Speaker 1: Today, we're going to talk about one of the biggest
goals that English learners have, and that is building vocabulary.
You've probably felt this before, like, ugh, I want to
express myself but I just don't have the words. Or
maybe you're reading something and you keep thinking, I know
this word, I've seen it before, but what does it
mean again. Well, first of all, that's totally normal, and second,
I've got you. In this English Lesson podcast. I'm going
to give you simple, practical tips that will help you
grow your vocabulary without feeling overwhelmed or bored. Let's jump in.
Speaker 2: Welcome to another Happy English podcast, coming to you from
New York City, and you're your English teacher, Michael.
Speaker 1: All right, thank you, Jan and thanks everyone. It's Michael
here from Happy English and I help people speak English better.
This is Happy English Podcast, Episode eight eighteen. Build Vocabulary
without getting bored. Hello and welcome. Thanks for joining me
for another episode of the Happy English Podcast. I'm your
English teacher, Michael, and I'm so glad you've decided to
tune in and check it out. Today, I want to
give you my five best tips for building your English vocabulary.
The first tip is don't memorize word lists instead connect
words to situations. Let me ask you a question, and
be honest. Have you ever made a huge vocabulary list
with like ten, twenty or fifty new words and then
forgot all of them a week later? Yeah? Me too,
even when I study Japanese. The thing is we remember
words better when they're connected to real life. Let me
give you an example. Instead of learning the word awkward
from a list, learn it in a sentence, like at
the party, it was so awkward when no one laughed
at my joke. Just imagine that situation. You tell a joke,
no one laughs, that's awkward. Boom. Now that word will stick.
Context is king, and so you should try to learn
new words in context like stories, conversations, or short dialogues.
It helps a lot. And here's the next tip. Learn phrases,
not just sing words. Here's a secret. Native speakers don't
just speak in words. They speak in chunks or groups
of words. So, for example, instead of memorizing the word recommend,
try learning it in a phrase like I'd recommend the
fried chicken here, I recommend it? Or can you recommend
a good movie? Can you recommend blah blah blah. That's
a common phrase, and this way you're learning how the
word is actually used, not just the dictionary meaning. It
also helps you speaking sound more natural. Learn the word
in the context that it's usually used in. And there's
a bonus to this tip. It makes grammar easier too,
because you're learning the whole sentence structure without even thinking
about it. Can you recommend blah blah blah or I
recommend blah blah blah. Okay. The next tip is to
use new words right away. This is huge. If you
don't use a word, you lose it. So if you
learn a new word today, try using it today. Let's
say you learn the word binge watch, so send your
friend a text something like last night, I binge watched
five episodes of Game of Thrones. Or say it out
loud to yourself, I binge watched Netflix. That's why I'm
so tired. The key here is to use it to
remember it. The more you say it, write it, or
hear it in action, the stronger it sticks. Okay. Tip
four is to create a personal dictionary, but make it fun.
Instead of a boring notebook with a list of words,
try this. Make a personal dictionary and it can be
digital or handwritten and only add the words you want
to remember. So you write down the word, a short definition,
hopefully in English, and a sentence that you made, and
maybe even a little picture or emoji to help you
remember it. Like let's say the word is grumpy, so
you write grumpy means to be in a bad mood,
and then you write your example like I get grumpy
if I don't get a cup of coffee in the morning,
angry emoji. That way, you're not just copying info, you're
making it your own. Someone once said, what did they say?
You should take the word, write it in a sentence
that's true for you, and then memorize your sentences. Hmmm,
I wonder who that was. The last tip for today
is to just make vocabulary part of your everyday life.
You don't need to study one hundred new words a week. Seriously,
try learning just three to five words a week, but
use them often. And here's some of the things you
can do. You can label things in your house with
sticky notes, choose your own personal word of the day
and speak it three times. Watch a short YouTube video
or podcast and write down one or two new words
you liked. Even talk to yourself Okay, what's for dinner tonight?
I'm starving. Ooh, leftovers. Leftovers, that's a good word. The
more your vocabulary practice feels like a natural part of
your life, the more fun and effective it becomes. So
let's do a quick recap. Don't memorize word lists. Learn
words in real situations and learn phrases, not just words.
Use new words right away, speak, write and think with them.
Make your own personal dictionary, and practice a little often.
Make vocabulary part of your everyday life, and remember this.
You can get more practice using your English when you
join my podcast learner's study group. There you can make
new friends. Join us for live group lessons every week
where we practice these podcast lessons together. Plus you get
access to the PDF, transcript and audio download for every
Happy English podcast in the past and in the future.
And on top of that, each episode has exercises where
you can practice this English point with speaking and writing
checked by me. To learn more, well, just visit Myhappy
English dot com and choose podcast lesson eight eighteen. Remember,
learning another language is not easy, but it's not impossible,
and I'm here to help you on your journey.
Speaker 2: This podcast is brought to you by Happy English. Please
visit Myhappy English dot com. Show your support for Happy
English by leading us a review. Get English, Get Happy,
Happy English.