Hey there! This is TOP episode 259. How to Learn Vocabulary? 5 Practical Tips
Are you tired of lacking confidence when speaking English? Does it block you from achieving your true goals? This podcast is the place for you. This is Teacher Ola Podcast. My name’s Ola Mierniczak and I empower English learners to become confident speakers. The key to fluency is in your pocket. You’ll boost your vocabulary, brush up your grammar and improve your pronunciation. Enjoy your journey to fluency!
Hello hello! The big question is how to make vocabulary stick? How to remember words for good? How to learn vocabulary? I’ve got 5 top tips for you and they are gold. I wish I had known them when I was a beginner. I would have learned words 100 times faster. But, what can you do? Well, all I can do is help you learn effectively.
Before we jump in. Listen. I have created a list with 120 sentences for beginners. 100 words in *authentic* sentences, 10 idioms and 10 phrasal verbs. All in context. And it’s not just a list, it’s a list for active learning. If you need to revise your English, go to teacherola.com/lista. And please know that this list is available till the 15 September. Grab it now at teacherola.com/lista. And now let’s get back to the episode.
Today we’re talking about effective vocabulary learning. I’m sure you’ve heard that you need to revise words regularly, you need to read and listen a lot, preferably every day. I know you’ve heard all that but still! Somehow the vocabulary seems endless and you don’t feel more fluent. How to change it? What other behaviours, actions can you take to set yourself up for success? That’s what we’re all about today!
Number one. You have to realise that learning vocabulary is in fact a simple thing to do. And before you get angry with me and start proving me wrong, listen. All you have to do is one: meet the word, two: practice using it out loud, three: revise.
Again. First you meet a new word, you come across a word, you discover it somewhere somehow, then practise using it and finally review it.
The problem is this process happens for all the vocabulary you learn. Separately. For each word. And there’s a lot to remember and a lot to practise and review and you constantly encounter shiny new words, idioms and phrases. All of those words, all processes overlap and end up as a salad in your brain. Your head is full of words but it takes one special ingredient to put it all together. To see clearly the connection between words, to see how to use words in other contexts – it all takes one magical ingredient. That special ingredient is: TIME. And I would add patience. I can’t stress this enough. Be patient, give your mind time to consume and organise all the knowledge you’re focusing on. Ok? So! The process is easy yet implementation is not. Give your brain time and be patient.
Number two. Use a dictionary. Monolingual dictionary. I mean, if you need to know the polish translation of a given word, be my guest! Go ahead and look it up in a bilingual dictionary but don’t waste the opportunity for learning effectively with a good monolingual dictionary. Like oxford learner’s dictionary, online. Why do you need a monolingual dictionary? For a number of reasons, but let me list just a few of them:
- To learn the pronunciation
- To see example sentences
- What part of speech is it? Is it an adjective, a noun a verb? If it’s a verb, what’s its past form? What’s the past participle of that word?
- What collocations, fixed phrases should I learn when it comes to this word?
- Are there idioms with this word that are worth my time?
- Are there phrasal verbs?
- To learn grammar, I mean how the word works in a sentence. If it’s a verb, what verb pattern should I learn? Is the word followed by an -ing ending or an infinitive?
It’s fun to work with a dictionary. Discover that for yourself. I’ll link my favourite dictionaries in the show notes, so go to teacherola.com/259 and there you’ll see the links to really good monolingual dictionaries. One more thing. Don’t overdo it! Don’t get stuck in this investigation mode. Be smart about it! Don’t waste your time. Do it with words that are common, important, words you see all the time. Words that pop up here and there again and again! Investigate those.
Three. Learn words in context. You need sentences. Phrases at least! Phrases are shorter than sentences and they help you speak fluently. Yes. Learning lists of words is soooo useless. What a beautiful waste of time! Don’t do it! Why would you do that? It’s ineffective, frustrating, disappointing, it’s just… pointless. It gives you nothing. So! Better focus on what really works. So you need sentences. But not any sentences. Sentences that you will use, you will need. If you can’t find any, make your own! Simple, short yet useful. Watch films, listen to podcasts, and make lists of authentic sentences. I hope you remember and never make a list of words again.
Four. Use the words you’re learning. Active practice beats everything! It’s essential, and it must be done out loud. What more can I say? Say it out loud! Take one sentence from your list of authentic sentences and drill them. Take one sentence and change something, for instance:
Ana enjoys her morning walks. Now I’m changing it to practise plural:
They enjoy their morning walks. Another change:
My teacher enjoys her morning coffee.
Soooo goood! Effective, smart, good practice. Stop wasting time while learning. Stop doing things that don’t work! Learn smart. Change present tense for past tense. Change the person (the subject), change the rest of the sentence (the object) and so on! That’s how you build your confidence, your active vocabulary. And next make your own sentences. Make stories. Write them, read them out loud. Learn them by heart.
Five. Do it again. Revise your language. But how? Well, it’s not about looking back at your notes, going through them over and over again. Well, yes, there’s nothing wrong with doing that yet, that won’t suffice. That won’t be enough. In order to remember a word you need to get into natural contact with the word many times. Over twenty times! You need to hear it somewhere, read it, see it, say it! That’s why it will all go to waste, all your effort will go to waste if you don’t expose yourself to speaking, listening, reading. So this tip is: have conversations. If you live abroad it’s easier, just go out, right? But if you don’t, find a speaking partner, a speaking club, a teacher, somebody who will talk to you. So that you can truly revise your knowledge. Next, listen every day. Podcasts, youtube, music. Listen and expose yourself to language. You need to get in contact with words, phrases, and grammar structures. Last but oh so not least: read. Read out loud. See the text, see how words work, see how they are used in dialogues. I can’t stress this enough. Speak, listen and read. This is the revision you truly need. Every time you see a word you see it or hear it in a certain context and THAT reinforces your learning. It’s important for your motivation as well. Why? Well because it is a pleasure to catch something in a song or podcast or text and that feels awesome! It gives satisfaction and also gives your brain feedback and the brain thinks so to speak: Oh, this is useful knowledge, let’s improve memory, because what we’re doing here IS in fact important! And that’s when magic happens! You set things in motion! You gain momentum and you will go on with new words with new fresh energy. That feedback is essential.
Ok! Time for some practice. In this podcast you are bever left without an active practice. So, listen to some of the sentences you’ve already heard today and repeat them of course out loud. Later complete the Worksheet. The Worksheet is free and you can easily download it from teacherola.com/259 . Note that this system ideally completes the ideas I’m presenting here. You come across some phrases, listening to this very episode, then you repeat those sentences out loud AND you translate the same sentences in the Worksheet. That’s smart practice! And hey! One more thing! I have created a list of 120 authentic sentences and idioms and phrasal verbs on A2 level. It is designed to help you revise that basic level, basic tenses and structures and of course vocabulary. The topic of the list is PEOPLE. If you feel you need a solid plan a solid list with useful authentic sentences go and grab it at teacherola.com/lista. And be quick because I’ve started working on another list on another topic so please remember that PEOPLE list is only available till the 15 September. Then it’s gone for good. Forever. I will never ever come back with that list in such a form. So jump to teacherola.com/lista and have your copy and of course start effective learning now. Don’t wait for December or January! New year’s resolutions! Start today. A little step a day will take you a long way. To fluency! Let’s practice. Listen and repeat:
Learning vocabulary is in fact a simple thing to do.
Before you get angry with me, listen.
Be my guest.
For a number of reasons.
Why would you do that?
Better focus on what really works
Be smart about it!
Active practice beats everything!
What more can I say?
Read out loud.
I can’t stress this enough.
Here you have it! 5 critical tips on learning vocabulary for good. If you like learning English here with me, help me a little. The best way to help me is by sharing this podcast with someone who needs it. Thank you so much! Don’t forget to like and subscribe!
I love you, I believe in you, I know you can be fluent in English if you really want it. I’ll be back next week. Stay fearless, say it out loud and take care! I’m your teacher, Teacher Ola, and you were listening to Teacher Ola Podcast. Bye for now.