I am now making an effort to note and remember words that are new to me. I usually come across new vocabulary when reading news articles. To make new words stick I have to read them and then immediately look up their meanings. If I don't do that, the words become, '...that D-word that means a place that is bad and ugly like in
Blade Runner.' Pronunciation guides in dictionaries are amusing because how many English speakers actually understand them? They're like using hand signals while riding a bike. Riders can use them, but unless others understand what the signals mean they're pretty much usless.
