Once you have started looking up words and you know which ones to study, vocabulary building is simply a matter of reviewing the words regularly until you fix them in your memory. This is best done by setting aside a specific amount of time for vocabulary study. During that time you can look up new words you have noted during the day and review old words you are in the process of learning.

Set a goal for the number of words you would like to learn and, by what date, then arrange your schedule accordingly. Fifteen minutes a day will bring better results than half an hour once a week or so. However, if half an hour a week is all the time you have to spare, start with that. You may find more time later on and you will be moving in the right direction.

In order to review words effectively, all the information on a word should be kept in one place – a notebook, for example, or on an index card. Do not throw cards away though – you can get a great feeling of accomplishment by looking at the growing stack of words you have learned and by occasionally glancing at an old card and thinking. “Once I actually didn’t know the meaning of this word!”