Episode summary
One of the best methods to quickly improve your vocabulary and retain what you study.
T.E.A. Time is hosted by English teacher Tayvin Bayless. Read the full transcript.
Hey there, and welcome to T.E.A. Time with Tayvin Bayless. In this episode, I will share one of the best methods to quickly improve your vocabulary and retain what you study. Remember that whatever study methods you chose to implement, consistency is the key to seeing improvement over time. Try out a few different study methods, adapt your English study to your language goals, and find something that you enjoy doing every day. As long as you are consistent you will see improvement!
Now, this will probably not come as a shock to you, but reading is the number one way to improve your vocabulary. I recommend that you find something slightly above your level. There should be new words on most of the pages you read, but not too many. If you need to look up new words in every sentence, then you are most likely reading something a bit above your level. But, even things that are too difficult for you can be good practice as long as you are interested and engaged in what you are reading. So, make sure to pick articles, short stories, or books on topics that excite you.
By itself, reading is a great tool for improving your English level. But, I want to provide you with a few ideas on how you can make your reading time even more effective for learning new words and grammar. The method is called sentence mining.
There are a few different ways to sentence mine. I use a computer program called Anki to make flashcards but you can use a notebook and pencil, a word document on your computer, websites like quizlet.com, or language apps like lingq.com. I will explain how to sentence mine using the most simple tools: A notebook and pencil. In addition to those two things, you will also need an English book to read and a dictionary to look up new words.
As you read your book, you will search for definitions of the words that you don’t know. Write down the simplest definition you could find. You only need to write down enough to understand what the word means in the sentence that you read. Let me give you an example. Let’s say that I am studying English reading “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” by L. Frank Baum. In this book, I come across the sentence, “Our little party of travelers awakened the next morning refreshed and full of hope,” and I did not know the meaning of the word refreshed. So, I search for the meaning in my dictionary. There seem to be a few different definitions for “refresh”, but only one of them makes sense for the sentence. I then write down the word “refresh” along with the definition “to feel less tired” in my notebook. Next to the word and definition I just wrote down, I will also write the sentence that I found it in. By doing this I can not only find new vocabulary words but also find a natural context that the word has been used in. Over time you will create your own personal list of important words to know and study.
When you try sentence mining on your own, I recommend that you write down sentences that only have a single word that you don’t know. This will help you to understand the meaning of the word much more easily. If you have any questions or comments send me a message through Anchor, on Twitter, or find me on italki and I’ll try to respond as quickly as possible. If you’d like to read along with the audio of this episode, you can find a link to the transcript in the episode description or on my Twitter page. Until next time. Have a wonderful day.
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