Reading

Improving Your Vocabulary

Listening and Speaking

The most common ways to increase your vocabulary are listening, reading, and taking part in conversation.

One of the most important skills in language learning is listening. Listen for new words when talking with others, joining in discussions, listening to the radio or audio books, or watching television.

   You can find out the meanings of the words by asking, listening for clues, and looking up the words in a dictionary. Don't be embarrassed about asking what a word means. It shows that you are listening and that you want to learn. Whenever you can, use the new words you learn in conversation.

Reading Aloud

Listening to texts read aloud is another good way to build your vocabulary. There are many audio books available, and most libraries have a collection of them. When you listen to an audio book, you hear how new words are pronounced and how they are used. If you have a printed copy of the book, read along as you listen so that you can both see and hear new words.

Reading Often

Usually, people use a large variety of words when they write than when they speak. The more you read, 

the more new words you'll find. When you see new words over and over again, they will become familiar to you and you'll begin to use them. Read from different sources--books, newspapers, magazines, internet websites--in order to find a wide variety of words.

Spanish Section of the words in Red

increase - incrementar 

important skills - habilidades importantes

find out - averiguar

clues - pistas o claves

look up - buscar (e.g. en un diccionario)

embarrassed - apenado, avergonzado. (Nunca significa "embarazada")

whenever - cada vez que

aloud - en voz alta

available - disponible

sources - fuentes: Reliable sources - fuentes fidedignas

wide - amplio/a