If you feel that your vocabulary is letting you down, but you don't want to start reading ten books every week and carrying a heavy dictionary around with you everywhere you go, dont despair!

[NOTE: If you're looking to improve your vocabulary right now, we highly recommend Ultimate Vocabulary Software]

It is now known that the brain continues to grow and regenerate throughout adulthood (Gould and Gross, Princeton University 1999), so there is nothing stopping any of us creating a killer vocabulary at any age. And there are fun and easy solutions that you can use without resorting to trying to memorize the dictionary!

My grandmother is a great example of someone who continues to grow her vocabulary and exercise her brain. At age 81, she can still beat me at Scrabble with one hand tied behind her back and she does cryptic crosswords with her morning tea!

But you dont need to develop a love of word games in order to grow your vocabulary. The best and most fun starting point to developing a great vocabulary is to read what you enjoy.

Not everyone likes to read novels, but if youre one of those who dont, youll still be able to find interesting reading material that you can really enjoy. Why not treat yourself to a subscription for a glossy magazine on a topic that fascinates you?

There are publications for nearly everything under the sun, so there is definitely something available for everyone.
Some top vocabulary building tips for people of all ages:

1. Make it a habit to carry an interesting book or magazine with you wherever you go.
   
   
2. Have several notebooks to make notes of new words that you find and want to learn and remember. If you have a notebook in each room that you typically read in, plus another in your handbag or jacket pocket, you are much more likely to use them and it will be a lot easier!
   
   
3. Use repetition when you learn a new word, look for an opportunity to use it in conversation as soon as possible.
   
   
4. As you look up new words in your dictionary, circle or highlight them. When you are next visiting that page your eyes will naturally skim over the words youve already learned, and review them.

A final power-tip for building your vocabulary - use your imagination! If you are a very visual person, its important to use your visual imagination when you learn a new word. You could make up a mini-story in your head that is relevant to the new word and play the movie over a couple of times.

For example, if your new word is adamant (having a fixed opinion or attitude) you could imagine your four year old grandson stomping his foot and refusing to get ready for bed.

As you visualize the story for your new word, you can increase your chances of remembering the word by saying a sentence to yourself (or better still, out loud), such as Charlie is adamant that he is not going to bed!
While it is true that small children naturally learn words at a faster pace than adults, whatever your age you can easily use these power tips to create a killer vocabulary whatever your age!