We’re posting this blog entry on an important day of the year: the equinox, when (no matter which hemisphere you live in) the day and the night are equally as long. The equinox happens twice a year, in spring and in fall, and many of the early astronomers and philosophers used this time to mark the transition between the seasons. Structures such as Stonehenge were probably built to track the movement of the sun across the sky; when the sun appeared to sit precisely on top of a specific stone, the equinox was official. The word equinox comes from the Latin root meaning “equal” (aequus).

Effective vocabulary study is all about maintaining balance and smooth transitions, and keeping track of your progress. Because all aspects of vocabulary study are important, you need to make sure you spend time on practicing your spelling, working on your pronunciation, memorizing definitions, and writing out sample sentences. When you’re comfortable with these four basic aspects of learning a word, transition into learning all about the other words that are connected to it, including its synonyms and antonyms, its form in related parts of speech (for example, the verb derive becomes the noun derivation), and its etymology. Finally, be sure to keep track of the words you learn and the progress that you make in your study of English vocabulary. Setting milestones will give you goals to work towards, and achieving those goals will give you a reason to celebrate. You don’t have to mark the occasion with a 25-ton megalith, but do treat yourself to something special. You’re working hard to improve your vocabulary, and you deserve a reward!

Note: Use the word megalith to practice all facets of English vocabulary study as outlined above.