Vocabulary is a very important part of the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) exam. It is tested in the paper in a number of ways, both direct and indirect. Testing vocabulary would mean that the examiners want to know how good your knowledge is about the words in English. This does not only include their meanings but also their opposites, usage and grammar. So if you merely know the meaning of a word, it is not enough for GRE. You must have complete knowledge about how that word is used in English.
The verbal section measures your ability to analyze information and interpret it. It tests whether you can analyze relationships between different components of sentences and different words. The verbal section of the test contains direct questions on vocabulary, but in the analytical writing sections also your GRE vocabulary is put to test.
The verbal section of GRE contains four types of direct questions. You will be tested for antonyms, analogies, sentence completion and reading comprehension.
Antonyms measure your vocabulary for words opposite in meaning of the given word. Each word is followed by five opposite words, mostly similar in meaning. You have to choose the most appropriate word. It is to judge how well you can arrive at the antonym using your reasoning skills.
Analogies represent parallel relationships between words. Two words which are connected in some way or the other are given. This is followed by five pairs of words which are also connected. You have to recognize the basis on which the two given words are connected and choose the most similar pair from among the five options. These questions test how you can identify relations among words and concepts.
When you’re studying for the GRE, chances are vocabulary is on your mind. It’s on ours too which is why we create video resources. Now we have great news for students looking for a little more vocabulary guidance–10 brand new vocabulary lesson videos [coming soon]!
Top 10 GRE vocabulary words for 2013
1. Arch – (adj.) having a playful/witty sense of humor
2. Mordant – (adj.) bitingly sarcastic
3. Cavalier – (adj.) not displaying proper seriousness or concern, nonchalant
4. Mellifluous – (adj.) sweet sounding, as in a voice or a melody
5. Solipsistic – (adj.) totally and utterly self-absorbed (comes from the philosophical school that believes that the self is the only thing that exists).
6. Untrammeled – (adj.) unrestrained, not held in check
7. Objurgate – (v.) scold harshly, excoriate
8. Prurient – (adj.) preoccupied with perverse details
9. Mawkish – (adj.) overly sentimental, often to a sickening degree
10. Desideratum – (n.) anything that is highly desired
Any predictions you might have for words (or types of words) we’ll be seeing on the GRE? Let us know in the comments below!
Change the way you Learn
You have to change the way you are learing.There are many ways to learn Vocabulary. some of the ways are described below
1. Reading
Reading is the best way for improving vocabulary. For complete neophytes, The Hindu editorial is a best place to start. If you have more time read articles from nytimes, The Economist these are filled with challenging GRE words. Even the Best American Science series books can help a lot.
Make a flash card for each and every unknown word you have encountered.
As I said earlier do not just use one way for improving your vocabulary.
2. Mnemonics
Mnemonics is also a very effective technique for boosting your arsenal of words. Try to make mnemonics for the words which are difficult and pesky. Make mnemonics in your mother tongue since they are much easier to get into your long term memory. Remember your mnemonics need not make any sense for others as long as they help you in building vocabulary. It might be a little difficult in the beginning to make mnemonics but trust me you will enjoy it when you get used to it and learning words will no longer be a cumbersome job rather it would be a fun.
Examples of a few mnemonics I made
Palliate – reduce pain.
My mnemonic – [palli ate] If you eat pallis(groundnut in telugu) your pain would be reduced.
Raconteur – A good Entertainer.
Mnemonic – Rekha aunty wearing a red sari tells pleasurable stories in an amusing way.
Flagrant- something considered wrong or bad.
My Mnemonic – He is so bad because he gave the flag for rent.
They are much better and even awesome if I told you in my native language.
I can’t give you more examples because most of them are in Telugu and also they are also a bit salacious.
3. Use The Words
This is an awesome way which helps to retain the words you learnt and also fish for new words. Write a story using all the words you learned that day or if you are not good at story telling then write a journal using all the words. Like in flash cards, your story need not make any sense just try to connect all words.
This is so effective because we can retain information much better when we do something with that information like using the words in sentences etc.
4. Flash Cards
There are flash cards on the market that have high frequency words and their definitions, but to get a higher score you will need to know more than just definitions. So make flash cards on your own.I know this is a tedious exercise but it can help you to buttress your vocabulary studies.
Here’s how to make GRE flash cards.
1. Buy some empty paper business cards set.
2. Write the word in CAPITAL LETTERS on one side of the card.
3. On the back of card draw a line dividing the card into two parts.
4.In the first part write the different meanings of the word.
5. Now in the second part write the sentence where you actually encountered the word. This is important because it helps more to remember the word if you make a note of actual sentence than writing some other sentence using the word. Of course, if you have additional space left you can do that.
Read More: 900+ Essential GRE vocabulary words
5. Audio Tapes
If you have to spend a lot of time commuting or on other activities where you cannot use flash cards then audio tapes can come to your rescue. You can make your own audio files by reciting all the words, their meanings, example sentences and even mnemonics or can download some from internet.Here is the audio list made by Prof.Krupa Shanker
6.Learn from Pictures
This is one of the recommend way to learn the vocabulary i.e Learn from Pictures. Your mind will take much time to remember the words, but if you see the picture that will taken less time to recognize and remember.
I have made some words with images, Take a look
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