TABE Level D English: How to Develop Your Vocabulary

Words to Know

1. Create a Word List of Your Own
If you want to improve your reading or English skills, you need to improve your vocabulary. Perhaps words don’t come easily as you speak or write. You might not know the meanings of some words as you read. You know that you need to increase the size of your reading, writing, and speaking vocabularies.
If this is true for you, there is a way to meet your vocabulary needs. Like spelling, however, vocabulary improvement does not happen in a day. This is an ongoing process.

Carry a small notebook

You might have heard this simple idea before because it does work. You probably can’t carry a dictionary with you, but you can carry a small notebook. Each time you hear or read a word that you don’t know, write it down. When you do have a dictionary available, look up the word and write the definition in the notebook. Using the word in a sentence is also a good idea. However, if you learn best by listening and speaking, you can do this. Say new words into a tape recorder as we suggested in Section 1. Say the word in a sentence. Remember to include both the synonyms and antonyms. Record sentences for both.

You can also look up the word in a Thesaurus, a book of synonyms and antonyms.

Looking at the Thesaurus can be very helpful to you. You know that you learn new things by making connections to what you already know. In the Thesaurus, you might find a synonym that you already know. You can connect the familiar word with the unknown word. The connection makes it easier to learn the unknown word. For example, suppose you didn’t know the meaning of the word familiar. You look it up in a Thesaurus and find synonyms. They are, well known, known, and common. You already know the word known. You can now connect the synonym to the word familiar.

Take this a step further and look at the antonyms given for the word familiar. At least one of the antonyms will help you: The opposite of familiar is unusual. Put all of this information in your notebook or on your tape recording.

2. Think About How Much You Read
Read More
The more you read, the larger your vocabulary becomes. Why? That question was answered in Section 2 Reading, Lesson 4. Read about context clues again to refresh your memory, and we will review the skill below. As you read, you will always be trying to figure out the meanings of words. You will add to your vocabulary when you read the words in context.
In the meantime, take every chance you have to read. Read about subjects you enjoy. You are much more likely to read if there is something you want to know more about. Any kind of reading is acceptable. You might like fiction, or true stories, or biographies. Or you might be most interested in sports. Whatever it is, just READ!
Some people think that only books are acceptable. That’s not true. If you have an interest in science, or current events, or auto mechanics or any other topic, there is a magazine for you. Don’t forget newspapers. They are also full of topics of interest. Remember that you don’t have to buy the magazine or newspaper. They are probably available at your local library.

3. Become an Expert at Finding Context Clues
We understand sentences and paragraphs because we read words in a context. You recall that context clues are the words and phrases around an unknown word that help to explain it. Review this important skill in Section 2, Lesson 4.

Example:
In a city filled with many, many beautiful buildings, this one edifice was the tallest and most modern.
Even if you do not know the meaning of the underlined word, you can still say what the sentence talks about. It talks about buildings. Two ways you can describe buildings are with the words height and style. What is an edifice? Of course, from the context of the whole sentence, you know it is another word for building.
In a city filled with many, many beautiful buildings, this one building was the tallest and most modern.
As you can see, having a larger vocabulary allows you to repeat an idea/thing (building) without repeating the same word (building becomes edifice).

Example:
We have become more and more aware of the dangers posed by polluted water.
What is the meaning of the word posed? Does it have anything to do with positioning yourself for a picture? No. It has to do with the dangers created or presented by polluted water.

Tip:
A Thesaurus would be very useful to find synonyms for this word. You need to look up the base word, pose. (The Thesaurus does not list verbs with their endings.) You would find many synonyms. Some of them are create, cause, and produce. You would then add a d to match posed.
We have become more and more aware of the dangers created by polluted water.

More than One Definition: Multimeaning Words
A. number of words in the English language have more than one meaning. These are words that are spelled the same but have different meanings. They are often called multimeaning words.

Example: homonym
His wife is a major in the Army National Guard.
Theresa decided on nutrition as her major in college.
The word major is used to show rank in the first sentence. In the second sentence, the word major tells what Theresa’s main course of study will be.