Here are three major vocabulary building tips:

Tip #1: Read, read, read!

Reading can greatly help you in building vocabulary.

Advantages of reading:

• You can look for materials to match your own level.
• You can read at your own pace, or you can reread.
• You can then do many different activities and exercises based on what you have read.

Probably the biggest bonus with reading is the following:

When done properly, reading can be a lot of fun.

You can enjoy reading an interesting story, and improve your vocabulary at the same time.

This can be much more interesting than a “fill in the gap” exercise

However, for reading materials to reach their full effect, they really have to be both interesting and not too advanced for the student’s level.

Click here for interesting yet simple short stories for English learners.

Tip #2: Make sure you understand what you are reading!

This point might seem obvious, but actually, it is really not.

Some people think it is best not to stop on every word, but to understand the words from the context. That basically means, to guess what the word means, or to simply ignore it.

This is a common approach, but research has shown it is a problematic one. It can lead to misunderstanding and all sorts of other confusions.

It might seem like understanding from context is faster, but it doesn’t really help you in building vocabulary. It can leave you with many words you don’t really understand, or that you only think you understand.

It can slow down your progress significantly.

Here is an example:

A student reads the following sentence “It was sunny outside, so Marta brought a parasol.”

Now, what does that mean? What is a “parasol”?

You can guess, but that won’t necessarily get you to the right answer. You will probably remain unsure.

However, this can be solved easily. You can use the dictionary to find out what it really means. “Parasol” is a kind of umbrella that protects against the sun.

So now it makes sense: “It was sunny outside, so Marta brought a parasol.”

In summary, the way to build vocabulary is to learn vocabulary. Not to guess one!

And this is the point where dictionaries really come in handy.

They are wonderful tools. They help not only in finding out what a word means exactly, but also with giving examples of how the word is actually used.

And that is priceless

Click here for a list of recommended good dictionaries.

Tip #3: Practice the new words you have learned!

Okay, so you’ve learned some new words. Cool!

Now what? How can you make sure you don’t forget them?

Here we discover the importance of practice.

Make sure you practice the new words.

Now, practice doesn’t have to be boring. You can turn it into a game, make it fun!

Click here for a list of vocabulary activities you can use to practice new words.

When teaching beginners, usually the following steps apply:

1) Use some games to teach very basic, easy vocabulary.
Flashcards, for example, can be both fun and effective.

2) Teach the sounds of the English alphabet.
English is pretty tricky, in a way, since the same letter can represent many different sounds!

This can be VERY confusing for beginners, especially if they have just learned the English alphabet.

For example, they have just learned that “e” is pronounced like the “e” in “bed,” and “a” is pronounced like the “a” in “hat.”

Then you read together a simple short story that uses only the simple, common words . . .
Like “make” and “take,” which immediately violate that rule, don’t they?

It’s true you can (and should!) teach the different spelling patterns, and how they are pronounced. (In our example these are the silent “e”, and the long “a” sounds.)

But you can’t really do it all at once.
The step-by-step approach is the way to go — one sound at a time.

Start practicing reading with simple, one-syllable words, such as: box, fox, cat, hat, bed, pen, and so forth. Introduce new sounds gradually .

Wait with the common yet complicated words such as “are,” “have,” “would,” and “know” until the student is comfortable with the simple, basic sounds.

It’s true these are very common, important words in the English language, but when taught at the wrong stage they can provide unnecessary spelling confusion.

You can always teach them a bit later on, when the student is more confident.

This sort of gradual approach will bring the best results within the minimum amount of time, by far.

Ola Zur is the editor of Really Learn English Vocabulary and Easy English Grammar, an illustrated guide to English.

A great way to improve your English is to read English stories.

This actually helps on several aspects:

1) You improve your vocabulary by learning and repeating new words while reading.
2) You see how this vocabulary is used. How the words combine together, which prepositions are used and when, and other important data that can only be learned when working on entire SENTENCES and reading PASSAGES.
3) You improve your grammar by observation (simply seeing it used IN PRACTICE).
4) One of the great benefits of stories is that if well written, they can actually be fun! Funny stories, or stories with a punch line, can encourage you to read more.

However, for a story to really be an effective learning tool, it must be adjusted to YOUR level. Reading way above your level, or way below your level, would probably do very little for your English.

Find some interesting reading materials that fit you. Check any new words you encounter in a good dictionary. Try to use and practice the things you learn. And you should see your English getting better and better!

You can click here for English short stories for beginners.

Ola Zur is the editor of Really Learn English Vocabulary and Easy English Grammar, an illustrated guide to English.

Easy Reading (http://www.rong-chang.com/easyread/), and
Super Easy Reading (http://www.rong-chang.com/supereasy/) are now available for ESL beginners.   – Ron

www.eslfast.com is another new ESL website to help people learn English. There are 365 short stories written for ESL learners. Students can read one story a day to finish reading the online book within a year. They can also listen to the stories and do the exercises such as word puzzles and sentence dictation.

The “365 ESL Short Stories” website (http://www.eslfast.com) can help ESL instructors use the Internet to present ESL materials. The intermediate-level stories are short and interesting. They are about 200-300 words long, and cover many different topics. The stories can be printed out for classroom use, listed as an online textbook in a syllabus, or given as extra homework.

Online ESL materials complement traditional textbooks. Such materials are easily accessible, easy to update, and free. Students can read a story and listen to it simultaneously. In fact, the eslfast website can be used as an entire online textbook. Students can look up definitions of any new word in each story with just one click. They can hear the pronunciation of any individual word, search for a picture of it, or even watch a video clip of it online, all with ONE CLICK! Stories online can supplement or stand alone as valuable ESL instruction material.  -Ron Lee