Did you make a New Year’s resolution to improve your vocabulary? Like many other life-changing programs, it might be hard to keep up over the long run. Studies have shown that most people who make resolutions don’t keep them; in fact, three of every four people who make a resolution January 1st have broken it by February 1st. Part of the problem is that people frequently try to do too much at once, and it’s just too hard to handle. We don’t want you to look on vocabulary improvement as an onerous process, and hope that you’ll take some of these suggestions to help make daily vocabulary study fun and easy.

First of all, remember that often less is more when it comes to vocabulary improvement. By that, we mean that it’s usually better to focus on a few words rather than trying to memorize a long list all at the same time. Pick one word to start with, and concentrate on learning it well. If you don’t have a new word to learn today, try the adjective onerous (pronounced AH-ner-us), which means “difficult, burdensome, requiring much effort.” You can quickly add more value to this word by including its synonyms; since the words all have essentially the same definition, you’re learning several at once. Besides onerous, you could describe something that’s difficult and time-consuming as oppressive, laborious, or troublesome.

Next, find ways to have fun with words. You might make some silly rhymes to help you remember a word and its definition, or create a sample sentence that brings an amusing image to mind. Look for ways that authors have used the word in their texts, and think about examples of how you might apply the word to a situation in your own life. You can also work with a study partner to discuss the word and its meanings. If you’re talking with someone about a word, the process of using your own words and phrases will give you a better understanding of the term, and will also help you remember it for future use. Another benefit of having a study partner is that you can each motivate the other when you’re feeling tired or bored.

Keeping your resolution to improve vocabulary won’t be nearly as difficult once you learn a few steps to lighten your load.