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PHOTOCOPIABLE Page 1 of 2 Philip Shigeo Brown (2011) Academic Vocabulary Guide Aims Improve your academic vocabulary Understand academic articles and newspapers more Be able to use more academic vocabulary in essays Did you know? In the example below, 78.9% of the words are top 2000 high frequency words. Issue and nuclear are academic words. Accelerate decontamination (From The Japan Times August 26 issue) Some 100,000 people are living as evacuees away from their homes in the wake of the severe accidents at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. Kyodo News has reported that some 17,000 children in Fukushima Prefecture have changed schools or kindergartens because of radiation fears. 570 academic word families cover about 8.5-10% of academic texts (see also Which Words?). So, after the top 2000 words, these are probably the next most powerful words to learn! Many academic words, especially in written English, come from Latin and Greek, as well as French. (See also Word Parts) Academic Word List (AWL) You can find a copy of the AWL in e-space or online: Academic word families A-Z with links to Cambridge Learner’s Advanced Dictionary: http://www.uefap.com/vocab/select/awl.htm Academic words divided into 10 mini sublists in order of frequency, with links to simple English definitions: http://simple.wiktionary.org/wiki/Wiktionary:Academic_word_list Note: This A-Z list is good for reference but do not try learning them in alphabetical order! Use the 10 mini sublists, starting with Sublist 1

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Page 1: Academic Vocabulary Guide.PSB.10Sep2011 - konan …espace/_assets/Academic Vocabulary Guide.P… · Academic Vocabulary Guide ...  Try different things and find what’s best

PHOTOCOPIABLE     Page  1  of  2   Philip  Shigeo  Brown  (2011)  

Academic Vocabulary Guide Aims • Improve your academic vocabulary • Understand academic articles and newspapers more • Be able to use more academic vocabulary in essays Did you know? • In the example below, 78.9% of the words are top 2000 high

frequency words. Issue and nuclear are academic words. Accelerate decontamination (From The Japan Times August 26 issue) Some 100,000 people are living as evacuees away from their homes in the wake of the severe accidents at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. Kyodo News has reported that some 17,000 children in Fukushima Prefecture have changed schools or kindergartens because of radiation fears. …

• 570 academic word families cover about 8.5-10% of academic texts (see also Which Words?). So, after the top 2000 words, these are probably the next most powerful words to learn!

• Many academic words, especially in written English, come from Latin and Greek, as well as French. (See also Word Parts)

Academic Word List (AWL) You can find a copy of the AWL in e-space or online: • Academic word families A-Z with links to Cambridge Learner’s

Advanced Dictionary: http://www.uefap.com/vocab/select/awl.htm

• Academic words divided into 10 mini sublists in order of frequency, with links to simple English definitions: http://simple.wiktionary.org/wiki/Wiktionary:Academic_word_list

Note: This A-Z list is good for reference but do not try learning them in alphabetical order! Use the 10 mini sublists, starting with Sublist 1 J

Page 2: Academic Vocabulary Guide.PSB.10Sep2011 - konan …espace/_assets/Academic Vocabulary Guide.P… · Academic Vocabulary Guide ...  Try different things and find what’s best

PHOTOCOPIABLE     Page  2  of  2   Philip  Shigeo  Brown  (2011)  

Studying academic words 1. Start with Sublist 1. Use Word Cards and other

Vocabulary Learning Strategies (e.g. Word Parts) to learn and remember words effectively and use them!

2. Connect new words to words you know. (See further Word-Webs & Word Connections Guide). Note: To avoid confusion, don’t study new words with similar or related meanings, spelling or pronunciation at the same time.

3. Try online vocabulary exercises for the 10 sublists: http://www.englishvocabularyexercises.com/AWL/index.htm

4. Try the National Geographic Reading Explorer textbooks in the READING section. (See also Academic Reading)

5. Read more newspaper articles. You can start easily with the Shukan Times, in e-space or online: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/shukan-st/

6. Use a thesaurus, especially for academic reading and writing! (See Dictionary Use)

7. Try a mix of vocabulary games, puzzles, and quizzes: http://www.pbs.plymouth.ac.uk/academicwordlistatuop/exercises_1.htm

Try different things and find what’s best for you: Variety is the spice of life! J