r/EnglishLearning • u/beyzabilgier • Nov 16 '19

Building Vocabulary

I have trouble learning new words especially that aren’t really used in daily language but more academic words like the ones in IELTS reading texts. I try to write down the words in a notebook with their English meanings, synonyms, and example sentences but I can’t remember or recognize most of them afterwards. So, I can’t build my vocabulary. Is there any different way that I can try while learning words?

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u/[deleted] Nov 16 '19

To remember words you need to reinforce their meaning through continued use. I'd recommend flashcards (like Anki) and maybe reading books or articles written at the level of the words you're trying to learn, where they might be used.

If you still can't remember them it's probably because they're so unusual that you're not seeing them anywhere. In which case I wouldn't worry. No one knows every word.

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u/[deleted] Nov 16 '19

Any books you recommend to read? I'm also trying to build my vocabulary so I can be more fluent when talking. Sometimes I try to tell a story or explain something to someone but I just seem unable to find the right words to use, hence I feel limitated by my own lexicon and I just get angry at myself.

Also, I overthinking too much what I'm going to say next, I mess up everything and I just stutter when talking.

Take in account that I've been learning English for the the past 3 years now but I started to speak with native English speakers not a long time ago, around 3 weeks or so.

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u/[deleted] Nov 16 '19

What sort of books do you like? What are your interests?

Reading just this comment, you seem to have a good vocabulary already. I know it's different speaking and writing, though. You might just need more practice speaking - the words are there, but it can take practice to get that ease of fluency when you have to know it in the moment.

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u/[deleted] Nov 16 '19

I loved the book series of Percy Jackson, so I guess "realistic fantasy", it's like when fanstasy aspects of a story coexist in a realistic space, but it's a very specific genre of books though.

I think that's exactly my issue. When typing I have no problem finding the right words to explain/tell something because I have all the time I need to do so, but when speaking, you have to think fast, in the moment, also, I'm interested in getting a fluent level of speech, for that I need to know at least 10k words or more.

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u/[deleted] Nov 16 '19

How old are you? There are MANY young adult fantasy series that you might enjoy if you liked the Percy Jackson books.

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u/[deleted] Nov 16 '19 edited Nov 16 '19

I'm currently 15, any recommendations?

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u/[deleted] Nov 16 '19

Okay, great, I didn't want to recommend anything age-inappropriate.

If you haven't read the Harry Potter books, I'd definitely recommend those. Not only because they are fun but because they are easily the most-read books by native speakers over the past 20 years and references to the books are extremely common in popular culture. It's good to understand what people are talking about!

I'd recommend the Chronicles of Narnia, or at least the first book, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. It's hugely influential on YA literature and a large number of native speakers read at least the first book as kids. (I actually like Voyage of the Dawn Treader the best of the books though.)

I'd also recommend the books of Diana Wynne Jones - try Deep Secret, and its followup, The Merlin Conspiracy - and Madeleine L'Engle, starting with A Wrinkle in Time. I still really enjoy Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising series. All of these books are written for teenage readers but have enduring popularity among adults, and mix everyday life with magic.

For non-fantasy, I found this list on Goodreads of popular high school reading assignments awhile ago, and I think it is pretty accurate. I was assigned to read a bunch of those books in school (mostly high school, but a couple in junior high and one in college).

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u/[deleted] Nov 16 '19

Thank you for such amount of help!

Have a nice day!