Increasing Vocabulary

I am almost certain that the best way to increase your vocabulary to by reading. Over the next few months however, I do not see much spare time that I will be able take the time to read.

So my question is, are there any less time consuming ways that you know of to increase vocabulary, what has worked for you? I have always felt that my speech lacks diverse vocabulary and I am interested in expanding my word choices. Suggestions? Success/failure stories?

How ya doing, buddy?

When I was younger, I used to sign up for the 'word a day' thing that some online dictionaries have. It's quite neat to see some of the words that come up.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

FreeRice

I learned a few when I was playing that.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Pirate

So my question is, are there any less time consuming ways that you know of to increase vocabulary, what has worked for you?

There are, but almost all of them are as boring as they come.

Really, read anything. Jump right in. And though you may not have much time to read, devote whatever time you can to reading, because I think five minutes of reading a day will be more entertaining/useful than twenty minutes of study.

For the record, although you should stick to that which you like, try to go above the fantasy novel fare; it won't do you any good if you read those kind of things. (Ditto for other generic books.) Try reading a little basic philosophy or something, because that helps.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Encyclopedia, Dictionary, Thesaurus and hundreds more

You want to expand your vocabulary, pick something out of that and read it.

I'm a big fan of Henry Fielding, for instance.

Another one that's also really fun is if you search for "Fanny Hill: Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure." We're talking beautiful 18th century prose, about lesbian sex. You can't go wrong man.

I was speaking idiomatically.

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What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

The definitions on FreeRice aren't exactly great, though. It couldn't teach you how to properly use the word in context.

I don't think anything really works other than reading, and even then you have to be sure you understand the words you learn. If you use a word incorrectly, you'll look less inteligent, not more.

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Quote:

try to go above the fantasy novel fare; it won't do you any good if you read those kind of things.

I beg to differ. I have one of the largest vocabularies of anyone I know, and I learned most of it from fantasy novels and video games.

Which is not to say that more variety can't help, of course; it does, and always will. But don't dismiss fantasy novels.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by lord-of-shadow

I beg to differ. I have one of the largest vocabularies of anyone I know, and I learned most of it from fantasy novels and video games.

Which is not to say that more variety can't help, of course; it does, and always will. But don't dismiss fantasy novels.

Doesn't this just mean that the people you know are stupid?

That aside, I don't understand the concept of wanting to have an overly large vocabulary for everyday speech. I mean, it's a good thing to know what words mean, but it's another thing to actually go about using obscure words just for the hell of it. Throwing around words that nobody else knows just makes other people think you're an asshole. There's nothing wrong with using small, simple words. They're usually more effective.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I don't know Knk. It's fun to play around and make things obscenely obtuse. I do it sometimes with co-workers, and more often than not, they play along.

I'll send someone an email in response to a simple request to effect of "To do so would grant me such exquisite pleasure that I should perforce limit my exposure for fear that the resulting ecstasy would render myself otherwise useless."

Dude replied back with two paragraphs saying thank you.

Just sayin' people like word games, it can become a bonding thing.

Then again, the second point to be made here is that it's not just big words, but a way of saying things also.

How ya doing, buddy?

Words-Tang Clan - GFWiki

WHAT'S UP NOW?

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Word of the Day from any dictionary website is definitely one of the best ways to learn new words if you're heavily time-constrained. You can even set it up so that the word is e-mailed to you every day.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by Soluzar

The definitions on FreeRice aren't exactly great, though. It couldn't teach you how to properly use the word in context.

I don't think anything really works other than reading, and even then you have to be sure you understand the words you learn. If you use a word incorrectly, you'll look less inteligent, not more.

Using an online dictionary in junction with that site helps a lot if you're simply trying to learn new words and make sure you're using them correctly.

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I've recently spoken to some acquantences of mine who recommended games such as Scrabble, it's online equivalent Literali, and Text Twist. This makes no sense to me, it seems to me that you can only utilize the ones you already know. What do you think?

Thanks for the suggestions, I've signed up for a word of the day and once this semester is over I will start reading again. I finished The Iliad before this semester started, so I suppose I should read The Odyssey next.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Something else you might want to consider. If you're a FireFox user, Answers.com has a nice plug-in that will pull up a small window (and, not a tab/new browser window) each time you hold CTRL+ALT and left click on a word, phrase, thing, etc., and it will give you Answers' definition/description/information regarding what you selected. It's a useful plug-in, and I use it whenever I come across words/whatever I'm unfamiliar with.

Answers.com - Firefox Extension

FELIPE NO

Take a third year Canadian English course and I guarantee that you will increase your vocabulary tenfold. God, I hate English sooooooo much...

You will end up needing to bring a dictionary or thesaurus for that class....

Here's hoping for a C!

Anyway, find a friend that speaks nerdy (like big confusing words) like or someone who write literature (fiction, poems, etc) and that will help.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by knkwzrd

Doesn't this just mean that the people you know are stupid?

No. It does not.


Also, on topic, I'd agree with Pirate. Word games such as Scrabble can be a help, especially if they're online versions that have some method of listing words that you didn't get. I've spent many a bored hour playing various online Boggle games, and I invariably end up learning a word or two when the games end and show me lists of words I missed.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

What are you studying??? Sometimes it helps to compliment your vocabulary building.

For example, I study Law and I read many cases. Alot of Judges speak in a rather early 1900's late 1800's tone, not to mention the actual cases that I read from the said time periods.

I have learnt so much it scares people when I speak making use some of the more obscure adjectives and verbs. It is rather complimentary with my study so its quite easy to work it in.

Assuming you do study a subject with a literature foundation its easy to learn without actually realising that you are doing so; at least that is my experience.

How ya doing, buddy?