十种英语词汇学习的好方法

 　　十种英语词汇学习的好方法

　　Vocabulary Learning Tip One:

　　Read, Read, Read! Most vocabulary words are learned from context. The more words you’re exposed to, the better vocabulary you will have. While you read, pay close attention to words you don"t know. First, try to figure out their meanings from context. Then look the words up. Read and listen to challenging material so that you"ll be exposed to many new words.

　　Vocabulary Learning Tip Two:

　　Improve your context skills. Research shows that the vast majority of words are learned from context. To improve your context skills pay close attention to how words are used. Doing a search on a word using dejanews.com (for searching newsgroups) will give you many examples of how that word is used in context. Play our Daily Context Vocabulary Quiz.

　　Vocabulary Learning Tip Three:

　　Practice, practice, practice. Learning a word won’t help very much if you promptly¹ forget it. Research shows that it takes from 10 to 20 repetitions to really make a word part of your vocabulary. It helps to write the word - both the definition and a sentence you make up using the word - perhaps on an index card that can later be reviewed. As soon as you learn a new word, start using it. Review your index cards periodically to see if you have forgotten any of your new words. Also, do a search on a word using dejanews.com (for searching newsgroups) to get many examples of how the word is actually used.

　　Vocabulary Learning Tip Four:

　　Make up as many associations and connections as possible. Say the word aloud to activate² your auditory memory. Relate the word to words you already know. For example, the word GARGANTUAN³ (very large) has a similar meaning to the words gigantic, huge, large, etc. You could make a sequence: small, medium, large, very large, GARGANTUAN. List as many things as you can that could be considered GARGANTUAN: Godzilla, the circus fat lady, the zit on your nose, etc. Create pictures of the word’s meaning that involve strong emotions. Think "the GARGANTUAN creature was going to rip me apart and then eat me!"

　　Vocabulary Learning Tip Five:

　　Use mnemonics⁴ (memory tricks). For example, consider the word EGREGIOUS⁵ (extremely bad). Think EGG REACH US - imagine we’ve made a mistake so bad that they are throwing eggs at us and a rotten EGG Reaches US. Such funny little word pictures will help you remember what words means, AND they are fun to make up. Also, find out which learning style. Suits you best. Everyone learns differently!

　　Vocabulary Learning Tip Six:

　　Get in the habit of looking up words you don’t know. If you have a dictionary program on your computer, keep it open and handy. America Online and other internet services have dictionaries and thesauruses on their tool bars. Find them and look up any word you are not absolutely sure of. Use a thesaurus when you write to find the word that fits best.

　　Vocabulary Learning Tip Seven:

　　Play with words. Play Scrabble, Boggle, and do crossword⁶ puzzles. These and other word games are available for the computer, so you are not dependent on a partner to play. Also, try out the Franklin Electronic Dictionary that features built-in word games.

　　Vocabulary Learning Tip Eight:

　　Use vocabulary lists. For the serious vocabulary student, there are many books that focus on the words most commonly found in standardized⁷ tests, such as the SAT and GRE. There are also many interesting word sites on the Internet, many of which will send you a word a day by email.

　　Vocabulary Learning Tip Nine:

　　Take vocabulary tests. Playing games, such as the ones on this site, that test your knowledge will help you learn new words and also let you know how much progress you’re making. Offline sources for vocabulary tests include SAT prep books (we recommend "10 Real SATs" by ETS), and the Reader’s Digest Word power section. For more, check out Amazon.com or your local bookseller.

　　Vocabulary Learning Tip Ten:

　　Get excited about words! Come to appreciate the sometimes-subtle differences between them. Do you know the difference between something that denotes something else and something that connotes something else? If not, go look it up. Learn to say what you really mean and discover the joys of being able to express yourself in writing. Your future can depend on how rich your vocabulary is. A good vocabulary will make a difference on the standardized tests, like the SAT and GRE that could determine whether or where you go to college. It will also determine the quality of your communication. So be in it for the long pull. Let building your vocabulary be a lifelong proposition. Remember: "In the beginning was the word." Until you have a word for something, it does not exist for you. Name it, and you have made your reality richer.

1 promptly   

adv.及时地，敏捷地

参考例句：

• He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
• She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。

2 activate   

vt.使活动起来，使开始起作用

参考例句：

• We must activate the youth to study.我们要激励青年去学习。
• These push buttons can activate the elevator.这些按钮能启动电梯。

3 gargantuan   

adj.巨大的，庞大的

参考例句：

• My gargantuan,pristine machine was good for writing papers and playing solitaire,and that was all.我那庞大的、早期的计算机只适合写文章和玩纸牌游戏，就这些。
• Right away,I realized this was a mistake of gargantuan proportions.我立刻意识到这是一个巨大的错误。

4 mnemonics   

n.记忆术

参考例句：

• Mnemonics is important in learning English.记忆术对学英语很重要。
• Mnemonics are made up of letter to represent the operation code.助记码是由字母组成，以代表操作码。

5 egregious   

adj.非常的，过分的

参考例句：

• When it comes to blatant lies,there are none more egregious than budget figures.谈到公众谎言，没有比预算数字更令人震惊的。
• What an egregious example was here!现摆着一个多么触目惊心的例子啊。

6 crossword   

n.纵横字谜，纵横填字游戏

参考例句：

• He shows a great interest in crossword puzzles.他对填字游戏表现出很大兴趣。
• Don't chuck yesterday's paper out.I still haven't done the crossword.别扔了昨天的报纸，我还没做字谜游戏呢。

7 standardized   

adj.标准化的

参考例句：

• We use standardized tests to measure scholastic achievement. 我们用标准化考试来衡量学生的学业成绩。
• The parts of an automobile are standardized. 汽车零件是标准化了的。