Even those with the most advanced of vocabularies will come across words that they don’t know. Sometimes this can leave us with a sense of awkwardness or confusion as to what was spoken or written. On an optimistic note, there are methods for working out these word meanings and to improve vocabulary. They are not difficult and anyone can put them into practice.
One of the sure ways to develop your vocabulary is to actively work out word meanings. Try not to rush to your reference material. Analyze the word and discover meanings on your own first. Not only will this give you self-confidence, but it will also enhance long-term retention. This process is what is termed active learning. It contrasts to passive learning where the student sits back and is essentially a sponge. It involves getting in and getting your hands dirty and the results are obvious.
Active learning will allow you to obtain a richer vocabulary in less time. It will equip you with the tools required to work out word meanings without actually having knowledge of the word. Figure 1 demonstrates an excellent strategy for deriving unknown word meanings to improve vocabulary.
Figure 1
(Taken from Pikulski and Templeton (2004, p.8))
In order to work out an unknown word meaning, firstly examine the word and look for what are known as context clues (Pikulski and Templeton, 2004). These can include words in sentences that exist around the unknown word. They offer hints as to what the word may mean. Sentences that surround the unknown word are also useful in providing meanings.
Another type of clue that will help you actively work out the meaning of an unknown word is that of prefixes, suffixes, and roots (Pikulski and Templeton, 2004). Do you know of any word part that the unknown word might be based upon? Greever and Bachelor (1922) in The Century Vocabulary Builder refer to “verbal families” and although words from the English or Germanic-Scandinavian-English are relatively easily identifiable, those of Latin or Greek origin are more likely to be unknown to us. Those who have knowledge of the basic word in these families will be greatly assisted in building their vocabulary (Greever and Bachelor, 1922). All these offer important hints to improve vocabulary and to work out what the word might mean.
Once you’ve considered these methods, make a guess as to the word’s meaning and write it down. You can then use reference material, such as a dictionary, to look up the meaning. One suggestion offered by Pikulski and Templeton (2004) is to keep reading if the word doesn’t seem significant or if you believe you’ve worked out the meaning correctly. This is a great technique if you are busily reading a book, are at the office, or in a social gathering. If in an appropriate setting, however, don’t proceed. Make sure you look up the word to find out if you were right. If not, note where you went wrong and learn from it.
Other learning strategies to improve vocabulary include using the word in different contexts; using visual depictions to enhance learning (such as pictures); repetition; pronunciation; and the use of software (such as Ultimate Vocabulary).
So, next time you come across a word you don’t know and haven’t the time to reach for reference material, refer to these methods when working out word meanings and it might just save the day.
References
Greever, G & Bachelor, JM, 1922, The Century Vocabulary Builder, The Century Co., New York.
Pikulski, JJ and Templeton, S 2004, Teaching and Developing Vocabulary: Key to Long-Term Reading Success, Houghton Mifflin Company.