Improve Your English by Practicing Effectively

Improve Your English by Practicing Effectively

English learners can improve their ability to use different words by practicing. One way to practice effectively is through repetition – doing something over and over again.

Repetition, however, does not mean repeating a new vocabulary word the same way every time. It means repeating the word while using it in different contexts or situations.

This idea comes from Sarah Lynn, who works as an educational consultant¹ and teacher at Harvard University's Bridge Program.

She says that English learners often have trouble using new words in different situations. They are unable to put their knowledge and skills to use in new ways.

Common problems

If you are like many students learning a foreign language, you have probably faced a situation like the one Sarah Lynn describes here:

"We learn a new word, and then, when the moment comes to actually use it, we can't retrieve² it or we can't use it in a new situation and in a new expression."

The problem, she explains, is that the learner's language is not alive yet. He or she is not able to transfer what they have learned to a new situation.

In an earlier Education story, we discussed the importance of dendrites. Dendrites are connections in the brain. They grow thicker and stronger with practice.

Lynn suggests that better dendrite connections can improve retrieval, the ability to remember and use vocabulary words. One way to grow dendrite connections in the brain is to make connections to what you already know.

Another way to grow dendrite connections is to practice. "They say practice makes perfect" says Lynn, "but actually, practice makes permanent."

How to overcome the problem

The solution for effective practice, she says, is repetition. However, repetition does not mean what many people think it does:

"And it's not just about repeating it the same way every time...you need to repeat, but not just mimicking³ but actually thinking about it and putting it in next contexts and new situations."

If the English learner wanted to learn a new word, they would repeat the word. But each time they repeat the word, they should try to mentally put the word in different contexts and situations.

After this, Lynn says that the next step for language learners is to search for the new word while reading. If the learners read a mix of different writings, they will find the word used in different contexts.

In addition, Lynn suggests that English learners consider what role the word plays in a sentence. Lynn says the learners should think about this question: Is the word acting⁴ as a noun, adjective or verb? Lynn explains the reasons for doing this exercise:

"The more you do that variation, and the more you bring in different modalities in how you learn, the more robust⁵ the learning will be, but also the more transferable it will be."

Concordances and Corpora

One way you can practice her suggestions is to use concordances or corpora. Concordances are lists of all of the words that occur in a written work. There are concordances of famous historical works, such as the writings of William Shakespeare.

They show all of the words he used, and tell you where to find all of the examples of that word. Concordances can help you look for words in different contexts, and suggest other words that may be related to the word you have learned.

Corpora, the plural⁶ of corpus, are databases that gather information from many sources.

When you go to one of the many free online corpora, you can put in a new word and it will show you how the word is used.

If you wanted to learn the word 'sunglasses', you could type the word into Brigham Young University's corpus, for example. You will see a screen that highlights the word you are looking for in many contexts.

What can you do?

The next time you learn a new vocabulary word, try to be an active learner by placing the new vocabulary word in different contexts.

As Lynn suggests, try looking for the new word while reading.

Ask yourself questions about the word. While repeating the word, think about the different contexts in which the word could be used.

In other words, practice the same way, but differently. Give it a try, and let us know how it works for you.

Words in This Story

context – n. the situation in which something happens

transfer – v. definition

retrieve – v. get or bring (something) back; regain⁷ possession of

work – n. something (such as a book, song, or painting) that is produced by a writer, musician, artist, etc.

database – n. a collection of pieces of information that is organized and used on a compute

1 consultant   

n.顾问；会诊医师，专科医生

参考例句：

• He is a consultant on law affairs to the mayor.他是市长的一个法律顾问。
• Originally,Gar had agreed to come up as a consultant.原来，加尔只答应来充当我们的顾问。

2 retrieve   

vt.重新得到，收回；挽回，补救；检索

参考例句：

• He was determined to retrieve his honor.他决心恢复名誉。
• The men were trying to retrieve weapons left when the army abandoned the island.士兵们正试图找回军队从该岛撤退时留下的武器。

3 mimicking   

v.（尤指为了逗乐而）模仿( mimic的现在分词 )；酷似

参考例句：

• She's always mimicking the teachers. 她总喜欢模仿老师的言谈举止。
• The boy made us all laugh by mimicking the teacher's voice. 这男孩模仿老师的声音，逗得我们大家都笑了。 来自辞典例句

4 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

5 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。

6 plural   

n.复数；复数形式；adj.复数的

参考例句：

• Most plural nouns in English end in's '.英语的复数名词多以s结尾。
• Here you should use plural pronoun.这里你应该用复数代词。

7 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。