Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[man660316]

Dear all,

I am studying in a University and my major is applied foreign language.

I trust I can use the simple words to speak English fruently but I have much difficulty to learn the new words. It's really difficult to me to remember the new words in my text book. So, my English ability is not good enough since I am limited by learning and remembering words.

I think I could not get better in my English abality even I say English without any fear. It's really a big problem to me.

Please, if some body can tell me how to learn the new words easliely? It would be a great favor if I can get anything from you. Thank you so much for your kindness.

[dduck]

Hi man660316,

I'm having similar problems learning new vocabulary in Spanish. Here's some ideas I use, or have heard works:

1. Use flash cards - one side your target lanuage, the other your native language.
2. As you are reading, make a note of the new and useful words that you come across. Study this list before you start reading a new passage/section.
2.i When building up word list, try to find the root word, e.g. writer comes from 'to write'. It's often useful to study the Latin, or Greek origins of words.
3. Buy a English only dictionary - the best ones are student dictionaries with lots of pictures inside.
4. When you come across a new useful word. Practice using it.

Remember it's one skill to be able to recognise a word of a page, yet another to hear it spoken, and yet once more to be able to use it in a sentence correctly.

Also, there are various memorization techniques:

1. Visualize the word, breaking it up into smaller chunks e.g. vis-ual-ize. Big words become a short list of small blocks - much easier to cope with!

2. Try to create an image in your head which connects the two words. Sometimes, this happens automatically, other times you have to sit and think for a few moments. The stranger the image you create the more easily you'll be able to recall it later.

Iain
_________________

Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself.
--Chinese Proverb

[man660316]

Thank you, Iain.

These suggestions are so usefule and some of them I never used. I am interesting in try them, I trust it will help me to do it easily.

[dduck]

[man660316]

Dear Iain,

I will have a summer vacation soon. I plan to read some English literatures for improving my reading ability, I think I could learn the vocabulary from the book.

How about your work in learning Spainish? I heard from my teacher the laguage is very difficult to study. I believe you make it soon. Maybe I can ask my teacher for some technic of learning Spainish.


Christine

[dduck]

[ilya]

man660316, i started learning spanish some months ago and i can say it`s very simple for learning if it compares with English. But its grammar is more difficult, but reading and learning words are very easy. After two lessons you will be able to read any spanish word correctly because practically spanish words are read in the same way that they are written.
I can recommend you for remembering words to retell texts with new words. For example, if you have read an article you should translate this article usiing new words from this text. We forget new words if we don`t use them.

[man660316]

Hi Ilya,

Thank you for your advice. I heard that idea from my teacher and tried it before, finally, what I remembered is my explanation but not the new word.....

I think I would try this way again. Since your suggestion is so useful to us.


B. rgds.

[man660316]

Hi Iain,

Yes, my English teacher is Taiwanese, too. She was majored in Spanish at University and went to USA after graduating. She speaks English well, but she mentioned Spanish is a difficult language to her. I think she had the same problem as you have. I will ask for her opinion and advise you.

[obelix]

By the way Christine, the comparative of "easily", is "more easily".