Vocabulary Building Secrets

Question: One of your recent columns dealt with words and building a vocabulary. Here is a tip I used to pass on to my students of composition:

When I was an undergraduate, I had to look up words in the dictionary many times. When I found the word I was after, I would take a few moments to look on both open pages and try to find one or two words that I'd never seen before.

These words became quite a collection. Big words, small words, all unknown words soon became a working part of my communications. - Associate Professor

Answer: Thank you for sharing your vocabulary-building secret. It is important for children of all ages to find easy and enjoyable ways beyond classroom work and reading to increase their vocabularies. Our suggestions include playing word games and doing crossword puzzles. Plus, parents need to realize how much reading to their children increases their vocabulary.