Tips for students who are weak in English Writing to improve their vocabulary

I know it is a common for students to worry about their vocabulary. Most students who are weak in vocabulary know that it is for these reasons. They had never really got into the habit of reading novels and like to say that they have no time. These may sound like they are the same reasons but these students prefer to say that it is the lack of time which is making them weak as they have ‘no time’ to read.

Fair enough. The school syllabus drains every bit of energy from students and it really seems like words are a total mystery.

Ok. I find that when people say they have ‘no time’ it is usually because they do not like to make time. It could be that they prioritise and give more time for doing other work which they feel is more important. That is usually what happens and so there is no time for reading.

Ok. Ok. So, you have not got into the habit of reading. So what? It is really not the end of the world.

Have I got your attention?

I would like to recommend ways for you to become better in your vocabulary even though you do not like to read much.

Now, I cannot honestly say that you do not have to read at all. That would be untrue. However, I can mention some simple strategies which can take you past heavy reading so that you can sail through with some basic tips.

All you have to do is to just pay attention to this little blog. Carefully.

Tip One

Just try to think of your favourite genre for your composition writing. Is it narrative or argumentative?

Assuming that it is narrative, you will need some creative words and phrases. These have to be adjectives or even idioms. You can find many of these at my website: wizpals.com

Have a look and choose the ones which you think are easy to memorise.

Do you know how many creative words/ phrases you need per composition to achieve a definitive growth in marks? 4 minimum and 5 maximum.

Yes, that’s all it takes. Imagine using a word like ‘outage’ to describe a power failure instead of ‘power cut.’ It makes you sound very well-informed and professional. This sort of writing always inspires markers to give you a higher grade for your ‘language’ component.

If you prefer argumentative or expository writing, read more newspaper articles. They will have words which are more suitable for factual writing. Words like ‘demographics’ and ‘marginalisation’ will appear rather often in news editorials and they are really useful for argumentative essays. Such words will immediately place your essay above the rest as it will provide you with a journalistic style of writing which is needed in such a genre.

Tip Two

Always read the stuff you like. If you do not like reading, it may be that you were told to read specific books which you did not like at all.

Choose your genre carefully. Do you like Collected Short Stories? The stories are shorter, ranging from 20 – 50 pages per story only. Then pick up one of those.

If you want to read on a daily basis but do not know what to read, here is a tip. Read the Editorial section in the newspapers where you have a leader article usually written by a senior correspondent.

The writing will be exceptionally articulate and detailed. It will be embellished with eye-catching phrases which tug at the heart. These people know that their readership will depend on such articles and they would have spent hours writing these articles.

Pay attention to such writing.

Tip Three

Have a tiny little vocabulary e- book handy. Start recording whatever you want in your phone files or notes section. Now, that is something you can do instantaneously. Write down a catchy phrase or the name of a great philosopher. Write down the name of a famous beach which is well-known for its arresting views. Or write down something which you saw.

Writing down your observations is actually journalistic writing. It helps you to strengthen the link between thought and written form. That is the weakest link of all and in some students, it remains a missing link as they are unable to make that transition.

Start trying to narrow the gap between what you are itching to say and the way it appears in print. Make sure that your every thought is transmitted in words perfectly, just the way you had intended it. When you are able to write the way you think, that is the supreme goal which you should attain.

Perfect your style of communication. There can be no better way than to follow these THREE GOLDEN TIPS and become a better writer tomorrow.

All the tips from One to Three are tips which I have put a lot of thought into. I know that these are rather unconventional but it really works. And it is really useful for people who have ‘no time.’

You do not have to follow all 3 Tips. Choose any one of the 3 if you have to. That is the beauty of these tips. Even if you adapt only one of them, you will still benefit in your vocabulary. So, don’t procrastinate. Choose your favourite tip or tips and get cracking!