Category Archives: English Vocabulary

Do you struggle to get good grades on your vocabulary quizzes? It is not as hard as it seems if you study

• Keep clear vocabulary records. Use a notebook, or flash cards to record new words.
• Study your vocabulary words repeatedly until you know them and their meanings.
• Have someone quiz you on the definitions. Concentrate on the more difficult words.
• Remember that the only way you can succeed is if you study. The more you are exposed to a word, the easier it will be to remember it.

Tips

• Don’t stress too much; once you have studied, the test should be very simple.
• Make your own flashcards. Write the word on one side and the meaning or a picture on the other side. Review them frequently. Memorization is key.

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Increased vocabulary means increased creativity. Scientists have proven that more the words in your brain more creative you become. So to increase your vocabulary try out these tips.

• Read a lot. Reading helps to grasp more and more words without much effort. Read different types of material on the same topic and also reading on various topics may also help.
• Write an article. The more you use the words the better you remember. So write some story of your own experience or someone else. But you make sure that you use different types of words you have learned.
• Do some crossword puzzles. First try out simple one which should not lead you to despondency, then work on harder puzzles.
• Make antonyms and synonyms notes. Take one notebook and write many synonyms and antonyms for a single word. Leave some space and try to write a lot of meanings for a single word. By doing this you generate a lot of meanings and remember many words with their synonyms and synonyms with their words.

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Ever notice that what adults say and what they mean frequently seem to be two different things? Maybe that’s why you sometimes get sent to your room, without having a clue why. Here’s the translation manual.

Consider what your parents really mean when they’re talking about your clothes.

• You Hear: Is that outfit the best you have?
• They Mean: Change out of that horrible attire ASAP!
  

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Consider what your parents really mean when they’re on at you about your homework.

• You Hear: Do you have any homework?
• They Mean: Do your homework now!

Consider what your parents really mean when they’re discussing their own appearance.

• You Hear: How do I look in this outfit?
• They Mean: Tell me I look great!

Consider what your parents mean when they don’t think you heard them.

• You Hear: Did you hear me?
• They Mean: Do whatever I just asked you to do right now.

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Defining Words can be a difficult process. However With modern technology it has now become Easier than ever. I find the best method is to type into Google Define: then the word. Example. “define: Love” and then to click the more button.

However there are much more ways to define words and there are some easy steps to go through.

1) Think deeply about the word and its connotations in orthodox society. For instance Dog and Mut have similar if not exactly the same meanings. The problem is mut is usually used pejoratively and has a negative connotation whilst dog has more of a neutral feeling about it.

For words such as love you may have to think more deeply than for other words. Don’t be afraid to spend multiple days contemplating the complexity of the definition of a word. For instance If i were to think long and hard about the meaning of the word love I would say that love is the state of mind in which you care for someone more than you would care for yourself.

2) Don’t be afraid to consult a teacher, parent, dictionary, or google.

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A syllable is a unit of language consisting of an uninterrupted portion of sound. All words have syllables, even if it is just 1. There is actually a word for deciphering the syllables in words. It is syllabication. Students learn syllabication in school, but adults can benefit from the knowledge as well. Knowing how to divide words into syllables can greatly help with your spelling and reading skills as well as your ability to pronounce words correctly. As is the case with many English grammar rules, there are exceptions; however, the following directions in combination with each other generally apply when dividing words into syllables.

Divide words based on the number of vowels. The number of syllables in a word coincide with the number of vowel sounds you hear when speaking the word. Phonetically, each vowel sound is a syllable. Grammatically, and to ensure correctness since people pronounce words differently, the determination of syllables in a word is a little more complex.

• Add the number of vowels the word has. These include ‘a,’ ‘e,’ ‘i,’ ‘o,’ ‘u’ and ‘y’ when it is found in the middle or at the end of a word.
• Subtract 1 for each silent vowel in the word. Found at the end of some words like ‘came’ and ‘gone,’ ‘E’ is the most common silent vowel.
• Consider words ending in ‘le’ as a vowel. When the ending ‘le’ is pronounced ‘el,’ count it as a vowel sound, and divide the word before the consonant right before the ‘le’ Little, for example would be divided lit/tle; fumble as fum/ble; able as a/ble.
• Count diphthongs as 1 syllable instead of 2. A diphthong is made up of 2 vowels beside each other in a word that result in a single gliding sound. A diphthong is a digraph: 2 letters that are inseparable and make 1 sound. Words like ‘haul,’ ‘moon,’ and ‘coil’ are diphthongs. Note that there are 2 vowels present but together they only count as 1 syllable. There are instances where 2 vowels beside each other in a word make their own unique sound and indicate 2 syllables. Examples of this are: li/on, gi/ant and cha/os.
• Total the number of syllables based on vowel sounds as determined by the criteria above.

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