Improve the vocabulary of the Russian language. How to improve a person's vocabulary

Undoubtedly, a rich vocabulary is an indicator of a person's high intellectual development. If you have a beautiful speech, then in modern world you will be perceived as a person with a good education and culture, creative person... People who have an extensive vocabulary, in society, as a rule, command more respect than those who cannot "connect a couple of words". Even if you are already out of childhood, this does not mean at all that you cannot enrich your speech - this is possible at any age. Read books developing speech You probably know that reading books is beneficial for many reasons. This process can help improve memory, diction, and, of course, can have a positive effect on the quality of your vocabulary. Start with those writers whose work is close and understandable to you. Over time, move on to more complex pieces. Pay attention to text that contains interesting expressions that you would like to remember and use later. Re-read these expressions by ear - this way you will remember them better. The most interesting of them can be written down in a separate notebook. Expand vocabulary in communication with smart people If you want to expand your vocabulary with interesting adverbial phrases or simply in clever words, then, of course, one should not neglect communication with intellectuals. If you notice that the speech of the people around you is very poor, then, of course, you should understand that you will not learn the necessary skills from communicating with them. Moreover, you yourself can lose the acquired vocabulary. Do not be afraid to seem stupid by starting to communicate with people who know a lot. interesting information Is one of the most effective ways to improve your intellectual level, and it was unwise not to use it. Improve your speech and vocabulary by learning new words When you hear or notice a new word while reading, in no case try to "slip through" it - look up the definition in the dictionary. In addition, it is important to note for yourself in which particular turn of speech this word is used. Then try to mentally replace it with a suitable synonym. Subsequently, having fully understood the meaning of a previously unfamiliar word, you can replenish your vocabulary with it. To make it easier to remember, try to visualize it in your mind, adding images related to this word. Let the picture in your imagination be as saturated as possible. What literature to read for the development of literate speech For our time, the speech of the middle of the twentieth century can be called a reference - it is as close as possible to the modern one, but it has not yet absorbed various jargon and barbarism that appeared later. Therefore, it is desirable to give preference to the literature predominantly of this period. The most effective will be the books of Russian and English classics. It is also worth noting that there are special books that help in the development of speech. Let's name some of them. First of all, pay attention to "The Mastery of On-air Performance" by B. D, Gaimakova. First of all, the book will be of interest to people who plan to work on television and radio. However, this work will be useful to everyone else. Includes three parts that tell about the rules of public speaking, technique and culture of speech. We advise you not to ignore the book by N. Gal "The Word Living and Dead". The author is a well-known translator, but her work will be of interest not only to her colleagues. The piece will help you find your own style, avoiding the "dead" language.

Learn a new word every day If you enrich your vocabulary with a new word every day, then, of course, after a while you will be able to show off new knowledge very effectively. There are many applications and sites on the web that offer you to learn new words. There are also communities with this focus in VK. It is important to remember that you don't just need to learn unfamiliar words - they should be used in Everyday life... In the evening, learn some new concept for yourself, and the next day try to apply it in a conversation with someone. This will make memorization much more efficient. Hearing an unfamiliar word, be sure to "google" its meaning As soon as you happen to hear a word, the meaning of which you do not know or has a rather vague character for you, remember it. To be sure, you can write it down on a piece of paper. Subsequently, at the first opportunity, look on the Internet for the meaning of this word. Read aloud, retell, learn poetry Reading aloud, as well as memorizing poetry, is doubly useful. In this way, you not only develop your memory, but also learn vocabulary and syntax. In Russian, the order of words in a sentence can be called quite free, but not everyone uses this freedom to the fullest. Almost every one of us has the usual syntactic constructions ready at the ready, thereby limiting the lexical range. If you have a task to expand this range, then when constructing phrases you should use creative approach... For example, if you are used to using the phrase “I want”, then try to replace it with others - “I wish”, “I would like to” and the like. Of course, reading certain works will help you easily replace your favorite phrases. Nevertheless, often, starting to read, we plunge into the plot, practically not focusing on vocabulary. As a result, the linguistic abundance of the work often passes us by. To avoid this, use this psychological trick: read books that the author wrote in the first person. When you study them without haste and thoughtfully, ready-made phrases will be stored in your memory, which you can later use when talking about yourself. Replace simple words with complex ones that broaden the horizons Try to use more complex words in your speech, replacing those simple words that you used to use before. To do this, look for synonyms for any words that you regularly use. This will greatly enrich and diversify your vocabulary. Do not treat this task as something very difficult and requiring serious energy expenditures - this is a natural process that can continue for the rest of your life. Solve crosswords Solving crosswords is not just fun, but also a great way to increase your vocabulary. Do not neglect this opportunity on vacation, at home, on the road. Pay attention to crosswords that are published in well-known, well-established publications.

Listen to audiobooks If you spend a lot of time driving, and you have little free time to read works of art and study dictionaries, then listen to audiobooks. Also, this technique is useful for those people who better perceive information by ear. Do not even doubt that if you while away the time in traffic under the sound of a good audiobook, these minutes will be of benefit to you. Watch the video Sometimes, the enrichment of vocabulary can occur while watching a variety of videos. We are talking about all kinds of quizzes, intellectual talk shows, documentary projects. Also, do not discount the special courses that contribute to the replenishment of the vocabulary. Thus, you can not only have a good time, but also benefit your own self-development. It is certainly important to distinguish standing materials from unnecessary to you. For example, if you see in television program that the time of the next youth reality show or stupid action movie of the 90s with the appropriate translation is approaching, it is better to devote time to something else, because such viewing will not only not benefit you, but can also harm you. Scrapbook method Perhaps you are faced with the fact that it is very difficult for you to memorize new terms. The already mentioned "method of notes" will help in this situation. Get a pack of stickers, then write a new word on one side of the piece of paper, and its meaning on the other. Now place the stickers around the apartment. Now "difficult" words will constantly catch your eye, and you can re-read their meanings over and over again until they are fully assimilated and included in your usual vocabulary. Write You will quickly learn how to correctly use new expressions if you take up writing. To do this, of course, you don't have to be a writer - just set aside at least half an hour a day to write some small text. This can be a simple statement of your own thoughts on a particular occasion, for example, you can write what you dream about, what kind of people you dislike, what you can admire in another person, and so on. You can even write a multi-page article on a topic that interests you. When you start writing a text, you will have some time to think over your thoughts, thanks to which you will have the opportunity to learn how to correctly apply new phrases, succinctly inserting them into the text in the right place. Writing is definitely a creative activity that activates your mental potential. Naturally, this is great for training the brain, allowing you to remember words that you previously hardly used in speech.

The phrase "I have no words" often has more than just an allegorical meaning. How often do we say this phrase not at all when overwhelming emotions block the fountain of eloquence, but when it is really difficult to find exactly those words that convey a specific thought as accurately as possible! When the phrase "I have no words" comes up too often, you should think about increasing your vocabulary.

The vocabulary is denoted by the word "lexicon". This is not an "archive" where all the concepts and definitions that a particular person knows are stored. This is a collection of all the words that are used by a certain group people or a specific person.

Owning and using vocabulary are different concepts. You can recognize words in the text or oral speech do not use them yourself. For this reason, the entire lexicon is conventionally divided into three groups.

Active vocabulary is the volume of words that a person regularly hears and uses without hesitation, which a person uses constantly in everyday life, in everyday life. An active vocabulary assumes that the use of the words that make up it does not require any mental stress, the need to remember the meaning or pronunciation.

Passive vocabulary - the whole range of words that are familiar and understandable when they are found in written or spoken language, but are not usually used. The word "stock" the best way characterizes the meaning of passive vocabulary. This is the "archive" from which a person, if necessary, can remember a word, fish out from the depths of the brain. Passive vocabulary is several times more extensive than active vocabulary.

External vocabulary is a phrase from the area of passive vocabulary. The concept is used mainly in psycholinguistics, when it is necessary to designate a range of words unfamiliar to a particular person, any words that relate to narrow branches of human knowledge: scientific and professional terms, outdated vocabulary, etc.

Differences between these different kinds conditional, constantly changing with age, personality development, change in the external environment. Vocabulary increases especially strongly with age. The average first grader constantly uses about two thousand words (which refers to active vocabulary), by the end of school he is fluent in about five thousand words. Five to six thousand words is the average size of a person's active vocabulary.

Studying at a university allows you to double your vocabulary, half of which, and sometimes more, is passive vocabulary: new special terms are firmly embedded in the head and are removed from there only when necessary. Many polymaths may know 50 thousand words, but in active use they still have the same 5-6 thousand.

How to expand your vocabulary

The vocabulary is greatly influenced by the field of activity, social circle, living conditions. Vocabulary increases if you go beyond the boundaries of your environment, change your social circle, place of residence or work. An increase in active vocabulary is beneficial for general development. To increase your active vocabulary, you must follow the recommendations developed by experts.

Communicate more. Both oral communication and written communication are important, because the lexicon is a tool for any communication. By developing communication skills, we unwittingly develop the instrument itself. Two tricks work. We adopt new words from our interlocutors and ourselves try to use new words more often in order to convey information as accurately as possible. Thus, the active vocabulary is replenished with words from the passive "archive".

The wider the social circle, the more diverse it is, the more words pass from the passive stock to the active one. Talk to more strangers, with colleagues at work, neighbors, casual acquaintances, fellow travelers. Correspondence, communication in social networks, in chats and on forums will enhance the effect of communication. Each new interlocutor should be perceived as a new source of words.

Read more. Not best source information, and therefore the potential for vocabulary growth than written text. Depending on what words are missing in the lexicon, you should read classical literature or special reference books. Classics are good for enriching vocabulary with words suitable for communication in any situation. Classical literature is a real treasure trove in order to replenish your vocabulary with lexical units, with the help of which you will not be ashamed to communicate with the queen. If it happens, of course.

Modern Russian prose makes it possible to replenish vocabulary with modern slang. By reading pulp fiction from many female writers, it's easy to expand the active vocabulary of Ellochka the Cannibal thesaurus. Not a useless skill, considering the way some modern ladies talk.

Science fiction will enrich the vocabulary for conversations with people from a pseudo-scientific environment, or in order to easily impress inexperienced interlocutors with their "deep" knowledge of a scientific subject. To really understand any issue, or at least expand your vocabulary to communicate with really knowledgeable people, you should read scientific literature, specialized journals and reference books.

To see real results, you need to read for at least an hour every day. In this sense, reading works on the same principle as working out in the gym.

Reading aloud, speaking enhances the effect, promotes faster memorization of new words.

Listening carefully to your interlocutors or listening to the radio is another useful activity to expand your active vocabulary. This is especially true for the so-called "auditors" - people who best perceive and memorize information by ear.

It is important not only to learn new words, but also to memorize them. A The best way remember - retell yourself. It is necessary to retell everything that has been read or heard, trying as closely as possible to preserve the vocabulary of the source of information. Many people complain about "bad memory", but this problem can be solved. Trains memory by memorizing poetry. By the way, poetry perfectly replenishes vocabulary no worse, and sometimes even better than prose.

Active vocabulary should not be limited to just one language. Knowledge of a foreign language allows you to significantly expand the boundaries of your native language. The Russian language contains about half a million words, about a tenth of them are borrowed from other languages. And if you also learn English, for example, you can significantly increase your vocabulary. V English language about a quarter of a million words, and having a rich English thesaurus is almost twice as easy as having a Russian!

A good way to improve your active vocabulary is to keep a journal. it great alternative correspondence with real people or active life in social networks and forums. Experts point out that this is not the most effective method increase active vocabulary, but it works much better than nothing at all.

In everyday life, many people disdain crosswords, puzzles, scanwords and other linguistic games. However, they are great for training memory and expanding vocabulary.

Exercise to increase vocabulary

Sometimes you can do special exercises to increase active vocabulary. For example, we are often lazy to look for words-antonyms, we prefer to use the particle "not". Not a warm summer, a long road, not a systemic opposition ... Straining our memory in search of antonymic words, we will significantly expand our vocabulary. It is necessary to make it a rule to avoid the "not" particle wherever possible.

Reading, words are often found that are part of a passive vocabulary. To quickly translate these words into an active vocabulary, you should focus on these words throughout the entire length of the text, pronouncing them in different phrases and sentences. So the language at the level of mechanics will remember a new word, and it will jump out involuntarily.

It is useful to memorize not only poetry, but also dialogues in books or films, where the characters' speech is replete with words from a passive vocabulary. Emotionally colored information is better remembered and then actively used.

Modern society has lost the ability to express itself beautifully and correctly. Therefore, when words flow out of a person like a full-flowing river, you involuntarily listen, experiencing a genuine interest in his personality.

The art of speaking beautifully can be mastered. To do this, you need to replenish your vocabulary so that you can express your thoughts correctly and convey the meaning of what was said to the listener. We are offering to you 10 Ways to Boost Your Vocabulary Fast.

1. Reading books.

The surest and most effective way to improve your vocabulary is reading. While reading the book, you will not only gain new knowledge and plunge into an interesting artistic world, but also learn many new words that will come across to you while reading. If the meaning of a word is not clear to you, then you should write it down in a notebook and look at the meaning in the explanatory dictionary. In order for your vocabulary to be constantly replenished, you should set aside at least one hour a day for reading. Thus, you will be able to read a sufficient number of books in a year so that your worldview changes, and you turn out to be an interesting interlocutor.

2. Watching video.

Improve your vocabulary quickly not only books will help, but also various video materials (game shows, intellectual shows, training courses and feature films). Of course, watching TV series or the program "Dom-2" can not be attributed to developing video. Therefore, be able to distinguish useful material from the "rubbish" that only clogs your mind. Remember to write down new words in your notebook while watching smart video.

3. Listen to audio materials.

Audio materials, which include various audio seminars, audio lessons and audio books, will also help you to replenish your vocabulary. Having found necessary information, just download it to your player or phone and listen to it at any time convenient for you. Also, do not forget to use a notebook to write down new words, the meaning of which you can find in the explanatory dictionary.

4. Encyclopedias and dictionaries.

Nothing expands your vocabulary like using encyclopedias and dictionaries. It is best if such books are in your direct access: on the table or on the bookshelf. At any time convenient for you, we can use the knowledge that is in these sources. Dictionaries will help you find out the meanings of words (explanatory, phraseological, synonyms and others), encyclopedias will open up a world of interesting information about almost everything in the world. There is also an online encyclopedia - Wikipedia, in which you can interpret almost any word or phenomenon, read the biography of great people or immerse yourself in history.

5. Communication with people.

This method is also a means. Only here the quality of vocabulary will directly depend on the people with whom you communicate. If there are only intellectuals in your environment, then you will also be drawn to this level. Therefore, in communication, it is necessary to strive for interaction with those who are more able or know than you, so that such communication could raise your level of knowledge and improve your vocabulary.

6. Use new words.

This method is aimed at the active use of vocabulary. Often, many words simply "fly out of my head" and to remember them, you need to make some effort. The more often you use new words in your conversation, the faster they will enter your "comfort zone" and you will be able to operate with them. To improve the level of your speech, you can replace everyday words with synonyms of new words, and then your interlocutors will be delighted with communicating with you.

7. Writing develops speech.

Practice writing literate phrases in your letter. It will also allow you improve vocabulary and express your thoughts correctly. It is not necessary to write long texts, a few simple phrases are enough that will relate to a specific issue. It can be a great hobby to write one or two articles a day on any topic you see fit. While writing, you not only work through your vocabulary, but also learn to correctly and concisely insert them into a sentence, which greatly activates your creativity. Thus, you train not only speech, but also your brain.

8. Notes to memorize.

There are always words that are difficult enough to memorize. In order to facilitate this process, you can write from 1 to 3 words on the stickers and hang them all over the apartment. Thus, you will also connect visual memory, which will allow you to remember new words. Unnecessary reminders of words on your household appliances or the computer will refresh your knowledge, and soon you will be able to use it in your speech.

9. Keep yourself occupied with crosswords, scanwords and other intellectual pursuits.

No less useful charging for the mind is solving crosswords or scanwords. Today such material is sold in every newsstand. Solving one crossword puzzle every day will allow you to learn something new and while away your leisure time. Rarely when you manage to solve the entire crossword puzzle on your own, sometimes you have to turn to encyclopedias or the Internet for help, but this does not lose its usefulness.

10. Show interest.

A person who is always interested in new things will keep his mind alive for a long time. Try to strive for new knowledge and get all the information you need from books or the Internet. Expand the horizons of your knowledge and communication. The world is so wide and diverse that a lifetime is not enough to solve its secrets and riddles. As long as you have an interest in everything new, you are alive and full of strength. Develop and strive for the best!

Much has been said and written about how to increase vocabulary. Most educated people regularly think about this, even if their activities are not directly related to rhetoric or oratory. The Russian language, rich and beautiful, allows people who speak it to express their thoughts expressively, elegantly and diversely. Good command of the mother tongue is a serious advantage in work, relationships, in any communication with others.

How to replenish your vocabulary, what methods and lessons will be most effective? Let's try to figure it out.

Varieties of vocabulary

When we think about how to expand our vocabulary, it is important to understand that first of all we are talking about increasing the active vocabulary.

Active vocabulary is the words that we use in everyday life when communicating with friends, family, and colleagues. We pronounce them naturally and easily, they are firmly embedded in speech and writing. It doesn't take much effort for us to find the right word.

Passive vocabulary is words, the meaning of which is generally understood and known to us, but we practically do not use them. Perhaps this is inappropriate in our social circle, or there are some other reasons. Then, in order to remember a word, we have to make some effort.

External vocabulary is highly specialized terms, the meaning of which is not fully known to us. Usually these are words that are used in a professional environment, among a small circle of people.

As a rule, most people have very limited active vocabulary: it is good if one hundredth of the total volume is used in speech. Therefore, when the question arises of how to replenish your vocabulary, this means that you need to first of all replenish the stock of constantly used words.

Learning to speak again

What do we do when we share our experiences with friends or call support and cannot pick up suitable name or accurately describe your emotions or feelings?

But we agreed with you that we will think about how to improve vocabulary, right? Then we begin to develop awareness:

The recipe, in fact, is very simple: to learn how to speak beautifully, you need to ... speak. This is true. Learn to speak in direct communication. Tell stories, book or movie plots, news or impressions. Try to use new words that you haven't used before. Include them consciously in your life.

Write letters

Writing will also help to solve the problem of how to increase the number of words used. Write letters. Write on forums or social networks. Try writing articles or essays. Keep a diary.

Choose words and phrases carefully, look for synonyms - practice is important in this matter and practice again.

Give a speech

They help to enrich speech very well public performance and responsible conversations. Sketch on paper ahead of time. Train, seek different variants that most accurately and fully reflect your point of view. If you have to speak in front of a large audience, keep the speech bright and rich, rather than dull and unemotional.

Learn poetry

Learn poems by heart, retell texts. It is important not only to tell the text, but to do it as close as possible to the author's style, paying attention to new words and phraseological units. Tell emotionally, with expression, then it will be easier to remember new words.

Constantly improve your active and passive vocabulary: both are important. Listen to audiobooks, do crossword puzzles, watch helpful educational programs, and interact with educated, developed people.
To better remember a new word or turn of speech, create a vivid image, visualize it inside yourself. Words are well remembered in conjunction with others, in sentences, and not by themselves.
Write down the quotes and expressions you like. Use them in your speech. The main thing is that it is appropriate.
Do not use slang words and mate: be creative, look for colorful, bright replacements.
Don't fill your short-term memory with useless information.
Study foreign language... Any. Oddly enough, this allows you to simultaneously replenish the active and passive vocabulary of your native language too.

How to activate passive vocabulary

Our passive vocabulary is constantly growing. Basically, this happens in two cases: while we are listening and when we are reading. So its filling begins in childhood itself. It doesn't make much sense to purposefully memorize words: they will remain passive.

Choose synonyms for words

The selection of synonyms helps to activate the passive stock very well. There is a whole series interesting games, when a phenomenon or object needs to be described in words, excluding the use of familiar and frequently used words from the list. You can arrange such games in friendly company or practice alone.

It is helpful to make lists of synonyms. For example, a dictionary of feelings. Write down in a column all the feelings you know and try to write as many synonyms for them as possible next to them. Of course, it is important not only to write them, but also to use them in your spoken and written speech.

Compose stories

Another useful and entertaining exercise is composing a story using only nouns. Or verbs. Or - the hardest part - adjectives. Remember? "Night. Street. Flashlight. Pharmacy". How can you proceed?

Here are other options: write a story where words begin with each letter of the alphabet in order. Or all words are just one letter. It is important that the story is connected.

There are three types of vocabulary: active, passive and external.

Active vocabulary is the set of words that you use regularly, every day. You communicate with colleagues, friends, family and everyone else. These are words that are chosen by themselves in a situation, and you don't strain too much. These words are simple, you hear and use them quite often.

Passive vocabulary is a collection of all the words that you know and hearing you can interpret the meaning. There are a lot of these words, many times more than those that you use every day. But in order to remember one of these words you need to strain your brain a little.

And the third - external vocabulary - words that you do not understand. Terms whose meanings are difficult for you to explain. Perhaps these are words from a certain area, industry. Words that a small circle of people know, narrow specializations, etc.

As we get older, vocabulary increases. We study at school, then at the institute and learn more and more new words. Therefore, no clear boundaries can be drawn between the three vocabularies. More often than not, words go from one to the other. From passive to active, from external to passive, etc.

Active vocabulary development

The first way is communication. Every day we communicate with people, both verbally and in writing, thereby replenishing our vocabulary. Of course, if your social circle is limited a certain amount people, you will hardly recognize many new words. Therefore, you should not miss any chance to communicate with a new person. You need to get to know and communicate with people from different fields and industries. For example, in a store you can talk to a salesperson, in a gym with a trainer, if you travel by public transport, you can start a dialogue with a fellow traveler you like. Also, communication on forums, social networks helps to increase vocabulary. Naturally, the quality of words depends on the topics you are communicating with and the people with whom you are communicating.

The second way is, of course, reading books. In addition to books, it is useful to read newspapers, advertisements, magazines. Depending on the industry or field in which you would like to increase your vocabulary, choose a genre of books. Read every day for at least an hour. It is useful to read aloud, to pronounce words, so you will better remember them. Also, various kinds of dictionaries will always come to the rescue.

The third way is memorization. Learn poems, songs - this method has been used since school. He is very helpful. Read the texts and retell, trying to convey the meaning as accurately as possible and maintain the manner of presentation.

The fifth way is to start keeping a journal. Record the events of the day. This is an ineffective method, but still you have to think, find words that are more accurate to describe events, taking into account your feelings and emotions at that time. Thus, you will most likely need some words from your passive vocabulary.

To all of the above, you can add the study of different languages, solving puzzles, solving crosswords, charades and everything else. Read public speaking manuals and complete the assignments listed there.

If you decide to tackle the development of your speech, you must train it regularly, abandoning, you will return to the previous state of affairs. It's like training the body by abandoning training, gradually it will begin to lose its shape. Do not skip unfamiliar words, find out their meaning, memorize, write down, ask again. Regular efforts will certainly yield results and no one will be able to say that you have a poor vocabulary.