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Give your CAT preparation a boost with these 5 Effective Ways to Improve Vocabulary
Ever wondered why the most sought after entrance exams like the CAT, XAT, SNAP, NMAT, etc. test a candidate’s vocabulary?
Most people think it is to identify candidates who speak good English, and they’re right to an extent. Considering English is the global language, however there’s a lot more to it.
A person with a good command over words is perceived as well read and confident. Good vocabulary gives one the ability to articulate more effectively. Also, the more the number of words you know, the wider your knowledge base is.
Come to think of it, vocabulary is essentially an indicator of one’s communication skills. A must for the CEO of a top-notch company!
Thus, a good vocabulary doesn’t just give you the competitive edge, it makes you efficient. And to make that process easier for you, we’ve come up with a list of five most effective ways to improve your vocabulary.
- Get Up Close and Personal
Yeah, we mean that, and literally so.
Associating a word with a relevant picture, an incident or even a real person for that matter makes it easier for your brain to grasp the word as well as its meaning.
So the next time you come across a new word, say martinet, think of your super strict Dad or the time when he scolded you for the mess you’d made; we’re pretty sure you won’t forget it!
- Never Forget the ROOTS
We can’t emphasize this enough!
An effective way of remembering a word and its meaning is by studying its ROOT. This helps you understand its social, cultural and historical significance, and also in making informed guesses.
For instance, consider the word root ‘phon’ which means ‘sound’. Now if you come across words such as: euphony (pleasing sound), cacophony (harsh sound) etc., you can guess their meanings.
Knowing one root essentially means knowing multiple words!
- Make Mind Maps
An effective way of remembering words is making mind maps. This technique is especially useful when learning synonyms of a word with multiple connotations.
It helps in getting the ‘feel’ of a word, so the next time you come across it, you’ll remember what it felt like!
- Use a journal
Maintain a record of all the new words you have learnt in a journal, so you can refer back to it whenever you want. This also helps you build the words into your everyday vocabulary and also serves as a motivation for you to learn new words, especially when you see the number of words you’ve already learned.
- Read. Read. Read.
The logic here is pretty straight-forward: The more you read, the more words you will be exposed to!
Every time you come across a new word while reading, make it a point to look it up in the dictionary.
Understanding the meaning of new words by their contextual usage is the most natural way of learning new words and is the reason why this way of learning is the most effective.
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