Vocabulary Study Plan: Repetition and Fun are Key

You should turn your vocabulary practice into a fun experience. English mastery comes with practice. It is almost like practicing an athletic discipline. The more often you do it the better you get it. However, while most teachers suggest vocabulary books and lists - strategies that work with some students especially young learners - I am not a fan of repetitive boring memorization techniques. They are the opposite of fun.

Many English learners give up early. Students feel frustrated either thinking they will never remember the new vocabulary or due to simple boredom. Instead, you should turn your vocabulary practice into a fun experience with lots of repetition. Experience, or in other words, the process is what counts. You have to experience and utilize the words. Connect them with your everyday life. Have fun with them! Walk around the supermarket naming the fruits and vegetables in your target language. Go for a stroll and describe your surroundings in English. Breathe your target language. Watch movies and repeat the dialogues to yourself. Visit an art museum. Talk about your feelings when admiring a Picasso or Degas painting. Read articles in English and keep a vocabulary journal.

Take note of situations when you get stuck and try to find similar situations in a movie or TV show. What words, idioms, and phrases do the characters use in those situations? How do they use them? And again, I cannot emphasize this enough: repeat your exercises and vocabulary, ideally, three times fifteen minutes a day. You can do this while riding the metro, or simply during your lunch break. A whole world of English is waiting for you. Conquer it with a positive fun attitude and lots of discipline and dedication.

Photo source: lifehack.com