Improve Your Vocabulary
Even if the SATs are in your past, it’s always advantageous to expand your vocabulary. Below are a few fun and easy tips to help you get started.
Look Up Words
Do this often. A quick Google search every time you encounter a new word will help you discover all kinds of new vocabulary. Always be on the lookout for words you don’t know, regardless of whether you are reading Dickens for a class or hanging out in a bar at midnight and overhear someone say “teetotaler.”
Make it a habit to consult a dictionary each time you come across new words. Also, refresh your knowledge of words you understand but would struggle to provide a respectable definition of it in your own words.
Read
Authors, not surprisingly, are often the maestros of vocabulary. This includes authors of non-fiction, as well as fiction. Find material that isn’t too dense to pick up new words like Super Mario picks up coins.
Create Your Own Sentences
When you look up a new word, put that word in an original sentence. This will help you retain the meaning and verify whether or not you actually understand the definition.
Use Your New Vocabulary
Don’t be afraid to apply your newfound knowledge of the English language In your writing and speech. A healthy dose of higher-level language can introduce wonderful specificity and variety to your written and spoken communication.
Applying your new vocabulary to new situations is perhaps the best way to reinforce new definitions, so keep your word choices transcendently trenchant.
