Vocabulary
Two thousand words used confidently will take you further than ten thousand words recognised vaguely.
A method that works for adults
Five words a week, not fifty
Fifty words a week produces fifty half-known words and a sense of failure. Five words, properly learnt, are five words you own.
Write each one in a sentence about your own life
Not the dictionary sentence — yours. The bus was overcrowded this morning will stay with you. Overcrowded: too full will not.
Learn the word's company
Words travel in groups. Learn make a mistake, do homework, take a decision, heavy rain — not just the single word.
Say it aloud five times
A word you have only read is a word you will hesitate over. Saying it puts it in your mouth as well as your memory.
Come back to it
Look at last week's words at the start of each new week. Repetition after a gap is what makes a word permanent.
Use it within three days
In a conversation, a message, or a note to yourself. A word used once is remembered; a word only studied is not.
Everyday vocabulary you will use this week
| Situation | Words and phrases worth knowing |
|---|---|
| Shopping | How much is this? Do you have a smaller size? Can I pay by card? Could I have a receipt? Is there a discount? |
| Travel | return ticket, one way, platform, departure, delayed, seat number, luggage, Does this bus go to…? |
| Appointments | make an appointment, cancel, postpone, reschedule, I am running late, Are you free on…? |
| Health | I have a headache, a temperature, a prescription, a check-up, How long will it take to heal? |
| Money | deposit, withdraw, balance, instalment, receipt, refund, an account, a fee |
| Directions | Turn left at the junction, opposite, next to, straight on, about ten minutes' walk, Is it far? |
| The telephone | Could I speak to…? Speaking. Hold on a moment. The line is bad. Could you call back? |
| Difficulty | Sorry, I did not catch that. Could you say that more slowly? What does … mean? Could you spell it? |
Learn word families, not single words
One root gives you four or five words. This is the cheapest vocabulary you will ever gain.
- decide (verb) — decision (noun) — decisive (adjective)
- succeed — success — successful — successfully
- employ — employer — employee — employment — unemployed
- advise (verb) — advice (noun) — adviser
- able — ability — enable — unable
- agree — agreement — disagree — disagreement
Prefixes and suffixes: hundreds of words for very little effort
- un-, in-, im-, dis-, mis- reverse a meaning: unhappy, incorrect, impossible, disagree, misunderstand
- re- means again: rewrite, rebuild, reconsider
- over- and under- mean too much and too little: overcrowded, overcooked, underpaid, underestimate
- -less means without: careless, homeless, useless
- -ful means full of: careful, helpful, powerful
- -er, -or, -ist make the person who does it: teacher, actor, dentist
- -tion, -ment, -ness make a noun: decision, agreement, kindness
Practise
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