---
title: "Growing Vocabulary by the Thousand"
description: "At this level progress is mostly words. Work with word families and word parts, learn a word with the company it keeps, and take most of the intake from reading and listening volume rather than from l"
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source: https://lightmysky.com/learn/languages/growing-vocabulary-by-the-thousand-mt_2kBaoqZimP.md
retrieved: 2026-09-12
---

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# Growing Vocabulary by the Thousand

At this level progress is mostly words. Work with word families and word parts, learn a word with the company it keeps, and take most of the intake from reading and listening volume rather than from lists.

Subject: Languages · Area: Language Learning · Ages 14 to 16
Page: https://lightmysky.com/learn/languages/growing-vocabulary-by-the-thousand-mt_2kBaoqZimP

## Ready when they can

- Derive related words from one stem using the language's prefixes and endings
- Record a word together with the words it usually appears with
- Take a real share of new words from reading or listening rather than from lists

## Lesson: Thousands of words, one smart system

Most of your new words should come from real language, not lists. Books, shows, chats and podcasts feed you words inside living sentences. A little every day beats rare long sessions, so let reading and listening volume do the heavy lifting.

Steal word families instead of single words. Learn one stem, then add its prefixes and endings to unlock its cousins. One root learned well can give you ten words for nearly free.

**Example.** Meet the word rain inside its company: heavy rain, pouring rain, rain stops play. Write the partners down with the word, because you will need the whole group when you speak.

**Tip.** Keep a notebook: each word inside a real sentence, reviewed in short bursts across days. Use every new word three times in real life the week you learn it. A used word stays, and a stared-at word vanishes.

**Recap.** Feed on reading and listening, grow stems into families, record each word with its partners, and reuse new words until they stick.

## Practice

8 questions on this page, each with its working shown.

## Needs first

- [Spacing Revision Across Weeks](https://lightmysky.com/learn/learning-to-learn/spacing-revision-across-weeks-mt_cuBD3LE88f)
- [Saying What Might Be: Mood and Modality](https://lightmysky.com/learn/languages/saying-what-might-be-mood-and-modality-mt_IIgSDzD2a9)
- [Reading Material Written for Native Speakers](https://lightmysky.com/learn/languages/reading-material-written-for-native-speakers-mt_R2M7Qh2Rai)
- [Vocabulary Strategies](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/vocabulary-strategies-mt_WZnwITSWr8)

## Opens up

- [Following Media Without Subtitles](https://lightmysky.com/learn/languages/following-media-without-subtitles-mt_gibt6RSHpo)