Students have endless possibilities when learning vocabulary. As individuals we have a variety of different learning styles and preferences for how we internalise information. Most of us use a combination of the following:
| Some remember vocabulary by saying the words out loud. |
| Some need to see an image or see the spelling |
| Some need to associate a word in their native language that sounds familiar |
| Some need to physically do the action |
| Some need to write the words down |
| Some create stories/songs/chants/raps/poems/etc. connecting all the vocabulary coherently |
| Some re-use vocabulary in several different contexts |
| Some group vocabulary together and draw mind maps or make word clouds |
| Some make word families. e.g. Happy/happiness/Unhappy/Joy/Good mood |
| Some physically stick written vocabulary onto the matching physical objects at home or at work. |
Tips and Recomendations
- Like all other skills mentioned, the most useful way to remember language items long-term is to actively and consciously revise them again and again. You train yourself to revise items the next day, then a week later and then a month later and so on. This process is partly a simulation of living in an English speaking country because you are actively re-using language. The process is obviously slower because access is limited but you can expose yourself to English as little or as often as you want. You are in control.
Look at the following websites for alternative dictionary work:
- https://www.niftyword.com/
- https://www.urbandictionary.com/ (for people over the age 15)
- https://www.linguee.es/ingles-espanol/traduccion/gut+feeling.html
- https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/learning?s=t
- https://www.wordhippo.com/
Or perhaps websites for expanding and enriching your array of vocabulary whilst at the same time checking common errors and false friends, or homophones and homographs:
- http://www.esldesk.com/common-errors-english
- http://mentalfloss.com/article/13076/11-weirdly-spelled-words%E2%80%94and-how-they-got-way
- https://copywriterscrucible.wordpress.com/2009/09/01/41-commonly-misused-english-words/
Or even if you need to learn specific vocabulary for work or academic purposes
- https://articles.bplans.com/business-term-glossary/
- https://meetingtomorrow.com/content-library/audiovisual-glossary
- http://fullspate.digitalcounterrevolution.co.uk/advanced-efl-essay-writing/advanced-essay-phrases.html
Una Familia Online: Ideas, sugerencias y fuente de inspiración para familias activas.
Aprende ingles por tu cuenta– Increasing vocabulary retention
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