Improving Vocabulary Blog.ORG

Whether a child is speaking, reading or writing, there is the need to clearly understand what is being said or communicated.  The only way to make sure this is done effectively is through an expansion of vocabulary word recognition.  This gives the capacity to automatically expand the child’s knowledge of what is being said and also assists with clear expression through English and grammar.

When a child does not have an expansive vocabulary, or when they are just learning basic vocabulary, it causes them to be limited in communication levels.  It has been noted children have the need to understand not only what is being said, but to also recognize specific words and to be able to define these through memory recall.  If children don’t understand a word, especially that is speech related, then it can cause difficulties in understanding the meaning of what is being said through speech[1].

When building vocabulary children not only need to be able to have basic recognition, but need to grow into a confident level for the application of the words.  It has been found that basic understanding, especially when relating to speech, is not significant enough.  Instead, there have to be different measures of confidence that provide children with better results from the words they are learning.

The confidence levels children and adults acquire when moving into an understanding of a vocabulary word, both in speech and writing, requires more than defining the words.  For instance, if one is reading a text, and doesn’t understand a word or its context, the understanding and confidence level can’t be attained. This will be attempted with possible meanings or trying to tie the word into the rest of the sentence.  While this provides a basic understanding, it can often lead to misinterpretations and misconceptions of the word.

The solution to this is to focus specifically on building the new vocabulary word at a different level.  This means there is a need to separate out words, define them, memorize them and use them in context, such as through speech, reading and writing.  The more this is done and practiced, the more it becomes defined consistently and becomes a regular part of the practice for children and adults.  The result is higher confidence in words used, as well as a complete understanding of what they mean[2].

With this specific idea, is the ability to take any vocabulary word and expand its meaning through continuous recognition and by applying it in different uses, such as speech, reading and writing.  Doing this allows individuals to completely build their level of knowledge, as well as confidence in the words used, with an end result of having higher levels of comprehension of reading materials and communication.

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[1] Wilpon, J.G., LR Rabiner, C-H Lee, ER Goldman.  (1990).  “Automatic Recognition of Keywords in Unconstrained Speech Using Hidden Markov Models.”  Acoustics, Speech and Signal Processing (38), (11).

[2] Parry, Kate.  (1991).  “Building a Vocabulary Through Academic Reading.”  TESOL Quarterly (25), (4), 629 – 653.

At the basic level, children should be able to comprehend grammar, speech and the way things should be said properly.  Development of vocabulary words is one part of this, while putting the vocabulary together correctly is another.  Within this, are several needs for children to learn vocabulary words and to apply them to daily conversations, reading and writing.  Understanding how to teach children words in the correct manner is the first stage of helping them reach the correct communication level.

The development of vocabulary words is known to be the most expansive when children are between the ages of 5 – 7.  This level of learning is linked to the cognizant development of children and what they are exposed to.  Because of this, it becomes a necessity to provide children with tools that introduce them to new words on a regular basis.  Reading, conversations and development for the children all need to be used simultaneously to get the correct results.

When building a child’s level of vocabulary, it is not only important to expose them to words, but is also necessary to show them the different meanings and use that is associated with the words.  For example, if a child is reading a book and does not understand a vocabulary word, it needs to be defined and interpreted for them.  Without this, the child is most likely to forget the words and not add them into regular, everyday use with communication and reading[1].

For word recognition to be effective for children, there needs to be specific methods used to make sure that recall and retention become a part of the vocabulary building.  It has been found that, the most effective way to do this is through a combination of adding definitions through dictionaries, while providing new ways to recognize and use the words at different levels.  This allows children to move beyond basic recognition and to practically apply the vocabulary words to their own understanding.  The more training data available, the more likely the children can help to get an expanded set of definitions[2].  Using products, such as “Ultimate Vocabulary” allow for application of the vocabulary.

The use of different training tools is the way for anyone who is seeking to effectively help with their children’s vocabulary words.  Knowing how to apply different levels for better awareness of the words that can be used immediately expands vocabulary words and allows children to have a complete understanding of words, how they are used and what they mean in different settings.

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[1] Brett, Arlene, Liz Rothlein, Michael Hurley.  (1996).  “Vocabulary acquisitions From Listening to Stories and Explanation of Target Words.”  The Elementary School Journal (96), (4).

[2] Geutner, P.  (1995).  “Using Morphology Towards Better Large Vocabulary Speech Recognition Systems.”  Acoustics, Speech and Signal Processing (1).

Communicating with others is an essential tool for anyone who is trying to gain understanding and form relationships with others.  Whether children or youth are working towards understanding more of the English language, or are developing skills to expand their vocabulary, it is the concept of building new levels of communication through reading and writing that becomes essential.  One level needed for communication is using word power to help with different types of communication.  However, to do this effectively, children need to begin building a different type of vocabulary.

It is found that word power allows children and adults to communicate more effectively within their career and personal relationships.  This also allows for accurate and fluent communication to be used.  The more vocabulary a child has, the more likely they will be able to express themselves and ensure they are sending out the right message.  To do this, children need to build vocabulary and word power concepts through continuous development.  Understanding different grammar meanings, combined with having the capacity to be fluent in the different grammatical aspects is the first step to getting children to communicate effectively and with expression[1].

In order for this to be taught correctly, the concept of vocabulary has to develop and move past boundaries of what a child or youth believes their limitations are.  One way in this can happen is the interaction that occurs among children and youth.  Specifically, children are able to become cognizant of specific words from parents, friends and teachers.  However, it has been noted that this limits the expansion of vocabulary, as it does not invite alternative words that may be used outside the conversations with children.

To have complete word power development among children and youth, ‘hybrid’ concepts need to be introduced into learning vocabulary.  Adding in word learning options, as well as providing an understanding of how words and vocabulary fit together at a new level, allows children to expand their vocabulary and grammar.  By combining cognitive factors into this, children are able to make dramatic improvements with their communication levels, combined with better understanding of the English language[2].

Anyone who knows children or youth who want to improve their vocabulary abilities, can begin with understanding the concept of providing new recognition and cognitive processes for learning.  The result is the ability to have a sense of word power, where a combination of grammatical concepts and conscious choices of words can be used for powerful communication.

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[1] Rudzka – Ostyn, Brygida.  (2003).  Word Power: Phrasal Verbs and Compounds; A Cognitive Approach. Walter de Gruyter.

[2] Hollich, George, Kathy Pasek, Roberta Golinkoff.  (2000).  “Breaking the Language Barrier: An Emergent Coalition Model for the Origins of Word Learning.”  Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development (262), (65), (3).

Understanding techniques and options for learning offers a set of new abilities for a child to comprehend components of their education.  Techniques that allow the mind to develop in a certain capacity, which interrelates to the child’s needs offer further progress and development with learning.  If you have a child who is struggling with vocabulary, then using optional techniques allows them to learn the words needed with ease.  One technique that has been proven to work is vocabulary flash cards.  This provides a new level of understanding, and easier capabilities for learning.

Using vocabulary flash cards has been noted as one of the most effective learning tools, especially with children who need to understand concepts in a specific way.  The first way in which this works is by providing students with a structural approach for learning.  Having an organized and continuous learning base, which includes activities made up of certain steps, allows a combination of repetition and comprehension to help the child develop vocabulary words and reading skills[1].

With vocabulary flash cards, the same concept will give consistency in learning.  If a child expects to use flash cards as a main tool for learning, then there will be a level of comfort and focus with that learning.   Flash cards provide a repetitive structure. For many children, knowing that certain words are included in a set of cards makes it easier for them to learn and comprehend all the words.  Repetition and structure provide a solid learning base for children to use and remember words for their English vocabulary.

The flash cards used not only provide a sense of structure, but also offer the ability to learn vocabulary concepts at a faster rate.  Families and teachers both claim a difference with children’s learning capacities when flash cards are incorporated into vocabulary building, and into other educational purposes.  This particular concept is often referred to as meta cognition, where students are able to use outside sources and then apply them to other concepts, such as reading.  For instance, when a child is looking through flash cards, there is a memory recall through the visualized words.  This later is applied to other areas that relate to reading and writing, allowing the student to use a different set of ideals to add into the reading process[2].

With the capacity to build vocabulary through the concept of flash cards, children are able to incorporate levels of development with words they are learning, allowing them to move their understanding of words and progress to higher levels.  The process used is one that is proven to be effective because of the different areas of development used by children.  The result with vocabulary flash cards is an instant growth in the development of vocabulary used by children.

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[1] Kagan, Spencer.  (1990).  The Structural Approach to Cooperative Learning. Educational Leadership, pgs. 11 – 15.

[2] Thomas, KF, MA Barksdale – Ladd.  (2000).  Metacognitive Processes: Teaching Strategies in Literary Education Courses. Reading Psychology (21), (1), pp. 67 – 84.

Many people have difficulty with the rules of spelling in one form or another. Mistakes such as spelling deceive as “decieve” prove to be a common error that is easily made by professional writers.  The phrase to that is taught by many English teachers, “i before e except after c” holds true to words  like the such of; grieve, deceive, piece,  and many other words that have “ie” and “cei” pattern. In addition to the phrase’s usefulness, the phrase is also very easily remembered.

When it comes to college students, the teaching of phonics has generally ceased. Though this type of teaching is normally not needed, “however, periodically students who could benefit from this type of instruction do appear in college reading classes.”(Yaworski 2002, p.91) According to a study by Yaworski, sometimes teaching the rules of spelling, or phonics should be offered to college students.

One college student from Yaworski’s study had shown incredible progress during the course of a phonics program. At the start of the phonics course, the student had many errors in her first journal entry and gradually improved until there were none in her final entry.(Yaworski 2002, p.91) Therefore, there is sometimes the need for such a program at the college level.

Despite the large amount of resources available to college students, many refuse to use these resources. According to comments by Savage, the rules of spelling are violated so often, it has become a joke. The title of his article, ‘All Would of Been Caos’ intentionally shows two errors. One error being the spelling of chaos, and the other being the grammatical error. If he decided to use correct grammar and spelling, the article may have very well been titled, “All Would’ve Been Chaos.”

In addition of being nagged by instructors, the peers of a student may as well comment or even bully the student who needs such help. As stated by Ultimate Vocabulary, one’s wealth of vocabulary is a major influence on a potential employer’s decision of hiring one or not in both verbal and written forms. That statement has been proven true many times over as people with a larger vocabulary, and good knowledge on the rules for spelling tend to get better jobs.

Today’s studies show that a good number of college students do not properly understand grammar. Perhaps actions taken by Yaworski’s study do indeed show that the rules of spelling need to be taught not only at the elementary level, but up to the college level as well, or even beyond. Though it is needed more so at the elementary level, it also a good idea to have lessons like these at the college level when needed.

References

Yaworski, J 2002 ‘When Should Fonnicks be Tot to Kollage Stewdents?’, Journal of College Reading and Learning, vol. 33, no. 1, pp.91-98, viewed 22 February 2009,  <http://find.galegroup.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/>

Savage Jr., W 2004 ‘All would have been Caos’, Journal of Scholarly Publishing, vol. 35, no. 4, pp.223-225,  viewed 23 February 2009, <http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/>

Most who speak the English language grow up with a basic understanding of how English works, what grammatical structures are used and how words interact with each other.  However, some children and youth may be limited in this understanding because of development exposure or communication results between adults and other children.  To help children expand their knowledge, a word a day vocabulary builder can be used.

Many question the concept of adding a word a day as a vocabulary builder for children, with hesitations based on children forgetting the words or not consciously adding them into their vocabulary.  However, research has shown that children who use this concept are able to continuously expand their capabilities for learning.  It has specifically been found that fluency is interrelated to gradually adding in vocabulary, instead of rapidly trying to build word understandings.

The concept of building only a word a day provides more then just a new vocabulary word for students.  It also provides a new level of comprehension, which increases fluency and communication among children.  Because a child only learns one vocabulary word a day, there is not just a basic understanding, but also a practice of the word.  This creates connections of the words, instead of just a basic understanding.  By children comprehending how to use the words and what is involved in structuring the words into sentences, it becomes a natural part of their vocabulary[1].

This concept links to what is known as the retrieval theory.  In this philosophy, children are noted to have better recall of information when it is used over a longer period of time.  Researchers conducted tests in which children were given a set of vocabulary words.  Some of the words were given at once, where children were required to memorize the words, then be tested over them the next day.  This caused low scores from the children, only being altered through memory recall.  The second test was given a week later.  With this, children had processed the information more thoroughly and were able to apply the vocabulary to their learning.  The result was a higher recall number because of the practical use of the vocabulary over a period of time[2].

As can be seen, the use of vocabulary building doesn’t just include memorization and basic comprehension.  Instead, children have to learn how to use the words in communication and in an everyday context, otherwise it is forgotten and not applied to memory.  Using a word a day vocabulary builder provides different insight into the words, how they are used and how they can be an effective part of the vocabulary that is used for a child’s communication.

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[1] Hirsch, E.D.  (2003).  “Reading Comprehension Requires Knowledge – of Words and the World.”  American Educator.

[2] Barcroft, Joe.  (2007).  “Effects of Opportunities for Word Retrieval During Second Language Vocabulary Building.”  Language Learning (57), (1), pgs. 35 – 56.

The English language is a rich and powerful language. It is remarkable that despite there being over 4 million words in the English language, the average adult (who is a native English speaker) only knows around 50,000.

People tend to make snap judgments about one another based on shallow appearances and speech is one such factor which is constantly taken into consideration. Having access to a powerful and thorough vocabulary means that we are effective communicators and we are able to quickly get our ideas across.

Whether we are public speakers, or simply have to convey our feelings to someone close to us, building a better vocabulary is nothing short of essential for our quality of life.

One of the quickest, most effective, and arguably most enjoyable ways of developing and building a better vocabulary is to read more books. Now many people assume that in order to develop your vocabulary you need to read dusty, ancient tomes where the author has died in order for you to develop English proficiency. Nothing could be further from the truth, and this illogical argument is based on one thing and one thing only: academic snobbery. The bottom line is that the more you read, the better your vocabulary will get.

Get into the habit of keeping up to date with political affairs, the news and listen to the radio. Crosswords both on paper and in electronic form can be also excellent ways to develop and broaden your vocabulary. There are numerous games online which are also timed, in which you will be given a jumble of letters and you will be required to make as many words as possible from the collection of letters available.

Some of these games offer additional time for correct guesses, others will keep the clock ticking regardless of what you choose and some of the more helpful games offer a direct link to a lexicon site allowing you full access to the proper pronunciation and definition of the words. These online games are especially good for young children, who will be quite taken in with the flashy graphics, funky music and endless replay. It is also the ideal way to engage their attention in a positive and constructive manner.

Vocabulary has been refining from ages. Words which were used in olden days have been modified and changed to accommodate words of new era. One of the most important and visible changes in vocabulary has happened for road signs. They decide the fate of the user; any misinterpretation will be a certain death especially in our ever increasing traffic problems and accidents. This problem gets aggravated when using writing signs than pictures.
For example the phrase GIVE WAY is directly from the era of old coaches and horses. This sign has an undercurrent of gentle submission in olden times when people have to give way for coaches. In modern times no one likes to give way unless and until they are required to by law.

DUAL CARRIAGEWAY is another term imported from Victorian era of horses and carriages. This term when interpreted in modern times depicts dual road, double lane, big road, etc. The underlying aspect of the word (differs according to perception) is fast lane ahead for modern day drivers or ease of congestion or drive with ease.

Another term which is catching interest of drivers and it being a subject of controversy is REDUCE SPEED NOW. This term sounds more or less like a driver school instruction. May be this term should be updated to Slow down now or in hysterical sense start braking now.

Punctuation gets outdated with time and with passage of time English is getting refined. For instance in olden days writers used to use exclamation mark to denote something interesting is going to happen such as Gosh!, many writers have the habit of writing *#@&!. This exclamation remark when translated into modern times aptly applies to the context when something turns up during a round bend in top gear. There are many old English words which are still in use. Another important aspect is that they all have places in the fabulous language English.

Understanding the etymology of the word helps you in deriving the meaning of the word. This concept has always been in controversy because at certain times etymology can lead you astray. Deciphering meaning of the word based on etymology can benefit you if you can decipher the meaning of the word with relevant to context of the sentence. It doesn’t provide you definition. Many at times people can decipher the meaning of the word by knowing its root. If you can decipher the root of the word (origin) it solves half of your work load.

English language can be mastered by practising and implementing the said rules. Vocabulary can be learnt by continued practice and implementation of the words in real life scenario. Many people often complain of not being able to retain or commit words into memory. This generally happens due to huge collection of words which are to be committed into memory. Learnt vocabulary should be implemented in real life sentence formation either during general conversation or writing. Vocabulary when implemented in real life situations gives good understanding of the word in appropriate context.
When learning vocabulary words one needs to understand the context in which the word would be used. Learning the meaning, context, phonetics, spelling, pronunciation, etc gives you a perfect understanding of the word. Grammar is the basis of English language. Understanding grammar will give you a perfect knowledge about English and the way you need to use it in general life.
There are four main pillars of English language they are Listening, Speaking, Reading and writing. Listening sessions can be practiced by listening to English radio channels, T.V news, documentaries, wild life shows, etc. There are reputable English channels such as CNN, BBC, CNBC, IBN, BLOOMBERG; etc listening to those channels gives you a greater depth of understanding of English. There are various types of English such as American, U.K., Australia, Indian, etc.
Speaking can be practiced by standing in front of the mirror. When speaking in front of the mirror be sure that you are not distracted. Students learning English tend to speak in their natural mother tongue with their colleagues and family members which should be avoided. Doing this removes the very essence of speaking session, try speaking in English with everyone so that you can understand and comprehend.
Reading can be practiced by reading journals, news papers, magazines, etc. While in reading session make sure that you read out the passages loudly initially. While reading loudly you will know the various obstacles you are facing and also appropriate pronunciation of the word. There are various competitive reading exam materials such as GMAT, GRE, TOFFEL, etc. Practising them gives a student leading edge from other students.
Writing is another important part of English Language. Conveying messages either through sophisticated spread sheets or through paper requires writing. Writing can be practiced in various different ways such as writing short stories, blogging, expressing ideas, emotions, etc. Try writing short stories and present it to your lecturer or to the blogging community for evaluation. Use the words which you have learnt in real time application which can improve your word retention capability.

Power words are also called as action verbs. Power words help make a statement stronger. Power words differentiate between an ordinary piece of writing or speech into a powerful dialect or writing. It is good to know and implement power words in your writing and speech. Power words differentiate between ordinary speeches and exemplary speeches. Before even thinking about learning power words one needs to listen to speeches from some of the greatest orators of history no matter how good or bad they are. Politicians generally are the best orators because they need to talk with people and whatever they talk it becomes history. Power words form a stronger impact on audiences which is not the case with ordinary words. Make sure that you know the context and the way to apply words in the sentence. These words can relatively change the meaning of the sentence completely.

Power words are classified according to the industry. There are different power words according to the industry such as Management, sales and marketing, technical, academic, health care, accounting, etc. These power words are to be learnt and implemented in daily conversation which gives you confidence about using them in regular conversations. Keep a log of all the words which you have learnt in a separate note book for later reference. This gives you the much needed confidence and it saves you time.
Power words list is available commercially online and also free versions are available. The best way is to develop your own power words list. Power words list can be developed from the words present in the dictionary. Power words are extracted from the list of words present in the dictionary. There are different kinds of power words which express your mood and emotions. There are words of encouragement, inspiration, wisdom, etc.

There are various games which can be played on power words. It is good to play those games with people who are in the same plane as yours. This will give you various different ideas on improving power vocabulary. Debates also give you good understanding of the usage of power words in various circumstances.

While preparing resume one needs to use power words. Power words give your CV or resume a good appearance. Marketing and sales professionals use power words in their marketing campaigns. These marketing campaigns have effective and powerful words. There are two different voices passive and active. Active readers try to ask questions and extract new vocabulary words; these power words generally improve their overall vocabulary skills.