INTRODUCTION

Hello everyone.

Congratulations on your decision on getting on the blog to improve your English.
It is said that one proven way to learn a new language is to increase your vocabulary, be aware of verb tenses and the mechanics of the language, and then practice over and over again.  This principle will little by little help you to proficiently learn and effectively master the strategies and methods needed to build a solid foundation in English.

Good luck, and above all, happy learning!

HOW TO BUILD YOUR VOCABULARY ON A DAILY BASIS

7 TIPS TO LEARN NEW WORDS EVERYDAY

 

1. Use the new word in a sentence

After you have read the word and understood its meaning, use that new word in your own sentence. It is best to try and create a sentence that has some type of relationship or connection with your life.

2. Look for grammatical variations of the word

Look for the different ways (grammatical forms) the word can appear. For example if the word to suspect (a verb) is given to you, you can look for its noun form (suspicion), its adjective form (suspicious) etc. Suspect can also be a noun (a suspect). Remember that not all words have all grammatical forms. It pays to have a good English dictionary to help you with this.
Once you have the different forms of the new word, you can then try and make a sentence with each one.

3. Do Word Associations

Try and associate the word with other things (like a mind map). Not only will it help you remember the new word but it will also increase your knowledge (vocabulary) of other things associated with the word. 

4. Carry a list or a notepad with you

Write the new word and its meaning (and maybe an example too) in a small notepad that you can carry with you and read whenever you have a spare moment (or some people keep them in their smartphone). This can be read while you are sitting on a bus, on the underground/subway, or while you are in a waiting room. This will help you see the words more than once and will help them stick in your mind.

5. Make flash cards

Make little cards with each new word on one side and the meaning of that word on the other side. Put them on the ground and if the meaning is face up, then try and think of the word. If the word appears face up, then think of its meaning. When you start to have a lot of cards you can shuffle them and randomly pick out 10 or so every day.

6. Look for examples on the internet

Type the word in a search engine (such as Google) and write down 7 different sentences that contain an example of that word. This way you will see the word in context and maybe other vocabulary associated with it. For better results, look for one sentence every day over 7 different days.

7. Learn the word again on other days

Don’t just learn or practice a word one day and then forget about it. You may think you have learned the word (since you have just been using it) but if you try to remember/use the new word a couple of weeks later, you may find it difficult. To really remember a word you need to reuse that word over and over before it sticks in your long-term memory.

There is a saying in English “Use it or lose it.” Basically this means if you don’t use (or practice) something you have learned, you will eventually forget how to use it properly.

 



LET'S PRACTICE

ACTIVITY #1:
Use your dictionary to find the meaning of the following words.  This is necessary to complete Activity #2.

flashlight _______________      happy __________________     busy _____________
kitchen _________________      sick____________________     ready_____________
girl ____________________      flower__________________     small_____________
vacuum_________________      tent____________________     fridge_____________
counter_________________       ribbon__________________    floor______________
basement________________      dirty___________________     hair_______________
closet___________________      pink___________________     tired_______________
today___________________      pretty__________________     twins______________
nice____________________      yellow_________________      friend______________
smart__________________        microwave oven_________

ACTIVITY #2:
Rewrite the following sentences to create the present tense by choosing the correct form of the verb to be in parenthesis.

1. The girl (am, is, are) pretty. _______________________________
2. The fridge and counter in the kitchen (am, is, are) dirty. ______________________________
3. The flowers (am, is, are) yellow. ______________________________
4. She (am, is, are) my friend. __________________________________
5. The ribbons in my hair (am, is, are) pink. _________________________________.

ACTIVITY #3:
Unscramble the words to make correct sentences.

1. small / the / very / is / kitchen. ____________________________________
2. floor / the / toy / on / is / the. _____________________________________
3. the / basement / toys / in / are / the. ________________________________
4. tent / the / flashlight / the / in / is. __________________________________
5. today / I / sick / am. _____________________________________________

ACTIVITY #4

Find the words from the word bank below.

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BASEMENT	BUSY	CLOSET
COUNTER	FLOWER	FRIDGE
HAPPY	KITCHEN	NICE
READY	RIBBON	SICK
TIRED	TODAY	VACUUM

THOUGHT OF THE MONTH

LET´S LEARN FROM THIS GOOD EXAMPLE...THE GUEESE