Everyone has three vocabularies in every language he or she speaks: a reading vocabulary, a listening vocabulary, and a speaking vocabulary. You’ve read words you have never heard, and heard words you’ve never read. Your speaking vocabulary may ignore many words you have either read or heard but do not use. As you explore the vocabulary in this book, think about bringing these three large sets of words together into a rich and useful database that will serve you well. Discovering words you don’t know may send your anxiety level soaring, and nobody does their best work when they’re anxious. With practice, though, you can learn to take unknown words in stride. Here’s how to start.
