Tips for Learning New Words for English Classes
There are new words being added to the Oxford English Dictionary all the time. Everyone is always learning! In fact, the average native English speaker learns about one new word per day as an adult. In every language, most native speakers know a lot of words, but they don’t use all of them every day, or even every week.
For example, the average English speaker might know 25,000 words, but you only need a small number of words for most conversations, reading the news, going to the store, or other things that happen every day.When you learn a new language, you will be surprised how quickly you can build up your vocabulary with the help of instructors and a few activities.
Keep reading to learn new ways to learn new words!
Write New Words in a Notebook
When you learn English in Dallas, your teachers, classmates, and textbooks will introduce you to new words and help you study them. You will also likely hear or read new words in other places, too. Get a small notebook and write down new words that you see or hear when you are not in class. How will this help?
Writing things down will help you remember them. A vocabulary notebook will also remind you to look up new words in the dictionary or ask someone about their meaning. If you are at the grocery store and see a word or phrase you do not understand on a magazine cover,write it down! You can read your notebook later, look the word up, and try to use it. Your vocabulary notebook will also help you review words you might have forgotten.
Listen to the Radio or Watch TV in English
The good news is that you have already learned many words in your native language! Your brain knows how to build vocabulary. We learn words in school from textbooks and teachers, but we also learn words by listening to them and seeing them all around us. If you listen to the radio or watch TV in English, your vocabulary will grow.
For example, you can watch or listen to the weather report. This will give you an understanding of how weather words are used every day. If you watch a television show or listen to the radio,you will hear the way many common words are used. This is helpful when you have looked up a word in the dictionary, but you are still not sure how to use it in a sentence.
Practice with Friends from English Classes
The best way to learn new words in English classes or at home is to practice using them. This will be part of your class, but you can also practice at other times. Text messages, phone calls, or video chats allow you to connect and practice with other people learning English.
Set up a time for conversation with classmates, and go over words from your vocabulary notebook with them. You can also watch a TV show and then talk about it with each other. Conversations like this will build up your confidence for learning new words and reaching your goals in English. Whether you want to go to University or College in the U.S., or you are working toward career goals, the more you practice, the more you learn.
How can English courses help you achieve your goals?
Contact the American Learning Institute in Dallas today!