LEARNING VOCABULARY-3

Good morning. Yesterday we talked about using a dictionary to help you decide which words to learn and a notebook (or Word Bank) to organise new words and facilitate the learning process. Just preparing and organising your Word Bank, like the one I sent some of you yesterday, will help you to learn new words. But if that isn't enough, try the oldest vocabulary-learning trick there is: flashcards or word cards. Suggestions 6 --> MAKE A SET OF WORD CARDS. Go to a stationary shop (papelería) and buy a set of small-sized index cards, (or cut a D-4 piece of paper into 8 pieces to create your own cards). Write down a new word or expression on each card. On the other side of the card you should include information like the translation of the word into your native language, a definition in English, a sentence in English, the pronunciation, etc.; anything that will help you to remember it and be able to use it in the future. Take a small pile of the cards with you everyday. When you have a moment of free time (on the bus, waiting in the queue in a bank, etc.) look at the cards and test yourself; try to recall the meaning, remember the definition or translate each word or expression. With the flashcards, it's easy to revise a lot of words in a very short time. Using these flashcards (or word cards) is a great way to make use of 'dead' time. All of the suggestions that we have given you this week to learn vocabulary, if used consistently, will create very positive and quick results. I promise! You will begin to learn new words, you will then feel good about learning them, which will motivate you to learn more, which will cause you to accumulate even more words, etc. etc. It's like a snowball; if you begin to study vocabulary in this way, your vocabulary will begin to grow and grow and grow. It really works. If you have any questions about any of the suggestions over the last 3 days, or you would like a copy of the Ziggurat Word Bank sample, please don't hesitate to contact me. Best wishes,