Collecting Vocabulary
It's a good idea to keep a notebook handy whenever you read something in English. However, do not limit yourself to writing individual words; include related words (collocations) as well. For instance, do you know which verb is most frequently associated with the noun "commitment"?
As an example, read the following short text:
A New Year's resolve is an individual's commitment to a personal goal, project, or habit improvement in the next year. Several examples are resolutions to lose weight, learn a new skill, or give up a bad habit, such as smoking.
According to recent research, while 52% of participants in a resolution study were confident in their ability to fulfill their aims, only 12% actually did.
A separate 2007 study conducted at the University of Bristol discovered that 78% of those
Those who make New Year's resolutions typically fail.
Men were 22 percent more likely to attain their goal when they engaged in goal setting, a
a system in which tiny quantifiable targets are established, yet only 10% of women succeed
more when they publicized their aims and received encouragement from their friends.
Here is some key vocabulary from the text:
- make a commitment to something
- give up a habit
- be confident of something
- set measurable goals
- make something public
- get support from
Tip: Keep in mind that comprehending the definition of a term is not synonymous with being able to use it properly.
Difficult Vocabulary
Certain IELTS reading questions provide difficulties due to their usage of challenging language.
Read the following sentences from Cambridge IELTS 4, page 46.
- We've had a tradition of doctors being fairly powerful and I guess they are pretty loath to allow any pretenders to their position to come into it.
- A better educated and less accepting public has become disillusioned with the experts in general, and increasingly sceptical about science.
- Those surveyed had experienced chronic illnesses, for which orthodox medicine had been able to provide little relief.