Learn English Vocabulary

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How to Learn English Vocabulary

There are many reasons why learning a language is difficult. However, it doesn't have to be difficult. We just need to know what language is.

Language is simply words. A group of words are sentences. When you can create sentences to say what you want, then you can speak the language.

If that is the case, then what are the problems? Why is it hard to learn English?

First, there are hundreds of thousands of words. I can't learn them all!!!
Second, even if I know the meaning of the word, I don't know how to use it!
And third, after learning some words, I forget them. How do I remember them?!?!

We thought about all of these problems when we built this English vocabulary app. We used a lot of research created by smart people and found a solution for all these problems in an easy step by step way.

Well known researchers such as Schonell, Hirsh, Nation, and many others all agree that knowing 2,000 words will cover over 90% of words used in both writing and speaking.

Basically, these 2,000 words will give you a solid foundation so you can learn English more easily. It is more important to know 2,000 words in depth than to know 10,000 words at a low level. If you know 10,000 words but cannot use them in a sentence, then what is the purpose of knowing that word? But if you study and learn these 2000 words, you will have the ability to speak and write solid English.

Ok. Now I know that I should learn at least 2,000 words, but which 2,000 words? There are many lists out there and they are all different. How do I know which words are the best ones to learn?

We solved this problem by using existing data from respected sources and combining them with modern data. The British National Corpus, The Corpus of Contemporary American English, and Longman Communication all analyzed millions and millions of words to generate a list of the most frequently used words. In addition to these three respectable lists, we got modern data by compiling over 500,000 words used over the internet covering various subjects. The only words to make it into the top 2,000 word list are the ones that were present in all four sources. Because of this method, we are confident that our list of the 2,000 most frequently used words is a list that you can trust.

That sounds great, but I still have a problem using words in sentences.

No problem. Unlike a dictionary that only gives the definition, we provide common collocations for the word you are studying. A collocation is a word that is frequently used with the word. We also provide many example sentences to help you fully understand the meaning and how to use it in real sentences.

Here is an example for the word 'friend':

"She talks to her best friend every day."
"She has been a loyal friend for many years."

In this case, the collocations for the word 'friend' are "best, loyal, real, trusted, true, and faithful." You will see these words with the word 'friend' in many other sentences. If you study in this manner, you will know the word, the meaning, and how to use the word in sentences.

This sounds very interesting, but I have one more problem. After I study, I have a problem of forgetting the words. How can I remember all of these words?

There are four important things you need to do when you study a word.

You need to see the word
You need to hear the word
You need to say the word
You need to practice using the word

Whenever you learn anything, the brain makes connections. The more connections that are made the easier it is to remember the word. When you see the word, your brain is making one type of connection. When you hear the word, your brain is making another connection to the word you are studying. When you say the word, you are merging two things together that make a powerful connection. Finally, you need to practice using the word. The act of practicing makes each connection stronger so you don't forget.