How can vocabulary be effectively developed

Consider the following recommendations:. The Internet is a gold mine of resources for vocabulary building. Here are a few to get you started, though many more exist:. There are plenty of vocabulary applications you can try. There are many vocabulary-related books you can explore. There is a wealth of free literature on sites such as Project Gutenberg.

If you use the Firefox browser, there are many ways to integrate dictionary lookup functions, such as the plug-ins Answers. You can find specialized vocabulary lists, such as these feeling words or descriptive words. You can even learn some classy, Shakespearian insults! Do something different from your daily routine: hunting, fishing, or blogging—any activity that is not a part of your normal life can become a great way to learn new words, as every niche has its own jargon and unique ways of communicating.

Watch foreign-language movies. Take up new hobbies, hang out with different people. By doing things out of the ordinary you will not only improve your vocabulary but also make your life much more interesting. Such a person would have a hard time learning these words and could quickly become discouraged.

We suggest, therefore, that you scan the materials you are interested in before buying. If most of the words are totally unfamiliar to you, you will probably not get very much out of it.

If, however, you recognize many of the words but do not quite know them, then the material is probably at the right level for you. Many books approach vocabulary building by teaching you word parts—prefixes, suffixes and roots—and showing you how these parts can go together to form many different words.

You might find this approach useful, because it will make you sensitive to how words are formed, and this can often be a help in figuring out a word's meaning from its context.

The important thing to keep in mind is that these materials are not a complete substitute for the process we have been talking about. One book will not give you all the words you need to know. Besides, you are establishing a lifetime interest in building your vocabulary, and just selecting one way to approach it may not be enough. Perhaps the most important factor in a successful vocabulary-building program is motivation.

It will be very difficult for you to study words month after month without a strong feeling that it is worth doing, that a larger vocabulary will help you in school and on the job, and that it can well lead to a more exciting and fulfilling life.

We certainly feel that this is true, for nothing we measure at the Johnson O'Connor Research Foundation contributes more to success in life more than vocabulary. Your time could not be better spent. We know you can expand your vocabulary almost as fast as you wish.

There are countless examples of people who have done so. Remember, you started out in life knowing no words, and now you know thousands. You can learn many more. Why not start today?

The Johnson O'Connor Research Foundation offers a vocabulary development program of 1, words selected based on the results of studies of over 15, public and private school students. To learn more about this fantastic and fun way to learn new words, visit the Wordbook page. Why do large vocabularies characterize executives and possibly outstanding men and women in other fields? The final answer seems to be that words are the instruments by means of which men and women grasp the thoughts of others and with which they do much of their own thinking.

Skip to main content. Search form Search. Request new password. Ask parents and other school staff to use the words in their own interactions with students. Effective vocabulary instruction takes advantage of morphology by helping students understand how words are made up of meaningful components: base words, prefixes, suffixes, and inflected endings. For example, knowledge of morphology helps students understand that when bi- is used as the prefix the word may include the notion of two-ness, and that the prefix tri- means the word may have something to do with threes e.

Many base words in English are derived from Latin and Greek roots. Helping students detect the root in words and associate it with the original meaning can give them a productive approach for coming to the meaning of the word.

For example, knowing that spect is a Latin root that means to see or observe, students can infer that the following words also address seeing or observing: spectacle, spectacular, spectator, inspect, inspection, retrospection, circumspection, etc. Digital tools can help in teaching words based on context clues and meaning, and make it easier to differentiate vocabulary instruction and practice.

For example, using digital resources such as Vocabulary A-Z, teachers can choose from premade vocabulary lessons and word lists or create their own lessons, and then connect them to their current topics of study or popular reading series.

Assign differentiated lessons to students for online independent practice. Use digital reports to monitor student needs and inform instruction for individuals or the whole class.

From Scrabble to Balderdash, adults play a variety of word games. Creating opportunities for students to play heightens their attention to and appreciation of word study. Use online and mobile game-based activities to motivate students and extend their learning outside of the classroom. Most of all, teachers should have some degree of ownership over how vocabulary is taught. They should have control over the words taught and the methods used to teach those words.

Simply following an existing scripted vocabulary program denies teachers and students the opportunity to make words their own. To help all students become proficient readers and writers, and learn important content, we cannot overlook vocabulary.

Robust vocabulary instruction , New York: Guilford Press. Robust vocabulary instruction, 2nd ed. Biemiller, A. Chall, J. Cunningham, A. Graves, M.

Taylor, M. Graves, and P. Van Den Broek eds. Kame'enui eds. Farstrup and S. Samuels eds. Hart, B. Heimlich, J. Kamil, M. Hiebert and M. Kamil eds. McKeown, M. Nagy, W. Kamil, P. Mosenthal, P. Pearson, and R. Barr eds. National Reading Panel. Teaching children to read: An evidence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction NIH Publication No.

Government Printing Office, pp. Scott, J. Stahl, S. Swanborn, M.