Recently, I was asked about tips for vocabulary. I thought it would be useful for everyone if I shared them, so here are some suggestions:
1) Use the books Direct Hits, Core Vocabulary of the SAT (there's two volumes, but you can start with one) if you really want to get serious about it. I ordered this book to help me with the reading section of the SATs, but it was a great tool to improve my vocabulary for writing in general because the author, Ted Griffith, describes the words in a memorable way. Also, Griffith teaches you to use them in the right context, which is much better than just memorizing random, difficult words.
2) Read a variety of different texts. This point has probably been drilled in so many times, but reading is essential to the writing process. If you keep reading a variety of difficult texts, you will come across exceptional words and phrases that you can use in your essays.
3) Always keep a tab open with a thesaurus. I use thesaurus.com whenever I'm doing any writing. I don't just pick the first synonym, but look through numerous options to see if I can rephrase a sentence in a more eloquent way. After a while of doing this, you get a feel for "what words work where". This is especially helpful if I think that I'm repeating a word too much. (Re-reading your writing is super important for this.)
I hope this had some valuable advice, and always feel free to reach out to me with questions. Often times they can result in new blog posts that can help others.
Very interesting post. I liked reading it. Good content. The topic on English Grammar is very helpful.
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