emelee Posted July 16, 2010 Share Posted July 16, 2010 I've tried putting together one such book of new & wondrous words but, as I am commonsensically challenged, I feebly attempted the task on a notebook rather than an alphabetised addressed book so it didn't work very well I think I might need to procure me one of those and give this method another shot! The method is really good when you learn a foreign language. But works fine too for your native language of course. I Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Nightingale Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 As I've got older, I've become more analytical when it comes to reading. When I was young, if I didn't know a word I usually just skipped over it. Nowadays, if I find a word I don't know I usually look it up on the internet straight away and add it to a vocabulary list. The problem is, as the books I read become more and more dense, so does the vocabulary. Sometimes I'm looking up 2-3 words per page. I know this is brilliant for increasing my vocabulary, but it makes reading almost...stressful... at times. Certainly less enjoyable than when I was younger. I read an interesting article earlier in the year - I think it was based on some research and it tackled this very subject. I'll post the link, if I'm allowed (new here, so I'm not sure what the policy is on linking to other websites.) The author concluded that the best way to deal with vocabulary when reading is to simply try and interpret the word as you're reading it, rather than looking it up straight away. They argued that looking up so many words ruins the 'flow' of reading and I do agree with that. It also said we're more likely to understand the subtleties of a word that we guess in context, given that words do not always go by a black-and-white definition when used in literature. I've concluded, thus far, that the best thing to do is try and interpret the vast majority of words and only look up the ones that I cannot decipher even within context. Anyway, I was curious to know other people's thoughts on this. What do you do when you come across unfamiliar words in your reading? Are there any methods that work for you in terms of interpreting a word from its context? I'd be interested to hear what others think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bookmonkey Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 I think I tend to go with what that research says, if I can figure out the meaning without looking it up I just carry on. Sometimes I make a mental note to check the meaning later. If I can't figure out what it means, I'll look it up. My ipod touch comes in very handy in these cases, I have a dictionary on it, and it's always nearby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bree Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 I just let it go as long as I can make sense of the sentence/context. But sometimes a word keeps cropping up in different places, enough times to register in my conscious mind, and I then take the time to type "define:<word>" in Google and actually read its meaning. Sometimes, through, a word sounds so attractive or intriguing that I'm immediately captured by it and look it up (the last such word for me was : prink) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nailed Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 I have dictionary dot com on my phone, it really has to be a word I do not know, for me to look it up. But I do make the effort if I need to, My vocabulary is constantly expanding and reading is definatly a fantastic way to improve it. Lou x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinay87 Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 I didn't bother before but ever since I started using a Kindle touch all I have to do is touch the word and voila! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordsgood Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 If I can't immediately deduce the meaning of an unfamiliar word, or see a known word being used in a context I've not see it used in before, I do look it up. Most of the time I add it to an ongoing personal vocabulary list I keep. Dragging out my big dictionaries or having to turn the computer on just to look up a word got annoying though, so a couple years ago I invested in an electronic Dictionary/Thesaurus. Very handy little thing to have by your side when reading! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bookmonkey Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 After reading this thread I came across a word last night I couldn't figure out, and it wasn't in the dictionary either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 After reading this thread I came across a word last night I couldn't figure out, and it wasn't in the dictionary either. What was it book monkey? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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