Vocabulary
A long list of words you cannot use is worth less than fifty words you can. This page is about the second kind.
Knowing a word means four things
Students often say they "know" a word when they only recognise it. To use a word in the examination you need all four of these.
- Meaning — what it refers to.
- Spelling — because a misspelt word in your writing costs marks.
- Grammar — is it a noun, a verb, an adjective? He is a success. He succeeded. He is successful. Choosing the wrong form is a very common error.
- Company — which words go with it. We make a mistake but do homework; we are interested in, not interested for.
Working out a word you do not know
In the examination there is no dictionary. But a passage usually contains enough evidence to work out an unfamiliar word — and comprehension questions often test exactly this.
Decide what kind of word it is
Is it naming something, describing something, or doing something? The words around it will tell you. The room was spacious. — after was, describing room, so it is an adjective.
Look for a positive or negative signal
Although he was tired, he remained cheerful. The word although signals a contrast with tired, so cheerful must be positive.
Look for an explanation nearby
Writers often explain a difficult word immediately: The village was isolated — far from any town, with no bus service and no shop. The explanation follows the dash.
Look inside the word
un-, in-, dis-, mis- reverse a meaning: unhappy, incorrect, disagree, misunderstand. -less means without: careless, homeless. -ful means full of: careful, helpful. Knowing twenty prefixes and suffixes unlocks hundreds of words.
Test your guess in the sentence
Put your guessed meaning back into the sentence. If the sentence now makes sense, your guess is probably close enough to answer the question.
Word building: one root, several words
Examination items often ask for a different form of a given word. Learn words in families rather than singly.
- decide (verb)
- decision (noun), decisive (adjective), decisively (adverb)
- Example: They decided quickly. It was a wise decision.
- succeed (verb)
- success (noun), successful (adjective), successfully (adverb)
- Example: She succeeded. Her success was deserved. She was successful.
- explain (verb)
- explanation (noun), explanatory (adjective)
- Example: He explained the rule. His explanation was clear.
- advise (verb)
- advice (noun) — note the different spelling and sound
- Example: He advised me. His advice was useful.
- strong (adjective)
- strength (noun), strengthen (verb), strongly (adverb)
- Example: A strong wall. The strength of the wall. They strengthened it.
- able (adjective)
- ability (noun), enable (verb), unable (opposite)
- Example: She is able to swim. Her ability is remarkable.
Words that are easily confused
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| advice / advise | advice is the noun; advise is the verb | Take my advice. I advise you to rest. |
| affect / effect | affect is usually the verb; effect is usually the noun | The rain affected the match. It had a bad effect. |
| its / it's | its shows possession; it's means it is | The dog wagged its tail. It's raining. |
| their / there / they're | belonging to them / in that place / they are | Their house is there. They're inside. |
| lose / loose | lose means to no longer have; loose means not tight | Do not lose the key. The screw is loose. |
| practice / practise | practice is the noun; practise is the verb | Daily practice helps. Practise every day. |
| stationary / stationery | not moving / writing materials | The bus was stationary. Buy stationery. |
| principal / principle | head of a school, or main / a rule or belief | The principal spoke. A matter of principle. |
A method that actually works
Reading is the only reliable way to build a large vocabulary, but reading alone is slow. Add three habits to it.
- Keep a small notebook, not a long list. Five new words a week, each written in a sentence of your own. Fifty words a week that you never use will be gone by the end of the month.
- Write the word in a sentence about your own life. The bus was overcrowded this morning will stay with you; overcrowded: too full will not.
- Come back to old pages. Look at last week's five words at the start of each new week. Repetition after a gap is what moves a word into permanent memory.
Practise vocabulary
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Reading Comprehension
Where working out words from context is directly tested.
Common Student Mistakes
Word-choice errors and how to avoid them.
General English vocabulary
Everyday and workplace vocabulary for wider use.