The Importance of Words

To be an effective reader you have to possess a strong vocabulary.  Here are some tips to keep yours up to par:

There are two types or vocabulary – general and content-specific.

General vocabulary is found in your everyday life – novels, newspapers, television, etc.  You usually can figure out the meaning of an unknown word by the surrounding words.  But you need to stop and learn the word if the following happens:

*You start to hear or read the word a lot
*Not knowing the word is holding back your comprehension
*You are interested in expanding your vocabulary

Content-specific words are those you find in different disciplines of study.  These need to be learned in more detail.   Particularly in textbooks, the author usually helps you out by using context clues – the first time the word is used the author often puts the definition in the sentence and/or in the margin.  After that he or she assumes you have learned the word. 

One thing that is interesting is that some words have both a general meaning and a different content-specific meaning.  Think about the word “bug” and the various meanings: insects, espionage, computer problems, or an annoying sibling!

In both cases you can also use word parts: prefixes (at beginning of word), suffixes (at end of word) and roots (usually in the middle, the main part of the word) to decipher the meaning of a word.  In your courses, many of these word parts will be common to the discipline you are studying.  (Note the use of context clues in the above sentence!)

Once you have decided to learn a word, put the word and definition on a note card. 

*For your classes you will have a stack of cards.  Go over these on a regular basis (several times a week!) throughout the semester.  The stack will keep growing as your get more in depth in the topic.
*For general words, keep the cards on your desk and review them occasionally or when you encounter the word again.

First Semester Success: Study Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is now available at wordassociation.com, amazon.com, and barnesandnoble.com.