HOW DO YOU LEARN NEW WORDS IN L2 ?

Do you spend hours studying new words in English, only to find that after a few days you have forgotten them? Many students have this problem, but you mustn’t give up hope. Here a few ways to help you remember new vocabulary.

One useful method is to write down each new word or phrase on a separate piece of paper. Then you can stick these pieces of paper around your room – on your walls, on a mirror or anywhere you can see them. In this way, you will see the new words every day and you’ll soon learn them.

It’s also a good idea to choose ten words a week to learn, then ask a fiend to test you on their meanings. By learning ten words a week, you will soon build up your vocabulary.

The best way to learn new words, though, is to use them. When you find a new word or expression, look it up in the dictionary to find out what it means, then make sure you include it in your next composition, or in a letter to a pen friend, or even in conversation. After you have used it a few times, you are sure to remember it.

I hope you find these tips useful. Remember, learning English vocabulary can seem difficult, but if you try hard enough, it’s certainly isn’t impossible.

from VIRGINIA EVANS, Successful Writing Intermediate, Express Publishing, 2000