One of the easiest ways to strengthen your writing skills is to add new words to your vocabulary. English language is known to be the largest of all languages, and this means that you can never run out of vocabulary words.

Learning vocabulary is only valuable if you can actually use your new words in a piece of writing and to use them correctly. The key benefit to a better vocabulary is being able to use both common and complex words with equal preciseness. To that end, the time you spend improving your vocabulary skills is actually time invested in your writing skills.

Here are some ways that you can improve your vocabulary:

• Make flashcards.
  • When you find a new word, write it on a card and compile it. Go through the cards once a day. Continue doing this until you learn and understand the words. This will help you remember the word.

• Keep a vocabulary book
  • To actively learn new words, write them down in a book. Write their meaning and a few sample sentences. Look through them daily and memorize them. You can start small, even one word a day is good enough. Imagine learning 365 new words a year!

• Try out vocabulary practices.
  • Playing word games like Scrabble or Taboo can be a fun way to expand your English vocabulary. Crossword puzzles can as well play the same role. If you really want to be efficient, follow up rounds of these word games with a little note-taking. Keep a list of the different words you learned while playing the game, and then study that list from time to time. This will help you to improve your vocabulary in a fun manner.

• Practice using new words in conversation.
  • It’s possible to collect a huge vocabulary without actually knowing how to use words. This means you have to learn it all by yourself by putting in some extra effort. If you come across an interesting word in your reading, make a point of using it in a conversation. By doing so, you can practice the art of word choice. You would be learning and improving yourself along the way.
• Watch movies, listen to songs and podcasts.
  • Watching movies, listening to songs and podcasts would also improve your vocabulary. When you come across a new word, quickly look grab a dictionary or google the word to know the meaning. Note it down in your phone or in a notepad to understand the means. Not only would you enjoy your playlist or the movie but you would also learn new words as you go along and you will also learn how to use it in a sentence.

• Sing Karaoke
  • Learn a few English songs and sing along with them. It might be interesting to learn the meaning of the lyrics to some of your favourite English songs. Singing English songs is a great way to practice speaking and intonation, plus you can have fun singing songs that you already know and enjoy.

• Write a journal
  • Writing improves your English and saves you from embarrassment. You can write whatever you like and whenever you want and no one is going to judge you. Use the words that you have learned from movies that you have watched and songs that you have heard in a sentence. That way, you’ll keep up with the word and know when and where to use it.