Skip to main content

DailyVocab: Easy way to learn English

By: Nimesh Chandra
Updated On: 
Anshul-Agarwal

CONCEPTUALIZING the meaning of a word is often contextual. And what better way it would be to remember a complex word using pictures in a given context! DailyVocab, a start-up at MICA plans to do just that. According to founder, Anshul Agarwal, “English language learning is a serious problem in India and needs to be solved. One way to make the learning interesting, is through ‘Vocab Meme’ that teaches word power using Internet memes which are quite popular among youth and shared/liked frequently on various social media platforms." Dailyvocab.com is particularly useful for students who are preparing for competitive exams like GRE, CAT, SAT, IELTS, TOEFL and Bank PO. It is also useful for people who are learning English as a second language but do not have the time to attend offline classes.
Admissions Open Now
Admission open for Batch 2016 at Manipal University. Apply Now

Imaginative use of pictures
The uniqueness attached to the idea is that learning is fun. It is also easy to memorize the context. Anshul says, “Initially I started with the idea of providing vocab Internet memes (memory aids for each word) only, but the project has now evolved as a one stop vocabulary solution website. Alongside the word we now offer its meaning in both English and Hindi, synonyms, antonyms, and the recent word usage from news and mnemonics”. In a way, this is an improvement on link method of memory where one has to create mental images of items that one wants to memorize. The use of pictures help to etch the meaning of a word in your memory. For example, in the picture given above, DailyVocabmorphes images of a pigeon and an elephant to explain the word ‘incongruous’, which perfectly  puts the meaning in a given context.
Prof-UT-RaoProf. UT Rao,
Head, Comcubator
MICA

With elective course on Corporate Venturing and Entrepreneurshipbecoming popular, I feel more students like Anshul will apply for incubatee facility
Invention from necessity
The idea triggered in 2011 when Anshul’s friend appeared in GRE and shared that had he marked two vocabulary answers right, he would have made to some of the best universities in the US. Anshul, a CAT-taker, knew that both of them had spent countless nights memorizing the GRE wordlist. While he firmed up his idea, he also started associating the words with images and started creating a database. In April 2013, he floated his venture using his own funds. The pilot project is up and running, “With more than 15,000 visitors and 1000+ subscribers on website, we have more than 10,000 fans on our Facebook page. At present, everything is free on dailyvocab.com. I am earning my revenues through various ads served on the website. In future, I will offer only some content for free,” Anshul adds. On his doorstep to the MICA comcubator, Anshul says he would need an office space and mentorship after his PGP course, but more importantly he is longing for an environment which would help him to network. “Currently I am in product development phase and I would require assistance from venture capitalists” he adds. Planning to expand his team by employing two developers and one designer, Anshul wants to cover all exam-related vocabulary words and also launch a mobile app in next six months. “I want the product to be ready for the students who will be appearing for competitive exams in 2014”, he signs off. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rising demand for Foreign language grads By:   Rashi Varshney Updated On:  30 Apr 2014 01:36 PM IST     Follow 2 Indian students are increasingly learning foreign languages to move up their career graph FRANK  Smith, a renowned psycholinguist, famously said, “One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way.” Imagine a situation, where from amongst thousands of job applicants to an MNC, you get selected, because your CV boasts of Spanish, or say, French. In India, proficiency in a foreign languages seems to have become a norm now, as it guarantees a job in an Embassy with quite a number of perks, or one which offers foreign trips and so on. “With organizations expanding internationally and venturing into new territories, they stand in need of skilled professionals who can transcend languages and cultural barriers and enable smooth and successful business transactions,” said Adity...
3 comments
Read more
Career in Foreign Languages By:   Sumita Vaid Updated On:  17 Jun 2014 04:18 PM IST     Follow 5 VIDHI  and Prashant are looking at the notice board outside the Department of Germanic and Romance Studies at Delhi University. There's a play in Italian and they are scribbling down the details while the admission queue by their side spills into the lawns. They both are relieved their MA admission forms are now with the officials behind the windows. 'There will be an entrance, and then an interview,'Vidhi says wiping the sweat off her forehead with a handkerchief buried in her hand. When Vidhi enrolled for BA in Programming suddenly she was attracted to the idea of learning a foreign language. For her friend, Prashant, learning French first started out as a hobby and then later became a career option. While Prashant enrolled in Alliance Française, Vidhi did an advanced diploma in German language from St Stephen's, and both ...
Post a Comment
Read more