5 Surefire Ways to Improve Your Writing Vocabulary

Being a non-native English speaker belonging to a small village in Kerala, my vocabulary when I started to write was not very vast. But I am a word hunter in love with words. Whenever I visit blogs or read books by native English speakers, I admire their writing skills and vocabulary prowess. 

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I yearn to acquire their writing skills. I know it is not an easy job. 

So, every day I spend time working on my vocabulary and writing skills.

I believe writing is a craft that can be improved only by working on it on a regular basis. 

Here is a list of activities I adopted to build my vocabulary.

1) Join a website dedicated to increasing Vocabulary Skills:

 My favorite website to study words is Vocabulary.com. You can join the website for free using your Google or Facebook profile. They have word games and lists which help to learn new words. Each list has a set of activities where we can study the various words to understand their meaning and spelling. They give the origin, word meaning through examples and also the nearest synonym. My go to list there is Literature.  In this list, the words listed are selected chapters from many famous books.

2) Install a dictionary/thesaurus app on your phone or tablet

Whenever you encounter a new word, instead of guessing the meaning, check the word in your thesaurus app. Most apps save the list of words you search and hence you can revisit these words as and when you wish. The app I use is Merriam-Webster. It has a feature called word of the day which introduces new words to the user daily.

3) Read more every day:

Reading is the easiest way to encounter new words. The more you read, greater your word stock.

4) Write every day:

Note down the words you learn and then use them in your writing until you become familiar with their usage and meaning. Create a word journal and make it visually memorable.

5) Edit your writing

Another easy way to improve your vocabulary is to edit your writing. While you are at it,

1. Replace repeated words with their nearest synonym. In the process, you will surely discover newer words to express yourself.
2. Find a single word to replace multiple words. This helps to tighten your prose.

Example: to move aimlessly from place to place can be replaced by the word ramble.

How do you improve your vocabulary?

Do tell me in the comments section.

 During this A-Z April Challenge, I am exploring the A-Z journey of writing a Novel with examples from Literature.

The Letter of the day is V

Linking this post  to Blogging from A-Z

and Blogchatter

Have you read the Letters A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H  I  J K  L M N  O P Q R  S T and U?

The Magnificent First sentence or First Paragraph

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Don't we all remember the above famous opening line of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice?

Many authors manage to grab the attention of their readers right from the opening lines of their book. 

Some begin with a fascinating opening line; some others have a magnificent first paragraph.

Before I buy any book, I read the first paragraph/ page of the book. I know many others who do this as well. 

As a writer, we can always try and follow this technique. I usually work on it during the final edit of my manuscript. 

Many of my author friends emphasize the importance they place on a great opening line as well.

Let us check some examples from some famous works. These are my personal favorites.

“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”

 ~Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.”

~ Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

“In my younger and more vulnerable years, my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since.

“Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone,” he told me, “just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.”

~ F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

“It was inevitable: the scent of bitter almonds always reminded him of the fate of unrequited love.”

~ Gabriel García Márquez, Love in the Time of Cholera

So, are you ready to work on your opening lines?

I hope these examples have managed to convince you.

During this A-Z April Challenge, I am exploring the A-Z journey of writing a Novel with examples from Literature.

The Letter of the day is F

Linking this post  to Blogging from A-Z

and Blogchatter

Have you read the Letter A, B, C, D, E ?