Read books, magazines, poems, plays, stories and more. The more language you're exposed to, the more new words you'll learn.

Make it a habit to find a new word every day. Look in the dictionary, sign up for "A Word a Day" (see dictionary.com) or make swapping new words a game with a workmate or fellow student.

Speak to people. You'll be exposed to an amazing range of cultural influences and occupations, all of which will introduce you to new words.

Write down words you don't know. Keep a pad in your briefcase or purse just for that purpose.

Look up the words in a dictionary so you'll understand what they mean, how they're spelled and their various usages. This will also help you remember the words.

Make flashcards of the words and go through them regularly.

Create or play word games. Scrabble and Mad Libs, for example, are great ways to reinforce new vocabulary words.