New Word #11: My Methods

ESL, vocabulary 2 Minutes

I’ve always tried to find painless learning methods, especially when vocabulary is concerned.

Learning From Others

Reading other people’s posts is a good way to learn new words. Here are several new words I learned recently.

xaern: (v) to enjoy something so much you begin to hate how much you enjoy it. I learned this word from Emine’s post here, which includes three words starting with “x”. Xaern is now my second favorite “x” word. Xanadu is still my favorite word in the “x” category. Xanadu means an idealized place of great or idyllic magnificence and beauty; it may also refer to the summer palace for Kublai Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan.

feckless: I learned this word from Pooja here. It means lacking initiative or strength of character; irresponsible.

unrequited: (of a feeling, especially love) not returned or rewarded. Many people have experienced unrequited love, meaning that the love is one sided and is not reciprocated. This word appear in Brian’s post here. And this happened to me a couple of times before I grew mature enough to know how to handle emotional life better.

skedaddle: depart quickly or hurriedly; run away. I learned this word from Mitch here.

ectomorph: a typical skinny guy who doesn’t gain weight easily. People that belong to this somatotype are usually skinny, lean and have a high metabolic rate. I learned this word from Ogaraderrick here–you have to scroll down to the section called “What’s Your Body Type”. I know several people like this who just do not put on weight no matter how much food they put into their stomach. Going out to a dinner with people like that can be trying since you have to watch your weight and what you eat while your companion, the ectomorph, eats three times as much food and still so skinny.

Discussing Words With Others

When I have time, I would leave a comment for the post where I learn the word and use the new word if possible. Sometimes I even try to broach a discussion about this word. New words have the feeling of newness and unfamiliarity, which will go away if one uses it more often.

Enlarging The Problem

The problem of learning a new word is better solved by enlarging the problem rather than shrinking the problem. This means whenever there’s a new word, it is better to look for synonyms, antonyms, words in verb, noun, adjective forms etc.

Installing Add-On

Now I cannot live without Dictionary Anywhere, which is an extension for Firefox browser. Dictionary Pop-Up is another extension for Firefox, but I prefer Dictionary Anywhere. This add-on will show me the meaning of a word on the web by a little swift click. This has been my favorite extension and the great way to learn a new word.

Google Dictionary is the extension for Chrome Browser.

Microsoft Edge dictionary can be enabled or disabled in Microsoft Edge browser, but I’ve never used it myself.

Published by haoyando

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40 thoughts on “New Word #11: My Methods”

  1. I love that you do these vocabulary blogs. I have found just reading – everything, everywhere! – to be both a great vocabulary builder and a great way to know at least a little about a lot.

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    1. Yes, tell me about it. It is said one has to encounter a word (or an ad) at least five times in order to have some impression about it. So to add “word activity” will help one remember. LOL.

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  4. Learning new words is always exciting. In fact I’m always in the pursuit of expanding my vocabulary. It happens naturally when you read a lot. It’s a joke in my family how I always use the uncommon word for the common..It’s a kind of frisson to use good words

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    1. Yes, practicing uncommon words are fun even if it will invoke incredulous response from people around. LOL. Sometimes it is the price we pay for the fun. And in the blogging community, I find a even more welcoming environment to learn new words. LOL. Let’s do it together.

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    1. I actually included one word from your post and mentioned your alliteration style, but the word bulwrinkle or bullwinkle seem to be more intriguing and controversial than I originally thought. I was afraid to make a gaffe of myself. LOL. However my interest is always piqued by this kind of words but I need to investigate how to approach them discreetly first.

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      1. I try to do that as well. I will get a “word-of-the-day” email from a couple of dictionary websites but I always try to make sure I really understand it before I use it because I don’t like to make a gaffe, either. Sometimes just knowing the definition doesn’t give you all the little quirky nuances that English has.

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        3. LOL. I’ve been learning English forever. My mom was an English teacher and she started me very young. I guess that helps. There are so many non-native speakers right now who use English every day…

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        2. She’s fine. She was one of Australia’s biggest pop stars and was obviously famous in the US. Her song, “Let’s get Physical” is a fan favorite. Plus, everyone loved her in the film “Grease”.

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        4. I know what you mean. Some people have certain tastes in music and others just listen to whatever is on the radio. I do recommend to watch Grease at least once. It’s a fun movie that waxes nostalgia over 1950s America . . . despite the theme song being very much a 1970s funky disco tune.

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