety of difficulties you can choose from.

Whatever you do, make sure you actually jot down any words you have struggled with so you can take a look at them later. Even if you get it right the second time, you’re bound to forget it unless you test yourself again every few days.

Typeshift

Typeshift words a lot like scrabble and crosswords. There are plenty of apps you can download to play this game, or you could simply find one online using your browser.

Players spell out words by sliding their chosen letters into columns. When a word is formed, the letters arranged turn green. This makes the primary goal of the game to turn all the letters green. In the game, there are also keywords, which, when found, will help you in solving the puzzle more quickly.

Use an e-thesaurus

Whenever you’re assigned something to write, a sure way to enrich your vocabulary is to always keep a thesaurus handy. When you use it to avoid repeating words, you’ll eventually familiarize yourself with a wider range of vocabulary, and you’ll find yourself less dependent on using a thesaurus over time.

Make sure you don’t overdo it, and we also recommend that you check the meaning of a synonym before using it in your assignment. Some words can be similar in meaning, but cannot be used in particular contexts.

There are also browser extensions you can download for free that can automatically detect redundancy and suggest a list of synonyms for you to choose from.

Take online tests

You’re not playing these games and going through all this hassle just to pass the time. Every few days, test your progress via online evaluation tests to observe how far your progress has gone.

If you’ve been consistent with your learning journey, you’ll be surprised to see how much you’ve improved. This will also keep you motivated to keep learning.

Enriching your vocabulary can come in handy in so many different ways. The trick is to be able to do it without feeling like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders. If you have a hard time remembering those unfamiliar words in your flashcards, the method of education is likely to blame. Use these tips to make your learning experience more fun, and rest assured, you’re going to see rapid progress.