Build Active Vocabulary: Mental Strategies and Quick Tips

Build Active Vocabulary: Mental Strategies and Quick Tips for English Learners

For English language learners, continuing to build vocabulary can feel very challenging. In the middle of a busy daily schedule, it is hard to focus on making new words an active part of your life. However, with a little time and an understanding of how our minds remember things, you can greatly speed up this vocabulary-learning process.

Below are some simple, effective strategies for building your active vocabulary more quickly. 

How Your Brain Learns Words

Before we get into the suggestions, let’s talk about what happens in your brain when you are building new vocabulary. Your brain stores words in two ways: passive vocabulary and active vocabulary (this is true of both your first language and the additional languages that you learn).

Passive vocabulary is all the words you recognize when you are reading or listening, but typically don’t use when writing or speaking. With some of these words, you may know the meanings quite well, but with others your understanding may be a little unclear—that’s normal for passive vocabulary. Your ‘bank’ of passive vocabulary words will always be much larger than your active vocabulary bank.

Active vocabulary refers to words that are fully under your command: you can easily use active vocabulary words when speaking or writing. They are familiar and easy to bring to mind at the right time. These are the words you use to interact with the world around you.

The question becomes, what are the best ways for English language learners to transfer words from their passive vocabulary bank to the active? Read on to find out!

Strategy #1: Focus on Useful Words

This probably won’t come as a big surprise: in any language, not all words are equally important. For example, when is the last time in a conversation you heard someone say the word “timorous”? (Timorous is similar in meaning to the much-more-useful words ‘timid’ or ‘shy’.) It is not uncommon for me to tell one of my students, “Yes, you will certainly find that word in the English dictionary, but personally, I haven’t used it in conversation even once during the past year!” Some words are best left in your passive vocabulary bank because they simply aren’t useful enough in daily life.

The great news is that knowing which words are most useful is no longer a mystery. With the aid of computers, modern researchers are able to identify the words that English language learners use most for both daily-life and academic situations.

Two of the most popular of these vocabulary lists are the Oxford 3000 and the Oxford 5000. Having an active vocabulary bank of 3,000 words is a great goal to set: research has shown that English speakers with a knowledge of 3,000 words will recognize more than 90% of language used by native speakers. Of course, there are other listening skills involved for actually comprehending what you hear, but this is a great place to start!

Here is a free link to a pdf version of the Oxford 3000 list.  Download it and get started today!

Strategy #2: Use Visualization to Remember Words

It is a fact that our brains remember pictures better than words. When you are learning a new vocabulary word, try to imagine it clearly in your mind. Think of the color, the feel, the smell associated with the new word. Maybe you can draw a simple picture that represents the word. For example:

• If you learn the word “environment,” imagine a beautiful scene of a tree-covered hillside with birds flying across a bright blue sky.
• If you learn the word “perform,” bring to your mind a time when you had to speak or perform in front of a group of people: what was the situation? how did it feel? Picture yourself there.
• If you learn the word “poison,” draw a picture of a skull and crossbones with ‘poison’ written underneath.

The clearer the image, the easier it is to remember the word!

Strategy #3: Keep a Vocabulary Journal 

To build active vocabulary, vocabulary development must become an active task in your life. Have a mindset of always being ready to capture a new word if the situation arises.

When I lived in a different country and was learning the local language, I always kept a small notebook in my pocket (I didn’t have a cell phone in those days). Any time I heard something that sounded important, I would take a moment to make a quick note. Later, I reviewed my notes with the help of my language coach. Words that my coach told me were important then went into my vocabulary journal, which I reviewed five times a week (usually while relaxing at a cafe). In this way, I was able to build my vocabulary level quite quickly.

Keeping a small notebook or a notetaking app on your phone and interacting with words in a vocabulary journal are great ways to build your active bank of words—as well as your overall language awareness.

Strategy #4: Make Vocabulary Personal

Your brain remembers words better when they have personal meaning. To make a new word personal:

• Use it in a sentence about yourself. For example, if you learn the word “ambitious,” you might say, “I am ambitious because I want to learn English well.”
• Connect the word to something you enjoy. If you love music, think about how the new word relates to your favorite songs or singers. In fact, you could make a project of learning the words to some favorite songs.

Strategy #5: Practice Daily with “Micro-Learning”

Instead of studying vocabulary for hours, try short practice sessions. This is called micro-learning. Spend just 5-10 minutes learning new words, then review them later in the day. Here’s how:

• Morning: Spend time with 3-5 new words, focusing on their meanings and examples.
• Afternoon: Write sentences using those words.
• Evening: Say the words out loud and try to use them in a short conversation with a partner.

Focusing on vocabulary in frequent, small sessions like these will help reinforce the new words and also prevent you from getting bored too quickly.

Strategy #6: Use Fun Tricks to Learn Faster

Based on how the human mind remembers things, there are many simple tricks—sometimes called “hacks”—to help you learn words faster:

• Sticky Notes: Put sticky notes on objects in your home with their English names. For example, label your refrigerator, desk, and mirror. Every time you see and say them out loud, you’ll be reinforcing these words and pushing them toward your active vocabulary.
• Word Associations: Link new words to words you already know. Think about relationships such as ‘opposites’ or degrees of strength. For example, you might learn “laid back” as the opposite of “rigid,” or “disgusted” as a stronger form of “upset.”
• Create Word Families: One of the best strategies for learning new words quickly is to focus on ‘word families’: related words that all have the same root. When you encounter a new word (for example, an adjective like “original”), also learn the related noun (origin), verb (originate), and adverb (originally). Your brain will store these words together, so quickly bringing them to mind becomes easier.

Strategy #7: Learn Through Repetition and Spaced Practice

Repetition helps move words from short-term to long-term memory. Use spaced practice, which means reviewing words at increasing intervals. For example:

• Review new words the same day you learn them.
• Review again after two days, then after a week. Write short messages, notes, or diary entries using your new words.
• Every few weeks, return to your ‘old’ words to make sure the meaning is still in your active awareness.

Also, free apps like Duolingo can be a great way to practice and review vocabulary anywhere you go.

Strategy #8: Stay Positive and Patient

Learning new vocabulary takes time. Don’t worry if you forget words or make mistakes—it happens to everyone! Every step you take is one more step toward improvement. Celebrate small wins like remembering a new word or successfully using it in a sentence. This is great progress!

With patience, effort, and effective strategies such as the ones listed here, you will soon find it easier and easier to express yourself clearly in English.

Thanks for spending time with these great ways to build your active vocabulary.

You might also enjoy this look at the 4 basic parts of an English essay.

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