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August 13, 2009
How do you memorize vocabulary? Do you trudge through it like you memorized dates in primary school or do you take a more creative approach?
Back when I started with my language studies, I used the classic repeat method to learn vocabulary. I’ll take a word from my language learning software and repeat it numerous times until I have retained it to memory. The next time I’m in a conversation with a native speaker, I might recognize the word and, perhaps, even find a way to use it myself, eventually cementing it into my treasure trove of learned items.
This is a perfectly valid way of getting a grasp of vocabulary, although it does suffer from two glaring problems. First, it’s incredibly boring – as snooze-inducing as memorizing the names of all the presidents back when I was in grade school. Second, it’s completely inefficient, with a single word taking too much time to learn (that is, if you do manage to learn it at all).
There are many creative approaches to memorizing stuff that you can apply to vocabulary mastery. If you’ve used particular techniques to remember facts in school, do note that you can apply the exact same things in your language studies. Did you use word associations, images or some other mnemonics? Look back at those days and try to figure out which ones worked best for you. Chances are, they’re the same things that can help you best in your quest to gain a better grasp of your target vocabulary.
July 28, 2009
A thesaurus is a great tool for improving both your English speaking and writing skills. If you’ve been looking for an easy way to take your mastery of the English language to the next level, it’s one of the simplest, most effective tools to employ.
At its core, a thesaurus is a collection of synonyms. Basically, it’s a book of words that are grouped according to their similar (synonyms) and opposite (antonyms) meanings. If there’s a word that you come across with that you don’t understand, a thesaurus can take the place of a dictionary, implying the definition by way of association with words that may be more familiar to you.
When Writing
When you’re writing, a thesaurus is downright indispensable. It’s the easiest way to find the “right” word for almost every writing situation. Not only does it group words according to meaning, but the best ones usually arrange them, depending on their implications as well, allowing the writer to express ideas with the proper emotions.
For Foreign Language Learners
Despite its usefulness, a thesaurus isn’t readily available for many foreign languages. However, some language learning software do come with with its own thesaurus, allowing it to be a very useful when the time comes that you’re composing papers in the new vernacular.
July 27, 2009
As a language learner, there are various equipment you can arm yourself with in order to help make your studies easier. While none of them will be mandatory, they can play varying importance in your overall development.
The Usual Stuff. First, there’s the usual set of study tools, such as phrasebooks, audio courses and language learning software. You probably know about them pretty well already – we’ve discussed them in great detail here.
A Voice Recorder. I highly recommend all language learning students to use a voice recorder to aid in their language learning. You can buy a dedicated gadget for this or use the built-in facilities in your existing gadgets (many cell phones and music players already have them). With one, you can record yourself speaking in the language, play it back for review and find areas in which you can improve.
Language-Learning Journal. Keeping a diary of your progress is one of the most useful things you can do for your your overall training. It’s possibly the single best way to keep a recorded account of your overall development, offering something you can easily look back on to review later.
A Pocket Dictionary Or, Better Yet, A Mobile Software Alternative. When you’re still in the process of learning a language, it pays to have a dictionary that you can look up every now and then. We highly recommend getting a pocket dictionary, preferably the dual language type, so you can look up words that suddenly come to mind or for simply refreshing your vocabulary study on the spot.
June 30, 2009
Using a grammar software to improve your comprehension of the English language probably isn’t the greatest idea in the world. After all, writing software is typically used to improve composition skills rather than your ability to understand the language.
However, language software that helps correct writing errors typically come in an all-in-one form that includes a variety of features, including a dictionary, a thesaurus, a style guide, writing templates, samples and more. As such, you can easily employ it as an accessory tool when working to improve your English comprehension skills.
If you can’t understand what a certain words or constructs are referring to, you can try using the thesaurus or the dictionary to look for its meaning. Can’t figure out what an articles is saying? Try checking it for correctness – it might have some errors that are making it difficult for you to understand. You might be surprised with how many areas of improvements a writing software can find in many pieces of text, especially those from online sources. Chance upon a sentence that seems a little too complicated for your current skill level? See if your language software offers a simple English writing style that can help you rewrite it in a more basic form.
While a writing software won’t be a primary tool for advancing your comprehension skills, it certainly could help using its many versatile talents.
June 25, 2009
Want to expand your stock of English words and phrases? Try writing on a regular basis with the help of an English language software, making full use of its integrated facilities for picking up new elements of the language.
If you’re trying to get better at your English skills, going this route is usually better than most common avenues of learning. For one, it’s an applied form of study, where you pick up vocabulary as you use it in real time. More importantly, though, writing software shows you exactly how to use those words correctly within the proper contexts.
What elements of such tools can you use for language learning?
Thesaurus. All good writing software comes with an exhaustive thesaurus that helps you substitute words and phrases. Using this alone can help stock your vocabulary with new words faster than some language learning courses.
Grammar Checker. If you thought grammar checkers are used solely for adhering to strict rules, you’ve got another thing coming. Modern writing software now include grammar checkers that analyze your usage of words within each sentence and can detect awkwardly-utilized ones. Not only will they alert you to it, you’ll get suggestions of more appropriate words to use within the context.
Style Checker. For many words, certain variants work well for particular types of writing. A word that may be acceptable to use in a science journal may prove too dense for when you’re writing a conversational letter. Built-in style checkers can account for this and suggest better alternatives when they chance upon badly-chosen words and phrases.
June 22, 2009
The English language has one of the largest vocabulary among the world’s languages, with close to one million word items estimated to be available in its arsenal. As such, mastering the English vocabulary typically takes a very long time, especially for those starting their English education from scratch.
Despite that, gaining a good enough mastery of the English lexicon isn’t an impossible task. In fact, if you put in the time for study and use the proper tools, you might just surprise yourself with the amount of vocabulary you find yourself equipped with.
One way of enriching your facility with the English language is to write in the vernacular on a frequent basis, all while employing new words within your sentences every time. Whenever you sit down to write something in English, whether an email or a essay, put the thesaurus included with your language software to good use, employing it to help you discover new words to express your ideas.
While vocabulary mastery isn’t the easiest thing in the world, it’s definitely something you can integrate into your everyday life, making it an achievable goal to aim for. Apart from the exhaustive thesaurus, writing software (such as Whitesmoke) usually includes a suggestion feature that recommends replacement words and phrases, for both clarity and better reading.
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