STOP USING THE SAME VOCABULARY WORDS | 9 Tips For Enhancing Your English Vocabulary

English vocabulary, English vocabulary can be a little frustrating.

Sometimes you feel like you use the same words all the time, right?

You get into a conversation and the words just don't seem to come to your mind.

Well, that will stop today because in this lesson, I'm going to give

you nine tips that will help you enhance your English vocabulary.

Are you ready?

Well, then I'm teacher Tiffani.

Let's jump right in.

Here we go.

All right.

Tip number one, read extensively.

Notice the word extensively.

You have to read a lot.

If your goal is to improve your English vocabulary, let me explain it.

Reading extensively exposes you to a variety of words and.

Contexts helping you build vocabulary.

This happened to me when I was studying Korean.

I noticed that when I started reading more, I was able to recall vocabulary

words so much faster during conversations.

So you must read extensively.

Here are three main reasons why this will help you.

Reason number one.

Reading helps you encounter new words in different contexts.

That's the key.

You learn new words, you know, the definitions, but you don't

know when to really use them.

However, when you read extensively, your brain will have more triggers and also

understand more when to use the word.

Properly reason number two, this actually enhances your comprehension skills.

It will help you understand more.

And finally, reading extensively helps you learn new idioms and expressions.

So not just your vocabulary, your understanding and usage of expressions

and idioms is going to skyrocket.

Remember, we're talking about enhancing your vocabulary.

So number one, you must read extensively.

Tip number two, keep a vocabulary notebook.

I want you to get a notebook.

It doesn't have to be big.

Doesn't have to be small.

It can be the size that you want it to be, but keep a vocabulary notebook.

At the end of this lesson, I'm going to tell you a story about what I

did when I was studying for a Korean exam and exam that I failed twice.

It's until I used this method.

So keep a vocabulary notebook.

You see, maintaining a vocabulary notebook enables you to

record and review new words.

Regular regularly, that Lee almost didn't come out regularly.

Sometimes English words are tricky.

So when you keep your own notebook, it'll be easier for you to recall the words.

Here are three more reasons why this is such a good tip.

Reason.

Number one, it acts as a personalized reference guide for you to review words.

Something that you will keep with you at all times.

It can be small.

For example, I'm actually going to show you right now.

I have a notebook right next to me.

And this notebook is what I use to take notes when I am trying to

think of new things to do for you.

That's right business notes.

But when I opened this notebook and look at what I wrote down.

All of a sudden, my brain starts going into overdrive because I wrote the notes.

It's actually my notebook.

So again, it's a personalized reference guide.

When you do this for vocabulary, second, writing down words.

Helps with retention and memory.

There's something that happens when you get a pen or a pencil and physically

write down the word, write down the definition, something happens.

It will help you retain the information.

And the third reason it encourages you to actively engage with new vocabulary.

As you're writing the words down, your brain starts to think of situations

in your own life where this word, this expression can be applied in.

Makes sense.

Right again.

So number two, keep a vocabulary notebook.

Tip number three, use flashcards.

That's right.

Use flashcards.

Actually, this just popped into my head.

There's an app that's really good.

It's called Anki, A N K I.

I used it when I was studying Korean.

And I also told many of my students to use it as they were studying English.

You can use it as well.

Create flashcards.

You have your cell phone with you quite often and use flashcards to

memorize and learn new vocabulary words.

Flashcards provide a visual and interactive way to

practice and review vocabulary.

Remember we're talking about.

Enhancing your English vocabulary.

Vocabulary is not easy.

Sometimes it's a little bit boring to just memorize over and over again.

So these tips will help you enhance your vocabulary and not be bored.

So here are three reasons why this tip is so powerful and so useful.

Number one, they improve memory retention.

Flashcards are very useful.

Number two, they allow you to practice recall, aiding long term memorization.

When you have flashcards, whether you have physical flashcards or whether you use the

app I mentioned earlier, it will help you.

Maybe you're sitting down waiting for the bus.

Maybe you're sitting down waiting for someone to come back from a shopping trip.

Just flip through the flashcards.

Helping you with your retention and reason.

Number three, flashcards can be used anytime.

I just mentioned waiting for the bus, waiting for your friend anywhere.

And this makes them so convenient for practice.

All right.

So tip number three, again, use.

Flashcards.

This is going to help you a lot.

Tip number four, listen to podcasts or audio books.

This is amazing.

Podcasts are mainly free.

Just listen to them.

If you'd like to listen to my podcast, I actually have one.

Speak English with Tiffani.

That's right.

The same name as the YouTube channel, speak English with Tiffani.

And some of you are actually listening to the audio version

of this lesson on the podcast.

But listening to English podcasts or audio books actually exposes

you to natural spoken language and expands your vocabulary.

As you're listening to conversations, as you're listening to people speaking

English in a natural way, your brain will naturally pick up new words.

So what are some other reasons why this tip is so important?

Number one, it improves.

Your listening skills and pronunciation, you're learning all these new words.

Now you want to make sure you can pronounce them properly.

The second reason is you can pick up new words and phrases in context.

This is so key learning words in context.

I told you a story.

Maybe last year, several months ago on this channel, I told you the story

about how I was taking a vocabulary test when I was learning Korean and

I had to memorize hundreds of words.

And in that moment, I still remember it like it was yesterday.

It was about 4 AM.

I said, this is not the way to go.

Just memorizing these words, I might pass the test, but I'll

forget the words tomorrow.

So when you listen to podcasts, listen to audio books, you're learning

words in context, which will make it easier for you to remember them.

The third reason this enhances your understanding of different.

Accents and speech patterns.

I actually just had a conversation with teacher Carly.

Oh yes.

You could actually check out that conversation on our second channel.

I have a second channel where I explain how to improve your

vocabulary, understanding of expressions, and Carly and I go over

different words and expressions.

Carly is a teacher in the speak

English with Tiffani Academy,

and we spoke about the different accents.

I live in Maryland.

But someone might be in the new Orleans area.

And I remember the first time I met somebody from new Orleans, when I was in

college, I said, huh, their accent was a little thicker and I couldn't understand

at first, but again, it's proof.

Someone might not understand my accent.

I'm speaking, using slang, different States have different accents.

So you get used to various accents again, number four,

listen to podcasts or audio books.

Tip number five.

Engage in conversations.

You see regularly engaging in conversations with native English

speakers or fellow learners provides opportunities to learn new vocabulary.

And I'm going to add this also to use vocabulary.

Many times, you know, a lot of words, but since you don't use them.

You lose them, but when you engage in conversations, it'll force you to use

the words, you know, and also cause you to learn new words as the person you're

speaking with uses other vocabulary words.

So here are some other reasons why this is so powerful.

Here we go.

Reason number one, conversations.

Allow you to practice using new words in a meaningful way, in a meaningful way.

Reason number two, you can receive immediate feedback on pronunciation

and usage as you're speaking with your English partner, as you're speaking

with your teacher, you can get feedback.

And finally, conversations offer exposure to colloquial expressions.

We're talking about improving your English vocabulary, not just sitting down with

a book in front of you, just memorizing words, no different tips, different

methods to help you enjoy the process.

All right, tip number six, tip number six, write regularly.

I'll say that again, right?

Regularly regular writing practice helps reinforce vocabulary and

encourages you to use new words.

Actively put what you're learning in to practice.

Here's some other reasons why this is so important.

Writing allows for the application and practice of recently learned vocabulary.

Use what you're learning, baby.

You can do it.

Reason number two, again, reason number two, why this is so important.

It helps you become familiar with different sentence

structures and grammar rules.

This will help you a lot, putting it into practice.

And third, the third reason writing prompts.

Creativity and helps you express your thoughts more accurately.

It forces you to think, to organize your ideas.

Okay.

I learned this word.

How can I use this word to express this idea?

This thought.

So again, number six, the sixth tip, write regularly.

We're talking about enhancing your vocabulary.

Tip number seven, use context clues.

When encountering unfamiliar words, reading for a context can help you infer

meaning without relying on a dictionary.

It's funny.

I just had a conversation with one of my students a few weeks back.

And she was asking me about new words and how she can learn new words.

If she's reading a book, should she immediately look up the word?

And I gave her three steps and I'll give them to you as well.

I told her when you're reading something, if a new word pops up,

do not look it up at that moment.

I said, read, let's say you're reading an article.

And as you read the article, a new word pops up.

Keep reading, then read the article again, when that word pops up,

highlight it and write it down.

Don't look up the meaning.

Then read an article a third time, when you get to the word first, see if you

can kind of guess what the meaning is.

You've read it three times, then look up the definition.

Why is this important?

Because you're giving your brain the opportunity to look at the

context of what you're reading and try to guess the meaning.

So when you look up the definition.

If your guests matches the definition, you won't forget the word.

Why?

Because you allowed your brain the opportunity to process information.

When you process information, you'll be able to retain it more.

Makes sense.

Right?

All right.

Here are three other reasons why this tip is so important.

Here's the first reason context clues, enhance comprehension skills

and minimize interruptions during reading exactly what I just explained.

Secondly, you develop the ability to guess the meaning of new words on your own.

This is important.

And finally, relying on context clues improves reading fluency and

speeds up vocabulary acquisition.

Your goal is to be able to enhance your vocabulary.

It's not just about sitting and memorizing words.

You have to apply various methods and these tips will help you do that.

Tip number eight, use.

A thesaurus, baby!

Come on now, find the synonyms, similar words.

A thesaurus is a valuable tool for finding synonyms and expanding vocabulary

with alternative word choices, synonyms for happy, elated, thrilled, you

know, the main word, and now you're learning other words connected to it.

There are already triggers in your brain.

Now that will help you retain the new words.

Here are three reasons why this is so important.

Here we go.

A thesaurus helps you avoid word repetition and adds variety to

your writing and your speaking.

Secondly, it allows you to find precise words that convey the

desire, the desired meaning or tone.

Have you ever been in a situation and you're looking for the

right word to express your idea, but you just don't know it.

When you start using a thesaurus, you'll start improving and

increasing your vocabulary database.

So you won't fall into that situation as much.

And three, the sources provide definitions and usage examples.

For easier understanding and application, start using a thesaurus baby.

Come on now.

And tip number nine, engage in content based learning.

You see learning vocabulary through relevant content, such as articles,

books, or videos on subjects of interest.

Increases motivation and enhances retention.

Listen again, increases motivation and enhances retention.

When you're reading something that you're actually interested

in, you'll remember it more.

Do you like sports?

Do you like cooking?

Do you like art?

Do you like music?

Whatever you like.

Find something about that topic and your brain will retain the information faster.

Why?

Because in your language, you already have a database.

Now you're just adding English and connecting to that database.

The brain is amazing.

Here are three other reasons why this is so important.

Content based learning connects new words with knowledge and

topics of personal interest.

You already have things in your brain and you're just adding to the database.

Two second reason it improves understanding and memory retention

due to the meaningful context.

It means something to you.

And the third reason you gain specialized vocabulary related to your areas of

interest or professional field, we're talking about enhancing your vocabulary.

Focus on your interests, again, engage in content based.

Learning my friend.

I hope these tips helped you out.

I hope they help you enhance your vocabulary.

I hope you speak English fluently.

Remember, I believe in you and I'll talk to you next time.

You still there?

You know what time it is.

It's story time.

Hey, I said it's story time.

All right.

Today, I have a quick story for you and it's actually related to vocabulary and

the method I used to retain information.

Today, I gave you nine tips and when I was in South Korea, I studied after teaching.

I studied.

And the university I went to was amazing.

I went to Seoul National University.

And in order to graduate from my grad program, I had to take an exam.

The hardest exam I've ever taken in my entire life.

The exam was just hard in general because other Koreans were also failing the exam.

But then on top of that, it was in Korean.

It wasn't in English.

And I had to study Japanese history, Chinese history, and

Korean history related to art.

It was not easy.

So I spent months and months and months preparing for the test.

I failed the test twice.

It was rough.

It wasn't easy.

You're a teacher.

I understand what it feels like to not pass a test.

I understand what it feels like to not be able to express

yourself clearly in a language.

So I went to take the test the third time and I realized as I was preparing

the third time, something had to change.

It said, TIFF, you have to change your study style.

And one thing I changed was how I retained the information.

How was I going to retain the information?

So I'm an artist and I thought about it.

I said, wait a minute.

When I draw a picture.

I remember things.

I remember whatever it is I drew.

I can think about something I drew 10 years ago in a notebook.

When that image pops in my head, I remember where I was, what I

was doing and who I was with.

There's something about drawing a picture, sketching something

that helps me remember.

So I spent literally countless hours.

Whatever I was studying, uh, Apyeonjeondang?

There was a war.

For those that are Korean, maybe that sounded familiar to you.

Um, and I remember drawing pictures of little soldiers and horses as they're

fighting against each other and writing the details, what year it happened.

I still remember vividly the page in my sketchbook where I would draw a picture

and then write information underneath it.

I used pictures to help me retain the information.

A lot of prayer, of course.

So then when I got to the exam, those pictures started flooding my mind,

helping me remember the information.

So these tips I gave you today.

They are real tips.

Figure out which one works for you.

For me, having a notebook, having a vocabulary journal where I drew

pictures, maybe you'll just write, but I drew pictures related to

the topics, the expressions in the words, and that helped me remember.

So I hope this story helps you along your journey, and I'll

talk to you in the next lesson.