In ESL Students: Improve Your Writing in 10 Minutes a Day (Part Two--Organization) we talked about an easy but very effective way to improve your writing skills. I asked you to find examples of the kinds of things you want to write, and to copy them for 10 minutes a day.

Did you do it? Can you notice the difference yet?

Let's talk about vocabulary now. I want to start by telling you about two students I had about 30 years ago. I never forgot the lesson they taught me, especially since I've seen it happen again and again since that time.

Let's call them May and Daisy. Both were Asian students with a strong interest in learning English. They came to class every day and paid attention in class. May had had a good education in her own country, and she had learned a lot of English words.

Daisy had not been so fortunate. She'd had less education in her own country, and she didn't know nearly as many English words. Does it surprise you that Daisy was much easier for me to understand? Here's why:

1. Her pronunciation was clearer.
2. Even though Daisy didn't know very many words, she used them correctly enough in sentences.
3. May's grammar couldn't support her large vocabulary.

Word order is very, very important in English. Think about the difference between Jack loves Sally and Sally loves Jack. Or The dog bit the man and The man bit the dog. By putting words in the wrong order, May confused her listeners. Add to that unclear pronunciation, and May was very difficult to understand.

So what does this mean for you, an ESL learner? We know that a person who uses simpler words correctly is much easier to understand than a person who uses more difficult words incorrectly.

But we also know that a larger working vocabulary often means higher marks in school and higher-paying jobs. What can we learn from this?

1. When you learn a new word, learn its pronunciation. Be careful of electronic dictionaries. Even though I'm used to listening to people with accents, I often find it hard to understand electronic dictionaries. They often don't sound natural.

You might do better by listening to the news on the internet or radio, or asking a native speaker for help. You could also check out pronunciation programs on the internet; ask a native speaker if s/he can understand the words easily.

2. Think about how you learned new words in your first language. You didn't use a dictionary very often, did you? You heard the word in different conversations, you heard it again and again, and you came to know its meaning.

When you learn a new word, also learn the sentence where you found it. This will help you remember the meaning in a very natural way. Then look it up in the dictionary and learn the sentence or phrase given in the dictionary.

3. Listen for it in other conversations. Search for it on the internet. See how many different ways you can find it used.

4. Collocations are groups of words that are often found together in a certain order. They can be strange and interesting! For example, we say, He's not a well man, but we don't say He's a well man or She's not a well woman or He's not a well boy.

We say black and white, but we don't say white and black. I can't tell you why we say them this way, but I can tell you that collocations are very important to understanding and speaking English well. The EnglishClub website offers helpful information on this topic.

5. Review your new vocabulary often, and always review it in sentences. This is the key to storing it in your long-term memory.

Follow these five steps, and watch your vocabulary grow!

Margaret Welwood is an English as a Second Language Instructor, freelance writer and editor. She has taught English as a Second Language in Alberta, Canada, for over 25 years. To sign up for her free seven-part self-study vocabulary course for adults, click here: http://www.teachyouryoungchild.ca/registration_form.htm
To learn how to prepare your young child for success in school, click here: http://www.teachyouryoungchild.ca