3 Ways To Improve Your Vocabulary

Author: mgavr68

Building up your vocabulary is arguably the most important part of a language learning process. If you don't have a base vocabulary to work with, you can't study grammar, you have absolutely no use for spelling or pronunciation exercises and writing or reading is definitely out of the question. That's why it's crucial to have a good vocabulary work-up at the beginning of your studies but also to keep building it up as you go. Here are a few ways to do this.

1. Translated texts

This is a great method to use in the beginning of your studies, when you can't handle reading (and understanding) a text solely in the foreign language you're emphasizing on. Translated texts act as a natural dictionary as they will involuntarily form connections as you read the two versions of the same text. The downside however is that if the texts are too ambiguous or too complicated, you risk misunderstanding entire phrases or mistakenly attributing meanings to certain words. That's why it's extremely important that the translated text you're working with is well written and doesn't have any slang, confusing words, words with different meanings and so forth. You should also look for the most basic translated texts at first. Don't worry if you find it silly to translate "It's hot during the summer", it's a starting point and you won't be better off skipping it.

2. Vocabulary games

Vocabulary games are a great way to enhance your word base, but they should usually be used only as an additional method for this purpose. The fact with vocabulary games is that they cannot teach you the same amount of new words as say translated texts or other methods that deal with improving your vocabulary, but they can be a fun alternative to take during those study breaks. Also, remember that everything we learn while relaxing and having fun is assimilated a lot easier and for a longer period of time.

3. Foreign language media

Media is obviously a strong source of vocabulary gain and the fun fact about it is that you won't be shedding a sweat learning the new words, as they will come naturally. Every bit of radio, TV, stationary ad, computer game or any other type of media you can watch or hear in the foreign language you're studying should be treated as an opportunity to improve vocabulary. Obviously, some languages will be harder to learn through this method, whereas others will be extremely easy (English/Spanish anyone?). If you find a good learning source, you could use foreign language media as a main method of vocabulary increase, but if these sources are scarce, you shouldn't rely solely on it.

Once you have a relatively good grasp on that language's vocabulary and you formed a solid word database with which you can work with, feel free to move on to more complex elements of the language, such as spelling, pronunciation, writing, grammar and so forth. As to where you can find translated texts, vocabulary games and even language-specific media, know that there are several language learning sites out there that provide such content for both novice and advanced students.

About the Author

Increase your foreign language vocabulary at http://www.InternetPolyglot.com by playing online games and become a true polyglot. The site contains thousands of lessons in different languages from English, Spanish, French, Russian to Hindi, Turkish, Ukrainian and many others.

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Best Way To Learn A Foreign Language

by: Richard Henderson

I have never quite understood how to learn a foreign language. It is a shame too. Learning a foreign language is pretty necessary in this day and age. If you learn foreign language, it makes you more employable in a variety of areas, as well as enhancing your cultural experience. Say what you want about modern translations, but until you learn foreign languages you never get to experience the beauty of foreign writers. Nevertheless, I have only managed to learn a foreign language once, and it was so difficult for me that I doubt I will ever try it again. It was just too much work!

I managed to get all the way through college without ever successfully completing a learn foreign language program. I took a little bit of French in high school, but I dropped it after a couple of semesters. In general, I was a good student. Most subjects came easy to me, but I couldn't manage to learn foreign language no matter how hard I tried. I loved French culture and French literature, and I desperately wanted to learn how to speak French, but it just wouldn't come. I ended up taking an American sign language class to get rid of my learn foreign language requirement. Even that was difficult!

I struggled with learning a foreign language all through college. I went to a liberal arts university that demanded it, and I knew that I could not graduate with the degree that I wanted unless I managed to learn foreign language. I tried using how to speak French software, hiring a private tutor, and working with conversation partners, but nothing worked. I only successfully managed to learn foreign language when I finally went abroad. I spent a year in France, and it was one of the most difficult years of my life. Ultimately, however, it was also one of the most rewarding. I would never have managed to learn foreign language without it, you see.

To this day, I believe that the only way to really learn foreign languages is to completely immerse yourself in another culture. If you can speak English at all, you will not learn how to speak a foreign language. Instead, you will keep falling back on your English skills. If you need to learn foreign language in order to interact on a daily basis, however, it will come much more quickly. If I learned a foreign language in a year, you can probably do it using the same methods in six months!

About The Author
Rich Henderson runs his own internet marketing business from home. Check out these great Learning Online resources or the more specific Learn Languages Online. http://www.learningonlinenow.net/

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A Really Fun Way Of Learning New Languages!

by Amaury Hernandez

After studying around 30 minutes French or German I start to get tedious and anxious. It has always been like this, and not just for languages, but for almost everything: math, chemistry, programming, etc. About a year ago, I found a really good way of studying languages, which never got me tired or anxious.

After a good research, I remembered I had a game called The Secret of Monkey Island, the CD version, which came in several languages. I began playing it in Italian (I didn't know any Italian, 0%, nada), and after around 30 minutes, I noticed I started to understand a lot of words. After beating the game in 2 days, I was able to talk some Italian (just some... I wouldn't survive in Italy... or maybe I would, but just because the Spanish is like a brother to the Italian). Then, I decided to start the game again (damn, I love that game), and during this second time I was able to understand around 70% of what the characters were saying. And after beating it the second time, I started it in German. Well, I guess you got the point by now.

The most important thing about this technique isn't how fast I started to get a catch about the words, grammar, etc., but how long I lasted playing the game! When I study French the classical way, I only last about 30 minutes without a headache... when I study French playing a video game, I only last... well, I'd last until I gotta go to college.

If you believe you can stand against studying languages the classical way, do it! You'll learn in a better quality way. But if you are struggling because of all those headaches, I recommend to try this out.

Don't have a video game to start studying? Well, you can download The Secret of Monkey Island. This game is so old they made it abandonware (it's free). Or you can buy a video game which comes in several languages.

About the Author

I and some other people are working towards making a language learning community, where anyone can come by and start practicing new languages for free and/or help others learn. Visit our Foreign Language Learning Blog and start discovering some valuable tips and information for your language learning. We are working really hard at this project, and we hope you can come visit us.

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3 Steps For Successful English Learning

by Leo W.

Hundreds of ESL students and other people ask me the same questions. How to speak English fluently? or How can I improve my English conversation? skill? or What is the right way to learn English?

I used to answer them based on their obstacles until I discovered their common problems and finally came up with the easy-to-remember steps. Now, if anyone ask me I would simply advice them to think of the word CEK (it similarly pronouce like the word SEX which everyone knows very well!!) which stands for

-- Change Attitude -- Expose yourself -- Keep talking

-- Change Attitude --> From my experience, this is the most common problems for anyone who wants to learn english. The point is you should realize that your goal is to communicate with people in English.

You do not want to be an english professor or a professional translator (Well, if you want to be please skip this article Immediately) so do not worry about 100% correct grammar.

It is acceptable for the beginner to say he don't know instead of he doesn't know as long as the listener understands what you are trying to communicate. At least it is less annoying for them to wait for you 1 minute to produce each perfect sentence.

-- Expose yourself --> This step means to expose yourself to English environment. Of course, it is better if you could come to US or UK to study or learn English but I would say that you don't have to.

This is the year 2006 and English is already everywhere. movie, music, newspaper, articles and hundred of tourists who walk pass you everyday can be great learning sources. Another easy way is to go through the content of this website and ask if you have any questions.

-- Keep talking --> Whenever you have a chance to talk or to test your skills, just do it. You can even assume situation and talk to yourself.

Do not worry about mistake. Everyone makes mistake, Tiger Woods, David Beckham, Madonna etc. Who are you? Come on. Let's go out and create your own lessons.

About the Author

Leo W. is the webmaster and author of http://www.kinglishschool.com/

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How To Improve Vocabulary When Learning a Foreign Language

Author: mgavr68

Vocabulary improvement is undoubtedly one of the key elements in any language learning process, regardless if you're learning French, English, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese or any other language, no matter how "complicated" it is and what its rules are. Actually, obtaining an initial vocabulary base is one of the key elements you need to focus on when learning a foreign language and afterwards, increasing your vocabulary is a constant process you need to go through. There are several means to do so, some of which we will be going through below.

Translated texts

Using translated texts is a great way to improve your vocabulary, especially in the beginning stage of the language learning process, when you can't deduct words out of the context from a foreign text, simply because you don't understand it at all. Having a translation of the text however, allows you to form links between the words and their meanings. Obviously, it's important that these texts are kept simple and clean and that they don't use words that can have several meanings that would only confuse you.

Mnemonics

Although not necessarily a "new" method, mnemonics have been proven to be very effective in allowing students to memorize new words. The "trick" behind mnemonics is to link words in your native language to words in the new language and form visual images from the two. Oftentimes, these images will be far from common, sometimes they will be bizarre or interesting, which will only make them easier to be remembered. To give you some insight on how to use mnemonics, we'll take a look at the famous "yellow ice" example used in several free online courses as well as in many course books: the Spanish word for ice is "hielo" which resembles the English word yellow. This automatically forms a visual image of "yellow ice" which will help you remember the connection between the two.

The Dictionary method

The Dictionary method is a continuous effort and unlike some of the other vocabulary improvement methods, it won't be that fast, but it will definitely be long-term effective. What this method is all about is trying to learn a new word in the language you're studying on a daily basis. Open up the dictionary at a random page each day, spot a word you don't know and memorize it and what it means. This doesn't sound much indeed, but in fact you will be learning several words at once with the help of the dictionary's explanations. If you manage to form a study rhythm with this method you'll be on a constant vocabulary improvement streak.

In conclusion, one thing you need to always keep in mind is that a language's vocabulary is the foundation you will be working on and if this foundation isn't strong enough, the other parts of the structure won't be extremely stable as well. Besides the above-mentioned methods, you will be able to find several more on websites dealing with language learning techniques, some of which will prove to be well suited for you, whereas others will prove to be a waste of time. It will be your call to judge which ones you will take upon.

About the Author
Increase your foreign language vocabulary at http://www.InternetPolyglot.com by playing online games and become a true polyglot. The site contains thousands of lessons in different languages from English, Spanish, French, Russian to Dutch, Portuguese, Arabic and many others.

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Learning English In Four Easy Steps

Author: webcorp

So, you want to learn to speak English. That is great. There are a ton of great resources out there that can help including over 49,000 ESL websites.

Now if you are like most other ESL students reading this article then you already have a fairly good notion of the English language. You most likely are looking for a place to practice and enhance your English skills. So, here are four easy steps to do just that.

Step Number One: Preparation

Since you already have a fairly good notion of English you don't need to start all over with the ABC's and the verb "to be". Take stock of your current skills and find out where you are weak. Once you know what you need to learn...all you have to do is learn it.

So, pick out something from your list of things that you know you need/want to learn. Take a few minutes to analyze why you want learn this information, and make sure you focus on that particular point while studying. It is super easy to get side-tracked onto other topics.

If you do see something of interest while you are on your search for information...make sure to take note of it so you can come back at a later time. But for now...FOCUS on the task at hand!

Step Number Two: Practice

Now that you know what you know what you want to learn, jump over to Google or Yahoo and do a quick search on your chosen topic of interest. From there you should be able to find sites that will provide you with tools and resources such as audio files, video files, exercises, and tests to practice what you want to learn.

Step Number three: Use

Alright! You are rip, raring, and ready-to-go! You studied what it was you wanted to learn, and now you need to put it into use in real life situations. Use what you just learned on your friends and acquaintances. Hit the forums and try out what you now know. Try to use it at least thirty times to really assimilate it well and make it a part of you.

Step Number four: Evaluate

Once you are done for the day, sit down for a few minutes and evaluate how you did. Did you learn everything that is required? Are you still weak in certain areas of this topic?

Take note of these things, and use them in your planning time tomorrow as you restart the cycle. Make sure to do these four steps everyday, and you will steadily see your skills progressing. So now...just go do it!

About the Author
Travis Waack is an author and webmaster. You may view his collection of educational related resources at http://official-education-reosources.com

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How To Memorize Words

Author: mgavr68

One of the first steps we take when learning a language, be it our mother tongue as children, or a foreign language later on in life, is expanding our vocabulary by memorizing words (usually nouns and adjectives at first). Memorizing is done naturally when we're living in an environment that forces that particular language on us (such as our homes as children, or as visitors in a foreign country) but it can also be "forced" through several methods. The following article will try to present some of these methods that could help you learn how to memorize words faster when learning a foreign language.

Flashcards

Flashcards are the basic tools for word memorizing and although they are used mostly with small children, they can also be useful for grown-ups when learning a new foreign language. Basically, a flashcard is a piece of carton containing an image of a noun (usually nouns, although they can oftentimes contain colors, actions and so forth) with the appropriate word describing it and possibly, a small text that explains what the object is. They are a good way to take your first step into the vocabulary of the foreign language you are learning and they can be fun to use together with your children.

Using Mnemonic Links

A mnemonic is generally described as an abbreviation or a symbolic representation that helps humans memorize a certain "something" easier. Mnemonics are used to enhance and develop the assimilation of data into memory and there's no better use to them than in learning a new language. Since when you're gradually building your new vocabulary for the new language you will inevitably translate and think those words out in your mother tongue, you can use such a mnemonic to make this translation easier to memorize. For example if you've just learnt how to say "seaside" in the foreign language you're studying, imagine a picture of the seaside and then switch back between the native and foreign language words of what you're seeing. The image, which is easier to remember than a word, will act as an intermediate between the two languages.

Memory Enhancement Medication

There are several natural supplements out there that help you memorize stuff faster and for a longer period of time, as well as help with concentration during the learning process. Some of the herbs that are known to have a memory enhancing effect include Ashwagandha, Reishi, Ginseng, Bacopa, Mucuna Pruriens or Fo-Ti. Ginseng is one of the most popular in the list and it is widely used as a supplement in language learning classes as well as generally used by students before exams or during the school year. There are no side effects to these herbs but you might be allergic to one, so it is best if you visit your medic before taking any of them, asking if you are allowed or not to start a long or short-term memory enhancement plan.

There are also several vitamins and nutrients that could help out with memorizing new words, the list including: carnitine, lecitine, carnosine, choline, inositol, tyrosine and several others, but these are not the point of our discussion.

About the Author
Increase your foreign language vocabulary at http://www.InternetPolyglot.com by playing online games. The site contains thousands of lessons in different languages from English, Spanish, French, Russian to Hindi, Turkish, Ukrainian and many others.

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How To Improve Your Vocabulary

Author: mgavr68

Picture learning a new language as building a house from scratch. You can't wait to handle the design, buy the furniture or decorate the rooms, but first you need to go through the hard process of actually raising it from the ground. The vocabulary of a language is both its foundation and it contains the words that you will have to use as "bricks" when building it and although it's not crucial to have a huge amount of bricks, the more you have the bigger the house, hence the higher the comfort. Actually, taking the discussion back to the linguistic field, studies have shown that we only need 100 or so "core words" from a language's vocabulary in order to be able to handle basic communication. But that's comparable to having a single room apartment, when you might need a 2 story villa, so we need to see how we can improve the number of bricks we can use.

I'm presuming you already have a relatively solid grasp of the basic vocabulary of the language you're trying to enhance, or we wouldn't be talking about "improving" one's vocabulary but rather on how to learn it from scratch. If you've learnt the language from a course book or with the help of some online lessons, you probably have a limited amount of basic words, since these courses focus on a little bit of everything, including spelling, grammar, pronunciation and so forth, leaving little room to concentrate strictly on your vocabulary.

Reading and listening are two of the most important ways of increasing your vocabulary in a specific language. Whenever you have the chance to listen to someone speaking that language, or if you get your hands on some article written in it, make sure you do your best to understand it, focusing on the words that you don't know. If you can't "guess" them out of the context, have a dictionary near you to help you out with these new words. Especially if you're reading instead of listening, make sure you get the pronunciation right for the new words (dictionaries usually offer the pronunciation of the word besides its translation).

Another good way to increase your vocabulary is to engage in interactive activities in that particular foreign language. Educational games can be a fun way of expanding your word pool as well as playing a computer game in that language, trying to relate what's happening on the screen with what you're reading/hearing in case you stumble on some new words.

Last but not least, you could practice what language courses call the "A new word each day" game. Make it a habit to look up a new word in the dictionary each day and memorize it. Of course, you shouldn't stop at rare, practically useless words; instead, focus on commonly used words that are new to you, words that you actually have the chance of using in day-to-day conversation. If you combine this method with other vocabulary improvement ones, the daily amount of new words will probably be high enough to make it count, but small enough to not overload your memory with stuff that you are just going to forget the next day.

About the Author
Increase your foreign language vocabulary at http://www.InternetPolyglot.com by playing online games. The site contains thousands of lessons in different languages from English, Spanish, French, Russian to Hindi, Turkish, Ukrainian and many others.

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