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When you come to speak English, does your mind sometimes go blank?
Maybe you find that when you want to speak English, you forget all the new words you have just learnt.
If you have this frustration, then this lesson will help you understand and fix this problem.
Your biggest mistake when learning vocabulary
The reason many students, maybe like you, forget words they have just learnt when they try to speak English, is simple.
You see, it’s because you haven’t actually learnt those words yet.
Many students think learning a word looks like this, with 3 simple steps.
- See the word
- Understand it (check the meaning)
- Memorise it
And then they think, great, I have learnt it, now I can go and use it.
Actually what you have done is study a word. You haven’t learnt it.
Learning is much deeper than studying. It also takes longer.
Learning a word looks more like this:
- See it
- Understand it (check the meaning)
- Use it
- See it again
- Understand it (when and how to use it / not use it)
- Use it
Can you see the difference?
Using a word several times, and seeing or hearing the word again in several contexts, is part of the learning process.
You probably won’t be able to use a word correctly, until you have been through this process.
In fact, the last three steps often need repeating several times.
I sometimes call this the SUU SUU process.
Change your mindset
In my online IELTS Speaking GOLD course, students may watch a lesson, study 10 words from that lesson, and finally try to have a conversation in the speaking practice rooms, but they sometimes say,
I can’t use all the words perfectly, why?
Simple; because they are only at the start of the learning process.
If you read a word list, memorise the words and think you have learnt them – it’s like you get on a train, sit down and then think you have arrived at your destination…but the train is still moving!
You haven’t arrived. You have actually only just started your journey!
The key to learning vocabulary effectively, is not to memorise words and think,
Come on, I should be there now, I should be able to use it!
No; change your mindset.
Stay on the train and enjoy the journey – go through the whole process of learning new vocabulary.
Different kinds of vocabulary
There is another important thing you should also know about learning vocabulary.
Have you ever heard a word and thought, yes, I know that; but when you try and use it, you can’t?
This is because there are 2 kinds of vocabulary, passive and active vocabulary
- Passive vocabulary includes words you recognise but cannot yet use.
- Active vocabulary includes words that you can use effectively.
Needless to say, most of your vocabulary is passive. This area grows as you read and listen to more English.
However, your active vocabulary doesn’t grow just from reading and listening. You need to move words form your passive vocabulary to your active vocabulary.
The process of learning vocabulary, as described above (SUU SUU), is how you do this.
How to learn and use vocabulary effectively
So, now you know what’s happening, what do you need to do to learn vocabulary effectively?
Of course, just follow the SUU SUU process.
- See it
- Understand it (check the meaning)
- Use it
- See it again
- Understand it (when and how to use it / not use it)
- Use it
Practical tips to learn vocabulary
On a very practical level, here are some tips for doing this.
1) Learn words in context.
Podcasts, videos and articles are better than word lists, because they give you a context which helps you better understand how to use a word. If you are going to use word lists, try to make your own.
2) Don’t focus on memorising.
Focus on using words more than memorising them. It’s more beneficial to spend time using new words, rather than sitting alone trying to memorise a long list.
3) Stop trying too hard.
Don’t try to learn too many words in one go. If you have a word list, don’t try to memorise or use more than 10 in one practice session.
Also, instead of trying to build a bank of lots of advanced words which will be passive, focus on moving your existing passive vocabulary to becoming active.
4) Focus on being active.
To go from understanding words (passive) to being able to use them (active), try some of the simple steps below:
- repeat them
- make up phrases
- make up stories
- practice one or two in a conversation
5) Change your mindset.
Focus on the journey not the destination. Focus on the process of learning, not ticking off words on a list.
6) If you block in a conversation, try to paraphrase.
Paraphrase means trying to say something in a different way. So, if you can’t think of the exact word you want to say, find a way of describing it, using other words.
This is a key skill for fluent conversations and also a key criteria for getting a band 7 or above in the IELTS Speaking test.
7) Listen to more English.
Most students don’t listen to enough English. The more you hear English, the better you will understand how words work and how to use them correctly.
I hope with all this advice, you will now be more patient with your vocabulary learning, and understand that it takes time to learn vocabulary, so you can use it effectively. Enjoy the process.
Let me know which part of this lesson is most useful for you in the comments below.
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2 thoughts on “Forgetting words when speaking English? Let’s fix it! ”
It is really intereting your way of studying and learning process.I like the SUU SUU aproach and the huge difference between studying and learning English,thank you.
Glad you like it – thanks for studying and learning with me!