How to Boost Your Vocabulary Without Thinking Hard

 

This page will teach you how to gradually build up a vast vocabulary without thinking too hard. Conventional methods of rote memorisation often require too much commitment. Other methods, such as subliminal learning, don’t work.

 

To increase one's vocabulary, one needs to understand the power of images. Scientist Ralph Haber performed an experiment in which he showed subjects thousands of photographic slides, presenting each slide for 10 seconds. After testing subjects’ ability to recognise which slides they saw, Haber found that humans had an 85 to 95 percent recall accuracy. By visualising images in his head, World Memory Champion Dominic O’Brien is able to memorise the order of a shuffled pack of cards in 45 seconds. To increase vocabulary, one must exploit the human mind’s ability to remember images.

 

Meny agree that repetition aids learning. In high school, students who get good grades usually aren’t the smarter ones. Successful students revise their work often so it stays fresh in their minds by the time exams come. After a student revises something many times, it no longer lingers in his short-term memory but is promoted to his permanent memory. A student recalls his phone number in a flash because he uses it all the time. Every time he rings home he's revising. Because his phone number is firmly lodged in his permanent memory, he won’t be able to forget it even if he tried.

Something simple is easier to remember than something complex. When learning, try to simplify as much as possible. If a student is trying to remember how to eat healthy, it’s easier to follow the food pyramid instead of doing in-depth study into the effects of high-density lipoprotein, polypeptides, polyunsaturated fats, and enzymes. However, do not simplify to the point where it leads to inaccuracy. Scientists are now revising the food pyramid because of its sweeping generalizations (see Rebuilding the Food Pyramid).

 

How do you know which words you need to memorise? Memorise words you do not know the meaning to. How you you find these words? Read magazines, books from libraries, and articles on the Internet. While you read, you will come across words you don’t understand. These are the words you memorise.

 

Once you have a word you don’t understand, the next step is to find the meaning. You can do this with any online dictionary. The best is dictionary.com. If you go to dictionary.com and can’t understand the definition, go someplace else like Merriam-Webster Online. If you look up the word “chicanery” in dictionary.com and look at your address bar, you’ll see http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=chicanery. To speed up your search, memorise this URL. If you have another word you want to find the definition to, instead of going to dictionary.com’s home page, just type it directly in the address bar. For example, if you want to know the definition of “pyre,” just type http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=pyre in your address bar. If your memory is poor and you can’t memorise it, download an evaluation version of Shortkeys. While you read, if you see a word you don’t know the meaning to, you should be able to get the definition in seconds.

 

Now you have the definition. You know what the word means, but chances are you’ll forget it all next week. To remember the definition you need to use an image to help you remember. Go to Google Image Search and search for an image that will help you remember the meaning of the word. For example, according to dictionary.com, a pyre is a “heap of combustibles for burning a corpse at a funeral rite.” In Google Image Search type in “pyre” and you will get to choose from a variety of images to help jog your memory.

 

 

Choose an image you think is both accurate and memorable. It must be a simple image. The image must instantly remind you of the definition. Don’t select an image that is overly complex. I chose the image below:

 

 

Next you edit this image using Paint Shop Pro. Put the word “pyre” in the image. When you look at the image again, you will know that it's a pyre.

 

 

The power of images has been exploited. But what about the power of repetition? How do you force yourself to see this image over and over again? The solution is to download Wallpaper Changer. Wallpaper Changer is a program that changes your wallpaper randomly. Make a directory in your hard drive where you store all your images. Make Wallpaper Changer change your wallpaper every ten minutes or so. While your computer is logging on, while you’re shutting down, or while you’re opening a file or a folder on your desktop, you will see the image, and by seeing the image you will revise. Over time the images will stick in your head and you will never forget the word. You don’t have to repeat the word to yourself one hundred times or listen to any subliminal tapes. You just use your computer normally and you will learn without even knowing it.

 

Here’s a picture of the wallpaper on my desktop:

 

 

Here are some others. (Click on image to enlarge.)

 

 

Knowing the definition of the word and remembering it is not enough. Pronunciation is equally important. Mispronunciation in public is extremely embarrassing. You can learn the pronunciation of a word by investing months and months studying phonetic symbols found in the front cover of dictionaries. The simpler alternative is to use Encarta’s Online Dictionary. Type the word “pyre” in the dictionary and not only will Encarta give you the definition but also it will give you an audio file (wav file extension) telling you how to pronounce the word. Store all your wav files in the same directory.

 

To revise the pronunciation, download Winamp. Winamp plays both mp3s and wavs. Put all your words in a playlist and get Winamp to play them in a random order. So you don’t listen to word pronunciation all the time, which is both irritating and boring, mix the wav files with your favourite music mp3s.

 

You can download music using Kazaa or Limewire. Some believe that listening to Mozart improves concentration. This is known as the Mozart Effect. Some are for it; some are skeptical. Others believe music from the baroque era instead of the classical era is better. Baroque composers include Handel, Bach, and Vivaldi. For a virtually infinite supply of baroque music, go to mp3.com’s Baroque Charts. Experiments have been performed in which subjects listening to Mozart experience a temporary rise in intelligence. Whether or not Mozart’s music increases intelligence, his music is still good to listen to.

 

Having a vast vocabulary can help you express your ideas more aptly. In the business world, there is a high correlation between the size of a person’s salary and the size of his vocabulary, not because a large vocabulary necessarily makes a man smarter but because having a large vocabulary makes others think he's smart. Using too many big words to impress is not recommended. A man with an excellent command of English is admirable, but a man who is obviously trying to sound smart by using too many big words is a real turnoff.