Kurse Anglisht

Learning new words is a fun activity -- and one you can even do with the people around you. Challenge a friend, family member, or roommate to learn new words with you.

1. Read, read, and read.
The more you read -- especially novels, but also magazines and newspapers -- the more words you'll learn. As you read and uncover new words, try to work out the meaning from the sentence as well as from looking up the definition in a dictionary. Write down new words. Your vocabulary will sky rocket!

2. Keep a dictionary and thesaurus handy.
Use whatever versions you prefer -- in print, software, or online. A good quality dictionary is one hundred times better than google translate, and electronic ones are quick! When you uncover a new word, look it up in the dictionary to get both its pronunciation and its meaning(s). Next, go to the thesaurus and find similar words and phrases -- and their opposites (synonyms and antonyms).

3. Build your own dictionary.
It's a very good idea to write down the new words you discover. Just by writing them down you will start to recognise the words when you read. Plus, keeping a dictionary of all your new words will give you the confidence to learn even more words -- especially when you can see how many new words you've already learnt.

Simply talking with other people can help you learn discover new words. As with reading, once you hear a new word, remember to jot it down so that you can study it later -- and then slowly add the new word to your vocabulary.
4. Learn a word a day.
Using a word a day calendar, a website, or develop your own list of words to learn. This is a great technique many people use to learn new words. Don't feel you must learn a new word every day.

5. Play some games.
Word games that challenge you and help you discover new meanings and new words are a great tool for expanding your vocabulary. Examples include crossword puzzles, anagrams, word jumble, Scrabble, and Boggle.

6. Engage in conversations.
Simply talking with other people can help you learn discover new words. As with reading, once you hear a new word, remember to jot it down so that you can study it later -- and then slowly add the new word to your vocabulary.

You hold the key to a better vocabulary. By using the tips from this article, you should be well on your way to discovering and learning new words to expand your vocabulary and strengthen your use of the English language. Finally, remember that you must practice putting your new words into your writing and speaking so that you continue to remember them. Good luck!

Vocabulary differences
The Americans and the British also have some words that differ from each other. The table below lists some of the everyday objects that have different names, depending on what form of English you are using.

British English

American English

trousers

pants

flat

apartment

bonnet (the front of the car)

hood

boot (the back of the car)

trunk

lorry

truck

university

college

holiday

vacation

jumper

sweater

crisps

chips

chips

French fries

trainers

sneakers

fizzy drink

soda

postbox

mailbox

biscuit

cookie

chemist

drugstore

shop

store

football

soccer

Spelling differences
British and American English have some spelling differences.
The common ones are presented below.

British English

American English

-oe-/-ae- (e.g. anaemia, diarrhoea, encyclopaedia)

-e- (e.g. anemia, diarrhea, encyclopedia)

-t (e.g. burnt, dreamt, leapt)

-ed (e.g. burned, dreamed, leaped)

-ence (e.g. defence, offence, licence)

-ense (defense, offense, license)

-ell- (e.g. cancelled, jeweller, marvellous)

-el- (e.g. canceled, jeweler, marvelous)

-ise (e.g. appetiser, familiarise, organise)

-ize (e.g. appetizer, familiarize, organize)

-l- (e.g. enrol, fulfil, skilful)

-ll- (e.g. enroll, fulfill, skillfull)

-ogue (e.g. analogue, monologue, catalogue)

-og (e.g. analog, monolog, catalog)

*Note that American English also recognizes words spelled with –ogue

-ou (e.g. colour, behaviour, mould)

-o (e.g. color, behavior, mold)

-re (e.g. metre, fibre, centre)

-er (e.g. meter, fiber, center)

-y- (e.g. tyre)

Differences between British and American English
The British actually introduced the language to the Americas when they reached these lands by sea between the 16th and 17th centuries. At that time, spelling had not yet been standardised. It took the writing of the first dictionaries to set in stone how these words appeared. In the UK, the dictionary was compiled by London-based scholars. Meanwhile, in the United States, the lexicographer was a man named Noah Webster. Allegedly, he changed how the words were spelled to make the American version different from the British as a way of showing cultural independence from its mother country.

In terms of speech, the differences between American and British English actually took place after the first settlers arrived in America. These groups of people spoke using what was called rhotic speech, where the ‘r’ sounds of words are pronounced. Meanwhile, the higher classes in the UK wanted to distinguish the way they spoke from the common masses by softening their pronunciation of the ‘r’ sounds. Since the elite even back then were considered the standard for being fashionable, other people began to copy their speech, until it eventually became the common way of speaking in the south of England.

While there may be certain differences between British and American English, the key takeaway is that the two have more similarities. Accidentally using one instead of the other will not automatically lead to miscommunication. Americans and Brits can usually communicate with each other without too much difficulty, so don’t be too hard on yourself if you are unable to memorise the nuances of both languages.