Vocabulary

What is vocabulary?

Vocabulary is very important to the reader, the writer, or the speaker. The more words you recognize, understand, and use, the better able you will be to read and understand the literature you need and want to read.

Once you have learned to use the basic vocabulary used in most literature, you will be ready to expand your vocabulary. Some types of jobs or hobbies require you to learn vocabulary that is specific to the job or hobby. For example, a carpenter needs to be familiar with words which are related to the construction or manufacturing industries. Mastering the vocabulary of your trade indicates that you have achieved a certain mastery of the trade. There are several ways you can increase your vocabulary.

Try to vary the material you read. This may mean reading fiction and non-fiction. Other more specific examples include: novels, poetry, plays, newspapers, journals, or reports. You will find new ways to use words you are already familiar with, and you will learn the meanings and uses of new words. You can also increase your vocabulary by writing and talking.

You could open a dictionary and start learning each word. Unless you are extremely motivated, this approach may not last long. The best way to increase your vocabulary is to read literature that you want to read. This can mean reading because you want to learn a new skill to get a job, or it can mean reading for personal entertainment. Even when you narrow the types of new words you want to learn, it can still be a challenge. Thankfully, there are some strategies and tools you can use to make learning new vocabulary easier.

Structural strategies involve recognizing prefixes, suffixes, letter patterns, and root words. If you can recognize and understand the meanings of word parts, you will be able to discover the meaning of many new words you encounter.