Improving economics vocabulary can help students, teachers, and professionals better understand the intense and complex world of economics. There are many different ways to improve economics vocabulary, from reading introductory economics texts to taking classes at a community college. People who have difficulty memorizing economics vocabulary words can also benefit from simple memory tricks and exercises, such as making flash cards or finding mnemonics that help keep definitions straight.
One of the best ways to increase an economics vocabulary is through reading and research. For people with no experience in the field of economics, consider searching for a used high school textbook. These textbooks often assume that the reader is new to the subject, and may give better and simpler explanations of basic economics terms. For those with a general knowledge of the subject, college textbooks or commercial books on economics can be an excellent way to pick up more complex vocabulary words. Economic journals and magazines can also be extremely useful, though it may help to have a dictionary nearby to look up specific terms.
Taking community courses is a wonderful way to learn about the subject while improving economics vocabulary. Introductory or survey courses may be helpful for newer students, and are frequently open to the public. Reading assigned materials and going over them in class may help cement the terms more firmly in the brain than simply reading books independently. Economics professors can often provide excellent resources for students who are interested in additional studies.
With hundreds of terms, acronyms, and theories, memorizing economics vocabulary can sometimes be a challenge. One excellent way to help memorize vocabulary is to make flashcards with the word or term to be defined on the front, and the definition on the back. For each chapter or article read, a student can make flashcards of the important terms for later revision and testing. Some people find it helpful to restate the definition in their own words, rather than the exact wording of the given definition.
Another excellent way to remember economics vocabulary is through mnemonics, or memory tricks. For instance, one famous economic mnemonic is “tell your boss to fly a kite, when the labor market is tight.” This rhyme refers to the fact that a “tight labor market” is one in which there are many jobs available, thus keeping a current job is less important. Creating mnemonics for difficult terms can speed the mastery and easy usage of many economics vocabulary terms.