max english.

tips

MASTER
VOCABULARY

How to learn the vocabulary that natives speakers use

My name is Max and Im from Argentina. Like you, Im a non-native English speaker. I started to learn English in 2011 (yes, that recently) when
after 2 years of very casually flirting with the idea of learning this language, I decided to get serious about it. I became fluent a couple of months
after that, and from those days until now Ive learned a lot more.
Because I am not a native speaker, I can understand all the difficulties
and frustrations that you have or are going through. Below Im going
to list some of the thoughts that have crossed my mind (and Im sure
yours too!) in my efforts to reach fluency:

Thats me in the red t-shirt.

> How do I even begin?

> I cant speak! Its so hard!
> How the heck did they become that fluent? Will I ever reach fluency?
> OMG! Im gonna make a fool out of myself!

> When will I ever understand movies without subtitles!

> They speak so fast I cant understand
Fortunately, Ive always found different ways to overcome all those difficulties and now I cant wait to share with
you all about them. In this ocassion I will only focus on the vocabulary acquisition aspect of learning English. Perhaps another time we will get into the other many different things that go into learning English.

Enjoy!
Max

max english.tips

MASTER VOCABULARY
This guide is free and you are welcome to share it with others.

Three Vocabulary Learning Methods & Some Big Ideas:

> Introduction
> Vocabulary List
> Active Vocabulary vs Passive Vocabulary
> Key to Success: Use your English Every Day
> Method One
> Is Translating a Good Idea?
> Method Two
> Whats the Vocabulary that Natives Use?
> Method Three

METHOD
ONE

METHOD
TWO

METHOD
THREE

INTRODUCTION
Broadly speaking, vocabulary is one of the three pillars of any spoken language. We assign words to specific objects
or concepts. Then, with grammar, we organize these words in a way that makes sense. And lastly, pronunciation is
how we turn these ordered sequence (grammar) of words (vocabulary) into sounds that can be understood by the
listener. Thats how we speak.

vocabulary + grammar + pronunciation

language we can hear and speak

One thing is the vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation you naturally and progressively learn from the day your
brain starts to absorb language. But one very different thing is the language you start to learn as a human being
who is past his or her childhood. This is when the following questions start to puzzle millions of people around the
world who have the desire to speak a second language:
1- How do I learn new words and not forget them?
2- How do I learn all these grammatical structures to speak perfectly?
3- How do I speak as fast as natives and lose my accent?
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In Master Vocabulary, Im going to walk you through three vocabulary learning methods that tackle the first question: How do I learn new words and not forget them?
This works for learninig the most essential pieces of vocabulary in English, like animal names or days of the
week, but its specially useful for acquiring advanced vocabulary; more precisely native speakers vocabulary,
which is the vocabulary that very few non-native English speakers actually use. (why dont they use it? Go to page
25).

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VOCABULARY LISTS
Keeping a vocabulary list is critical for a number of reasons. Three of the most important ones are:
We can use it for reference in the future.
We can use it for reviewing, which will further help us
consolidate the learned vocabulary.
And most importantly, building a vocabulary list will
force us to concentrate in each individual word or
phrase because we will actively explore their key aspects of meaning. This together with the benefit of
learning just from the process of writing down said
word or phrase leads to an enhanced memory.
The three vocabulary learning techniques I will teach to
you in this guide rely on vocabulary lists. We want these
new phrases and words or at least a portion of them
to exist somewhere in the form of a database (i.e. in a
text file in your computer).

ACTIVE VOCABULARY VS PASSIVE VOCABULARY

Your active vocabulary is the body of vocabulary that you can use spontaneously at
any given moment. Im sure you dont have any problem saying something like I love
reading books because all these four words are at the core of your active vocabulary.
But, when you want to say something that requires a more advanced use of words, or
when you are talking about a topic you are not very familiar with, you will most likely
struggle to remember the words you want to say. When this happens, you interrumpt
your speech and utter an uhmmmm more often than other times. You might even
admit you are short on words and say What is this word Im looking for? or even I
dont know how to say this in English. Then, if someone guesses the words youre trying to use you will say Exactly, that one! and youll feel a great relief.
This represents active vocabulary as being
metaphorically speaking at the front of
the brain, meaning easily available. Passive
vocabulary is at the back, and it requires a
greater memory effort to use.

passive
vocabulary

active
vocabulary
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When you stop to retrieve the elusive words from your memory, you are trying to use
vocabulary that is in the passive vocabulary area of your brain. Your passive vocabulary is comprised of all the words and phrases that you know, but hardly ever use.
When non-native English speakers go from hardly ever using their English to using it a
lot, their speaking skills improve dramatically. One of the reasons why this happens is
because they have the opportunity to engage plenty of vocabulary they already knew
but didnt have the chance to use.
This means that their progress is not just marked by how many new words they learn.
A key reason lies in the fact that their active vocabulary has been enlarged with formerly passive vocabulary. However, if they suddenly stop using the language on a regular basis, their active vocabulary will start to shrink, as much of it will become, once
again, passive vocabulary.
When you bump into a new word, there is a process it has to go through for it to become part of your active vocabulary. When you learn it in a significant way like in a real
life situation, this word is more likely to penetrate into your memory. If you learn new
vocabulary by reading, watching TV or listening to an audio in English, engaging with it
by going through the process of writing it down in your list will also increase the chances it will stick in your memory and be available when you need to use it.
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KEY TO SUCCESS: USE YOUR ENGLISH EVERY DAY

Nothing can beat the effectiveness of practicing what you learn, and vocabulary and second language acquisition is no exception to that. Its only by putting your new knowledge
into practice that you will be able to build on your improving skills.
The more you engange in the production of language, whether it be speech or writing, the
more you will predispone your brain to think in English as well as to consolidate recently
learned vocabulary. Similarly, the more you engange in the reception of language by listening and reading, the more you will perdipone your brain to absorb new vocabulary.
Using English doesnt just mean speaking it; it means getting exposure to the language as
much as you can. The amount of time you can dedicate to enganging your brain in some
kind of activity that involves the language is directly propotional to the results you can expect.
The methods and vocabulary learning techniques that this guide teaches you are intended
to maximize the natural benefits that you get from using the language on a daily basis.
Any new piece of vocabulary you learn or anything that you learn in life for that matter is
in the beginning a frail sprout that will only survive if you water it. In your case, the water
is the practice of using your English regularly. This is the only way you can rest assured your
English will take stronger roots and it will become better in all its different aspects.

METHOD #1
This is the simplest and less novel of the three vocabulary building meth-

cousin: primo

od you will learn in this guide, and for this reason its also the most widely aunt: tia
used. Its a very plain formula: English word equals learners native lanuncle: tio
guage word. This method is generally used at the beginning stage of the

nephew/niece: sobrino/a

learning process, where the goal is to learn as many words as possible

grandmother: abuela

to so that the student can start speaking. To the right is what this simple

This is exemplified with Spanish equivalents

system looks like.

A beginning English student will see results from doing this activity almost immediately, and this encourages them
to keep learning vocabulary. Motivation is this methods biggest intangible benefit.
Although its not essential that you do this, a lot people like arranging words by semantic groups, like this:
Farm animals

Fruits

Ways to say see

cow: vaca

apple: manzana

Look at: mirar

horse: caballo

orange: naranja

Peet at: espiar

pig: puerco

pear: pera

Gaze: mirar fijamente

goat: cabra

watermelon: sandia

Squint: mirar con ojos entrecerrados

roast: gallo

pineapple: pina

Behold: observar

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Many also swear by the practice of not just learning individual words, but also word groups. This is indeed a more
effective way to learn vocabulary because: a) you will become more aware of the context where the word is more
likely to appear; b) you will get an idea of the words that usually collocate with the new word; and c) the surrounding words will magnify the meaning of the term in question and this will increase the chances you will remember it.
Lets say you stumble upon the word aware for the first time:

Were fully aware of the risks.

Looking up the word to be aware and finding out that it translates in Spanish to ser conciente is just one part
of the puzzle. You might also want to take notice of fully, which is the word that collocates with aware to mean
very. You should also notice from the sentence above that its not to be aware in or on something, the preposition that goes with this word is of.
Paying attention to the way a word interplays with other words in a phrase or sentence helps us absorb more information about the the patterns and typical uses of the word. This will make our vocabulary more complete and
efficient because you will see how its really used in English today. Below is what a vocabulary list entry for this
example would look like:
to be fully aware of (sth): estar totalmente conciente de (algo). Ex: Were fully aware of the risks.
If its the very first time you see this word you might miss the fact that this sentence is also telling you more about
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the usage of this word. Its telling you that aware is most times used with a situation that causes us to have a negative feeling. We say to be aware of an issue, problem, danger, etc. You might miss this the first time, but by engaging with vocabulary in this way will predispone you to later realize about these details.
Looking at new vocabulary in this way will also lead you to realize about other word combinations. You have
learned to be aware of something, but soon you will realize that to become aware of something or to be made
aware of something imply different things. The more input you receive, the quicker you will be able to master the
full range of word combinations a word has.
We have seen that method #1 has two formats. One that is very simple and consists of equating an English word
to its corresponding word in the learners native language, and another that captures more information about the
surrounding words.

Format A
to be aware: ser/estar consciente
Format B
to be fully aware of: estar totalmente consciente de. Ex: Were fully aware of the risks.
main
word
contextual
words

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equivalent of main and contextual words

example sentence

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The moment format 1 is the most effective is when a person is just starting to learn the language, but isnt very proactive yet. Here they encounter the first hump in their efforts to speak another language, and this is not knowing
enough words to express the most basic ideas. Vocabulary lists are the obvious solution for this. Once they begin
the process they see results almost immediately, which motivates them to make a bigger commitment with their
learning and hopefully advance to a most effective system for building their vocabulary: format B or a personal version of it that does a similar job.
In the left side of the diagram below are some entry examples of format B. In the right I have included some notes
that account for the small changes these word groups have in the example sentences.

it means a lot to me: es muy importante para mi. Ex:

It means a lot to us that people appreciates our work.
Your help means a lot to us.
not belong in a place (socially): no encajar en algun
lugar/grupo. Ex: Someone that judgmental doesnt belong with us. I want to show everybody that I belong
in the first steam squad.
its funny you should mention (that/sth): que curioso
que menciones (algo)... Ex: Its funny you would mention that place because Im just back from it. Its funny you would recommend their service because from
my experience they dont do a good job.
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We can use different object pronouns: us, him, them, etc.

This phrase is often preceded by it but its also common
to have a phrase before it.
Extra information between parenthesis can be helpful.
These examples tell us that this expression follows a pattern. We say with people and in a group. As you receive more input youll realize that in some cases people
would say belong with a group but not in people.
The entry was made with mention but we also note
that other verbs can go in its place, like recommend.
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IS TRANSLATING A GOOD IDEA?

Most English teachers argue that in order to be fluent, you should think in English and never translate. This is indeed very true. But, because of this widespread sentiment in the English learning world
people have erroneously given translation a bad name and have also unecessarily given way too much
emphasis to the idea of thinking in English.
Thinking in English is unquestionably something learners have to strive for. However, this doesnt
mean you cant benefit from using translation as a learning strategy. It will not hinder your ability to
think in English and it makes no sense to fight it since it will always exist if you know more than one
language. While its true that it isnt a good idea to first think what you want to say in your native language, and then translate it to English, this will actually never happen if you dedicate enough time to
using your English.
This will only and naturally happen in the early stages of a someones English learning. As you start to
learn more and more ways to express ideas in English, you will gradually lose the dependency to base
those thoughts in your mother tongue. So, theres no point in forcing yourself to think in English when
its still too soon; it will only bring frustration.
Translation is never a disservice to your fluency or ability to think in English. If anything, you will
become a great translator and a fluent English speaker at the same time. The only thing that will keep
you from being able to think in English is not knowing enough English.
Like Method 1, Method 2 uses translation as a learning technique. You will be surprised by how much
translation as a learning strategy will improve your ability to thinking in English.

METHOD #2
In its core, this vocabulary building technique is another type of vocabulary list, but its also so much more than just
that. What makes this method especially effective is that you will speak and record each word you write down on
your vocabular list. You do this to later listen to yourself read each word along with its definition, equivalent and
examples. This will maximize your vocabulary acquisition by engaging all your muscle, visual and auditory memory.
But, heres the special trick. As you record yourself reading the entry from your vocabulary list, you will purposely
leave a 3-second silent gap after the L1 equivalent (L1 means native language). The purpose of doing this is so that
you have time to say the word in English that corresponds to the L1 equivalent. Take a look at the below example.
For the sake of explanation, this entry only has its bare essentials (English word, L1 equivalent, example).
This is what an entry looks like on paper:
let go of: soltar >> Let go of the door handle, please!
new
word

L1
equivalent

example

This is how you will read it and record it:

soltar ... ... ... >> Let go of the door handle, please!
3-sec
L1
equiv. gap

example

Listen to the audio recording for this entry here.

When you go back to listen to the recording, you will listen to the equivalent first, and then the 3-second gap, which
is meant to give you some time for you to SAY the word in English as youre listening to the recording. You might or
might not guess the correct word, you might not even recall it; either way, you will find out from your own voice
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immediately after as the recording goes on. If you cant recall the word in English, dont worry, next time you probably will.
This adds a gamified experience to the process, and anything thats a game your brain will engage in a more active
way, thus making you remember more and better.
To review, when you record it, you first read the word in your native language, then you leave the 3-second gap (a
little less, a little more; its irrelevant) and lastly you read the example sentence. The example is what will tell you
whether or not you said the correct word in the 3-second gap, or it will make you remember it if you werent able
to recall it at all.

Anatomy of Defitinion Entries

The example entry in the previous page is a simplified version since its made up of just the English word + the L1
equivalent + one example. For some vocabulary that might be just enough. The expression to let go of sth probably doesnt need to be defined in a much more thorough way. Although, if you explore this phrase on online dictionaries maybe you will realize its also used metaphorically, as in the example how to let go of someone who you
deeply loved. Therefore, a second example with this usage might be a good idea.
Its up to you how brief or how complete you want an entry to be. As we will see next, these entries can become
very thorough, and when you make one of these, the word will stick with you for a very long time.
Lets take a look in the next page at what a more complete entry looks like.
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ransack: [go hurriedly through a place stealing things and causing damage] saquear, desvalijar >> When
you ransack, you rifle through things, steal some of them, and leave a huge mess behind >> The soldiers
opened fire, ransacked houses, and killed who they killed >> Protesters ransacked an office of the Brotherhoods political party, burning books and chairs in the street.
If we break down the format of this entry, this is what it looks like:
English word/phrase: [monolingual definition] L1 equivalent >> Example 1 >> Example 2 >> Example 3
The you read and record this following this structure:
L1 equivalent then [monolingual definition] then ...3-second gap... then Example 1, 2 & 3.
Listen to a recording of the entry on the word ransack.
Note: this entry has two L1 equivalents. You might include in your entry as many of them as you consider necessary.
As for the example sentences, having three of them is a good idea because in this way you will grasp more context
and collocations than if you just had one, but if you consider that less than that is enough, thats okay.
Lets now take a look at a word that has two meanings. How do we account for that second meaning? Heres how
this second definition (which Ive underlined below) fits into the entry format.

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step aside: [move to one side] moverse a un costado, hacerse a un lado / [retire from an office so someone else can take over] dar un paso al costado >> Would you step aside for my uncle and his walker?
>> We had to step aside for the people in wheelchairs to get by >> Walter stepped aside for a younger
person to take over. Listen to how this is recording here. In the recording the / is also.

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There are two sets of monolingual definitions and L1 equivalents separated by a slash /. We then have three sentence examples, the two first correspond to the first definition, and the last one to the second definiton.
1st monolingual and L1 equivalent

2st monolingual and L1 equivalent

step aside: [move to one side] moverse a un costado, hacerse a un lado / [retire from an office so someone else can take over] dar un paso al costado >>Would you step aside for my uncle and his walker?
>>We had to step aside for the people in wheelchairs to get by >>Walter stepped aside for a younger
person to take over.

Exploring into the Meaning of Words

Curiosity is the mother of all knowledge, and if you are interested in maximizing your vocabulary acquisition you
have to be curious. If you arent initially too motivated to go deep in each word you learn, I suggest you still make
the effort to do it. Like many things that bring results, this can seem tedious in the beginnig but even after a very
short period of time engaging in this practice you will see noticeable improvements, which in turn will spark your
curiosity and motivation to learn more.
Master Vocabulary is all about learning as much vocabulary as possible, and this doesnt mean just piling new words
and phrases on top of more words and phrases. It means absorbing vocabulary in a way that you can use it like a
native English speaker. There are many things that come into play before you are able to do that, like for example
learning vocabulary in significant ways from actual life experiences and not only from dictionaries.
However, grasping the essence of words and phrases through online dictionaries is still a great place to start. Al19

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though it cant replace real life English situations, it gets close in terms of what you can learn and how it can prepare you to respond to advanced vocabulary. When you do participate in a real English language setting, all your
vocabulary knowledge will be further consolidated.
In our efforts to absorb as much information as we can and still fit it into our entries, we can be more flexible in the
way we format said entries. Pay attention to the entries format below, especially the underlined parts. These parts
enable us to capture the loose ends certain words have (to play the recordings click on first word).
flick: pelicula >> I wanted to see a Bruce Willis film, but my girlfriend insisted we see a chick flick {pelicula de mujeres} [OTHER MEANINGS: flick through: hojear / flick sth away: quitarse algo de encima con
un movimiento rpido >>the snakes tongue flicked in and out >>she flicked her hair out of her eyes]
synomyms

slick: [sth that looks smooth and effortless in style] (>polished, skillful) impecable / [slippery] resbaloso
>>that graph you just made looks slick >> slick performance >> Theres a lot of sloppy snow, the road is
really slick [OTHER MEANINGS: oil slick: mancha de aceite / slick back: hacerse el pelo hacia atras >>He
slicks back his hair like a 1950s greaser]
compel (to do sth): [to force or drive someone to do something] forzar, obligar >> I feel compelled to say
that {me veo obligado a decir que} >> You cant compel me to do that [OTHER MEANINGS: complelling:
convincente, persuasivo >> Compelling evidence >> His side of the argument was very compelling]
synomym

headfirst: [with the head in front] (>headlong) de cabeza / sin pensarlo, precipitadamente >> I went
headfirst down the stairs >> If a business idea comes their way Aries men they tend to plunge right in
headfirst {lanzarse de cabeza} >> Students dive headfirst into iOS7
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How to Make a Method Two List: Step by Step

We have already seen what the entries look like in our vocabulary list and how we recorde them. Lets now take a
look at the process behind it.
1) To discover new vocabulary you have to expose yourself to

List of words and phrases (on Evernote) to explore later

the language. The best way to do this from home is watching

TV in English, listening to music or podcasts or reading things
you enjoy. When you notice a word you are not familiar with
and because of this you cant understand whats being said,
thats when you write it down. The best practice is also include
the sentence in which that word or phrase appears, so that you
can use it as an example in the definition entry. If its a piece of
vocabulary that you are a little familiar with, you can still benefit from making an entry on that word or phrase.
You dont need to look it up right away. Keep a list of words
to look up later and just keep enjoying what youre watching/
reading/listening to. If youre on the go, write down the vocabulary in a note-taking app on your phone. If youre on your
computer, keep a text file for this. You can use apps that sync
your cell phone and desktop computers notes, like Evernote.
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2) When you have some free time, look up the vocabulary you have collected in your note-taking app or text file.
You can just google these words and you will get results from the top online dictioaries. If you have a favorite dictionary, you can look up the new vocabulary directly on its website. In my opinion, the best dictionaries for our purpose are:
Vocabulary.com (American; this one provides very insightful and friendly definitions).
Collins Dictionary (American)
Oxford Dictionaries (British; the most complete one, plenty of example sentences)
Cambridge Dictionary (British)
For L1 equivalents, the best options are www.wordreference.com and www.linguee.es. The forum of Word Reference will occasionally come in handy as well.
3) Once you find a clear and concise definition, copy it and past it into your vocabulary list. Do the same with the L1
equivalent and the example sentences. I suggest you have the entry format ready on your vocabulary list, so that
you just fill in the blanks, like this:
: [] >> >> >>
: [] >> >> >>
: [] >> >> >>
: [] >> >> >>

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Remember this is the format:

English word: [monolingual defition] L1 equivalent >> example 1 >> example 2 >> example 3

You can also add synonyms between parantheses, like this: (> synonym 1, synonym 2). Place this in between the
monolingual definition and the L1 equivalent. Heres an example of an entry.
spill: derramar, volcar >> Crude oil spilled into the ocean >> The milk spilled across the floor >> The wine
spilled onto the table Listen to the recording of this entry here.
Like in the entry on spill, sometimes entries dont need a monolingual definition. Dont add one if you think the L1
equivalent is enough. On the other hand, keep in mind that the example sentences should be relevant and preferably add more context to the usage of the word in question.
brawl: [noisy quarrel or fight] (>melee) ria, pelea >> Fans were brawling in the streets after the game
>> the brawl broke out in the bar. Play recording.
In the above example, the first example shows that brawl can be used as a verb. The second one is collocated with
the phrasal verb break out. By doing this you learn new vocabulary that goes beyond the particular word youre looking up, and this is how you start to make the lexical connections in your mind that make you a much more competent
speaker.
4) The fourth step is recording. You can make one audio recording per entry but I suggest you do one for every three
entries so that you dont end up with so many audio files.
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5) Once you make recordings for the new vocabulary, save the audio files. After doing steps 1, 2, 3 and 4 you will
feel you have mastered the new vocabulary. Reviewing by playing the audio recordings will ensure the vocabulary
stays fresh in your mind. Below are more entry examples (click on first word to listen to the recordings).
smuggle: [to import illegally] contrabandear / pasar a escondidas >> They smuggled the drugs through
customs >>They smuggled immigrants across the border >>We smuggled his favorite sandwich past the
nurse.
pop into: [alternative to come into mind] se me ocurre / [enter a place to visit quickly] entrar de golpe
>>something pops into your mind and you think, Wow, this is a REALLY great idea! >>Why dont you
pop in and see us this afternoon? >>All I have to do on the way home is pop into the drugstore.
patch: [a piece of cloth that covers a hole in a item of clothing] parche >>She wore a sweater with
patches on the elbows >> You can download this patch from our website. >> [a bald patch >> I dont
want to have a bald patch when Im 40 / eye patch: parche de ojo / shoulder patch: insignia / road patch
>> Beware of the road patches on the street / rough patch on gums: fueguito]
cheapskate: (similar to stingy) poco generoso, codito >> These fucking bunch of cheapskates should provide breakfast >> You only got me a half pint - you cheapskate! >> He got his his mother a pen for 50c as
a christmas present. What a cheapskate!
heart to heart conversation/talk/chat/discussion: [conversation concerned with personal problems or
intimate feelings] conversacion intima >>a heart-to-heart talk >>he took me aside for a little heart-toheart >>to have a heart-to-heart talk with sb.

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WHATS THE VOCABULARY THAT ONLY NATIVES USE?

In order to get a better grasp on what native vocabulary actually is, lets talk science for a little bit.
In linguistics theres a subfield called Contrastive analysis, which studies the differences and similarities
between two languages. This science is used to explain why some features in the language you are trying to
learn are more difficult than others.
For example, mastering the sentence whats his name is considerably easier than mastering what does he
look like? A lot of times, learners will make the mistake of saying how does he look? or something similar.
This is because there is a lack of correspondance between your native language and English. If your native
language is any of the Romance languages, you probably wouldnt have any trouble asking what kind of car
is this? but asking whose car is this? is proven to be more complicated for learners. Theres a higher wordby-word correspondace in the first question than in the second.

High Correspondance (HC) vs Low Correspondance (LC)

The vocabulary that advanced non-native English speakers use is comprised of almost all the features of English that have a high correspondance value (simply, because theyre easier) and also quite a few low corresponance value features. However, even advanced non-native English speakers miss an enourmous amount
of low correspondance vocabulary that of course native speakers use naturally.
One of the most common low correspondance features of English are phrasal verbs. Learners apply the
avoidance strategy with phrasal verbs because they dont fit with a pre-established linguist concept in their

brains. This makes your brain work extra hard to constantly keep these elusive words from falling off your
active vocabulary (or just learn them). Thus, for your brain its significantly easier to say could you inform
me on something than could you fill me in on something. Although both sentences are correct, this shows
how your brain would tend to gravitate towards vocabulary patterns that are closer to what you are familiar
with in yuor native language.
Below are some random sentences framed in the high correspondance non-native way and in the low correspondance native way. They express the same idea, though the wording is clearly different.
HC Advanced non-native
Sorry for the bad news, but...
Hes contributed a lot.
He made you a favor to let you know.
I cant promise you that.
Ill use that in the future.
In the minute 3 in the video.
He has a lot of tattos.
I started gimnastics but I didnt continue.
Im still feeling bad about that loss.

LC Native
Sorry to break it to you, but...
Hes contributed as much as anyone.
He went out of his way to let you know.
Dont hold me to it.
Ill use that going forward.
3 minutes into the video.
Hes all tattooed up.
I started gimnastics but I didnt stick with it.
That loss is still eating at me.

This is just illistrative of possible differences between a native and a non-native speaker way of expressing
the same idea. This does not mean that the HC sentences are incorrect. Its worth noting that when natives
use formal language, there tends to be a lot more correspondance between the English and the other Romance languages. The language in the native side of this chart is fairly informal.

So, whats the vocabulary that only natives use?

What I mean by native speakers vocabulary is the LC vocabulary that the majority of advanced speakers
dont seem to develop the awareness needed to absorb and start using.
One of the goals of Master Vocabulary is to develop the perception that you need to recognize, learn and
reproduce this type of vocabulary.
Method 1 in Master Vocabulary is intended to deal mainly with HC vocabulary (i.e. easier vocabulary).
Method 2 is meant to tackle LC vocabulary (i.e. harder vocabulary), and also some of the HC for consolida-

tion purposes.
Finally, Method 3 is meant to absorb as much LC vocabulary as possible. For this reason, the note-taking aspect of it is significanly simpler than Method 2.

METHOD #3
If I taught someone English from scratch, I would suggest they learn vocabulary following the three vocabulary techniques presented in this guide. I would tell them that in the first 3 to 6 months, they follow Method 1 to acquire as
much vocabulary as they can. Then, I would suggest Method 2 for the next year and a half or until they reach 2000
Method 2 entries. Finally, at roughly around the start of her 3rd year of immersion in the language, Method 3 replaces Method 2. Youre ready for method 3 when you can understand 95% of spoken English.
Note: If you have reached this point in the guide you surely are ahead of method 1, but can you start
from method 3 and skip method 2? You might have been studying English for more than 3 years, but
that doesnt mean you cant benefit from method 2. I suggest you start from method 2 regardless of
your level. If you have been learning English for more than 3 years, do 1000 entries instead of 2000. Ultimately, it isnt about the number of entries you have in your vocabulary list, what it really comes down
to is that if you have 1000 entries, you have been exposed to English for a long time, and this beyond
any vocabulary building technique is what is going to make your English better in all its aspects.
If you feel Method 2 isnt for you regardless of how long you have been learning the language, then feel
free to try out Method 3.
Method 3 is notably easy to do, and because your body of passive and active vocabulary is considerably sizeable after doing Method 2, you can manage without dictionaries. This is because the vocabulary you have learned enables
you to be much better at guessing the meaning of words and phrases by context. This notion is based on the principle that the more you know, the easier it is for you to learn more. Your memory isnt like a box that can
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only be filled up to the point in which nothing else can fit in. On the contrary, the

Neural Network representation

more vocabulary you know, the more solid the interconnection of the vocabulary
stored in your passive and active memory will be. Your brain has more data to relate
new vocabulary to, and this means there is less chance of forgetting. In more technical terms, your brain is a neural network that help you assess and find patterns in the
new data that enters your mind.
For example, you probably know all the words in the sentence we cast a wide net to

Fisherman casting net

get our ads in front of a lot of people. If you do, your previous knowledge will help
you internalize the expression to cast a wide net (to do sth). Your memory here is
aided by a very clear imagery of a fisherman casting (you probably know this is a another word for throw) a net to catch fish.

How it works
Like in Method 2, for Method 3 you will write down pieces of vocabulary on a note-taking app on your phone or on
a text file on your computer. As I suggested before, you might want to keep your phone and computer synced with
Evernote or another similar app. After this, you will, again, record yourself reading sentences. Method 3 is 10x faster to do than Method 2, as you will find out below where we will go through this method step by step.
1) When you read, watch TV, listen to music or a podcast, you will come across words, phrases and expressions that
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either you dont know but can somewhat guess the meaning of, or you know but dont use. If its the latter, you
know the reason why you dont use it is simply because this word or phrase is in your passive knowledge. Whichever the case is, you will write down this piece of vocabulary along with the whole sentence it appears in on your
note-taking app or text file. See the examples below.
It was my job to keep a tally of all the tickets we sold.
The difference is not so cut and dry.
I got all weirded out when I talked to her.
2-hour tailback on the road and Im stuck in the car with my ex (cola de autos).
The interface is ever so slightly different.
Larry only likes girls who hang on his every word.
Nobody is saying that. Youre just digging for leverage now. (ventaja en discucion)
They kind of file you away in their minds as a certain kind of person.
GE was really forward-thinking in their ability to think like a publisher.
And then it dawned on me.
Ill put my ass on the line. Fuck it, Im gonna go for it.
Take your mind out of the gutter, come on!
You cant pass for 22, you look almost 30.
The thief made a break for it when the officer looked the other way (escape).
His main job was being a cop but on the side he sold water purifiers.
Watch Kanye West repeatedly get his ass handed to him.
You wont see him sugar-coat the truth.
I dont really remember all the things I got done this week. Its like a blur.
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These are some examples

of sentences I read or heard
and that caught my attention. I didnt only write down
the specific word or phrase
(which Ive put in bold here
for you to see), I also wrote
down the whole sentence in
which these pieces of vocabulary in question appeard.
Lastly, I did know the majority of these words and phrases, but upon hearing them I
realized I wasnt using them,
so by going through the process of Method 3 I was able
to turn this vocabulary into
active vocabulary.

max english

Its important that you write down the word or phrase together with the sentence it occurrs in. If you are not completely sure youre guessing the correct meaning of a word or phrase, you can quickly look it up on the dictionary.
However, you dont need to copy definitions, examples or equivalents as in method 2. At this point in your vocabulary learning process, you will most likely remember it without doing that.
2) When you find the time, record yourself reading out the sentences. I suggest that you make one recording for every 20 or so sentences if you dont want to end up with an ungodly amount of recordings. Heres the recording with
the sentences from the last page. You might want to name the recording file with a number or something that helps
you keep it organized (for example: recording 1, 2, 3, etc.).
3) Lastly, save these recordings in your cell phone or MP3 player and listen to them from time to time to keep the
vocabulary fresh in your mind. You can set your own routine by, say, listening to them at a specific date every month
or you can just do it whenever you like. These recordings are very practical in the sense that you can listen to them
while you do other activities like commuting, walking, cleaning, etc.
Because this method takes so little time to do and yet can be extremely effective to learn and remember new vocabulary, you may keep doing this for as long as you wish. You will keep growing your vocabulary on your list and on
your brain, both passive and active.

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Thank you!
Id like to thank you for taking the time to check out Master Vocabulary. I hope youve
found some value in it and can use it as a guide to help you improve your English by developing the mindset and perception to improve your vocabulary.
If for whatever reason you got this guide without ever subscribing to my email list
(which is totally okay because I realize people love to share things like this), then please
head on over to MaxEnglish.tips and subscribe to my email list there.
Lastly, if you enjoyed this book, please give me a shout out on Facebook or Twitter and
share Master Vocabulary!
Cheers, best of luck and I look forward to serving you again soon!
Max
http://www.maxenglish.tips