Improving vocabulary through reading is a journey I’ve refined over years. One method I swear by is choosing books slightly above my comfort level—like 'The Book Thief' or '1984'—where the language challenges me but doesn’t overwhelm. I underline or highlight new words but don’t stop reading immediately; instead, I infer meaning from context and verify later. This keeps the flow intact while building deduction skills.
Another trick is diversifying genres. Fantasy novels like 'The Name of the Wind' introduce archaic or inventive terms, while contemporary fiction like 'Normal People' offers modern slang and subtle expressions. I also reread favorite passages to observe how authors weave words together, which deepens my understanding of nuance and tone.
Lastly, I discuss what I read with friends or online communities. Explaining plots or themes forces me to articulate thoughts using new vocabulary, cementing it in my mind. Pairing reading with writing—like journaling reactions—also helps internalize words naturally.
Reading books in English is one of the most effective ways to expand your vocabulary, but it’s not just about flipping pages. I always keep a notebook or a digital app handy to jot down unfamiliar words. After finishing a chapter, I look up those words, note their meanings, and try to use them in sentences. Context is key—seeing how a word is used in a story helps me remember it better. I also revisit those notes regularly to reinforce my memory. Books like 'The Hobbit' or 'Harry Potter' are great because they use rich language without being overly complex. Audiobooks help too, as hearing pronunciation strengthens recall.
To boost my English vocabulary while reading, I focus on immersive techniques. I pick books with compelling narratives, like 'The Alchemist' or 'The Midnight Library', because emotional engagement makes unfamiliar words stick. When I encounter a new word, I say it aloud to connect sound and spelling. I also create flashcards with the word on one side and its definition plus an example sentence from the book on the other.
Reading out loud occasionally helps too, as it slows me down and highlights words I might skip otherwise. I’ve noticed that books with dialogue-heavy formats, like 'Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine', expose me to conversational vocabulary, while literary fiction like 'To the Lighthouse' introduces more abstract terms.
I also follow authors who use language creatively, such as Neil Gaiman or Margaret Atwood, because their unique phrasing challenges me to think beyond textbook definitions. Over time, this approach has made my vocabulary more vibrant and adaptable.
2025-08-10 16:58:27
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SPELL AND KILL (ENGLISH)
Don Thyro Lamion
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"Our heart beats only with their permission."
For as long as she can remember, the bookworm Synecdoche Rochet, 23, has lived a simple life in Maharlika Nation—hiding in the grasses and grains of District G to avoid the terrifying power of the Embassy and its ruthless Ambassador.
In a dystopian world that is controlled with surveillance, Synecdoche Rochet embarks on a mission to get back their rights on their district's valuable resources—the grains. When she discovered her intellectual ability, she found herself drawn to the charismatic Giovanni, the long-lost Ambassador's privileged son together with other intelligent students, Ulap, Token, and Keithwarth. They found themselves being the tributes on the 2nd Maharlika Spelling TwistBee—trapped in the Word Arena. An annually commemorated game where each district will represent one letter in the Alphabet, spell the given English words not verbally, but by beating other competitors who have letter tattoos on their arms. The rules are to Spell and beat them.
Within the competitor's reach, the team-up of Synecdoche, Giovanni, Ulap, Token, and Keithwarth isn't a coincidence, it's a conspiracy. What if Synecdoche's age will be reversed? Will they use their intelligence for vengeance? Will they compel love and trust to survive the competition? Is their life the price or the prize?
"Even the shortest word has the longest meaning."
My younger sister, Joey Crawford, and I have taken the exam 20 times in a row. Yet, our answer sheet shows the exact same answers every time.
No matter how fast I complete the exam, Joey is able to turn in her paper one second before me.
My homeroom teacher, Mr. Harris, has spoken with me three times regarding this matter. At the same time, I receive my first warning for cheating on the exams.
Whenever my classmates see me, they say to me, "Hey, cheater! You got busted this time, huh?"
The thing is, I've never even touched Joey's paper. How can our answers be exactly the same?
During the college entrance exam, I suddenly awaken to the ability to see the live comments dangling in midair.
"The female lead is the chosen one! It must feel amazing to have awakened the mind-reading ability and all!"
"She relies on reading the side character's mind just to obtain all the answers. So what if the side character excels in her studies? Her role is to become the female lead's stepping stone to success!"
It turns out that Joey has been stealing my answers by reading my mind this whole time.
As I flip the exam papers over, I start singing the alphabet song mentally.
"A-B-C-D-E-F-G…"
We love reading novels, fall in love with the characters, sometimes envy the main girl for getting the perfect male lead... but what happens when you get inside your own novel and get to meet your perfect main lead and bonus...get treated like the female lead?! As the clock struck 12, Arielle Taylor is pulled inside her own novel. This cinderella is over the moon as her Prince Charming showers her with his attention but what would happen when she finds herself falling for her fairy godmother instead?
Please read my interview with Goodnovel at: https://tinyurl.com/y5zb3tug
Cover pic: pixabay
The novel is mainly about the forgotten British poet/writer named C. J Richards who lived in Burma/Myanmar in colonial times and he believed himself as a Burmophile. He served as I.C.S (Indian Civil Servant) and when he retired from I.C.S service, he was a D.C (District Commissioner) and he left for England a year before Burma gained its independence in 1948. He came to Burma in 1920 to work in civil service after passing the hardest I.C.S examination. He wrote several books on Burma and contributed many monthly articles to Guardian Magazine published in Burma from 1953 to 1974 or 1975. Though he wrote several books which had much literary merit to both communities, Britain and Burma (Myanmar), people failed to recognize him.
The story has two parts: one part is set in the contemporary Yangon (then called Rangoon) in 2016 context and a young literary enthusiast named “Lin” found out unexpectedly the forgotten writer’s poetry book and there is surely a good deal of time gap that led him into a quest to know more about the author’s life. The setting is quite different comparing to colonial Burma and independence Myanmar (Burma), early twentieth century and 2016 which is a transitional period in Myanmar.
The writer’s life is fictionalized in the novel and most of the facts are taken from his personal stories and other reference books. It is a kind of historical novel with a twist and it has comparatively constructed the two different periods in Myanmar history to convince readers, locally and abroad more about history, authorship, humanity, colonialism, and transitional development in Myanmar today.
My mother-in-law could not understand me.
Before my business trip, I repeatedly told her not to touch anything in my study, but she mixed up the contract I needed. As a result, I lost a million-dollar order and was fired from my company.
To make up for her mistake, she promised she would take care of my child and help me find another job.
I froze my milk, labeled everything with notes, and gave her detailed instructions on timing and measurements.
However, when my baby ended up in the hospital, I found out that she had thrown out all the milk and fed my baby expired formula instead.
Even worse, she fed my baby peanuts behind my back, causing my baby to suffocate and die.
Afterward, she wailed, "That was my granddaughter! How could I not care? If I could, I'd die with her..."
My husband slapped me, shouting, "My mom worked so hard to take care of the child, and you want to drive her to her death? She's an old woman. It's not easy for her!"
My sister-in-law came over too, calling me ungrateful and blaming me for treating an elderly woman badly. She claimed I deserved to be childless and alone.
However, they did not know how many times I had stopped my mother-in-law from causing trouble and harm to them.
I was driven to depression by them and eventually sent to a mental institution, where I was tortured to death.
If I had the chance to do it again, I would protect my child and myself and stop preventing my mother-in-law from causing chaos for others.
I would watch her bring equal destruction to each one of them!
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After months of beginning to get used to her new normal, and slowly coping with the grief of her loss, Valerie is given the opportunity to travel into the fictional realms and lands of her book when she discovers that Daniel is trapped among the pages of her book.
The catch? Every twelve hours she spends in the book, it shaves off a year of her own life. Now it's a fight against time to find and save her love before the clock strikes zero, and ends her life.
Reading books has been my go-to method for expanding my vocabulary since I was a kid. Every time I dive into a new story, I encounter words I’ve never seen before. I make it a habit to jot down unfamiliar words and look them up later. Over time, these words become part of my active vocabulary. For example, reading classics like 'Pride and Prejudice' introduced me to elegant, old-fashioned terms, while modern novels like 'The Night Circus' taught me whimsical and descriptive language. The more I read, the more my brain naturally picks up context clues, helping me understand and remember new words without even trying. It’s like unlocking a new level in a game—each book adds to my linguistic arsenal.