Vocabulary Improvement Technique #1 - How Elaboration Can Boost Your Retention Of Words By More Than 670%

In this lesson we are going to talk about elaboration and how you can use it to build your vocabulary. Use of elaboration is extremely important in vocabulary building. In fact, studies show that elaboration can improve your memory for words by more than 670 percent!

What is elaboration?

So what IS elaboration? Elaboration is:

"linking a word to relevant information at the time of learning"

Here is an example to explain this further: Let's just say you are reading the dictionary and you come across the word "ponderous"(adj). You read the definition and it says "Having great mass and weight and unwieldiness". You may have learned a new word, but you are not very likely to remember it, because you have only engaged in a small amount of elaboration.

How to use elaboration

In order to remember the word properly, you need to link it to meaningful concepts such as examples, similar words, synonyms, and other concepts that you relate to and understand. For example, if you have recently moved house, you might remember the fridge was a "ponderous burden". Many words have more than one meaning and you would have noticed that ponderous also means "dull and labored".

Two techniques you can use to start improving your vocabulary right now

When you learn a new word, the easiest and most effective methods of elaboration are usage examples and related words.

Usage Examples

When you learn a new word try to read as many usage examples as possible. If you are using Ultimate Vocabulary, be sure to read the examples that Word Inspector provides. Otherwise, search the Internet for examples of your new word in action. Say the examples out loud and think about them. Another tip is to try and visualize the scenario given in the word usage.

Once you have used and thought about the examples you have read, try making up your own examples that apply to situations you have been in. Creating your own examples boosts retention even more than reading existing usage examples.

Related Words

Another important method of elaboration is studying words that are related to the word you are learning. When you learn a new word, you should study the word's 'synonyms' and 'antonyms' as a minimum. Synonyms are other words that have the same meaning as the word you are learning. For example "large" is a synonym
for "big". Antonyms are words that are logical opposites of the word you are learning. For example "small" is an antonym for "big".

Although synonyms and antonyms are useful, they do not cover all the different ways words can be connected. Two other useful types of related words are 'similar words' and 'hypernyms'. Similar words are words that might not have the exact same meaning, but are logically similar to the word you are learning. Similar
words can often be used in place of each other. For example "large-scale" is similar to "big". Hypernyms are more generic (i.e. less specific) versions of the word you are learning. For example "vehicle" is a hypernym for "car".

Elaboration with Ultimate Vocabulary

If you are currently using Ultimate Vocabulary, you are already engaging in extensive elaboration. Word Inspector provides usage examples, synonyms, antonyms, hypernyms, and similar words for every word. For example for the word "ponderous" used in the previous lesson, Ultimate Vocabulary provides 3 definitions, 6 usage examples, 2 synonyms, 1 antonym, 4 similar words, and hypernym. In addition all exercises and tests engage you in elaboration.

When learning new words in Ultimate Vocabulary, be sure to pay attention to the examples and related words. Also be sure to regularly work through the different types of tests.

This will not only greatly improve your vocabulary and word usage but it is an excellent exercise for the mind.