How can you use podcasts to improve your vocabulary?

Great question. Let’s dive into it.

Note: think about how to categorise words and phrases in this page Find “Second Category” Words and Phrases

Instructions:

[Recommended] If you’re listening to a podcast with a transcript

1. Listen to the episode the first time without reading the transcript.
2. If there is as word or phrase that you don’t know, write it down.
3. After you’ve finished, go back and look at the transcript to see what the word was. Did you spell it correctly?
4. If the transcript also provides a definition, did you guess the meaning of the word?

If you’re listening to a podcast with no transcript

1. Listen to the episode
2. If there is as word or phrase that you don’t know, write it down.
3. After you’ve finished, go back and listen again. Are you able to guess it? If not, ask someone else of a higher level to you.

How to build your vocabulary

• After you have listened to an episode and noted down unused words you need to decide which ones to focus on.

• You can discard very unusual words or phrases (”harpoon”, “hoist”) unless you have a specific need to use them.

• For more common words or phrases, we recommend you write down:

  • The original root word (e.g. undermine, not undermining or undermined)

  • The context it was used in (e.g. the aides continued to undermine the Prime Minister)

  • Add any word stress (e.g. underMINE)

  • Write another example of it in context. Note, you can find additional uses with Ludwig.guru

    

• Practise saying the word aloud

• Make a personal note to use it in conversation within the next 7 days

• Add it to a spaced repetition app (e.g. ANKI)