When you are preparing for the [subject:'gre' GRE] one of the most important things you can do to increase your score is to learn vocabulary words that are likely to appear on the test. The [info:'gre-vocabulary' GRE verbal section] can be tricky, so you must be prepared to recognize difficult words; words you might not even know. First, know that you are not the only one facing this problem. Everyone who writes the GRE is working on their vocabulary too, and here are 5 tips to help you improve yours.
- Avoid flashcards to teach you new words; read instead. Except for exam, you rarely see a list of random words; usually words come with context. Gather words you don’t know from articles, but also take note of the context that word appears in – you’ll need to know it later.
- Try out each new word you learn with different suffixes and prefixes. Think about how the new prefix changes the meaning – but be careful, sometimes adding a prefeix doesn’t change anything. Flammable and inflammable, for example, both mean the same thing.
- Try a new learning style. Consider using mind maps to help you learn – place the new word in the centre of a page, along with the definition, around it places thing like examples sentences, compound options or prefix/suffixes (include definition there too), words with similar or opposite meaning – you can even create pictures to help you remember the meaning.
- Create multiple practice sentences using the word so you can learn to use the word properly in context. Does it seem like we’re hammering this context point a lot? We are. Context is key when learning new words.
- Treat every moment as a potential learning opportunity. Since we’re constantly bombarded with language (from advertising, news, even people on the street), so always keep your ears open. Carry around a notebook with you at all times and be aware. If you hear a word you aren’t sure how to spell, write down the phonetic spelling and investigate later.
Read the full article: 5 Ways to Build Vocabulary