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8/3/2019 Handling Hard Words
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VOCABULARY: BUILDING AND UNLOCKING
Reading in a second or foreign language poses two main challenges. One is the immediatechallenges we face when we come across unfamiliar words when we are reading. This maycause us not to be able to gain meaning from what we are reading. The other challenge is to
build our vocabulary so that we may be able to recognize more words when we are reading,which will help us comprehend more effectively.
In this session, we will learn some techniques for dealing with difficult words during theprocess of reading. We will then learn some techniques for enriching our vocabulary so thatwe will be able to use our larger store of vocabulary to help us become more effectivereaders.
ACTIVITY 1: Overview of Techniques for Dealing with Difficult Words
Task 1:
Discuss:
What do you do when you come across a word that you do not know when you are reading?Discuss the possible steps you could take to help you understand more of what you arereading.
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
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Task 2:The passage you will read is about dealing with difficult words when you read.Read the passage and answer the comprehension questions that follow to check yourunderstanding of the text.
Dealing with Difficult Words
When you are looking for meaning, you often get it despite an unfamiliar word. Sometimes,
however, a strange word makes you slow down or even stop because you have lost the author's
meaning. Such a word deserves attention. How much attention it deserves depends mostly on your
reading purpose.
The first step is to note the word mentally, or make a pencil mark in the margin, and read
on. Going on prevents further interruption of the author's thought. It also gives you a chance to
find out whether the rest of the passage makes the meaning clear enough for your purposes. When
reading for pleasure, you can usually learn enough about a word from its context. It is more
important to go on enjoying the book than to find out how the dictionary defines every new word.
The second step is to return to troublesome words after completing a passage, and try to work
out what each one means; the need for this step increases with the amount of comprehension
required. Saying the word aloud may help you to recognise it as one you have heard and then to
recall how it was used. If this fails, you can often make an intelligent guess based on what you
have learned from reading the whole passage; another look at the context may confirm or improve
upon the guess.
A knowledge of common prefixes, roots and suffixes helps too. By analysing the parts of a
word, you can often work out the whole meaning. With practice you can learn to recognise new words
as 'relatives' of familiar ones: e.g. familyfamiliarand dictionarydictatepredict contradict.
When you make a real effort in these various ways to work out the meaning for yourself, you
not only understand the word better, but you remember it better too along with the way it has
been used. Even if you decide to look up the word, the thinking you have done will help you to get
maximum benefit from consulting the dictionary.
The third step, using the dictionary, is important for two kinds of words. The first group
consists of words which must be understood to understand the rest of the passage adequately. Basic
terms in a textbook belong to this group. The second group consists of words you know you have met
before but still do not fully understand. If you come across a word three times, then clearly it is a word
you should master.
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Your first aim when you have located the word is to find the meaning which fits the context
in which you have met it. You should compare this with your own definition and note the
difference. Having looked up the word, however, you should learn all you can about it. This small
extra effort may save you the trouble of looking it up again, and may yield information which will
help you attack other words.
For example, note other meanings of the word. Check on the pronunciation, for you may
hesitate to use the word if you are unsure of how to say it. If the word has synonyms you know, try to
discover the slight differences in meaning. Note how the word can be changed to form some
other part of speech, e.g. appropriateappropriately.
Finally, record important words and terms, with sample phrases or sentences using each
one correctly. You can keep a glossary at the back of each subject notebook, or a set of
cards / slips. Use odd moments to test yourself on what you have recorded. Improving your
vocabulary and word attack skills in these ways should bring significant improvement also in
reading speed and comprehension.
From: Floyd, J. (2007). Study Skills for Higher Education: English for Academic Success. Selangor August Publishing
1. To be efficient, a reader must
a. skip unfamiliar words. c. never skip an unfamiliar word.
b. recognise all the words he meets. d. easily recognise many words.
2. The best way to learn new words is to
a. read worthwhile novels. c. spend more time with the dictionary.
b. read and listen more. d. study vocabulary lists.
3. The passage suggests that such a student might improve by
a. substituting reading for outside activities. c. finding ways to meet more words in use .b. spending more time on his studies. d. memorising more definitions.
4. The importance of a word to the reader is determined mostly by
a. its context. c. its pronunciation.b. the number of meanings it can have. d. how badly the reader needs the word.
5. When we first meet a strange word in our reading we shoulda. ignore it. c. analyse it.b. notice it and read on. d. look it up in the dictionary.
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Task 3:Read the passage by yourself again. This time, note the steps to take when you come acrossdifficult words while you are reading.
1. There are some steps suggested which may be used in dealing with new words encountered while
reading. What are the steps?
2. In groups of 4, draw a flow chart of the steps you need to take when you come across
unfamiliar words in the text.
Use this space for preparation and recording your discussions of the steps.
Step 1 :
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Discuss this in your groups of four before you present your flowchart
1. What are the reasons given for Step 1?
-prevents further interruption of the authors thought
-gives a chance to find out whether the rest of the passage makes the meaning clear enough
for your purpose
2. List three ways of working out the meaning of a word without using the dictionary.
-saying the word aloud to check if u have heard the word b4
-make an intelligent guess based on context des from reading
-apply knowledge of common prefixes root word or suffixes
-read the sentences
-predict the meaning by experience b4
-ask other people that knows the meaning
3. What types of word should Step 1 be used for?
-words which must be understood to understand the rest of the text
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-words that make u slow down or stop because you have lost the authors meaning
Put your flow charts up on the wall. What was similar or different about your flow charts?What is similar or different between your steps? Discuss.
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ACTIVITY 2: Techniques for Dealing with Difficult Words
Understanding Prefixes and Suffixes
In the English language, you can change the meaning of some words by adding prefixes (extra
letters at the beginning of words). There are 14 prefixes which are very important. Why arethese 14 prefixes important? According to Richard E. Hodges of the University of Puget Sound
in a booklet titled: "Improving Spelling and Vocabulary in Secondary School" published by the
NCTE in 1982; page 30:
"If you were to examine the 20,000 most used English words, you would find that about 5,000
of them contain prefixes and that 82% (about 4,100) of those words use one of only fourteen
different prefixes out of all the available prefixes in the language."Therefore, understanding
how the prefixes change the meanings of words will help you to be able to work out the
meanings of words with these prefixes.
In this section, you will be gradually introduced to these prefixes, after which you will
practice through a series of quizzes which will help you to apply your knowledge contextually.
Task 1:Fill in the blanks with the correct meaning of the prefixes.
over means toomuch___________
excited (adj.) overexcitedspend (v.) overspendconfident (adj.) overconfident
super means more than_
market (n) supermarketnatural (adj, n) supernaturalhero (n) superhero
multi means ___many
layered (adj) multilayeredtasking (n) multitaskingpurpose (n) multi-purpose
out means ___over_____
run (v) outrunsell (v) outsellgrow (v) outgrow
non means ______not____
verbal (adj) non-verbalsmoking (adj) non-smokingreturnable (adj)- non-returnable
in means ___________not_______
competent (adj) incompetentconvenient (adj) inconvenientexpensive (adj)- inexpensive
im means ____not______
possible (adj) impossiblepatient (adj) impatientperfect (adj)- imperfect
il means ____________notlegal (adj) illegal
legible (adj) illegiblelogical (adj) - illogical
ir means ________not______
replaceable (adj) irreplaceableresponsible (adj) irresponsiblerelevant (adj) - irrelivant
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This exercise is based on the nine prefixes of the previous exercise.
For each of the six questions choose the correct words to complete the sentence:
1. She can talk on the phone, type an email and listen to music all at the same time.
She's good at (multitasking / supertasking /out-tasking )
2. He's difficult to work for. He makes loads of silly mistakes and loses his tempereasily. He is (impatient / unpatient ) and (incompetent /imcompetent)
3. The hotel is a long way from the city centre but it's so cheap we think we'll book it. It's(nonconvenient / inconvenient ) and (inexpensive / outexpensive).
4. I took this toothpaste back to the (multi-market / supermarket) where I bought it but they told meit
was (non-returnable / irreturnable ) and wouldn't give me my money back.
5. You can't smoke in this building which can be used for business meetings or as a (super-purpose
multi- purpose), (non-smoking / unsmoking) community hall.
6. He says he has (overnatural /supernatural) powers and can talk to ghosts but I think it's (inpossible /impossible)to communicate with the dead.
Task 2: More Exercises
Fill in the blanks with the correct meaning of the prefixes.
remeans ___again
count recount (v): check the results of a competition or election againdo redo (v): do something againsit resit (v): take an exam again because you failed it the first time you took it
outmeans ____more thanrun outrun (v): run faster that someone or something elsefox outfox (v): get an advantage over someone by being more clever or more cunning thathim/herdated outdated (adj): out-of-date or no longer suitable for modern purposes
minimeans ___ smallseries miniseries (n): series of programmes broadcast over a short period of time
bus minibus (n): small busskirt miniskirt (n): short skirt
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micromeans ____smallelectronics microelectronics (n): the study, science or manufacture of very small electronicparts for computers etc.surgery microsurgery (n): medical operations that are done using very small pieces ofequipment and powerful microscopesbrewery micro brewery (n): small independent business that produces small amounts of
special beers
undermeans _______not enoughpaid underpaid (adj): not getting enough money for the work you are doingcooked undercooked (adj): not cooked for long enoughstaffed understaffed (adj): with not enough workers to do a particular job quickly orefficiently
malmeans _______nottreat maltreat (v): deal with someone in a cruel or bad wayfunction malfunction (v): not work properly or not work at allnourished malnourished (adj): becoming ill because you have not eaten enough food or the
right food
mismeans ______not or wrongcount miscount (v): wrongly calculate a numberfire misfire (v): not work properly (about a gun or engine)fit misfit (n): a person who doesn't belong in a group because he or she acts differently toothers in the group
Exercise:This exercise is based on the seven prefixes of the previous exercise.
For each of the six questions choose the correct words to complete the sentence:
1. There are too many of us to fit in the car. I think we're going to have to hire a__________ forthe holiday.a. minibusb. microbusc. underbusd. misbus
2. A spokesperson says the spacecraft ___________ during its launch yesterday.a. misfunctionedb. misfiredc. malfunctionedd. was malnourished
3. Even though she's ___________ she stays there because she loves the work so much.a. understaffedb. underpaidc. paid underd. misfired
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4. Waiter! This food is awful. The potatoes are completely ____________ and the steak is cold.a. misfiredb. maltreatedc. undercookedd. malnourished
5. I'm glad my doctor is an expert in __________. That means I won't have much of a scar aftermy operation.a. minisurgeryb. microsurgeryc. micro brewingd. very small microsurgery
6. The election officials said there have been a _____________ and that they will be holding the_______ later today.a. undercount / recountb. miscount / recountc. miscount / malcountd. recount / miscount
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ACTIVITY 3: All in the FamilyWords are learnt more easily when they are grouped according to word families (semanticgroups). The brain groups seems to group these words according to their relationships withintopical areas. In this activity, we will learn groups of words which are related topicallythrough a series of quizzes.
Task 1:Fill in the blanks with words which are related to the theme Environment
The Environment
environmental
relating to the natural worldand the effect humans haveon it
the environment
the natural world, includingthe air, water and land in oron which people, animals
and plants live
environmentallyfriendly / greendesigned not to damage orharm the environment
environmentalistperson who wants to protectthe environment from beingdamaged by humanactivities
1. We need to do more to protect the environment from pollution.
2. Using cars and burning coal are examples of things that may cause ___environmental__
problems for all of us in the future.
3. He says using __environmentally friendly____ washing powder means that fewer
chemicals go into our waterways every year.
4. She's very _green__, she never drives a car. She bikes everywhere.
5. She's an_environmentalist_____. She believes that planting trees will help slow down
global warming.
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Environment Problems
the greenhouseeffectan increase in the amount ofcarbon dioxide and other
gases in the atmospherewhich the majority ofscientists think causes globalwarming
global warming /climate changehuman-caused increase in theglobal temperature. Scientists
prefer to use the term'climate change' becausesome parts of the world maybecome colder rather thanwarmer
carbon footprint
an individual's ororganisation's total output of
carbon dioxide and othergreenhouse gases caused bytheir everyday actions
pollutiondamage caused to water, air,etc. by harmful substances orwaste
1. She's been on three international flights this year, so she's worried about her
_____carbon footprint___
2. Pollution from cars, factories and planes all contribute to what's known as _____the
greenhouse effect__
3. We need to lower our greenhouse gas emissions so that we can reduce the threat of
______global warming/climate change______
4. Many of the workers complained that the ____pollution___from the factories was
making them ill.
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Environment Solutionsrecyclecollect and treat rubbish toproduce useful materialswhich can be used again
conserve energy /electricity / powerkeep and protect
something from waste
organicnot using artificial chemicalsin the growing of plants orraising animals for food and
other products
a bottle banka large container whichpeople put empty bottles andother glass objects into so
that the glass can be usedagain
wind farma place where wind turbines (tall structures with blades thatare blown round by the wind) are used to produce electricityfrom the power of the wind
1. We use the ___a bottle bank___in town to recycle our green, brown and clear bottles.
2. It's possible to ______recycle____plastic drink cups to make pencils.
3. Even though _______organic___food is a bit more expensive I think it tastes so much
better because they don't use any chemicals in making it.
4. To____conserve enegy/electricity/power____, he turned his central heating down and
wore more clothes instead.
5. Everyone says they think ____wind farm__ are a good idea but no-one actually wants
them near their house because they make such a racket.
Adapted from:http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/flatmates/episode182/index.shtml
EP-P2/S2/Vocabulary(1)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/flatmates/episode182/index.shtmlhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/flatmates/episode182/index.shtml