How to improve your vocabulary?
There are several ways to improve and expand your English vocabulary. Reading
Create Vocabulary Themes
Vocabulary themes are a great way to enrich your vocabulary. Create themes that include words, their definition and example sentences.
Watch English films
Watch English TV channels and films. They will help you to understand native English speakers. You will also learn many new words used in context.
Use Specific Vocabulary Lists
Instead of studying a long list of unrelated words, use specific vocabulary lists that will help you learn the kind of vocabulary you need for your work or school.
Word Formation Charts
Use word formation charts. Knowing how words are formed will help you score high marks in advanced level examinations like TOEFL and IELTS. A word formation chart will show the noun, adjective, verb and other forms of the key words in alphabetical order.
Visual Dictionaries
Visual dictionaries are great tools for learning vocabulary. Plenty of English learner visual dictionaries are available on the internet.
Learn Collocations
Collocations are common word combinations that always go together. Learning some of the most important collocations is essential to sound natural.
Tips:
Instead of learning a large number of words which you may never use, learn the vocabulary you need to study.
Don’t make random word lists. Try to group them in themes. This will help you memorize them more quickly.
It is easy to learn new words when you add context to them. Write a few example sentences using the new words you have learned. This will help you learn these words in context.
Keep a notepad in hand when you are reading something in English. Write down unfamiliar words and look them up in a dictionary.
To assist you in learning, the most common irregular English verbs have been grouped below, according to their ending patterns.
Group 1 – All three forms of the verb are the same
| Base Form | Simple Past | Past Participle |
| bet | bet | bet |
| cost | cost | cost |
| cut | cut | cut |
| hit | hit | hit |
| hurt | hurt | hurt |
| let | let | let |
| put | put | put |
| shut | shut | shut |
Group 2 – The 2nd and 3rd forms of the verb are the same
| Base Form | Simple Past | Past Participle |
| lose | lost | lost |
| shoot | shot | shot |
| get | got | got |
| light | lit | lit |
| sit | sat | sat |
| | | |
| keep | kept | kept |
| sleep | slept | slept |
| | | |
| feel | felt | felt |
| leave | left | left |
| meet | met | met |
| | | |
| bring | brought | brought |
| buy | bought | bought |
| fight | fought | fought |
| think | thought | thought |
| | | |
| catch | caught | caught |
| teach | taught | taught |
| | | |
| sell | sold | sold |
| tell | told | told |
| | | |
| pay | paid | paid |
| make | made | made |
| | | |
| stand | stood | stood |
| understand | understood | understood |
| | | |
| lend | lent | lent |
| send | sent | sent |
| spend | spent | spent |
| build | built | built |
| | | |
| find | found | found |
| have | had | had |
| hear | heard | heard |
| hold | held | held |
| read | read (pronounced red) | read (pronounced red) |
| say | said | said |
Group 3 – All three forms of the verb are different
| Base Form | Simple Past | Past Participle |
| drive | drove | driven |
| ride | rode | ridden |
| rise | rose | risen |
| write | wrote | written |
| | | |
| bite | bit | bitten |
| hide | hid | hidden |
| | | |
| break | broke | broken |
| choose | chose | chosen |
| speak | spoke | spoken |
| wake | woke | woken |
| | | |
| blow | blew | blown |
| grow | grew | grown |
| know | knew | known |
| fly | flew | flown |
| | | |
| draw | drew | drawn |
| show | showed | shown |
| wear | wore | worn |
| tear | tore | torn |
| | | |
| begin | began | begun |
| drink | drank | drunk |
| swim | swam | swum |
| ring | rang | rung |
| sing | sang | sung |
| | | |
| eat | ate | eaten |
| fall | fell | fallen |
| forget | forgot | forgotten |
| give | gave | given |
| see | saw | seen |
| take | took | taken |
