How to Learn and Remember New Words When You Read Them in Books

A student asks:

I have started reading books in English and I had read two books, The Nanny Diaries and The Namesake. I loved both of them and enjoyed alot. But to be honest with you there were lots of words that I didn't know the meaning and I didn't go to dictionary to look for them, so now I have a question, what should I do for the next book do i need to find the meaning of the words and try to remember them?

This is a good question!

And here's a terrible answer for you: I think there are many answers.

One of the secrets to learning anything is knowing your own learning style.

Everyone learns differently.

Some people remember words. They have strong left brains.
(Left brain - right hand)

Other people remember images, shapes, sounds, the music - not the lyrics! They have strong right brains.
(Right brain - left hand)

I am a very right-brained person. You might think I am a left-brained person because I like to write and I can talk a lot. Sometimes. But... I know... I really, really know... that I am right-brained. That is the first place everything happens for me. Then it comes out - like coffee out of a coffee maker - from my mouth or hands.

(Okay, I guess that sounds kind of horrible but I bet you will remember that. And do you want milk or sugar with it?)

For some people, the best way is to keep soaking in something.

Put a sponge in milk; let it sit there; pull it out; squeeze it; what do you have? Milk!
Put a sponge in orange juice; let it sit there; pull it out; squeeze it; what you have? Orange Juice!

For some people, the best way is just to keep reading or keep listening (to books on CD, the radio, tv, etc.) or keep reading and listening, and eventually, new vocabulary pours out of their mouth and hands.

This is how children learn. This is how you and I learned our first language. We did not study grammar books! We did not use dictionaries!

Other people are system people. They are good at putting things in groups. They enjoy putting things in groups. For system people, the best way might be to keep a notebook of new words. While you are reading, write down a word in your book if it is new. Maybe write down what you think it means. Sometimes you can guess what it means. This is called, "using context."

Context is what something is growing in.

If someone hits someone, that sounds bad, right?
But what is the context?
Maybe someone tries to hurt your child. They grab their arm and try to force them into a car. You hit them! You shout, "Get away!" You call 911. This is not so bad, right? You are a hero. You save your child.

The situation is the context.

Back to our system people.

Later, you could look up your new words. You could write down the definition. You could put them in groups. Nouns. Verbs. Crazy words that are too big to remember.

You could try to use them. Maybe one word a week.

Other people are hand people. I am a hand person. I need to use my hands.

When I studied Greek and Latin, I made beautiful study cards. I never really looked at them much after I made them. I didn't need to. Making the cards helped me. A lot. I wrote out information on my cards. I used beautiful pens. The ink flowed like water in a spring creek. I love a good pen! When I am careful, I have nice printing and handwriting. My study cards were beautiful. Nice words in nice writing on nice cards - pink and blue. I can still see them in my mind. I can remember sitting at the brown table with the pink and blue cards and my beautiful blue and black pens. And Nominative, Vocative, Accusative, Genitive, Dative, Ablative, I remember the colors, my hands, and the words.

Later, I would take a quick look at my cards. But mostly, like I said, I learned from making the cards. I needed to use my hands - to write, to copy, to draw, to color. Making makes me remember things.

I am using my hands now!

Some people are talkers. My daughter is a talker. When she shares about something, she remembers it. When she tells a story about it, she remembers it.

She is also a music person.

I don't understand: When she comes home from her piano lesson, she never looks at her music again. Why? I don't understand! She learns the new song with her teacher and then she does not look at the music again.

Why?

Because she can remember it!

How?

I don't know!

But sound is her secret. Sound is her magic. Speaking, talking, singing, hitting the keys on the piano, this is her secret bag of tricks.

So singing, speaking, playing new words - for some people this is the best way.

While you drive, while you wash the dishes, while you stand in the shower and the water runs over your head, you say the words, you sing the words, you speak the words -

Water, creek, river, rivulet, delta, tide, ocean, lake, pond, stream, lagoon, marsh, stream, flash floods of words wash over your brain and you remember.

Some of them.

Some of them is good.

Perfection is for other people on Planet Perfect but we don't live there.

Native speakers don't either.

Native speakers read books and don't understand every word.

When we worry, our brain locks up. A door closes. Our memory turns off.

Shut down!

Stop!

No more!

When we relax... when we say "I will learn some words, a few words, these words," our brain opens up. Our memory turns on. Our brain wakes up. It feels happy. It feels excited. It feels ready.

The pressure is off.

These are some ways.

There are other ways.

The biggest secret, the best secret is knowing your way.

What is your way?

Share it with us here.