By Kyle Nguyen
As students, we always tend to find a way to make things easier for us and when it comes to vocabulary, this usually comes in the form of slang or abbreviations. Despite the convenience of slang, having an expansive vocabulary is beneficial, important for self-expression and necessary for having an increased understanding of complex ideas.
Vocabulary is an aspect most students tend to shy away from and forget about, especially when we prioritize other subjects to improve in. However, expanding our vocabulary is very important.
Vocabulary is absolutely essential to all forms of communication such as listening, speaking, reading and writing. It can also completely change the way we think and how we approach problems while thinking, which is a valuable skill in any form of communication or education.
Having a large vocabulary can prevent us from those forgetful, and sometimes embarrassing, moments of not knowing the right words to use. Topics such as reading, writing and communicating with others are all frequently used skills that can prove to be impressive with a large vocabulary. Especially in speaking, a large vocabulary can help you effectively communicate your ideas and influence a person’s thought process when your words become more clear.
One big difference between having a vast vocabulary and using slang is our self-expression. We tend to use slang to compensate for larger words and we use them for good reason—it’s easier and faster to say a small word rather than a big one. Of course, slang and abbreviations are convenient and sometimes necessary, but just because it’s faster doesn’t mean it’s a better method of communicating.
Using slang can be very limiting while knowing a vast amount of words allows one to express themselves with extreme accuracy. When talking or writing it’s important that people listening or reading don’t get the wrong idea. Some forms of slang or abbreviations can have multiple meanings or give a general idea instead of a precise one.
We live in a very demanding society and having the ability to express yourself with no error to others can allow you to thrive in your words and writing. Especially now during a pandemic where most of us are writing and reading online, there’s not many chances to correct ourselves. Having a large vocabulary allows you to give detail to anything you want to express yourself in and that can have a huge impact on others.
As for ways to improve your vocabulary, the most convenient form would be to search up words when you don’t know them. The internet is a vast place with information that is limitless and taking a couple of seconds out of your day to find out what a word means can go a long way.
Another option would be to learn a word a day from a dictionary or any source of information. While that seems like a minuscule change in your daily routine, you would actually be learning 365 words a year.
Another simple way would be to ask a teacher what a word means when you don’t understand or simply just reading more books. Teachers are here to help us and in order to learn to a higher degree, we need a certain amount of understanding of the words our teachers use.
Vocabulary seems simple and easy to put off or understand but in reality, it’s a complex matter that can take you years to make sense of. It can bring life to your words and help you understand the world a little better and more importantly it can help you express yourself. Expanding your vocabulary can help you succeed to a higher level you never thought possible.
