by Jennifer E. Brown

Created on: November 11, 2008   Last Updated: July 18, 2010

People of all ages try to increase their vocabulary. While nobody masters all the words in one language, there are skills to help improve this task. Vocabulary helps keep our speech strong, and if we can accomplish this then we'll become well-educated individuals.

First, keep in mind that age doesn't hurt the learning of vocabulary. People of all ages have the ability to keep their brains active and young if only they'd advance their learning. They don't realize that reading magazines and crossword puzzles are able to improve memory and fight disease. Likewise, there are many other ways to increase a person's vocabulary.

Always talk to people. If you have friends with higher degrees than you, they are more than likely going to have more precise vocabulary. Express your desire to learn new words and they may help you in the process. Write the words in your 3x5 notebook. Your friends may have alternative ideas on helping you learn the meaning of these new terms. However, you're going to want to use them right away. Use them as much as possible, and they will soon become embedded in your vocabulary.

Next, read whatever you can. Read magazines, newspapers, fiction, and nonfiction. Poetry and plays will give you a sense of culture, and all these mediums allow for the chance of new words. Pick up a 3x5 ringed-notebook that costs not more than 60 cents, and write down the words as you find them. Underneath the word, write the context. When you use context, you may refer to the word by definition, antonym/synonym, examples, or explanation. You may also copy the sentence to see how it's used. Don't forget it's possible for some words to have multiple meanings such as "lead:" a) lead in a pencil, b) to lead.

In addition, consider playing word games. Scrabble and crosswords are among the best that allow for new vocabulary. Not only do these games provide knowledge in unknown categories, they are sources or vocabulary power that make your brain work harder. Word searches are also good for this tool, and any new words you pick up should be recorded as soon as possible. There are games such as Madlibs that allow for learning in a fun way. In these games, the player fills in such things as nouns, places, names, adjectives, or adverbs. In the end there is a silly story, but the creative work of excitement that one never would've thought of as hard work.

If you have the time and dedication, consider making flashcards. Here's the method I would use to do this.

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