Vocabulary

What is vocabulary?

A vocabulary list is simply a list of words. Everyone has a personal vocabulary list. A personal vocabulary list is the list of words which you know how to use. Knowing how to use a word means more than recognizing it as you read. To truly be able to use a word, you need to understand its meanings, its uses, its pronunciation and its spelling.

Reading new material will become easier as you increase the number of words you can recognize, understand, say, and spell. Reading, writing, and talking are activities which you can use on a daily basis to help you learn new words and learn new ways of using them. Try to increase your personal vocabulary list by reading about a variety of topics.

In this section you will learn some strategies for learning new words. The most basic strategy is to use a dictionary. In addition to giving the meaning for a word, a dictionary contains information about how to say a word, how to spell a word, how to use a word, and how to divide a word into its parts. Learning basic reading strategies will reduce the amount of time you will need to use a dictionary.

The general sequence of steps for learning a new word is on the following page. Study the process carefully.