Vocabulary

A limited vocabulary limits your use of language.  Your vocabulary is all the words you understand and can use in your reading, listening, and talking.  If you are only vaguely familiar with a word's meaning but can not use the word yourself, it is not a part of your vocabulary. Increasing your vocabulary will increase your reading rate and comprehension!

Think of yourself as a word detective.  Read books, magazines, poems, plays, interviews, short stories, and more.  Set a goal of finding several new words every day.  Create or play word games.  Playing  Scrabble or Boggle, for example, is a way to reinforce new vocabulary words.  Work new words into your conversation.  Say the word, spell it,  and say it again to assist in transferring the word from short-term to long-term memory.  Every time you hear or read a new word, write it  on a small index card or in a small notebook which can fit in a pocket.  When you have several, track them down in a dictionary.  There are many references available in print and on the Internet including the University of Chicago's Digital Library, eCUIP.  CUIP is a collaborative partnership between the University of Chicago and 28 Chicago Public Schools.

Looking Up Words Online

Use eCUIP, an online reference, to find a dictionary definition for each of these three words: laconic, taciturn, succinct.

Click here to access eCUIP.

Now,  use this same online reference to find a synonym for each of the same three words.  Did you click on the dictionary link to find the definitions and the thesaurus link to find the synonyms on the eCUIP  reference page?  Make an effort to look up every word that you do not know as soon as possible after you encounter it.  Soon you will become an expert.  Don't interrupt your reading to research the word but do jot it down. Review your accumulated list on a regular basis. Repetition is the key to remembering!

Using Context Clues

Deciphering the meaning of a word from context clues is a helpful skill.  In this case, context refers to the words and sentences around any particular word and the ideas they express.

Exercise:  Write the five indicated words below  on an index card or a sheet of paper.  Use the context clues to develop a definition  for each of the five.

1. This year's church fundraiser was a fiasco. The fundraising committee spent more money than it earned.
2. The tortuous road we took to see the sights in Maui, Hawaii had one steep and narrow curve after another.
3. I am an outgoing person. I love to be around people; talking and doing things together.  My friends say  I'm gregarious.
4. The husband and wife were opposites.  John was parsimonious  while Lydia's closet was full of expensive furs and clothes.
5. He explained that he has no siblings. He is an only child.

Roots-Prefixes-Suffixes

Another powerful skill to aid your vocabulary development is recognizing the root, prefix, and suffix of a word.  Many English prefixes and roots are derived from Latin and Greek. The root is the base upon which a word is built.  The prefix is the part of the word added to the beginning of the base.  The suffix is the part added to the end of the base.  Take the word "misanthrope", for example.  You may know that the prefix "mis" usually means "wrong".  If you have seen a list of Latin and Greek roots, you know that "anthrop" means "human being".  Therefore, a misanthrope thinks that being human is wrong.  He hates or distrusts all people.  Furthermore, the suffix "ology" means "the study, science, or theory of".  Hence, "anthropology" means "study of man".  A list of common roots, prefixes, and suffixes  can be found in many print sources including student references like Writers Inc., vocabulary handbooks, and some dictionaries.

 Click here to access an online partial list of frequently used  word components.

Click here for a suggested list of words to master from literary classics.

Click here for interactive vocabulary practice.