Improve and expand your English vocabulary : February 2015

Monday, 2 February 2015

Useful expressions

Some social scientists refer to guerrilla warfare as the “weapon of the weak” and terrorism as the “weapon of the weakest.”

social scientist: a person who studies social science (=the study of people in society)

guerrilla: an irregular soldier, usually politically motivated

warfare: the activity of fighting a war

Exercise

Fill in the blanks with the following words:

warfare; social scientist; guerrilla

1. The … group denied any involvement in the assassination.

2. He denied his country has developed the capability for chemical ….

3. Khalid regarded himself more as a journalist than as a ….

Answers

guerrilla 2. warfare 3. social scientist

Ways to build your vocabulary fast

There are a number of methods to help you improve and expand your English vocabulary. Some of them are listed below:

1. When you read English newspapers, literature or whatever you like, write down the meanings of the difficult words. Working with vocabulary in context helps one remember the meanings of the new words. This blog has been created to fulfil the same purpose.

2. Try to add context. Writing words, meanings and example sentences will help you remember the words in context.

3. Reading can be a great way to improve your vocabulary. So regularly try to spare some time for reading. Study an English magazine (The Economist, for example) or go for articles of a newspaper (The Guardian, for example).

4. Expose yourself to as much English as possible by speaking, reading, watching the news and listening to the radio.

5. Learn collocations, not isolated words. For example, a prestigious award, a prestigious university.

6. Don't make random lists of unrelated vocabulary. Try to group words in themes (BBC words: vocabulary).

7. Regularly consult a good dictionary when you need to look up the meaning of an unfamiliar word (Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary).

8. Revise the vocabulary items on a regular basis.