• Get a dictionary of idioms and learn a few words/ phrases a day

Idioms are useful phrases which  need prior understanding before learners can use them in conversations. This is due to the fact that  such phrases are usually not literal and can’t be understood based on the words within each phrase. 

Idioms function in a way that literal meanings cannot. Thus, they play an important role in the progression of language. 

Since including idioms in your conversation can help you express yourself in a more creative manner, it helps to learn some. 

• Read  newspapers and magazines

One of the effective ways to improve your vocabulary is reading. The kinds of reading you can take advantage is the daily newspaper or a bestselling novel, every kind of publication has something to offer! 

In the event you chance upon any words or phrases you don’t understand, you can use  an online dictionary or do a quick Google search to find their meaning. 

You should try to write these new words or phrases down and then try to use them whenever you can.

 

• Watch the evening news every night

Watching TV news is another way to boost your vocabulary.  Observing the way presenter speaks and how he or she reports the news, you have the chance to   catch new words or phrases and notice how they’re weaved in to bring a point across. 

• Read across a variety of  disciplines and topics 

A good way to increase your vocabulary is to not limit yourself to a certain kind of topic, you can read from tech to family & climate change.

When you read across a range of topics, you’ll be exposing yourself to different styles and also get to learn how various words play a part to bring ideas to life.

• Learn synonyms for commonly used words

Vocabulary helps to learn synonyms, which are basically other variations of common words that are used to describe the same thing. 

Doing so would prevent you from going back to the same word. For example, instead of always saying the word “close”, you can replace it with “shut” or “seal” to bring the same point across, depending on the situation. 

• Use more collocations in your conversations

Collocations can make you sound like a native speaker when you master them.

When you get familiar with collocations, you’ll understand how to correctly use common words in a phrase or sentence.