If there is one thing that binds you and me in our world called the blogosphere; it is the love for words, agree? I bet you also devised a way to increase your vocabulary bank when you were younger. Did you find yourself meticulously highlighting every foreign word you encountered while reading a book back in school for instance?
Let me count the ways of discovering the love for words
Learn a new word every day. The newspaper, magazine and internet are a rich sources for a gazillion of words. Choose one interesting word and use it in your daily conversation wherever you may be. This will help boost the retention of word. If there are 365 days in one year, you’ll learn 365 new words in 12 months!
For the obsessive-compulsive (OC), record the word of the day by creating your own dictionary complete with its meaning and a sample sentence in a dainty notebook. This could also be a good reference when you are unearthing your vocabulary and preparing yourself for a new blog entry or an article you need to come up with.
Compel yourself to love the habit of reading. It is through this activity that we come in close relation with the many words we knew and the many more words that are unfamiliar to us. This habit will also take you to an unknown place, and discover a whole new microcosm.
Think about this: The oldest, shortest words- "yes" and "no" - are those that require the most thought. Pythagoras
Yes and no sure requires the most thought...I remember rushing to my dictionary as a kid whenever I hear a new word.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I must imposed to myself reading books again. Ever since I have family I don't have time to read books. Reading can enrich our vocabulary and reading your post inspires me a lot. It's always well-written kasi. I wish I can write well like you :)
ReplyDeleteHaving a dictionary nearby is something that never became a habit with me when reading. When I encounter unfamiliar words, I tend to just guess what they mean by taking in the whole sentence. Which is probably why I only use common words mostly hehehe. But to be a good writer, one really has to level up one's vocabulary list, so you don't keep using the same bland words. This is particularly true for those who write long works, like novels.
ReplyDeleteThank you for following me! I am your newest follower and I look forward to reading your past and future posts!
ReplyDeleteHave a great day!
Jordan
yeah, i do love words; i read a lot - newspaper, magazine, books; and i visit thesaurus.com everyday to learn the word of the day
ReplyDeleteYes right,
ReplyDeleteme too,i need to refresh first my grammatical and study again.;)
hugs
I love to read! and explore new word I encountered but not as often as I used to, Thanks for sharing this post it makes me wanna read books again and discover new words.
ReplyDeleteI remember when I was still in Elementary, I used to answer the word power part of Reader's Digest and my parents bought me the "How to Increase your word power book"! I loved reading about geography especially about European countries. For novels, I was contented with romance novels like Mills and Boons (my age is showing!)
ReplyDeleteAgree! I think the recording will work since the retention is higher when the word is written. Blog hopping is a good form to implement item #3.
ReplyDeleteA lover of words here. I love to read as much as i love to write. Words have power! Words that are written with heart and conviction can make lots of difference.
ReplyDeletelovely tribute to words today Farida, a most worthy tribute!
ReplyDeleteWords are interesting... In this country, I love to study the dialects from all of the different areas. We in the south say things differently from those who live in the north... We use different words (with the same meaning) to explain things... For instance, the roads which run parallel to our interstates are called different things in different areas of the country. I've always called them 'service roads'.. In other areas, they are called 'feeder roads'.... All of this word study is so much fun!!!!
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Betsy
True! I need to get back on reading... hard-bound books, for that matter.
ReplyDeleteI should consider reading again and discover new words everyday. Thanks for reminding me. :)
ReplyDeleteWords are like painting the more you use them the better the painting. I love words, but do not use them as I wish I could.
ReplyDeleteHello!
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by my blog, commenting and then following me that was really sweet. Now, I'm your newest follower as well:) Have a good week!
Carissa
Lillies & Silk
Interesting post. I do read a lot and discover new words and ways to use them daily.
ReplyDeleteYep I tried learning one new word a day but didn't follow through. I think I'll start again. My writing needs a lot of improvement especially in choices of words to use.
ReplyDeletei try to read also - newspapers and books
ReplyDeletei love words! i love reading and discovering new words for my vocabulary.. :)
ReplyDeleteI agree wholeheartedly! I used to have a notebook of highfalutin words I have encountered when reading books and I would search the dictionary and write down the meanings of those words. I wonder where that notebook is now...
ReplyDeleteThis is a great idea! I wish I've known this before 2013 started. But it's never too late to start, right?
ReplyDeleteThese are really nice tips about WORDS relearning and learning them. I have been writing since I was in grade school and even depending on dictionaries for those I could not understand. Now that I have children too, I hope that I could pass on the discipline of writing and communicating well to them. :)
ReplyDeleteWords are definitely an important part pf ,y daily life .. I love them too...and I do love those word clouds you created. You know, you can also make your own on tagxedo.com.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I forgot to add my blog to this week's list, a visit would be appreciated.
Eliz
You are definitely right Farida! I'm not the OC type, i'm too busy to take down notes. :) But reading has been of great help in my case.
ReplyDeleteBefore, it was a pocket dictionary or a Thesaurus that I'll use as my reference. Now, it's in Google. That is if I'm in front of my laptop. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the following! I am following you back also thanks for entering the Blog hop!
ReplyDeleteNaalala ko na naman yung English teacher ko back in 2nd year high school. She made us keep a vocabulary notebook. We were supposed to take note of new words we encountered and had to look up in the dictionary. Gamit na gamit yung Reader's Digest :)
ReplyDeleteAlso: look up words you come across while reading that you don't know the meaning of (don't be too lazy)
ReplyDeleteim a little guilty because its been i while since i last finish reading a book.
ReplyDeleteI read non-stop as a child. And, you're right, I attribute most of my vocabulary to reading books.
ReplyDeleteI used to try to read the dictionary during high school summer vacations. Seriously. And oh, I still have this book entitled Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis. It is a fun read. It discusses the etymology of words after a chapter on topics like "how to flatter your friends" and "how to insult your enemies". I remember my high school friends and I having a blast over french words like joi de vivre (joy of life), ennui (boredome) and sang froid (bad blood). We even asked our Religion teacher who speaks French (she was a Belgian nun) on the proper way to pronounce them. Do try to get this book. Just knowing the etymology or root of a word will clue you on the meaning of a word (ie, latin vivo which means to live is the root for words like vivacious, convivial, joi de vivre, revive, vivid and viviparous (ability to give birth to live babies). Oops, talked too much na haha
ReplyDeleteI found a graphics on pinterest that says "100 words a graduate must know" and I only knew a fraction of them. waah!
ReplyDeleteLove this post! Very inspiring. We all have to learn loving words more as we do write often as bloggers. There are few bloggers who I looked up to in terms of writing and by just reading their posts is already a learning experience. Thanks for these tips Sis. It will surely help. :)
ReplyDeleteReading is learning. I mean, when we read, we tend to acquire new knowledge or WORDS. Thanks FARIDA for sharing this post of yours that made me give more love for words.
ReplyDeleteI agree, I need to get back to reading, I noticed I am using the same words most of the time when blogging.. shame on me..hahahahaha
ReplyDeleteReading sure makes us know more. One book or article gives us an edge over others but of course we should not complete with other but we should compete with ourselves.
ReplyDeleteI love words and how they are strung together! In fact, my books have all those underlines. Whenever I read a good phrase, I'd pencil it. :) It's fun!
ReplyDeletei usually check thesaurus.com whenever i need a synonym of a word. it helps me a lot
ReplyDeleteThis happens to every reader I guess.. And thanks for sharing the shortest and oldest words, yes and no..hmm i agree :)
ReplyDeleteMy husband (who is American)has said a few times that we are meticulous when it comes to grammar and appropriate words. I guess it comes with the yearning to speak with great prowess albeit it being a second language.
ReplyDeleteI used to do this back when I was still in Elementary. I adore Jose Rizal because he brought with him a dictionary and memorize words with a difficult meaning. Right now, I just highlighted each unfamiliar words and consult Mrs. Webster. :)
ReplyDeleteI always love reading your points of views on each post Farida. I'm a fan already hehehe!
ReplyDelete