The best way to improve your vocabulary is through reading as often as possible. When you read you gradually become familiar with new words and sets of expression and phrases so far unknown to you. Choices should be wide as well. What I mean by that is to read all sorts of books from different authors and also on different subjects. Magazines, newspapers, articles, book reviews, history…should be among the list.

This is important because each person who writes has a unique way to express himself and uses a unique style to convey message. You come across new words appropriate to the subject you are reading. I give an example. If you are reading an article in the medical field you will come across terms and expressions appropriate to that subject.

Therefore you learn from all those different sources. it’s a pool where you derive and develop your own style of writing later or it simply makes you feel very comfortable with conversations.

Another thing to do is not to read only books from authors using a very simple style but to read books which you feel are beyond your own level of vocabulary. If you remain with books which you feel confident with, then read as many as you wish, you will still not improve your vocabulary. You might feel very uncomfortable reading books of a higher level of vocabulary but that’s the challenge and the way to recognise how many words and expressions you don’t know and an opportunity to learn and grow in this field.

Always have your dictionary in front of you. I know it could be very annoying to stop after every 2 lines to check the dictionary because you don’t understand a word but its worth doing. Sometimes the sentence around the word will give you an idea of the meaning of the whole thing. In that case you don’t need to open the dictionary but underline this word and check it for yourself later.

You can also have a notebook and each time you read and come across new words and expressions, write them down for later use. You can also gather all those information, check their meaning and create your own sentences using those same words. Its an effective way to memorise them. You will have a repertoire of information stored in your brain which can be pulled out from time to time when needed.