Comments on: SAT Vocabulary–Increase It The Scientifically Proven Way

By: Morice

Morice — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 02:45:26 +0000

I doubt that reading Harry Potter, Twilight, or something written by Stephen King would do very much to improve vocabulary, at least to a level useful for the SAT. Having taken the SAT myself, I can say that the words it tests are very difficult. That is coming from someone who reads advanced literature on a regular basis.

If one really wants to improve his or her vocabulary to an SAT-level standard, he or she should read something by a real author like Hemingway, Dickens, Joyce, etc. – not a mediocre “easy read.” Better yet, intelligent nonfiction would yield the most effective results for such a purpose.

By: sat vocab

sat vocab — Thu, 06 May 2010 00:34:53 +0000

You’re article is very informative and a lot of people will learned many things and benefit from it. I appreciate your work ethics, Cheers!

By: Rodney

Rodney — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:43:54 +0000

You’re welcome. I’m glad that the information I shared will save you time. Hopefully you can use that time to study for another part of the test and also to do some fun things for yourself.

By: Racheal

Racheal — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:41:50 +0000

Thanks allot was about to make this very mistake by memorizing each word in that big fat SAT’s vocab booklet i got from my teacher. I realized i was not able to use any of them for writing or speaking at all. And i still remember whenever i used to read books and look up words , i was able to use them very effectively.
So Thank you
You really saved me from taking the wrong step.

By: Rodney

Rodney — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 02:48:34 +0000

Stephanie,

My teacher in third grade had us do the same assignment… except we had to write the words 5 times each. For 20 words that was a lot of writing.

And you’re right, the reason you’re known as “The Dictionary” is because you read so much. If you want to debate with your English teacher, I’d be glad to send some research papers your way.

Rodney

By: Rodney

Rodney — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 02:45:28 +0000

Ammara,

You bring up a good point… look up the words you don’t know AFTER you encounter them. After I took the PSAT, I was given this advice and I still remember words I looked up when I was reading Science Fiction all those years ago.

Rodney

By: Rodney

Rodney — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 02:44:11 +0000

Victor,

I’m glad I could provide some encouragement. Keep up the good work. I love the fact that you have your students speak out loud and put it up on your blog. This will make them feel more accomplished.

Rodney

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 19:30:45 +0000

I love your article and now it definitely makes sense: I always hated writing a word 3 times each in school, or “The Word of the Day”. Even without looking words up in the dictionary, I know the general meaning of words I don’t know in books. Also, it’s a much more enjoyable experience for me, and it proves something. As a kid, I love reading books so much that I even read when I eat. So, in class, I’m known as “The Dictionary”. Thanks for the article, and maybe I’ll debate with my English teacher…

By: Ammara

Ammara — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 18:26:20 +0000

I enjoyed reading your article and agree with you. It is difficult to remember words if they are read out of context because we are not well acquainted with their usage. I like how you suggested reading books that we enjoy. If I am a fan of a certain genre of books then I try to make an extra effort to look up new words that I come across while reading my favourite books.It gives me pleasure.

By: Rodney

Rodney — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 03:00:44 +0000

Nhi,

I understand the difficulties that non-native speakers have in preparing for the SAT. However, my advice is even more important for non-native speakers. They will have to spend some time reading or listening to English on a regular basis to build their vocabulary. And it’s very important that the material they read not be too difficult for them. It should actually be very easy to read with maybe one or two unfamiliar words per page on it. If they must go to the level of children’s literature to get this level of ease then that’s what they must do. A study was done in Los Angeles with women who were learning English as their second language. At first, they tried to help them by having them read romance novels. However, they had no improvement after several weeks of reading. The people running the study noted that the material was too difficult for them and so they gave them books from the “Babysitter’s Club” to read instead. Soon after the women’s English started to improve because this material was more suited for them. Months later they were able to read the romance novels with ease. Also, their English usage and grammar continued to improve throughout the study. You must impress this upon students who are preparing for the SAT. They should be reading material they find fun and interesting and not too difficult. They should listen or watch TV programs that are fun and easy enough for them to understand. If they don’t do these simple things they will be wasting their time.