My New Word-learning Activities
When I started my blog, I didn't know about blogs at all and which one was the best for me. So, I started both Rakuten and ALC blogs. As each of them has their good points, I can't choose only one.I finally take part in a workshop on vocabulary expansion on ALC blog. This is my first exercise."My New Word-learning Activities"1 Try to express what I think and how I feel in English As I don't have any opportunities to use English in my daily life, I go to an "English conversation" school, email people from various countries, have created my own English web site and write an entry in this blog in English as often as possible. I always try to express what I think and how I feel in English. As my vocabulary is poor, I have to consult dictionaries.Thus I learn some new words or expressions everyday. I hardly forget them, because all of them are necessary for me.2 Try to use new words or expressions.When I restarted learning English, my husband advised me, "The more mistakes you mistake), the more your English will improve," so I always dare to use new words or expressions. I am happy that not only my instructors but also some kind people are willing to correct my mistakes. All the corrected expressions are impressive and unforgettable for me.3 Learn related words togetherIn my lessons, we talk about certain topics, so I get some related words together. I write them down and learn some words, which I wanted to say but I couldn't, after the lessons.4 Read, read and read some more"Read, read and read some more," an instructor advised me, "I believe reading children's books is one of the best ways to learn natural expressions for language learner." I follow his advice. I read various English materials from children's books to newspapers as often as I can.5 Read a dictionary for learnersI read "Longman Active Study Dictionary" from A to Z. I learned not only many new words but also how to explain difficult words in basic words through reading the definitions. 6 Sing English songsI sing some English songs countless times. As I understand the meanings of words and expressions with emotion, I use some of them unconsciously during conversation.7 Use vocabulary builders and correspondence education courses which suit my levelI sometimes try to build my vocabulary by using some books or correspondence education courses, such as POWERWORDS 7A-12B and Vocabulary Building Marathon POWER-UP COURSE. Actually, the sheer number of unfamiliar words in the latter overwhelmed me! I'd like to try it again someday soon...8 Write something in English and have them corrected by native speakersIn speaking lessons, my instructors rarely correct my mistakes, so I often write something in English and ask them to correct my writing. While correcting, they tell me about the differences between similar words, practical usage and so on. That's what I can never learn from books. 9 Keep a vocabulary journalAnother English instructor advised me, "If you want to improve your English, read English-language newspapers and keep a vocabulary journal in order to build your vocabulary of specific topics." I followed his advice and kept a vocabulary journal for more than one year. I realized it worked. 10 Read "Word Power Fully-bilingual Dictionary" from AI started reading "Word Power Fully-bilingual Dictionary" from A recently. I type sample sentences, which I'd like to use, in order to enrich my active vocabulary. I should do it constantly... 11 Learn etymologyRecently, I got interested in etymology. If I know more about the history of English and the origin of each word I come across, I'll be able to guess the meanings of unfamiliar long words. I've read 「語源事典」 and「語源学習法」on ALC web site.