Search for words - In addition to the word field exercise, there are other word research options available. Search specifically for related words for selected keywords. Make a note of these words in a separate book. Assign the opposites straight away.
move
Go
stand
remove
expand
dismantle
Recognize the way out
Find a solution
grope in the dark
Solve crossword puzzles - As an entertaining and educational pastime, word puzzles provide you with effective measures to expand your vocabulary. The Swedish puzzle is the classic among crossword puzzles. You are formally asked to enter a related word. There are generally different variations available to you. Choose from your favorites or try to solve different versions:
- French crossword puzzle
- Graphicami
- Solution panorama
- Puzzle spirals
- Honeycomb puzzles etc.
If you get stuck with the puzzle, put it away for the time being. The next day you will find out whether you don't know the words or just didn't think of them the day before. With a compendium for crossword puzzles, you can now search for the open points. Write down the particularly interesting ones in your notebook. Country-specific aspects, historical facts or specialties are of no concern to you in terms of vocabulary when solving the puzzle. For individual incentive, you can also resolve everything. Of course, it would be easier if you just worked through the solution book - but that wouldn't be as much fun and would be too much like memorizing.
Tip: Puzzle books offer you many different puzzle variations in a colorful mix.
Integrate quick word games into everyday life - In addition to the popular crossword puzzle, there are other short games to maximize your vocabulary. For example, the city-country-river puzzle is suitable for this. The focus on a single letter in combination with the categories demands a lot from you alone and under time pressure with other players. So that this game with names, professions and animals doesn't get boring too quickly, invent new categories. In principle, you don't have to invent much - when it comes to places of interest and spices, you have to ponder some letters just as much as when searching for a matching color. Can you find suitable solutions for flea market finds, aromas or something more curious - a round object? Can you think of a reason to be happy with "P" or a character trait with "G"?
Tip: The category "Reasons for ..." provides a linguistic insert for each topic. All emotions, events and actions fit into this category. The category proves to be universally expandable.
This suggestion is also tempting: collect words! In this game, you set a time slot. Then name a topic. And then you write down all the pieces of furniture, clothing or color nuances, for example. You can also increase the challenge here by using a predetermined initial letter.
Tip: Board games such as Scrabble or Rummikub combine linguistic vocabulary with strategic play. And with Taboo, you are forced to find words to paraphrase.
Paraphrase familiar words - Paraphrasing or describing a word you know is also a helpful language exercise. In one version, simple words are formulated for a chosen topic (example 1). One level higher, the game requires complicated words and even metaphors (example 2).
Example 1
Example 2
Summer
Vacation (vacations)
Time off school
(travel time)
Heat (warmth)
Sultriness (glow)
Automobile
Vehicle
(car)
Carriage (wagon)
Tires (pneumatic wheel)
Slippers (tires)
Summarize texts - The first step is to read a selected text. A challenging reading is particularly recommended due to complex structures. Then summarize the article in three to five sentences. Over time, the professional in you will come through - now one sentence must be enough for the summary! The best person to check the whole thing is your training partner. He or she checks whether the summary is correct. This will teach you to understand complex sentences, express yourself and form sophisticated sentence constructions.
Write actively - learning through practical experience is a promising option. Name a topic and write a short text about it. Then analyze it yourself. You will notice weaknesses in the expression and general choice of words. Highlight these passages when analyzing. How many word duplications did you find? And what did you not really understand while reading ? Thanks to the previous chapter, your expression will certainly not suffer too much - otherwise please read through this section again! Add your suggestions for improvement in the margin. Half a page is enough for the first few attempts. Increase the length to up to two pages. Keep in mind that a small amount of text brings quicker results. This approach is ideal for future presentations. Feel free to analyze your text several times. What is still bothering you and how many additions are there in the margins? If you want to improve your expression and choice of words, go through a process. It is precisely this principle that you will experience with this measure.
Tip: Writing a diary reveals great potential for developing your language skills.
Now you know where and how to find new words. But researching vocabulary is no guarantee of successfully integrating it into your everyday language life. With these three simple methods, you will create a constant contact with the new words. The constant repetition now gives you an intuitive transfer of the language examples into your vocabulary.
- Create a vocabulary book - You write down vocabulary in almost every activity above. So it seems very useful to create a separate vocabulary book. New words inspire and enrich your language. This is a very individual exercise. Each person finds different words refreshing and invigorating. These definitely belong in your book. You can get them from newspaper articles and information flyers, personal conversations with completely different people and from books, for example.
Note: Firstly, your vocabulary influences your own language. It also has a positive effect on your thoughts and actions.
- Make goals visible - Give positive words a stage. Similar to eliminating words with negative connotations, write down your preferred new words on a piece of paper. Hang this on the inside of your bedroom or front door or on your monitor in the office. Now learn the vocabulary immediately after getting up, when you leave the house or during working hours. Over time, the frequency will integrate each individual word into your vocabulary.
- Reading habit as a ritual - Set up a fixed time slot for reading in your everyday life. Would you like to read for 30 minutes at breakfast as an invigorating start? Or do you prefer to read immediately before going to bed as a relaxing end to a stressful day? You can also choose to take a break at over a snack, during your lunch break or in the evening as a substitute for the frustration of a rather predictable crime series on TV.
- Emphasis, content and structure determine the evaluation of your performance. In writing, there is an additional factor: the correct choice of words. On the one hand, it is a matter of using the correct sentence elements with the best possible meaning in terms of the argument. That alone is a task. Furthermore, "false friends" are a source of error. There are some words that sound the same and mean something different. Consequently, the recipient takes the right word from what he hears. When reading, however, they are quickly disturbed by words with a similar sound but completely different content. That becomes embarrassing! These are typical shortcomings:
- have been - since
- Page - String
- Death - dead
- was - true
Or how do you spell an enamel coating for cookware - enamel or enamel? Two words with similar meanings do not necessarily work indiscriminately. The use of need and want is completely different. Consequently, they are not synonyms. By comparison, foreign words also cause incorrect use of language:
- abstruse - absurd
- eminent - immanent
- tendentious - tendentious
Especially in nominal function, uncertainties arise with regard to foreign words: Does it really mean correction or correction?
Use of synonyms, antonyms and idioms
Having dealt with syntax in the last chapter, we now turn our attention to a small part of semantics - the study of meaning. For example, if you are talking about your bicycle, using the synonyms wheel, bike or bicycle will make you sound more exciting to the...
