HOW TO LEARN VOCABULARY

BEFORE
HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY

• GET INTERESTED
• Check pronunciation
• Check word form (n, adj, v, adv…)
• Check different levels of meaning => What meaning are you looking
for?
• Read examples carefully
• See common word families
• See common synonyms/antonyms
 DURING
HOW TO TAKE NOTE

• Keep a vocabulary-only notebook (picture)

BENE is Latin for “well.” A
• Use colours and creative sketchnotes to activate your benefit is a good result or
memory effect. Something beneficial
produces good results or
• Take note: effects. The Latin root can be
• Main word: word root + prefix/suffix heard in other languages as
well: “Good!” or “Fine!” in
• Noticeable sounds, word stress Spanish is “Bueno!”; in
• Meaning => use synonyms/antonyms or English definition French, it's “Bon!”; and in
where possible Italian, just say “Bene!”
=> benefit, beneficiary,
• Common word families
benefactor, benediction…
• Synoyms & antonyms
• Take note in phrase (+ prep, + do/to do/doing)
 DURING
HOW TO TAKE NOTE
 DURING
HOW TO TAKE NOTE
 DURING
HOW TO TAKE NOTE
 AFTER
WHAT TO DO AFTER TAKING NOTE

• READ OUT LOUD many times to record

the sounds to your brain (listening) and
train your mouth (speaking)
• REVIEW within the first 3 days
• USE it
 HOW TO BUILD YOUR VOCABULARY

• READ: newspapers, magazines (travel, business, fashion…), novels, non-fiction

books
• <6.: Diary of a wimpy kid, Harry Potter
• >6.: The Economist, New Scientist
• LISTEN: Spotify, Apple podcast
• WATCH: Netflix, TED-ed, BBC Planet Earth
• WRITE: your own blog on Wordpress
vWhatever you do, KEEP YOURSELF INTERESTED
 DO NOT…

• Learn a list of words without contexts

• Use English-Vietnamese dictionary
• Learn all meanings of a word in one go
• Learn EVERY new word in a reading passage
 REFERENCES

• Word root: Vocabulary builder by Merriam-Webster’s

• Prefix/Suffix list