Practice
How to improve English vocabulary and grammar
Learning a word and learning a grammar rule can happen in the same short study session. A new verb gives you material for a sentence. A sentence shows you how that verb changes with time, person, or purpose.
Build a repeatable study routine that connects new vocabulary with grammar, speaking, writing, and useful feedback.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
improve your English vocabulary and grammar /ɪmˈpruv jʊr ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ voʊˈkæbjəˌlɛri ænd ˈɡræmər/
The short answer
Choose a few useful words, use each one in a sentence with one grammar point, then recall and revise the sentences on later days. Read and listen for the same patterns, but also speak or write with them.
I arranged a meeting for Thursday, but I need to confirm the time.
Why it works: The two useful verbs appear in a sentence that also practices a future arrangement and a present need.
5 more examples
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Maya has kept a notebook of new words since January.
The sentence connects the word notebook with the present perfect and since for a starting point.
Not this:Maya
kepta notebook during the course last year. What changes: This past simple sentence refers to a finished period. -
Please clarify the last instruction before we begin the task.
Clarify is useful in study and work situations when you need an explanation that is easier to understand.
Not this:Please
repeatthe last instruction. What changes: Repeat asks for the same words again. Clarify asks for a clearer explanation. -
If I review these phrases tonight, I will use them more easily tomorrow.
The sentence joins review with a real future result through an if clause.
Not this:I
reviewedthese phrases last night. What changes: This sentence reports a completed action and does not state a future condition. -
The report was concise because it used only the details the reader needed.
Concise describes writing that is brief without leaving out the necessary information.
Not this:The report was
short, but several important details were missing. What changes: Short only describes length. It does not promise that the writing is complete or clear. -
Our teacher suggested that we compare the two answers before choosing one.
Compare is useful when you look for similarities and differences before making a decision.
Not this:Our teacher
chosethe answer for us. What changes: Choose is the final decision. Compare is the step that can come before it.
Read the full guide
Start with language you can imagine using. A word such as arrange becomes easier to remember when you use it in a message, a plan, and a short conversation. Grammar practice works better for the same reason: use a rule to say something you mean.
Choose words you can use
Begin with a small set of words connected to your work, study, daily life, or current reading. A useful word is easier to remember when you can picture a situation where you would say or write it. Learn a word with a common partner instead of by itself.
I need to confirm the appointment before Friday.
Confirm often appears with an appointment, a booking, a time, or information that needs checking.
Which word would help you describe a task you need to check again?
Review is a useful choice. You can review notes, an email, a plan, or an answer.
Make one sentence do two jobs
Use a new word in a sentence that also practices one grammar pattern. This gives the word a setting and gives the grammar a purpose. Keep the sentence short enough that you can check it carefully.
I have revised the proposal, so I can send it this afternoon.
Have revised links a past action to the present result. Proposal and send are useful vocabulary in the same sentence.
What grammar pattern could you practice with a plan for tomorrow?
Try a future form or a first conditional. Choose the form that matches the meaning you want to express.
Recall before you look
After you study a word or rule, close the book and try to produce it. Say a sentence aloud, write it from memory, or explain the difference between two forms. Then compare your answer with your notes and correct one exact problem.
I cannot remember the phrase, so I will try to write its first word before I check my notes.
Trying first shows what you can recall. Looking immediately only shows what you can recognize on the page.
What should you do after you notice a missing preposition?
Write the corrected sentence and make another sentence with the same pattern. This keeps the correction connected to use.
Meet the language in context
Read short articles, messages, or graded texts and listen to material you can mostly understand. Notice a word or grammar pattern in its surrounding sentence. Do not collect every unfamiliar item. Choose one or two patterns that you are ready to use.
The speaker explained the delay because the train had stopped outside the station.
Had stopped gives a reason that happened before the later past action, explained.
How can you turn a sentence from a text into practice?
Change one detail to make a new sentence about your own life, then check whether the grammar still matches the new meaning.
Use feedback to choose the next step
Feedback is most useful when it points to a clear choice. If a teacher, partner, dictionary example, or grammar reference shows a problem, label it: word meaning, word partner, word form, sentence order, tense, article, or preposition. Review the pattern later instead of only fixing that one sentence.
I said discuss about the plan, but discuss already takes its object without about.
I said discuss the plan after the meeting. This sentence uses discuss directly before its object.
Why label a mistake instead of writing only the corrected sentence?
A label helps you find the same pattern later. You can then make a focused review list instead of treating every error as unrelated.
Before you go
Remember this
Choose useful words, place them in sentences, and return to them on later days. Use grammar to express a real meaning, then check one specific point at a time. Reading and listening give you models; speaking and writing show what you can use on your own.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "How to improve English vocabulary and grammar"
Should I study vocabulary and grammar separately?
You can give each one focused time, but connect them often. Put a new word into a sentence that uses a grammar pattern you are learning. That sentence gives the word a real job and lets you check whether the grammar expresses the meaning you intended.
Maya has kept a notebook of new words since January.
How many new English words should I learn each day?
Choose an amount you can review and use, rather than a fixed large number. A few useful words with examples are often more manageable than a long list. Add a word only when you can return to it on later days and use it in a sentence.
Maya kept a notebook during the course last year.
What should I write in a vocabulary notebook?
Write the word, a short meaning in language you understand, a common word partner, and one sentence of your own. For example, you might record concise with the note brief but complete, then write a sentence about an email or report.
Please clarify the last instruction before we begin the task.
How can I check my own grammar practice?
Check one target point at a time with a reliable grammar reference or a well-edited example. Ask a clear question such as whether the tense shows a finished time or a present result. Then revise the sentence and write another one using the same choice.
Please repeat the last instruction.
Why do I forget words that I have already studied?
Seeing a word once can create recognition without making it easy to recall. Return to the word after a gap and try to use it before checking your notes. Reading, listening, speaking, and writing give you different chances to meet and produce it.
If I review these phrases tonight, I will use them more easily tomorrow.