As you learn English, you may often wonder if a word is important enough to write down somewhere to improve your English vocabulary. Here’s a practical way to decide: categorize words as either “KEEP” or “TOSS.”
This method is similar to what my mom does with recipes. After trying a new dish, she asks the family if it’s a “keep” or “toss.” The keeps stay in the recipe book. The tosses are thrown away. This way, her recipe book only includes dishes we actually like.
You can apply the same concept to your vocabulary learning and expansion. Only keep the words that truly matter to you and toss the rest. 😏
How to Decide What to Keep
- Essential words: Words like “hello,” “sorry,” and “thanks” are crucial everyday terms that you need for communication. These are definitely keepers, though you probably already know them well and don’t need to write them down anymore. 🙌
- Practical Words: These words relate to your interests and hobbies, making learning more enjoyable and meaningful. For example, if you enjoy playing guitar, words like “strum,” “chord,” and “play it by ear” could be valuable for you to keep.
- Trendy Words: Words like “selfie” and “cringe” are also keepers because they keep you up-to-date with evolving language trends. Knowing these words helps you understand and engage in modern conversations.
What to Toss
- Momentary Words: Vocabulary that’s specific to a book you’re reading or a documentary you watched may not be worth jotting down. 🤓 For instance, in the book The Dark Tower by Stephen King, the word “palaver” is repeated often, so I’ve learned it naturally and I didn’t need to write it down.
- Low-Priority Words: Some words are interesting but not essential for everyday conversation, like “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”. Save your time and notebook space for more important words.
Using the Keep or Toss List
It’s important to remember that just because a word is categorized as a “toss” doesn’t mean you won’t recognize or understand it. It simply means you don’t prioritize it for your notebook.
You can see what I mean by listening to one of the English learning podcasts from this blog post about improving listening skills with podcasts. You will likely realize you already know many of the words in a podcast episode, even if they aren’t written in your notebook.
To help you keep track of your keep words and improve your English vocabulary, think about creating a list for yourself. This will allow you to focus on essential, practical, and trendy vocabulary without stressing over every single word you find.
Try It Out!
Now that you know how to categorize words, give it a try. For each of the following words, decide whether you would keep or toss them:
- Gobbledygook
- Afraid
- Rank
- Tweet
- Implement
Comment below with your keep or toss ratings for these words. I can’t wait to read them!
💡Remember, not every word needs to be written down. Focus on the ones that truly matter and enjoy watching your English language skills grow. Have fun using those keep words more often!
For a visual explanation of this blog post on how to categorize words as “KEEP” or “TOSS,” watch the video below!
