5 proven ways to improve your English vocabulary right now for 100% results.

Nobody wants to learn English in one’s own good time. They either want to be born William Shakespeares or turn into an overnight William Wordsworth. Do you belong to the same category as well? Umm! I know!

And that’s exactly why I’ve written this blog. Read on!

All of us know some amount of English. It isn’t that we know nil English and are just starting off. Before you wanna improve your English and well before I jump into elucidating the ‘5 proven ways’, here is one important step you should perform. 

Analyze where you stand:

By this I mean, firstly take some time to reflect on where your English skills stand with reading, writing, and speaking. Are you struggling hard with the three, or in the neutral position where your grammar is bad, or fancying to improve your vocabulary alone?

No matter at which stage you are right now, the following 5 strategies are sure to work for you. They are so simple and highly fruitful.

But what you should do is try and install them in your daily life as much as possible. Let’s jump in!

1. The Read-Aloud Strategy

According to the landmark 1985 report ‘Becoming a Nation of Readers’, - “The single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success is reading”.

Reading aloud can make you more familiar with words and how they are being used in a sentence. 

Children acquire language fundamentally through listening.

When you read aloud, your ears are all open to snap up everything you are reading. And most importantly, reading aloud improves your attention span. Unlike consuming video content, textual content requires you to pay more attention so that you can seize that information. 

2. The News Channel Switch

One of the most trivialized methods to improve English skills is watching English news channels. All of us are so eaten up by the regional news channels that we don’t know that English news exists on our dish TVs.

English news is not just for business or IT people. You and I can also tune in. Volume up and listen to the most interesting debates and presentations.

Right after you close this blog, switch on your TV and search for the English news channels, add them to your favs, and tune-in frequently. A few of my staples are India Today, CNN-News 18, ET Now, and NDTV 24*7.

3. Credits to the subtitles

Imagine entertainment without subtitles. If you ask me – ‘English movies with or without subtitles’, I’d definitely go for the former. Why pretend as if you understand everything? Turn them on.

Subtitles open up avenues to new words and their pronunciations. ''90% of the adolescents learn new words and escalate English speaking from watching movies and TV shows with subtitles''. 

Hmm...Entertainment with some learning by the side...what more are you waiting for!? Bring them on!

4. Drench in English rain frequently

Listen more than you speak. When somebody well-versed in the language is speaking, observe how they express themselves. Take inspiration from any of your favorite speakers and try to reciprocate them. Take it slow and the rhythm will improve gradually.

You can start with as simple as texting a friend with having a good command of English. Take a note of what words they use and freely add them to your vocab. Familiarity comes only when you decide to start.

PRO TIP:: Here’s something important – Learn some filler phrases. Meaning, all of us can’t speak without a pause. We break when thinking and while doing so, you can’t just be using Ummm….

Some filler phrases you can use are;

·        Well...You know

·        To be honest

·        Yeah actually…

·        At the end of the day…

·        Basically\literally\totally\clearly…

5. One new word every week

Coming across a new word and completely forgetting it doesn’t add up to your vocabulary. What I genuinely mean here is - Instantly use it in a sentence(s) of your own.

This way, your subconscious will store the data. The words need not be as hard as rocks, but let them be words from any books, articles, magazines, or random words from social media platforms.

Choose words that will come to your use every day and slowly build the tempo. Remember: Instant conversion to a sentence is the key.

Speaking English fluently isn’t an overnight success. Practice and practice till you slowly see yourself improve.

Having said that I would like to end by quoting Greg Thomson,

“The only normal way to begin speaking in a new language is to begin speaking badly”.

Until next time…