Who said vocabulary learning had to be dull? Why just stick to learning words and definitions with meaningless passages? The best way to learn English vocabulary is in a context in which you are interested. In the age of the internet, we now have an endless supply of rich content, information and sources that contain interesting instances of English words so you can learn their meaning in context, not just through rote memorization.
Vocab Hunt is a resource website and blog where we explore English vocabulary through different sources including books, movie scripts, news and music. We discuss etymology, foreign words that are commonly used in English, obscure and esoteric English vocabulary words, jargon from different industries, and slang.
What is the best way to learn English vocabulary?
There are many methods to learn English words, and unfortunately most are not very effective. Like mastering any skill or area of knowledge, persistence and determination are important. In terms of learning English vocabulary, it is important to consider the way we as humans form memories. Learning through rote memorization of, for example, a word and its definition written in a notebook or on a flashcard is typically only mildly effective and usually only for a short period of time. With this approach, what tends to happen is the learner only gains a familiarity of the word itself. The purpose of words is to describe a concept or emotion. However, when the learner’s only attachment to the word is the word itself, recalling what that word is meant to convey becomes increasingly difficult, especially over the long term.
Those who have spent any considerable time trying to improve vocabulary (or learn a new language) will surely relate to the following situation: You are reading a blog post, watching a movie or talking to a friend, and you hear/read a word that you recognize because you learned it at one time, but you can’t remember what the word actually means. This is what Vocab Hunt attempts to squash.
When Learning English Vocabulary Words, Context is King
To form easily-recallable memories, our brains need not just letters and punctuation, but relevance, scenes, pictures, and emotions. With Vocab Hunt, you can both search for previous entries of English vocabulary words, or peruse posts by topic, source or genre. Every entry will include not only the word and definition, but a passage of relevant context from an interesting source, as well as other interesting details. The goal is to truly learn the meaning of an English word, to be able to commit it to long-term memory and, most importantly, use it in your everyday life to help you become a better writer, more knowledgeable and more articulate.
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