Try to make a little time each day to read books in English- on your commute, before falling asleep, or simply while taking a break. Reading on a regular basis is proven to enhance your vocabulary, even if you don’t stop to look up every single foreign word, chances are you will learn new words simply by figuring out their meaning based on the context they’re used in or by coming across them again down the line.

If you want to improve your vocabulary, don’t just flip through your favorite magazine, but actually read it. According to the Johnson O’Connor Research Foundation, magazines on topics you’re interested in like sports, health, interior design, or fashion are filled with words you probably don’t think to use in your daily conversations. When you read the next issue, keep an eye out for the words you learned the month before; chances are, you’ll remember what they mean this time.

Look for articles online that interest you in English. When you are passionate about a topic, you will find it much easier to absorb new information and remember it. Read posts on Social media, like Pinterest, where you will feast not only on English expressions, but pretty pictures too.

Parents and children can both benefit and improve vocabulary from reading bedtime stories snuggled under the covers. By reading to your children, you get to learn words that may not be necessarily used often by adults and thus enrich your own vocabulary.

2.Watch movies in English with subtitles

Everyone has favorite shows on TV or movies. Watch them daily with subtitles to be able to read those parts of the speech you didn’t hear well.

We recommend short episodes of fun sitcoms like Friends, Bones, Grace and Frankie, Sex and the City, Desperate Housewives, etc, which are perfect for a short break of 20-30 min. You will get a few laughs and plenty of new words, slang and phrases while seeing them used by actors with clear pronunciation in a fun context. Listening to the native speech helps to get used to the speech patterns, connected speech and intonation.

Watching the movie version of your favorite book is also a vocabulary booster, as you’re likely to have a deeper understanding and knowledge of the words in it. Seeing and reading something on the same topic is really important, this phenomenon is called dual coding; you read something, then see it on the screen and end up remembering better because you have a visual representation, which aids a longer lasting memory.

3. Teach your new words and phrases to your children, friends or colleagues

This technique helps not only increase your vocabulary, but also gain confidence in what you have learned. Try to share a story with your friend or child in English including the new words you have learned. Then ask them if they have memorized them by testing their knowledge. This will improve your own understanding and strengthen your memory too!

4. Make good use of your tablet or Kindle

Next time you’re reading an e-book and come across a word you don’t know, try highlighting it with your finger, which will open the embedded dictionary. Many tablets provide a dictionary definition in a little bubble, so you wont lose your place or have to switch between Google and your novel.

5. Listen to how words sound

Many people won’t remember tricky words unless they come across them frequently. But if you hear a word that you think sounds interesting, you become word conscious and start using it yourself. During a meeting or a conference call, write down those expressions your colleagues use but you are not familiar with and check their meaning later. Chances are they will stick with you and you will be able to use them in a similar context. yourself.

For more tips and tricks check out the “Smart Hacks to Fluency” Workshop in the English Yoga App.