Sceptyczka Posted November 24, 2014 Report Share Posted November 24, 2014 Hi guys! I'm currently getting 6s and 7s in English B HL but I want to make sure that I will get a 7 on exam and I know this can be achieved by simply improving my vocabulary since I don't have any problems with speaking or writing in English. It's just that there are some words that I don't understand so I sometimes lose points on practice papers. So my questions is: do you know some good methods of improving one's vocabulary in English at a fast pace (since I don't have much time left )? Do you think that reading in English is enough? If yes, what should I read? There are many native English speaker here so perhaps someone will be able to help me. Thanks in advance! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 24, 2014 Report Share Posted November 24, 2014 This can really depend on the person - some people are naturally linguistics orientated in any language, some people aren't. Honestly, a big thing is just reading - not just higher tiers of work, but all types of work - journals, newspapers, fiction and non-fiction books - anything really, as you'll almost always find words that you don't know the meaning of. Keep a thesaurus and/or dictionary with you and as soon as you find a word you don't know, look it up. I generally prefer using a thesaurus only because it's a simpler way of finding the meaning of the word and you can also find similar words that may just stick to your memory. Also, sometimes thinking about the context is a big thing, if you haven't already been doing that, particularly if it's an adjective or adverb. Using surrounding words can really give you some insight on what the word means, even if you can't nail it completely. Obviously, this depends on what type of vocabulary you mean - do you mean the wording of the question or the vocab in pieces of text? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sceptyczka Posted November 24, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2014 (edited) This can really depend on the person - some people are naturally linguistics orientated in any language, some people aren't. Honestly, a big thing is just reading - not just higher tiers of work, but all types of work - journals, newspapers, fiction and non-fiction books - anything really, as you'll almost always find words that you don't know the meaning of. Keep a thesaurus and/or dictionary with you and as soon as you find a word you don't know, look it up. I generally prefer using a thesaurus only because it's a simpler way of finding the meaning of the word and you can also find similar words that may just stick to your memory. Also, sometimes thinking about the context is a big thing, if you haven't already been doing that, particularly if it's an adjective or adverb. Using surrounding words can really give you some insight on what the word means, even if you can't nail it completely. Obviously, this depends on what type of vocabulary you mean - do you mean the wording of the question or the vocab in pieces of text? Yes, I mean the vocabulary from English B exam papers, as well as from the English B textbook. We usually get articles in English and are supposed to answer to questions about the text to show our understanding of it. Edited November 24, 2014 by Sceptyczka Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sushichan*-* Posted November 24, 2014 Report Share Posted November 24, 2014 QUIZLETTT www.quizlet.com 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sceptyczka Posted November 24, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2014 QUIZLETTT www.quizlet.comWow, this website is going to be helpful! Thanks a lot! 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 25, 2014 Report Share Posted November 25, 2014 What sushichan and schulzeug1 said, as well as, if your school has it, Language Perfect. It's actually an amazing website for languages, but I don't know if it has English vocabulary. If your school has it it might, but I'm not sure. Also, just by searching up "improve your vocabulary" I got vocabulary.com which seems good, and there were actually quite a few good sites. If you go on thesaurus.com by the way, there's almost always a word of the day and other cool linguistic things. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King112 Posted November 25, 2014 Report Share Posted November 25, 2014 I just read and read and read. anything that has words, i read it, and i have a decent vocab, so try that?Read different types of genres like horror, military action, sci fi etc, because all use different types of languages.So maybe try that? 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
whatislife Posted November 26, 2014 Report Share Posted November 26, 2014 This is just my little tip, may or may not be your style: Try keeping a little journal-type thing consisting of a list of really nice words. And how will you find this words? Read critical essays of works as well as wider-reading from literature that is not within the course, highlight those juicy words and find a definition for them. The more you understand them, the easier and more natural it is to weave them into your essays, commentaries and orals You feel proud of yourself afterwards. But of course, keep it subtle, after all, you don't want to sound like an ostentatious walking dictionary. (you can reserve that for when you need to defend yourself against ignorant people) HAHA jks 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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