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Young children learn new words by imitating the speakers around them. When a three-year-old hears a new word that catches her interest, she may use it repeatedly for a day or two until she feels comfortable with it. She establishes its meaning from context, often by trial and error. She adds new words to her vocabulary because she needs them to make herself understood.
Children have an easier time learning new words than most adults do. As we grow beyond childhood, our brains seem to lose their magical ability to soak up language from the environment. But adults can still learn a great deal from the way children learn new words.
Young children don’t learn the meanings of new words by looking them up. Sometimes they ask grown-ups directly, but more often they simply infer meanings from context. They figure out what new words mean by paying attention to how they are used.
You need to do the same. Be receptive to new words by actively seeking to understand them. When you encounter an unfamiliar word in the newspaper, don’t skim over it. Stop and try to figure out what it means. The words that surround it should provide a few clues. Put your mind to work.
Children learn words by using them. Adults who want to build their vocabularies must do the same. You can’t incorporate a new word into your vocabulary unless you give it a thorough workout and then keep it in shape through regular exercise. Use new words over and over—at the dinner table, at school, in conversation with friends—even at the risk of making mistakes.
If you are a student preparing to enter college or graduate school, learning new words can help you perform better on tests like the SAT and GRE, improving your chances of being admitted to more competitive schools. An added bonus is that your writing and speaking skills will improve along with your vocabulary, which can help you in your classes as well. Nonstudents may have other vocabulary needs, but the same general rules apply. As with many other things, you have to use vocabulary if you don’t want to lose it. Remember that the size and quality of a person’s vocabulary correlate powerfully with his or her success in school, at work, and beyond.
The best way to build a solid, sophisticated vocabulary is to read voraciously. Careful reading not only brings you into contact with new words but also forces you to use your brain to figure out what those new words mean. If you read widely enough, you will find that your vocabulary will build itself. New words are contagious if you give yourself enough exposure to them. Reading any good book is better for your vocabulary than watching television. Reading well-written magazines and newspapers can help, too.
When you read, you will undoubtedly come across words you don’t know, and some will be critical to the meaning of the passages in which they appear. If you’re serious about understanding what you read, as well as improving your vocabulary, you’ll have to use the dictionary.
The natural way to learn words is to see how other people use them—that is, to see or hear the word in context. While context may tell you how to use the word, relying on context is not without pitfalls.
First, when you hear a new word, you can’t be certain the speaker’s pronunciation is correct. You also can’t be certain the word is being used correctly. Even skillful writers and speakers occasionally misuse language. A writer or speaker may even misuse a word intentionally, perhaps for dramatic or comic effect.
Even more important, many words have multiple meanings and connotations. Sometimes the difference between one meaning and another is slight; sometimes it is significant. Even if you deduce the meaning from the context, you have no way of knowing whether the meaning you’ve deduced will apply in other cases.
Finally, context can be misleading. Take the word formidable , for example. When you hear this word, you may think of it in the context of “a formidable opponent.” This might lead you to believe that formidable means something like “skillful” or “aggressive.” But those definitions miss the mark, as formidable actually means “frightening” or “menacing.” See how context can be misleading?
The point here is to understand the limits of context and always consult a dictionary if you’re not sure of the meaning of a word.
Like cars, not all dictionaries have the same features. Dictionaries can range from children’s editions with lots of pictures to humongous, unabridged dictionaries with lots of entries in tiny type. (By the way, abridged means “shortened.” An unabridged dictionary is one that includes almost every single word in the English language!) And then there’s the 20-volume Oxford English Dictionary .
For most people, however, a good college-edition dictionary is sufficient. (A “college” dictionary is not for use in college only; the phrase “college dictionary” is simply a rough indication of the vocabulary level of the readers for whom the dictionary is appropriate.)
We encourage you to get in the habit of carrying a portable dictionary with you wherever you go, so that when you encounter a word you don’t know, you can look it up on the spot. Of course, we don’t expect you to lug around a huge hardcover dictionary; try a small paperback copy or even a dictionary app that can be downloaded to your smartphone or tablet. We recommend using a hard-copy dictionary, as looking up a word in a real book creates a tactile memory so that you will have a better chance of remembering the meaning of the word. But ultimately, you should you use the dictionary that works best for you; that’s the best approach for getting words to stick.
We used several dictionaries in verifying the definitions and usages that appear in Word Smart . Let’s take a look at a sample dictionary entry:
a•bridge ( ə brij’), v.t. , a•bridged, a•bridg•ing. 1. to shorten by condensation or omission while retaining the basic contents: to abridge a long novel . 2. to reduce or lessen in duration, scope, etc.; diminish, curtail. 3. to deprive; cut off [1350–1400; ME abregge, abrigge < MF abreg(i)er < ML abbreviare to shorten. See ABBREVIATE ] — a•bridg’a•ble; esp. Brit. , a•bridg’á•ble, adj. — a•bridg’ér, n. — Syn.1. condense, abstract. See shorten. 2. contract.
Now let’s examine this entry part by part:
a•bridge
The main entry—the dot separates the words into syllables. Sometimes the main entry includes stress marks to tell you which syllables to stress in pronouncing the word.
(əbrij’)
The pronunciation—every dictionary includes a pronunciation key up front to explain symbols like the upside-down e known as a schwa and pronounced “uh.” If a word has more than one acceptable pronunciation, the entry will list them.
Always observe the pronunciation of a word when you look it up. If you know how to pronounce a word, you’re more likely to use it. (If you don’t know how to pronounce a word, you’re more likely to embarrass yourself at cocktail parties.) And the more you use a word, the more likely you’ll be able to remember it.
v.t.
Part of speech—this abbreviation means that abridge is a verb, specifically a transitive verb.
A transitive verb is one that carries action from a subject to a direct object. For example, in the sentence The dog ate the book, the verb ate carries action from the dog to the book. Similarly, in The editor abridged the book, the verb abridged carries action from the editor to the book.
An example of an in transitive verb is to sleep. In The dog sleeps, the verb does not carry any action from the subject (dog) to any other thing.
a•bridged, a•bridg•ing
Forms—these entries let us know that we should note the spellings of different forms of the word abridge. Notice, for example, that we drop the e before adding ing.
1. to shorten by condensation or omission while retaining the basic contents: to abridge a long novel.
The most common definition of the word. Some dictionaries include helpful phrases or sentences to show you how to use the word in context.
This feature is quite useful. The example tells us that we would not use abridge this way: The tailor abridged Susan’s long skirt to make it a mini.
2. to reduce or lessen in duration, scope, etc.; diminish, curtail. 3. to deprive; cut off.
Other definitions, generally in order of importance—sometimes a definition will include close synonyms.
[1350–1400; ME abregge, abrigge < MF abreg(i)er < ML abbreviare to shorten. See ABBREVIATE ]
The etymology—some dictionaries include the etymology before the definitions.
You don’t have to be a linguist, but the word abridge developed from medieval Latin to Middle French to Middle English: abbreviare (meaning “to shorten”), in medieval Latin became abreg(i)er in Middle French, which became abregge or abrigge in Middle English, which finally became abridge .
The etymology suggests that we look up abbreviate . If you have the time, you should do so. It will reinforce your understanding of abridge .
We will discuss etymology in more detail later because it is a powerful mnemonic. (Look it up!)
— a•bridg’a•ble; esp. Brit., a•bridge’á•ble, adj. — a•bridg’ér, n.
Other parts of speech, along with an alternative (British) spelling.
— Syn. 1. condense, abstract. See shorten. 2. contract.
An abridged (!) list of synonyms—the numbers refer to the preceding order of definitions. The entry suggests that we look up shorten . Not all dictionaries include this feature, though.
The editors of the dictionary advise us to look up shorten if we want a better understanding of abridge , so let’s do just that:
short•en (shôr’t ən), v.t. , 1. to make short or shorter. 2. to reduce, decrease, take in, etc.: to shorten sail . 3. to make (pastry, bread, etc.) short, as with butter or other fat. — v.i. 4. to become short or shorter. 5. (of odds) to decrease. — short’ener , n. — Syn. S HORTEN, ABBREVIATE, ABRIDGE, CURTAIL mean to make shorter or briefer. S HORTEN is a general word meaning to make less in extent or duration: to shorten a dress, a prisoner’s sentence. The other three words suggest methods of shortening. T O ABBREVIATE is to make shorter by omission or contraction: to abbreviate a word . T O ABRIDGE is to reduce in length or size by condensing, summarizing, and the like: to abridge a document . C URTAIL suggests deprivation and lack of completeness because of cutting off part: to curtail an explanation .
This entry distinguishes shorten from a number of synonyms, including abridge . The digression took another minute or so, but we’ve come away with a better understanding of the meanings and their nuances . (Look it up!) We will consider synonyms in detail when we discuss how to use a thesaurus.
We’ve tried to make Word Smart easier to read and understand than a big dictionary.
Don’t get us wrong. We use dictionaries, we rely on dictionaries, but sometimes we wish that lexicographers (those fun-loving people who write dictionaries) would communicate in basic English.
For each word in Word Smart , we give you a basic definition. Sometimes a close synonym is enough. Then we give you—and this is important—a sentence or two so that you can see how to use the word. Our entry for abridge reads as follows:
ABRIDGE (uh BRIJ) v to shorten; to condense
• The thoughtful editor abridged the massive book by removing the boring parts.
An abridged dictionary is one that has been shortened to keep it from crushing desks and people’s laps.
An abridgment is a shortened or condensed work.
The problem with most dictionaries is that they don’t tell you how to use the word. You can always spot someone who has learned new words almost exclusively through the dictionary rather than through general reading supplemented with a dictionary. When you ask such people the definition of a word, it’s almost as if they fall into a trance—their eyes glaze over as they rattle off the definition almost word for word from a dictionary.
So while it’s important to use a dictionary, it’s also important to think critically about the words as well, because…
You will not truly learn a word unless you can define it in your own words.
To understand a word completely, to make a word yours, you should try to define it in your own words. Don’t settle for the dictionary definition. For that matter, don’t settle for our definition.
Make up your own definition. You’ll understand the meaning better. What’s more, you’ll be more likely to remember it.
A thesaurus is a dictionary-like reference book that lists synonyms for many words. A thesaurus can be another useful tool in your word-building campaign, but only if you use it properly. Many people don’t.
Thesaurus abuse is common. Students often try to make their vocabularies seem bigger than they actually are by using a thesaurus to beef up the papers they write. ( Neophytes chronically endeavor to induce their parlance to portend more magisterially by employing a lexicon of synonyms to amplify the theses they inscribe .) They write their papers in their own words, and then they plug in words from a thesaurus. That’s what we did with the silly-sounding sentence in the parentheses above. You’d be surprised how many students actually compose their papers that way.
A thesaurus can be helpful—if you use it properly.
The best way to use a thesaurus is as a supplement to your dictionary, as a reference work that can help you find the word that expresses precisely what you are trying to say. A good thesaurus is intended to help a speaker or writer distinguish the shades of difference between words of similar meaning.
Let’s say you’re trying to describe Randolph, someone who never lends money to anyone. Randolph examines his monthly bank statement with a calculator to make sure that his interest has been properly computed to the penny. Randolph is someone who would have to think long and hard if a mugger presented him with the dilemma “Your money or your life.”
The first word that comes to mind in describing Randolph may be cheap . Being the careful writer you are, you decide to see whether cheap is the most precise word you can come up with.
In your thesaurus, you find the following entry:
cheap adj . 1. Chicken is not as cheap as it was: inexpensive, low-priced, economical, reasonable. 2. Talk is cheap: effortless, costless, easy. 3. The coat may be expensive, but it looks cheap: shoddy, shabby, inferior, worthless, poor, second-rate, trashy, meager, paltry, gimcrack, flashy, gaudy, in bad taste, tawdry, tacky, common, inelegant. 4. Spreading gossip is a cheap thing to do: contemptible, petty, despicable, sordid, ignoble, wretched, mean, base. Slang: two-bit, vulgar, immoral, indecent. 5. He’s too cheap to pick up the check: tight,
The entry cheap lists five primary meanings, each preceded by an illustrative sentence. You scan the sentences until you find the one you want: the last one. Now you examine the synonyms.
tight: Okay, but perhaps it’s too informal or colloquial—might be confused with other definitions of the word tight . Forget this one.
stingy: A possibility.
miserly: Let’s say you’re not exactly sure what this one means. You decide to look this one up in the regular dictionary.
penurious: Better look this one up, too.
tightfisted: A little better than tight, though perhaps still too slangy—you’ll think about it.
close: Nope—too many other definitions.
Before leaving the thesaurus, however, you decide to check out the listing for miserly and come up with the following additional words:
parsimonious: Look it up.
avaricious: Look it up.
mean: Too many other definitions.
grasping: More a synonym of greedy . Randolph isn’t precisely greedy. He doesn’t want to accumulate a lot; he just wants to hold on to what he has. Forget this one.
scrimping: Doesn’t sound right—forget this one.
pinching: Nope.
penny-pinching: Better than pinching alone, but colloquial—maybe.
frugal: Look it up.
illiberal: Too vague.
closehanded: Nah.
closefisted: Similar to tightfisted and penny-pinching, but not as good—drop.
selfish: Too general—Randolph is selfish only with money.
ungenerous: Nope—Randolph isn’t particularly generous, but you want to say what he is rather than what he is not .
greedy: You ruled this out earlier.
near: Nope.
meager: Look it up.
grudging: Not precisely what you mean.
You decide you have enough synonyms to work with. Now you have to look up and verify definitions.
You are left with three synonyms you know ( stingy, tightfisted, and penny-pinching ) and seven you don’t know. Just to be orderly, you look up the seven words alphabetically in your dictionary:
avaricious characterized by avarice (insatiable greed for riches; inordinate desire to gain and hoard wealth); covetous
Nope, you don’t mean greedy. Avaricious is out.
frugal 1. economical in use or expenditure; prudently saving or sparing. 2. entailing little expense; requiring few resources; meager, scanty.
The first definition means careful with money. Economical and prudent both have positive connotations, but Randolph’s obsession with money is not something good. The second definition is not the one we want—out.
meager 1. deficient in quantity or quality; lacking fullness or richness; poor; scanty. 2. having little flesh; lean; thin. 3. maigre.
Nope, none of these seems to convey the meaning you want.
miserly of, like, or befitting a miser (one who lives in wretched circumstances in order to save and hoard money); penurious.
Well, this might be right. You have to think about Randolph a little more. What are his circumstances like? Is he willing to live in wretched circumstances?
parsimonious characterized by or showing parsimony; sparing or frugal, esp. to excess.
Now you have established that parsimonious means stingier than frugal. This seems to hit the mark.
penurious 1. extremely stingy. 2. extremely poor; indigent. 3. poorly or inadequately supplied.
The first definition works, but the second definition seems to imply a stinginess perhaps resulting from poverty. The third definition does not apply. Now you have to think again about Randolph. Is he poor as well as cheap? If so, this is the right word.
You’re still left with stingy, tightfisted, penny-pinching, miserly, niggardly, parsimonious, and penurious . Oh, and there’s still the blunt, if unassuming, cheap, which you started with. Which word is the right word?
Stingy is the right word if you want to use a simple, no-nonsense word.
Tightfisted is the word if you want something a little more slangy and graphic.
Penny-pinching is right if you want the image to be a little more explicit than tightfisted.
Miserly could be the right word, depending on Randolph’s living circumstances.
Parsimonious is the right word if you want a multisyllabic synonym for cheap or stingy . From the definitions, parsimonious seems more extreme than stingy .
Penurious is the right word if Randolph is poor as well as stingy.
To decide which word is the right word, you must give more thought to precisely what aspect of Randolph you’re trying to capture and convey.
The right word is not merely the accurate word with the proper connotations.
We don’t want to get into writing style, but other considerations to keep in mind when choosing the right word include the following:
Rhythm, or Cadence
Which word best fits in with the overall flow of the sentence and paragraph? Perhaps you want to achieve alliteration (Randolph is a pretentious, penny-pinching poet) or a certain rhyme (Alimony drove Randolph to parsimony).
Part of Speech
Miserly seems okay as an adjective, but miserliness seems a little awkward as a noun.
Vocabulary Level
Who will read your description of Randolph? Your word choice may be limited by your potential reader or audience. Other things being equal, the simple word is the better word.
Variety
If you’ve used cheap several times already in the same piece of writing, you may want to use a different word.
Repetition
On the other hand, repeating the same word may have a powerful effect.
Dramatic Effect
A simple word in an academic setting, or an academic word in a simple setting, can have a dramatic effect. Comic effects can also be achieved by using a word in an inappropriate or incongruous context.
Word Smart is a book on words rather than on writing. Still, we want to note in passing that good editing is more than simply reviewing the words you use.
Editing means refining your ideas. Editing means deciding on the ordering and presentation of your ideas. Editing means deciding which ideas you’re going to present at all.
We recommend that the thesaurus you use be one that lists words alphabetically in the text itself. Ideally, the thesaurus should include sample sentences that distinguish at least some of the different shades of meanings.
Reading widely—with the help of a dictionary and perhaps also a thesaurus—is a great way to build a vocabulary. But it’s also a slow way. Which words you encounter in your reading depend on which words the writers happen to use.
That’s where we come in. The main section of Word Smart is a concentrated source of the words you want to know—the words you need to help yourself build an educated vocabulary. We’ve also included fun facts, etymology, and usage, which are integral to the vocabulary learning methods you’re about to encounter. If you want a better vocabulary, you have to put the time and effort in.
As you work through this book, you’ll undoubtedly find that you need to tailor your approach to the way you think and learn best. You may discover that for a particular word one method works best and that for another word a different method works best. That’s fine.
The best method for memorizing words is the method that works best for you .
We’ll show you the methods we have found to be the most successful for our students. Use the one or ones that suit you best.
A mnemonic is a device or trick that helps you remember something specific. Grade schoolers are sometimes taught to remember the spelling of arithmetic by using the following mnemonic: A Rat In The House Might Eat Tom’s Ice Cream . The first letter in each word in this silly sentence stands for the letters in arithmetic . Remember the sentence and you remember how to spell the word.
Mnemonics can appeal to our ears, too. How about the history mnemonic: In fourteen hundred ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue… ? Or the spelling mnemonic: i before e except after c , and in words that say a , as in neighbor and weigh?
You Already Know How to Use Mnemonics
Whether you realize it or not, you use mnemonics all the time. When you make up a little game to remember your locker combination or a friend’s birthday, you’re using a mnemonic.
How Do Mnemonics Work?
All mnemonics work in the same way: they force you to associate what you’re trying to remember with something that you already know, or with something that is easier to memorize. Patterns and rhymes are easy to memorize, which explains why so many mnemonics use them.
Incidentally, it may also explain why rhyming became a part of poetry. The earliest poets and balladeers didn’t write down their compositions because many didn’t know how to write. Instead, they kept the poems in their heads. Among other things, the rhymes at the ends of the lines made the poems easier to remember.
Letting a new word suggest a vivid mental image to you is a powerful and effective way to remember that word. Mental images are really mnemonics, too. They help you remember. The emphasis here is on suggestive mental pictures rather than on tricky abbreviations or coincidences of spelling.
Let’s look at an example. We’ll start with a word we’ve already used in this chapter: abridge . As you know, to abridge is to shorten or condense.
What image pops into your mind when you think of the word abridge ? That’s easy: a bridge. Now you need to picture something happening on or to that bridge that will help you remember the meaning of the word abridge . Your goal is to create such a vivid and memorable image in your mind that the next time you encounter abridge in your reading, you’ll instantly remember what it means.
To be useful, your image must have something to do with the meaning of the word rather than merely with the way it sounds or looks. If you merely think of a bridge when you see abridge, you won’t help yourself remember what you want to remember.
What you need is an image that suggests shortening or condensing. A dinosaur taking a big bite out of the middle of a bridge? Carpenters sawing it? The image you choose is up to you.
And Now for Another Example…
Another useful word is gregarious, which means sociable, enjoying the company of others. What image springs to mind? Really think now.
Can’t think of an image? Be creative. A party animal is gregarious . How about imagining a party animal named Greg Arious. Don’t stop with his name. You need a picture. So give Greg a funny hat, a noisemaker, and some polka-dot dancing shoes. Or put a lampshade on his head. Think of something that will make you think of sociability the next time you see Greg’s name in a book or a magazine you read. The more real you make Greg Arious seem in your imagination, the less trouble you’ll have remembering the meaning of gregarious .
The Crazier the Mental Image, the Better
It’s better to choose an interesting mental image that you’ll remember. If you choose an image that is bland or boring, you may have trouble remembering the word. Interesting, even weird, mental images are more likely to stick in your memory.
Memory Aids Should Be Personal
Sometimes we’ll give you a mnemonic for the listings in Word Smart, but we won’t do this very often. Memory aids work best when you have to struggle a little to come up with them.
If you come up with your own memory aid, if it really means something to you, it will likely become a permanent part of your memory.
Although the English language contains hundreds of thousands of words, you will discover that many groups of words are related in meaning because they developed from a common root. When you recognize that a group of words shares a similar root, you will more easily remember the entire group.
For example, take the word mnemonic . You know now, if you hadn’t already, that a mnemonic is a device that helps you remember something. We’re going to show you two other words that are related to this word.
mne monic: device to help you remember something
a mne sty: a general pardon for offenses against a government (an official “forgetting”)
a mne sia: loss of memory
Pretty neat, eh? How about words from another common root:
chron ological: in order according to time
syn chron ize: to put on the same timetable
ana chron ism: something out of place in time or history
chron ic: continuing over a long time
chron icle: chronological record of events
chron ometer: device to measure time
Sometimes it is easier to learn a whole cluster of related words than to come up with mnemonics for them individually.
The Advantages of Etymology
Learning word roots is a key part of etymology, the study of the origin of words and how their meanings have changed over time. A word’s etymology tells you something about the meaning of the word. Additionally, etymology can be shared among several words, which can help you remember the meanings of clusters of related words. Learning etymology can also get you interested in the origin of words and language in general; etymology tells you the story of a word over centuries. In Chapter 6 you will find a list of the most important roots with numerous examples following each.
The Pitfalls of Etymology
The etymology of a word will tell you something about the word, but it will rarely give you the full definition. Students often confuse a word’s etymology with its meaning, which can lead to errors on tests.
Take the word verdant , for example. At first glance, you may think this word is etymologically related to words like verify, verdict, verisimilitude, and veritable and guess that the definition of verdant must have something to do with the concept of truth or reality.
This is clever guesswork, but verdant actually comes from a different family of words. It comes from the same old root as does the French word vert, which means green. If those same clever students had recognized that connection, they might have realized that verdant means green with vegetation, as in a verdant forest.
Similarly, a lot of words that begin with ped- have something to do with foot: pedestrian, pedal, pedestal, pedometer, impede, expedite . A pediatrician, however, is not a foot doctor. A pediatrician is a doctor for children. A podiatrist is a foot doctor. (The word pediatrician is, however, related to the word meaning a strict teacher of children: pedagogue .)
Etymology is a powerful tool to remember words that you already know, but it can’t always be relied upon to determine the meanings of words you don’t know.
Many people find that they can learn new information more readily if they write it down. The physical act of writing seems to plant the information more firmly. Perhaps the explanation is that by writing you are bringing another sense into play (you’ve seen the word, you’ve said and heard the word, and now you’re feeling the word).
You may find it useful to spend some time writing down phrases or sentences incorporating each new word. This is a good way to practice and strengthen your spelling as well.
You’ll probably have more luck if you don’t merely write down the word and its definition over and over again. If you’ve hit upon a good mnemonic or mental image to help you remember it, or you liked the etymology, write it down. You can even draw a picture or a diagram.
A flashcard, usually made with an index card, contains a word on one side and its definition on the reverse side. You may have used flashcards when you were first learning to read or when you were first tackling a foreign language. Flashcards can turn learning into a game and is an effective way to study and commit words to memory.
Along with the word’s definition, you should also include the pronunciation if you aren’t sure you’ll remember it. Then you can either practice independently or have a friend quiz you.
Here’s a basic flashcard, front and back.
Front
Back
You’ll learn even more if you use your imagination to make the backs of your flashcards a bit more elaborate. For example, you might decorate the back of this card with a diagram of oblique lines—that is, lines that are neither parallel nor perpendicular to each other.
Back
Your diagram now gives you a mental image that can help you remember the word. You’ll probably think of your own mental image, one that means something to you. You could even use the word itself to create a picture that conveys the meaning of the word and that will stick in your mind to help you remember it.
Here’s one possibility. We’ve divided the word into two parts and written them on two different lines that are at an oblique angle to each other.
Back
Practicing with flashcards can be fun. Parents, siblings, and friends sometimes might lend a hand and discover that they learn new words, too. And every time you look at the back of the card, you’ll be reminded of the mnemonic, trick, or mental image you’ve devised to keep the word firmly in your memory.
Tuck a few flashcards in your pocket when you head out the door in the morning, and work on them in spare moments, like when you’re riding on a bus or listening to the radio. The more often you flash through your flashcards, the faster you’ll build your vocabulary.
Reading your flashcards isn’t enough, of course. You also need to make an effort to use the words on them. Using the words, much more than reading the cards, makes the definitions sink in and take hold.
We also encourage you to write down new words you learn in a notebook. If you devote an entire page to each new word, the notebook will give you room to practice “writing on your brain.” It will also give you plenty of space to doodle or jot down images that will help you remember the word.
Even better, you can use your notebook as a place to record actual uses of new words that you discover in your own reading. If, while reading a magazine, you come across one of the words you’re working on, you can copy the sentence into your notebook, giving you a brand-new example of the word in context.
Students who keep notebooks report a sense of accomplishment when they look back through their notebooks at the hundreds of new words they have learned. A notebook gives you tangible (a good word) evidence of the progress you’re making.
Here is our step-by-step approach to memorizing new words.
Let’s take a look at each of these steps.
Context will often lead you astray, but doing a bit of detective work is a good way to sharpen your mind and hone your reading comprehension skills. And who knows? You might even guess the right meaning.
Most people try to skip this step. Don’t you dare! You won’t know whether you’re correct about the meaning of a new word until you’ve made sure by looking it up.
No one can learn new words without a dictionary. If you don’t have one, get one now, whether a physical copy from your local bookstore or library or a downloadable app on your smartphone or tablet.
Look closely at the word’s spelling. Then close your eyes and try to reconstruct the spelling. If you have trouble visualizing, test yourself by writing out the spelling on scrap paper and checking it against the dictionary.
You should also compare the spelling variations with other spelling variations you know. This is a nice trick that helps you recognize words that you think you don’t know.
For example, sober is an adjective; the noun form is sobriety . Okay, with that as a clue, the noun propriety relates to what adjective? Proper. Propriety means what is socially proper or acceptable.
Here’s another example: Do you know what incisive means? Give up? Well, you know what decisive means, don’t you? Decisive relates to what word you know? Decision, of course. Now, what noun do you think incisive relates to? Incision . Incisive means sharp or cutting, as in an incisive remark or an incisive observation.
Say the word out loud . Hearing the word will bring another sense into play and help you remember the word. And as we noted earlier, you don’t want to make a fool of yourself by mispronouncing words.
Our Pronunciation Key
We’ve never liked the pronunciation keys most dictionaries use. Our key is based on consistent phonetic sounds, so you don’t have to memorize it. Still, it would be a good idea to take a few minutes now and familiarize yourself with the table below. Be sure to note how the e and i are used.
All other consonants are pronounced as you would expect. Capitalized letters are accented.
Most dictionaries list the definitions in order of importance. That does not mean, of course, that the first definition is the one you are looking for. Read all the definitions; each will add to your understanding of the word.
As we showed you with the earlier examples, this step takes a little extra time. Believe us when we say that it is time well spent. Again, seeing how a word is similar to or different from synonyms or related words enhances your understanding of all of them.
We said it before, and we’ll say it again: you don’t truly know what a word means unless you can define it yourself in your own way.
Now that you know what the word means and what it doesn’t mean, use it. Make up a sentence.
It helps to use the word in a sentence that includes a person or thing or event that you know and that creates a concrete feeling or image. For example, the sentence They are gregarious is not as good as Greg, Gertrude, and Gretchen are gregarious.
With all that you’ve done with the word in the previous steps, you may already have memorized it. The only way to be sure, however, is to fix the word with a mnemonic.
The paperwork is very important, particularly if you’re trying to learn a lot of new words in a short period of time.
Dare to be repetitious. If you don’t keep new knowledge in shape, you won’t keep it at all.
You already know some of the words in the book. You may know quite a few of them. Naturally, you don’t need to drill yourself on words you already know and use. But be careful. Before skipping a word, make certain you really do know what it means. Some of the most embarrassing vocabulary mistakes occur when a person confidently uses familiar words incorrectly. Now on to the words. Remember that you’ll retain more (and have more fun) if you tackle this book a little at a time.