8 ways to learn English vocabulary effectively and help you remember it for the longest time

8 ways to learn English vocabulary effectively and help you remember it for the longest time

To make lack of vocabulary no longer a problem, you can consider referring to some effective ways to learn English vocabulary that are highly appreciated today.

1. Set goals when studying

Learning should be fun, of course. But that doesn’t mean learning haphazardly and without a plan. You may not need to force yourself to cram new words, but if you don’t set a goal when learning, you’re doing it wrong. It’s best to choose a goal that’s big enough but not too overwhelming to keep you interested in learning.

8 ways to learn English vocabulary effectively and help you remember it for the longest time

For example, you can set a goal to learn 5 new words every day, and after 1 month the number of words you accumulate will increase to 150 words. Depending on your own abilities, you can set appropriate goals. And over time, goals can be gradually adjusted to improve learning efficiency.

In fact, many people set a goal of learning 50 words a day. After a month, you have successfully reached 1500 words. Very admirable, right? Although this goal is quite large, if you have a roadmap and scientific method, it is not impossible to achieve it.

2. Learn slowly according to your level and develop gradually

Don't force yourself to study at a high level. You should know what level you are at to choose the appropriate study program. Accordingly, you will create a list of words to learn according to that level. Absolutely do not put all the words together because you will not be able to remember them all.

Normally, if you are just starting to learn, you should study groups A1 - A2 to feel and orient the appropriate memorization method. Gradually, once you get used to it, you can increase your learning level to suit your ability. During the learning process, remember not to force yourself to memorize or rote. Instead, you have to practice so they become familiar. That is the effective way to learn English vocabulary that you need to remember.

3. Regularly read books and newspapers and watch English videos

Reading books, newspapers and watching English videos regularly is considered an effective and stress-free learning method. But you also need to pay attention to how to learn from these two channels, otherwise the results will not be worth much.

+ Don't rush to follow the advice: read any book, watch any genre you like. Believe me, you will find it a mistake unless your English level is good enough.

+ Start with simple, familiar topics instead of massive, specialized information.

+ Do not rely on a dictionary to look up every time you encounter a new word. Continuous searching will disrupt  thinking, making the ability to receive information more limited. You can mark words you don't understand, or rely on related words in the sentence or context to guess the meaning. After watching, you can look it up once.

4. Learn different forms of words 

Instead of just memorizing one level of meaning or one basic usage of a word, you should learn many forms of the word. Learn as much as you can, that is the effectiveness of this method.

You can divide the table into 4-6 small columns, each column will be identified as noun, verb, adj, adv and synonyms, antonyms if you find it necessary. For each word, you write down each form in the corresponding column. That way, with just 1 word, you can learn many more words with similar meanings.

5. Use mind maps when studying

8 ways to learn English vocabulary effectively and help you remember it for the longest time

For those who like to draw, it is extremely suitable. You can use mind maps or mind maps to make learning English vocabulary more interesting and effective. The method is quite simple, you can refer to it here:

+ Putting a topic as the center, you should make it more prominent by writing the largest letters or using impressive colors.

+ Draw sub-topic branches within the big topic: write in capital letters and bold to distinguish them from the big topic.

+ Separate smaller branches from sub-topics: lower case, small size

With this way of learning, you not only increase your ability to remember synonyms or learn phrases easily. In addition, vocabulary learning is also fast and expansion progress is also good. Established connections help you think more logically, making reviewing easier. In particular, it also helps you relieve stress extremely effectively.

However, when applying this learning method, you should remember:

+ Avoid dividing too many branches at the same time. Holding on to too much knowledge will make it difficult for you to remember it right away. It is best to start with 2 - 3 branches, then gradually expand and add each day.

+ No need to apply too many colors as it will make the map confusing.

+ You should only use keywords or phrases instead of using long sentences.

+ If you are lazy to draw, you can use Excel or software to build your mind map.

6. Use and apply immediately after learning

8 ways to learn English vocabulary effectively and help you remember it for the longest time

 Don't let the vocabulary you just learned be forgotten in vain. Applying immediately after studying is the way to help you remember more effectively. It could be a tweet with a new word or a few random lines on Facebook or Instagram, etc. Or if you have a friend to study with, you can chat with them as much as possible. You will be surprised by the results obtained.

7. Repeat the word many times

The more frequently something is repeated, the longer it will certainly be remembered. The same goes for English vocabulary. Usually, you only need to come across that word about 20 times, and you will definitely remember it forever. There will be very rare exceptions, so you can completely rest assured with this method.

8. Include some supplementary activities

In addition to applying the effective ways to learn English vocabulary as we just reviewed above, you should not skip learning with other supplementary activities. For example:

+ Take the test regularly

Regular testing not only helps you assess your level but also reminds you of vocabulary. And of course, the more you encounter it, the longer you remember it. This is only beneficial and does not cause any harm at all.

+ Equipped with reliable vocabulary learning resources with high accuracy