How do you force yourself to use words you are not familiar with?

Question

i am trying to expand my English vocabulary so i can put some variety in my daily usage of words. how do i force myself out of my comfort zone and use words i've never used before? it would defeat the purpose to learn new vocabularies if i don't use them, but i have a hard time recalling these new words from memory precisely due to my lack of using them. a lot of times i find myself falling back on words i am already familiar with. how do i STOP myself from doing that?

Answer 1

The very best way to do this is by a daily system. Each day find a new word ( there are lots of websites that'll give you words, such as http://wordsmith.org/awad/index.html ). Then when you've learned it and the definition, during the rest of that day you must tell yourself to use that word as many times as you can. Even if you can't fluently slip it into conversation (though you should try to) you can try and use it in your mind as much as possible and by the end of day you'll have put it into use so it'll come a lot easier to you in future than if you just learned a definition each day.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Wow..this was a very interesting and surprising question.



Don't fret my dear..I have vocabulary problems too in my speech..but my writing thankfully does NOT suffer...hhaa.



Well one way to go would be to get a book called The Synonym Finder. Great resource when you are writing anything from a short story to an essay...over a million definitions!



Heres a few words for everyday life to help you out...



Awesome---also can be said as-----Sublime



Stupid---can also be used in context of---Gormless



Criminal----also known as----Felonious



If you can buy The Synonym finder online, you can open it to a random page and place your finger on a word as an exercise. And then use that word for the rest of the day when you find you are searching for the meaning of an overused word. Am I making any sense?



Hope this helps! Good luck and have FUN...words are amazing creatures.

Answer 3

I actually keep a little electronic dictionary with me at all times while reading, and EVERY time I come to a word I'm not POSITIVE of, I look it up. I never assume I can figure out the meaning by its context; I've misused words that way before.



When you get in the habit of doing this, you'll remember words that you look up repeatedly. Also, the electronic dictionaries keep a history of the words you've looked up, so you can always go back the next day and refresh your memory.



Finally, the best way to improve your vocabluary is to READ READ READ! Once I see a word or phrase used often enough in literature, it becomes natural for me to use it myself.

Answer 4

Try to use one or two new words a day, so you can get used to them step-by-step. When you're talking, and realize you can use one of those words, correct yourself. Maybe you could write in a journal or online and use the words. Don't try to push yourself into a new vocabulary all at once, or it's not going to work. Good luck! :)

Answer 5

Try to take a few words at a time. For example:



Day 1: tainted, decapitated

2: pleasurable



and so on.



Or practice writing sentences with each new word in it.

Answer 6

Hmm that is tough! Well maybe repeat one new word to yourself a couple of times out loud or so each day. Like think of a situation you might use that word and use it out loud.

Answer 7

write the words down and post them on your fridge, by your computer, in your car, on your bathroom mirror.post them individually with thier defintions then pratice when you see the slips of paper.

Answer 8

hi

try using vocabulary software and you can get it from this website and its really stuff you can get even vocabulry game just check this website http://www.vocabularysoftware.net/