How to Succeed in English Clas

Steps

1. 1
   Read, read, and read some more. Always have a book in your hand, and read it during every spare moment: between classes, while you're on line for food, as you eat, on the bus, etc. Read some of the English classics and, if you're feeling ambitious, read poetry (especially Shakespeare).
   
   
   
   
2. 2
   Read what other people, particularly literary critics, are saying about the books you've been reading. Compare their views, and decide where you stand.
   
   
   
   
3. 3
   Share your opinions. When people, whether it's a teacher or a peer, ask you about a book that you're reading, explain whether you like the book or not, and why.
   
   
   
   
4. 4
   Raise your hand in class to ask questions. Teachers LOVE IT. It shows that you're paying attention. For example, if she's talking about Oliver Twist, and you've read it, and she's talking about a part you like, raise your hand, and say, "Oh, yes, (Mr./Mrs./Ms.) ___, I liked that part. I just LOVE how _________!" or something of the sort.
   
   
   
   
5. 5
   Be specific. Instead of saying "Yeah, it's awesome," say something like "I like the way the author creates characters that seem to be polar opposites of each other..."
   
   
   
   
6. 6
   Compare the situations you read about in books to situations in real life. What statement is the author making about society? Was he or she describing society at the time the book was written? If so, does the description still apply, and to what extent?
   
   
   
   
7. 7
   Take notes. If you're reading and you come across a piece of text that strikes you in some way, or that really epitomizes the message of the book, mark the text with a temporary stick-on tab. Colored ones like the ‘Post-it’ tape flags that are easily removed. Don’t draw or underline directly in the book. A teacher who sees the colored tabs sticking out of an assigned book will know you are really working on the text. You can also copy the text onto an index card or in a notebook, along with any reactions, insights, or questions you may have.
   
   
   
   
8. 8
   Participate in class. Don't dominate the discussion; try to get other students to participate. Share your opinion when you feel it adds to the discussion - don't raise your hand just to mention tiny little facts. The best way to participate is to (1) share your opinion, (2) explain why you feel this way, and (3) pose a related question.
   
   
   
   
9. 9
   Write your own literary criticism essays, whether it's for class or during your own time. Read them out loud to yourself to make sure that the text flows smoothly and evenly. Copy-edit your work - poor spelling and grammar are inexcusable for top English students.
   
   
   
   
10. 10
    Once you finish writing your essay (or whatever) just to check the spelling, turn on your computer and type it out on MS Word, to check the spellings and grammar. Sure, if your essay is long it can take time but at least you know that it's correct!
    
    
    
    
11. 11
    If your teacher marks your work strictly (e.g: maybe a short story?) then don't be afraid to ask WHY they've been marking it stricter than they mark the others'. Or just appreciate it, since it shows that they see you as a cut above the others and are expecting a higher standard from you.
    
    
    
    
12. 12
    When you're writing, feel free to take a different perspective from the main topic, just make sure it all still makes sense. For instance, if you have to write a paper about nature, go right ahead and write about how you don't like it, or make the essay on the top ten things in nature that annoy you.
    
    
    
    
13. 13
    Read your assigned essays or writing out loud. Read it to your friends, family or even your dog. Don't rush: Take a good pause after each period (called a 'full stop' in the UK). Mark any parts you find difficult to read out loud, and when finished, go back and simplify that text. Often the easy way to simplify your writing is to break it up into shorter sentences.
    
    
    
    
14. 14
    Trade written work with your friends in the class. Get them to give you an honest appraisal. The teacher may not have time to do more than scrawl a letter grade on your work, but your classmate can talk with you in depth about your writing and the points you are making.
    
    
    
    

Tips

• When writing, use your thesaurus! It'll help improve your vocabulary. (See Warnings)
• A made up story or experience is just as good as a true one as long as it relates to what you are writing and proves your thesis. It's not as if your English teacher will call your family and friends to see if what you've written about actually happened. Be sure, though, that your stories are especially well written, realistic, don't describe your illegal activities, etc.
• Teachers would rather read an interesting essay than a boring one.
• When you come across an unfamiliar word, look it up in a dictionary, and practice using it in a sentence.
• Learn Latin, Greek and French, which will help you guess at the meaning and origin of difficult words (in both English and Spanish) when you don't have a dictionary on hand. At a minimum, learn the English roots that come from these languages.
• Why not try joining an online writing club to share your work with and get advice from?

Warnings

• Don't argue with the teacher about small points on a quiz or test, because some will get aggravated if you nitpick too much.
• When using a thesaurus, don't put in big words just because they're listed. Make sure you know what words mean exactly. Just because it's a synonym doesn't mean that it has the same exact meaning. Look the new word up before you use it.
• Don't read while you're walking. While it may demonstrate your dedication, you may end up walking into someone, something or worse - getting hit by a car.

How to Expand Your Vocabulary

Have you ever wanted to impress people by using long, intelligent-sounding words? Well, this article will tell you how to quickly learn to use those words. Read on to find out how.

Steps

1. 1
   Grab a dictionary. You will need a dictionary for this - it doesn't have to be exceptionally long, but it's better if it's not too basic.
2. 2
   Every day, pick out five words from the dictionary. You can go in alphabetical order, or choose randomly.
3. 3
   Write five sentences. Each should use one of the words you picked out.
4. 4
   Continue practicing. You can keep going until the end of the dictionary, or just practice every now and then. Soon your vocabulary will improve!
   • You can also try looking up the five words you pick out in a thesaurus and writing sentences for those words.

Tips

• You don't have to write sentences with words you already know, or very common words.
• Try to memorize your sentences.
• Keep your sentences short. For example, if the word is frivolous, you could write: "My brother is always coming up with frivolous ideas, like building a house out of glass."
• You can also write sentences that include multiple words you picked out; e.g., "Though normally docile, my hamster is easily upset by trivial events such as when I throw away ademolished pot."

How to Memorize Vocabulary

Do you have a big Spanish or French vocabulary test coming up? Or maybe even English words for the new book you are reading in class? And you NEED to pass it, but you have little time.

Well this article will help you study and different ways or techniques on how to study!

Steps

1. 1
   Pick a techniques or way of studying. Some examples include using flash cards, make a dance out of it, make a song, relate the words to something you like, use acronyms, or a combination of the above.
   
2. 2
   Use flash cards. Write one word on the front and one word on the back of it. For example, you can write "Cabeza" on the front and "Head" on the back.
3. 3
   Make a dance. This usually helps if you have to memorize about a paragraph of the language. Say you have to memorize related words; you could make a dance like this...action-jump for the word jump, action-run in place for running, action-make a fist with each hand, turn them towards you and move them up and down like you are doing a pull-up. All these would relate to exercise.
4. 4
   Make a song. Make a tune out of the words, or have the same tune as your favorite song.
5. 5
   Relate the words. Use this method if a word reminds you of something, relate it to a memory, or something you have. For example, tarjeta de crédito, well crédito sounds like credit, and tarjeta looks like the fancy way of saying target and maybe you and your best friend were once at target and found a credit card, relate to that, and you will never forget that tarjeta de crédito means credit card.
6. 6
   Use acronyms. Think of things you know or are used to. For example, you have to memorize the examples amorphous solids, which are glass, plastic, wax, and clay. You could then use the acronym, Amanda said "Go Pay With Cash."
7. 7
   Don't forget to have fun with this. Don't make it boring!! Mix and match different things!

Tips

• If you use flash cards, sometimes a big card is a waste if you only need it for a word or few, so, cut the cards in half before you make them.
• Concentrate and don't let your mind wander.
• For songs, listen to a few songs before you start.
• For acronyms, use your friend's or family's names.
• Relate it to you, or something you like.
• HAVE FUN!

Warnings

• Don't let your mind wander, since you are thinking of things you will be lead to other things and get off topic.
• If you are listening to songs before you make your own, don't forget you are doing it for your assignment, not free time.
• Try to keep all distractions away.
• If you are able to, try not to do this while you are on a full stomach, or right after you eat. You tend to get tired.

How to Enrich Your English Language Vocabulary

Steps

1. 1
   Love words. You have to really want to learn new vocabulary if you're going to succeed.
2. 2
   Look up words you don't know whenever you encounter them. After encountering and looking up a word several times, you should eventually be able to remember its definition.
3. 3
   Use a Thesaurus. A thesaurus is a great resource which enables you to know the more advanced equivalent of basic English words.
4. 4
   There are many computer programs and websites that have ways of giving you a short "Word of the Day" list with new words every day. Try going to www.dictionary.com. Scroll down and click on "Get the Word of the Day e-mail". If you enter all of the required information, you will get a new e-mail every day with a word, its definition, and an example usage sentence.
5. 5
   Get a personalized Google homepage and click on "Add Content". Search for "word of the day" in the search box, and pick some of the content choices that you'd like to have on your homepage. The author recommends Merriam-Webster (www.m-w.com), Dictionary.com, and Wordsmith.org. When you log on to your homepage, there will be a list of new words every day.
6. 6
   Read. Read all genres of books. When you come across a word you don't know, read the sentences around the word and try to figure out what it means from the context. Check your guess with a dictionary. This doesn't mean you should start reading medical textbooks or other books with lots of new words on every page. Set aside time each day to sit down with your book. Enjoy yourself!
7. 7
   Play word games with friends. Try Boggle, Scrabble, or Catch-Phrase. There are so many great games out there to teach you new words. If a friend comes up with a word that you don't know, ask them what it means.
8. 8
   Use the words you learn when you're talking to people or writing letters or e-mail. Using your new vocabulary is not only fun, but a great way to remember all these new words. Try to use at least three new words a day when communicating with anyone.
9. 9
   Learn roots, prefixes, and suffixes. Many words in the English language come from Latin or Greek words. When you combine these Latin or Greek words, you get new words in English. For example: astro ("astron" meaning "star") + logy (logos meaning "speech") = astrology (meaning "telling of the stars"). Buy an etymological dictionary (meaning "a dictionary of word origins").
10. 10
    If you learn any romance language (eg: French, Spanish, Italian), or Latin or Ancient Greek, these will help you immensely with improving your vocabulary, especially the two ancient languages here because so many complicated English words are derived from words that are simple and commonly used in them.
11. 11
    Find a friend who speaks English. It's good to practice using your new words. With a web connection, your conversation partner does not need to live near you. You can email, chat, and even phone each other using your computers. A friend who understands that you are learning can help you practice, use new words in your conversations, and offer you advice. Since talking to a friend is fun, it won't feel like work! If your friend wants to learn your language, too, it will be easier for both of you to understand each other's mistakes.
12. 12
    Listen to the radio, watch television, or find a podcast that you like in English, and practice understanding the language when spoken, too.

13. Tips

    • Learning more words should be exciting and interesting. It shouldn't seem like an English lesson. If you feel stressed out or under pressure, you're being too hard on yourself. This doesn't have to be a daily routine, just something to do when you have time.
    • Don't be afraid to make mistakes. English is a very difficult, irregular language, and even native speakers have trouble sometimes.
    • Have fun with words. Try all of the ideas listed above, but don't think that you have to do all of them to expand your vocabulary. Pick the ones that you like the most or are most convenient for you.
    • Content Based Instruction programs like Espoir Smart English through Movies, Cricket, Success, Management,etc. is an effective tool to develop vocabulary on one favorite subject of yours.

    EditWarnings

    • Note that some words might have different meanings depending on the context. Learn more about how to use the new words that you learn.
    • Avoid using a new word - especially in business correspondence - if you are still not certain about its meaning and how to correctly use it. Sometimes, this might confuse your audience.

10 Websites To Learn A Word A Day & Enrich Your Vocabulary

A few days back, we had taken a look at a few resources which helped us with slangs and day to day jargons. Street language sounds hep and helps us to keep up with the times. But it also limits our vocabulary. There’s a word in the English language for every instance, provided we care enough to adopt and use it.

There are only two ways to learn new words ““ read and use.

Think about it, a word a day translates to nearly 300 words over the course of a year; and many more over a lifetime. An expanded vocabulary not only helps to ace tests like SAT/ACT, but also opens up the language that we speak every day. Read a great speech and see how it moves you. Its oration backed up by a great vocabulary.

So, let’s take it a word at a time and seek the help of these ten websites that teach us new words in different ways.

Wordsmith

Wordsmith.org is one of the better examples of a stripped down, plain Jane website that hides a lot of usefulness behind its looks. If you have to use just one of the services listed, opt for the daily newsletter. A word a day delivered to your inbox. The screenshot shows how a single word is covered in all its shades.

Weboword

A single word each day is illustrated with a cartoon. If you have a visual sort of memory, you won’t have any trouble picking up quite a few words over the course of a month, and learning to use them as they are meant to be. The blog is expecting a rebirth in a new avatar soon.

Wordia

From cartoons to video, visual learning is the new mantra and it seems it’s no different for dictionaries. Wordia functions like a normal dictionary but instead of text definitions, you get videos explaining the usage of a word. The video explanations seem more thorough and easier to grasp than the textual definition. Everyday you can test yourself with Vocability, the Wordia game.

Vocab Vitamins

The vocabulary learning tool gives you doses of “˜verbal supplements’ daily in the mail and also on the site. Word of the day is also arranged around a central theme. For instance, the word “˜doldrums’ belongs to the week’s theme ““ “˜How’s the weather?

Save The Words

Savethewords.org is a beautifully constructed website that endeavors to focus attention on the lesser known words in the English language. The Oxford Dictionaries site seeks to save these words from going into a state of non-usage and non-existence. The surefire way to do that is to “˜adopt’ a word and use it in daily conversation. The site helps out by sending out word-a-day mailers to those of us who are passionate about words and their meanings. (SeeDirectory mention)

Wordnik

Wordnik.com covers meanings through example sentences to audio pronunciations. Like a lot of online word tools, it aims to go beyond the scope of traditional dictionaries by taking a 360 degree look at a word, the word-of-the-day page and mailer is a shortcut to that process. Wordnik makes it easier to grasp new words by also providing instances of related words and images to describe context.

Phrays

Phrays.com takes a competitive approach to making you learn a word every day. Each day, a word is displayed with its meaning on the site and you have to write a sentence using the word. The sentence with the most user votes is the winner. You can also see the creative Zen of the previous winners that’s also on display in the archives. (See Directory mention)

WordThink

WordThink.com does not believe in learning new words just its own sake. It bunks the more complicated words and goes in for words that you might use in your daily conversations. You might not find a word like eleemosynary here, but the site might show you benevolent instead. WordThink sources the words from media and news.

Vocabsushi

If you are hell bent on acing college tests like ACT, SAT, GMAT, GRE etc, try out Vocabsushi and its bite-size learning method. You can test where you stand with a 20-question Vocabsushi demo quiz right on the front page. Pick a test from the dropdown and have a go at it. If you don’t fare that well, it’s time to dive into Vocabsushi more seriously. Vocabsushi uses thousands of sentences from contemporary news sources that show how a word is used in the real world. The actual words are taken from standardized tests that students have to take. Vocabsushi is a superbly designed site with tools like MP3 clips (for pronunciations), word games, offline quizzes in PDF, etc. (See Directory mention)

BBC Learning English

BBC’s world service for the English language doesn’t have a word-a-day mailer or other downloads. But if offers a host of tools that you can use to enrich your vocabulary. Word in the News takes a real news report and highlights specific words with meanings which you can pick up. News English Extra looks at how a word is used in the context of daily news. Then you can Keep your English up to date that explains a word in broad detail. Also, check out the sections like Vocabulary on Football, Tennis, Science etc. Some sections are also covered with downloadable podcasts.

There’s no end to learning new words and adding them to your vocabulary. Words aren’t meant to make you a dictionary on two legs, but to in fact make your conversations simpler. Do you agree?