I hope our first lesson helped motivate you and helped you to get excited about improving your vocabulary. In this second lesson, we will begin to look at how you can turn every day into an opportunity to learn new words.

In This Lesson, You will Learn the Following:

• Every Day affords you an opportunity to learn new words
• Most people let words slip away with very little notice
• Most people have lost their childhood curiosity for learning vocabulary
• It’s not too late to reactivate your childhood curiosity
• Paying close attention to words you hear everyday has MANY benefits

“One of the most exciting things about learning new words is that each day affords you opportunities to improve your vocabulary. You will quickly learn that each and every day you are exposed to new vocabulary words. You read them in books, magazines, newspapers, and business correspondence. You hear them on T.V., the radio, and in business and personal conversations. Every day you are exposed to new and empowering words. It’s absolutely amazing how many wonderful and empowering words we hear every day.”

When I make this statement at my seminars, I usually get a lot of blank stares. And I’m inevitably asked by someone in the audience: “If I’m being exposed to new words every day, why am I not noticing these words, and more importantly, why am I not learning them.” My answer is simple: most likely the problem is that you, like the vast majority of us, have lost your childhood curiosity for learning new words. As we enter adulthood, our minds lose curiosity, so we simply let new words come and go with very little notice.

Here is some very interesting research: Educational testing indicates that ten-year-old children, who have grown up in families in which English is the native language, have recognition vocabularies of 20,000 words. This means that children are learning, on average, thousands of words each year. Now, contrast that with the fact that the average adult only learns 25 new words a year (at most!) and you see the problem: as we get older our rate of learning new words slows down significantly. In fact, it comes to a screeching halt!

Many experts have associated a child’s curiosity with their rapid language development. Children need to learn words to express themselves and to develop their individual personalities. Children are constantly asking “what does that mean?” and “why this,” and “why that?” They are curious, and their minds are like thirsty sponges of knowledge. But, at some point, their curiosity wanes. And with far less curiosity, the rate at which we learn new words drops precipitously.

What you will do today is begin the process of reactivating your childhood curiosity for learning new words. In your first lesson, you learned about research and analysis that conclusively proves the importance of your vocabulary in achieving success in life. This important information hopefully got you excited about learning new words so you are now ready to awaken your childhood curiosity for learning.

There are two things I would like you to do to start the process of reactivating your childhood curiosity for learning new words:

One: The first thing I want you to do is get yourself a notebook or journal. If you can, get one today; if not, make sure you do it tomorrow. This will serve as your vocabulary journal. Make sure this is a notebook or journal dedicated solely for the purpose of acquiring new vocabulary words. When you make this purchase, I also want you to acquire note cards, which will serve as flash cards. Now, don’t panic: just because I’m asking you to buy school supplies, it does not mean this is going to be like homework. It’s going to be much easier and much more beneficial…I promise!

Two: Once you purchase your vocabulary journal, I want you to pay close attention to all the words you encounter. It’s very important that you carefully note every new or interesting word you read or hear. Be sure to take careful note of words that are new to you. Also, take note of words that are in your passive vocabulary, but not in your active vocabulary. A word is in your passive vocabulary when you are familiar with it and know its meaning, but you are not actively using the word. Words in your passive vocabulary are very important, as you’ll learn in future lessons.

There are many benefits to being aware and taking notice of ALL the words you encounter each day.

This concludes your second lesson. In your next lesson, we will look at different “verbal environments” and determine which environments provide the best opportunity for learning new words, in particular Power Words...words that empower you to communicate better.

I look forward to continuing your vocabulary advancement!

Sincerely, Greg Ragland