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Have there been times when you struggled to express your thoughts in words?
Or that you found yourself using the same words repeatedly, especially in essays or long paragraphs?
Those are signs that you should start expanding your vocabulary to improve your communication and writing skills.
In this article, we will be exploring more about a specific technique to help build your vocabulary one word at a time, the Word-a-Day challenge.
What is the Word-a-Day Challenge?
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As the name implies, the challenge is about learning a new vocabulary word every day and incorporating it into your daily routine as much as possible.
It is a simple yet very effective technique that can help you reach your goal, and the best thing is that it can be applied to any language that you want to focus on improving.
Let’s dive into how to incorporate this challenge into your daily routine!
Choose The Best Resources For Your Learning
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To start the challenge, do some research on the best sources for daily new words.
There are a wide range of applications, websites, and tools online that aim to help you with your challenge.
The choice is up to you, so ensure that you really like what you choose and are determined to not give up no matter how tough it gets.
Some of them also include customisable goals, interests, and daily reminders, so it’s recommended to choose them over others for you to progress faster and more effectively.
Lastly, ensure that your choice of resource includes the definitions, example sentences, and synonyms for the new words to help you understand them better and aid your learning.
Keep a Journal
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It is advisable that you purchase a journal to record what you’ve learned daily and maintain it over the course of your learning journey.
These include, but are not limited to: the new word, its meaning, its usage in a sentence, as well as three synonyms.
You will need a lot of self-discipline and perseverance to maintain this journal, but it’s definitely worth it as it will become a valuable source for revision.
Practise With Every Opportunity You Get
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Just journaling your newly learned words daily will not be sufficient.
Start to incorporate those new vocabulary words into your day-to-day activities, such as your conversations with others and your writing in general.
Not only will this constant practice reinforce what you’ve learned in your brain, but you will also impress those you practise with.
Gamify Your Learning
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What’s a better and more effective way to aid your learning than to add some gamification elements to it?
Sometimes you’ve got to have some fun while learning, too!
Challenge yourself by playing word games and puzzles, such as crossword puzzles and word associations. One classic example is the game Scrabble.
Constantly Review Every Interval
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Every week or so, go through what you’ve learned in your journal and their applications in your daily routines.
This can help to solidify the new words in your vocabulary and help you remember them more often when you need to use them.
Conclusion
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This simple yet effective challenge helps you expand your vocabulary and improve your communication skills, both verbally and digitally.
After embarking on this challenge, you will find yourself slowly feeling more confident in your abilities as well as understanding complex materials faster.
So start the Word-a-Day challenge and watch how you and your vocabulary develop!
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