Vocabulary/ Word Association

Every language has its own body of words. Every word has unique features and characteristics that distinguish them from other words in the same language as well from different languages. This body of words is referred to as the vocabulary of a certain language. A word association game or word association test attempts to stimulate an associative pattern in remembering the body of words. This is done by producing a word or words as a response to a certain word given. The production of connected words aims to be a means of psych-rhetoric evaluation. Other than cognitive abilities, there is a connection between vocabulary and word association. When one master an advanced use of vocabulary then the word association test will be much easier for the person. 

Ways to improve Vocabulary

A person’s vocabulary is the set of words they happen to know or use daily. To improve one’s vocabulary one must consider the following:-

• Develop the habit of reading: To do better in the English language, developing the habit of reading can introduce the person to the world of words
• Being a voracious reader helps a person to come across a rich vocabulary of authors from around the world
• Listening- Just reading might not help
• One needs to hear more to understand tones, pronunciations, phonetics and contextual uses of a word
• It will develop fluency of the person in a language which will be beneficial for crucial events like interviews
• Usage of dictionary: At times, one comes across a word without understanding its meaning
• Even though the person has seen it, it is of no use unless the meaning is clear so the person can use it to enrich their own vocabulary
• Referring to a dictionary is a good idea, to know the meaning of a word 
• Use of words in daily life: One needs to use the words they know contextually while they are talking or writing
• Even if a person knows a lot of words, without using them in daily life conversations or writings one cannot master advanced vocabulary
• Moreover, using new words daily will help polish one’s vocabulary further

Common Uses of Vocabulary

• Finding synonyms and antonyms
• Reading comprehension- It requires articulation of answers in brief
• A good vocabulary will aid this process
• Finding the appropriate word that applies to the context- Daily conversations, Fill in the blank questions include sentences with blanks where a word-filler is needed to be selected from the given options
• One needs to know the meaning of the words well while working on vocabulary so that the word fits the context
• Finding the word closest in meaning- A new word may be presented as a question
• A few words may be presented in the options of some comprehension passage
• One needs to select the word closest to what the word in the question means
• This is quite a tricky part of many competitive exams

For all these reasons, one cannot compromise with the topic vocabulary. 

Word Association Test

For this test or game, there are a few players involved. One random word is chosen. The word is then given to the participants who write down a word associated with it, or what they think is the closest. The next player does the same and it continues for a certain time until the word limit is reached. In most competitive examinations, a word association test is given in the form of “Find the word closest in meaning”. To excel in this test, one must master advanced-level vocabulary. 

Conclusion

Knowledge of vocabulary is a very important skill to hone. There are many effective ways to learn words like regular reading of books, reports, newspapers, listening effectively to shows, conversations and noting new words. One has to learn different contexts and meanings of words and their usage. The word association game is an effective learning process that often comes in competitive examinations.