For most people learning a language is synonymous with learning vocabulary. But how can we learn new words? In many cases, learning words and meanings is not enough. We need to do more.

Here are 4 tips that will help you learn vocabulary correctly:

Whether it is for an exam like IELTS that will help you study or migrate abroad, or if it is for an exam like GRE which will help you pursue your masters in top US universities, these tips will definitely work.

1. Understand the parts of speech:

Learning the parts of speech is important as it gives us an idea on how a word is used in a sentence. For example, if you know that a word is an adjective, you will be able to use it correctly for describing people or things. For example, “dog” is an English noun but it could also be used as a verb! It is important to understand the parts of speech because they can help you figure out the meanings of new words very easily.

2. Use Idiomatic Expressions:

Idiomatic expressions are phrases or sayings that cannot be understood by simply looking at the words. They have a figurative meaning rather than a literal meaning from each individual word within the phrase. For example: “it’s raining cats and dogs” does not mean that cats and dogs are physically falling from the sky. It means it’s raining heavily. Learning idiomatic expressions can help you improve your understanding and usage of vocabulary significantly. They are used to express different emotions and feelings. Learning some common idiomatic expressions will help you understand native speakers better and use them correctly in conversations.

3. Learn Phrasal Verbs:

Phrasal verbs are verb + particle combinations and it is important to understand the meaning of each verb in order to use them correctly. For example, “break down” can either mean ‘to stop working’ or ‘to become emotionally overwhelmed’. So understanding the context in which these phrases are used is crucial. A phrasal verb is a verb that is made up of two or three words with a different meaning than their separate parts. For example, “put up with” means to tolerate and “take off” means to remove something quickly. Phrasal verbs are common in English and knowing them will make you sound more natural while speaking English.

4. Learn collocations:

Collocations are two or more words that usually go together. For example, we “make a decision” not “take a decision” and we “go shopping” not “go buy” etc. So learning collocations helps us sound natural in our conversations. A collocation is two or more words that are commonly used together in a certain way. For example, “make an effort” means to try hard and “make a mistake” means to do something wrong. Knowing collocations will help you sound more fluent when speaking English. Collocations are combinations of words that often go together and sound natural when used together. Understanding them will help you express your ideas more accurately and fluently in any language. For example, the collocation "make a decision" is much better than "take a decision".