nobuta1997

I'm preparing for the TOEFL and the SAT now, and I found it's really difficult for me to learn, or memorize new words. I've tried everything I can use — flashcards, vocabulary books, notebooks, and so on. But to be honest, all of them DIDN'T WORK for me AT ALL. I had spent a whole day on a vocabulary book, and I learned nothing — not even a word — afterwards.

That's the biggest problem…I don't know what should I do. Sometimes I even feel quite hopeless, especially when I see my friends can learn several new words in a day.

I really need help now…any strategies, advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks a lot!

BTW, I'm going to take the TOEFL in December, 2012 or January, 2013; and the SAT in January, 2013 or March, 2013.

rspence

Have you tried learning new words via reading novels/magazine articles? That could help...

Also, learning Greek/Latin roots can help you correctly "guess" the word's meaning without actually knowing the word.

Joelax1

One thing I really found useful in Direct Hits was the examples the book provided. Each word had historical and/or pop-culture examples.

That's what you might find useful in memorizing words. If you don't feel like buying Direct Hits (which I highly recommend), create your own examples. For example, take any word. I'll use boon, which means a thing that is helpful or beneficial. Write, on one side of a flashcard, the word "boon." On the other side, write "a thing that is helpful or beneficial." Then, under your definition, create an example, like: "having a better quarterback will be a boon to the football team."

I guess the biggest thing that I'm getting at is: try to associate words with examples. While memorizing definitions can be great for some people, it doesn't work for everyone. Try, instead, to attach yourself to words by creating relevant examples.

Another thing that I found helpful was trying to use these words in everyday conversation. Using new words in everyday conversation is a great way to understand and retain these words.

Good luck to you!

Waymer

How many are you attempting to learn at a time? It is much easier to learn small amounts regularly rather than large amounts sporadically. Remember to review words that you have already recently learned so you can reinforce your memory.