How can I improve my vocabulary?

Question

I notice that on the ACT, I am missing some Reading and English problems because I don't know the meaning of a word. How can I improve?

Answer 1

If you practice for the ACT/SAT, you will begin to see that many of the same words recur in the reading and English sections. Circle the words you don't understand, and write them down in a notebook. I imagine you will soon discover that you are building your vocabulary by learning new words, many of which will be on the test.

I would be happy to help you prep for the reading, English, and optional essay portions of the ACT/SAT, and show you how to apply this technique and other ones. :)

Answer 2

Improving your vocabulary in order to do well on the ACT is simple in some ways, and difficult in others. You can get any number of books on increasing your vocabulary designed for those taking the ACT and/or SAT exams. These books are designed to familiarize you with the typical words that you'll find on the tests. They will give you synonyms and proper use in a variety of sentences. They may give you alternate meanings and usages and possibly word origin - all designed to help you do well on the test. They will offer mastery quizzes to reinforce your learning. This is the simplest way improve your vocabulary score on the ACT and/or SAT.

The more difficult way to improve your vocabulary is to start very early in life being an avid reader. Reading books will boost your vocabulary, but it takes a lot of time and effort. Unlike cramming for the test with vocabulary building books, this will be a more certain way to improve your score. You will retain the words better, and you will incorporate these words into your speaking and writing, which will increase your reading comprehension as well (which will improve your overall language score on the tests, as well as your overall academic performance.

Answer 3

Read as often as you can. If you come across a word you are unfamiliar with, take note and look it up. Don't skip any! Even words that seem more basic can serve as stepping stones/links to more advanced words that you have to define later on. Lindsey K. is right, studying Latin roots is incredibly helpful. Even a little bit of brushing up in this area can go a long way. Feel free to reach out if you have more questions about this. Good luck!

Answer 4

Sometimes when reading sentences or stories, you have trouble understanding what the words mean.

If you read a story and don't understand it, you must do something to help you clarify it. ''Clarify'' means to make something clear. How can you clarify what you are reading? There are three main tips for clarifying while reading:

1. Look at the title.
2. Use keywords.
3. Use other words as clues.

Answer 5

Knowing a bit of etymology is indeed the best way to decode the meanings of words and build vocabulary, but sometimes prefixes are even more helpful than roots. Remember, too, that test performance is less significant for your life than the vocabulary it tests.

Answer 6

Best: the best way to improve your vocabulary is to start early and read challenging materials. When you have a short timeline for test prep, however, you will need to use other strategies. Learning Greek and Latin roots, and studying specialized materials can help you quickly improve your understanding. I can provide recommendations for materials tailored to your needs.