Try these vocabulary strategies for learning new words. Different strategies work best for different people. Use the ones that help you the most. Vocabulary Strategies: Learn as you Read The best way to increase your English vocabulary is to read (or watch or listen to) some English every day: news, blogs, articles, books, podcasts, or videos on a variety of subjects that interest you. (It's important to choose subjects you like or care about so you will keep on reading a little in English, week after week.) When you see or hear words you don't know, use these strategies to figure them out, and to learn the ones that are important to understand what you're reading-- or that you see over and over. Use Context Clues . Try to guess the meaning of a new word from its context (the words around it.) See Improve (Your) Reading Skills for more information. Analyze word parts (roots and affixes.) Also see if any of its parts are like other wor...
English verbs can express an action (run, bring, come, look, give, get, etc.) or a state of being (be, seem, appear, need.) Verbs are simpler in English than in many languages. Most have only two forms in the present tense and one form in other tenses. In the present tense we use the base form for I, you, and all plurals. For third person singular (he, she, it, Jack, Mrs. Smith, a tree, the city, etc.) we add an '-s' or sometimes '-es' to the end of the base form. The verb 'to be' is an exception. It has three forms in the present and two in the past. It's so important that it is worth the extra study it takes. Modal verbs are also exceptions, as they have only one form. For more on using modals and other helping verbs, see the Helping Verbs section below. Types of Verbs: Transitive & Intransitive Some verbs are transitive, which means they can take a direct object: (“She buys groceries .” I’m bringing a friend .” “Do you w...