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Vocabulary The Key to Meaning. Reading and Study Skills By TSIM Kam Wan. Objectives:. Expand your vocabulary Aid in reading comprehension Improves both your ability to learn and your ability to recall information. General Approaches to Vocabulary Expansion. Read Widely - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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VocabularyThe Key to Meaning
Reading and Study Skills
By TSIM Kam Wan
Objectives:Expand your vocabularyAid in reading comprehensionImproves both your ability to learn
and your ability to recall information.
General Approaches to Vocabulary Expansion
1. Read Widely2. Use Words You Already Know3. Look for Five-Dollar Words to Replace
One-Dollar Words The movie was very good.” The movie was thrilling and
inspiring.”4. Build Your Word Awareness5. Consider Working with a Vocabulary
Improvement Program6. Using Reference Sources 7. Dictionary, Thesaurus,
Subject Area Dictionaries8. Pronouncing Unfamiliar Words9. Drawing Semantic Map
Vocabulary Expansion Skills –Building Word Awareness
Part 1 - Context Clues Part 2 - Word Formation Clues: - Roots, Prefixes, Suffixes
Part 1Building Word Awareness
Context Clues1. Definition 2. Synonyms3. Restatement4. Contrast5. Explanation6. Examples7. Inference
Context CluesWhat is Context?
“Phobias, such as fear of heights, water, or confined spaces are difficult to eliminate.”
How could you determine that phobia meant “fear of specific objects or situations” if you couldn’t use a dictionary or ask someone the definition?
You would use the words surrounding the unknown word to help determine the unknown word’s meaning.
Context Clues 1: Definition
The unknown word is defined immediately following its use by using a brief definition, synonym, or restatement using punctuation--commas, parentheses or dashes. Notice with a straight definition the use of a “be” verb to show that the two ideas are the same.
A chemical bond is a strong force that holds two or more atoms together.
A dialect is a form of speech from a specific region.
Context Clues 2 -Synonyms
A writer using a difficult word will often choose a more familiar word or words with the same meaning to make the difficult word understandable.
Ballet students appear so lithe; they are so limber and flexible.
The cataract was spectacular; the steep waterfall dropped abruptly eighty feet.
Context Clues 3 - Restatement
Close to a synonym, a restatement differs in that a difficult word is usually restated in a simpler form—usually set of by commas.
The poetry was sublime, lofty and moving, and brought tears to my eyes.
The village was depopulated, most of the residents dead or moved, but the livestock remained untouched.
Context Clues 4: ContrastSometimes writers use a contrast to clarify a word’s meaning, and an antonym, a word of opposite meaning (notice the restatement?) Often, contrast clue words such as but, however, or in contrast to are used. These are contrast signal words.
The gentleman was portly, but his wife was thin.
The mayoral candidate praised the town council,but the mayor deprecated it.
Context Clues 5: ExplanationAn explanation is close to a definition. As an aid to the reader, the difficult word is explained, usually in simpler words, to make the meaning clearer. The explanation is generally longer than a definition and is usually found in one of more different sentences.
The chrome is beginning to corrode. It shows signs of pitting and of being eaten away gradually.
It was a martial parade: signs of the military were everywhere. Everyone was in uniform; guns, cannon and tanks were on display, and jets flew overhead.
The puppy was a complete bother and an annoyance to all the neighbors. It was a continual nuisance.
Context Clues 6: Example
Writers may include examples that the reader may know to help explain a new and unfamiliar concept or term. A major section or the entire passage may be used.Pay attention to signal words—such as, for example, for instance, to illustrate, specifically
Legumes, such as peas and beans, produce pods.
Forest floors are frequently covered with fungi-molds, mushrooms, and mildews
Context Clues 7: InferenceSome writers help you figure out unfamiliar words by having you use reasoning and prior knowledge. Your experiences provide common-sense clues to the meaning of a word. This context clue is often a little harder to spot.
Since Reginald was nervous, he brought his rabbit foot talisman with him to the exam.
His alibi was upheld when John’s friends offered personal testimony, letters of documentation, and three videotapes showing that he was present at the party.
Limitations of Context Clues
1. Context clues only give the immediate definition for that particular context.
2. Context clues seldom lead to a precise, complete definition.
3. Sometimes the passage will not contain clues to the meaning of the unfamiliar word.
Part 2 – Building Word Awareness
Word Parts
Words PartsPrefixes
Roots
Suffixes
How many English words do we have?
An excess of 200,000 words.. Paper-back dictionaries are around
30,000 - 40,000 wordsPocket dictionaries often include around
10,000 to 20,000 words. A recent children's dictionary had 5,000.
A vocabulary of around 60,000 words is considered PHD graduate material, so for most people, something around 50,000 words should be more than plenty.
Why do we need to learn Word Parts?
Many students build their vocabularies word by word. If they study 20 words, they can recall 20 new words.
However, by learning the meaning of the parts that make up a word, you will be able to figure out the meanings of many more words.
Kinds of WordsIn English there are two kinds of words:1. Words that can stand alone: the words in this group can stand alone as a complete word. For example:
Phone ,Sharp, Green, Ship, Run, Walk,, Live, Die, Tell, Can, See, Read,Sleep, Ship, Chair
2. Words that can’t stand alone: The words in this group can’t stand alone as a complete word. It must be combined with prefixes, suffixes, or other roots (stem or base). For example
Stem Meaning ExamplesVis see vision, visibleJect throw project, rejectDent teeth dentist, denta
Formation of Words
Many English words are made up of three parts: a root (base or stem), a prefix, and a suffix. It can be formed in three ways:
1. prefix + root e.g: re + place = replace
2. root + suffix e.g: break + able = breakable
3. prefix + root + suffix
e.g: un+break+able =unbreakable
Roots
Roots carry the basic or core meaning of a word.
Hundreds of root words are used to build words in the English language.
Common Roots
Aud/audit (to hear)
Bene (good, well)
Corp (body)
Mort/mor (die,death)
Path (feeling)
Port (carry)
Sen/sent (feel)
Spec/spic (look, see)
Terr/terre (land)
Ven/vent (come)
Vis/vid (see)
Voc (call)
PrefixesAppear at the beginnings of many
English wordsAlter the meaning of the root to
which they are attached
Root = placed (to put)Prefix = mis (wrongly)Misplaced = put in the wrong place
1. The prefix that have negative meanings
Dis- obey = disobeyIl- legal = illegalIm- polite = impoliteIn- active = inactiveIr- regular = irregularMis- lead = misleadNon- stop = nonstopUn- equal = unequal
2. The prefixes meaning too much, too little , more than, under, lower, etc. Out- more than Faster than
number outnumber Over- too much confident
overconfident Sub- under way subway Super- more than natural supernatural Trans- across ship transship Under- too little estimate underestimate
3. The prefixes meaning before, after, again, together, former and
against:
Anti- against, war antiwar Co- together education co-education Contra- against, conception contraception Ex- former president ex-president Post- after war postwar Pre- before test pretest Re- again arrange rearrange
4. The prefixes meaning numbers
Multi, poly = many mono=one Bi=two Tri=three quart=four penta=five Hexa=six sexta=seven octa=eight
5. Other common prefixes with various meanings
Prefix Meaning Example Ante- before, preceding antechamber, antedate Anti- against anti-goverment, antiwar Circum- around circumnavigate Co- together, joint coauthor, coeducation Contra- against contradict Ex- former ex-president, ex-member Ex- out of expel, export In- in, into indoors, inborn Inter- between international Intra- within intrastate,
intradepartmental
5. Other common prefixes with various meanings
Prefix Meaning Example Poly- many polysyllable, polyglot Post- after, later postwar, postgraduate Pre- before, earlier prewar, prehistory Pro- favor of pro-war, Re- again readmit, refund, rewrite Sub- under, below subway, subhuman Super- over, above superhuman, superman,
supernatural Trans- through, across transatlantic,
transcontinental
Suffixes Suffixes are word endings that often change
the part of speech of a word. Expand your vocabulary by learning the
variations in meaning that occur when suffixes are added to words you already know.For Example:
Class-ify Classify-ification Classification-ic Classic
Common SuffixesOne Who (noun)
-er, -or (teacher)-ee (referee)-ist (activist)
State, Condition, Quality (adjectives)-able, -ible
(touchable)-ive (permissive)-ish (foolish)
Pertaining to or Referring to (noun)-ship (friendship)-hood
(brotherhood)(adverb)
-ward (homeward)
State, Condition, Quality (noun)-ance (assistance)-ation
(confrontation)-ment (amazement)
Prefixes and Suffixes with specific meaningsPrefix or Suffixa-ab-ad-aero-alveusarthron-atrium-auto-bacterio-bi-bio-
Meaning
Withoutaway fromnearaircavityjointentrance roomselfbacteriatwolife
Prefix or Suffixcarnis-,carn-chele-chloro-chroma--cidecon-cytis--cyte, cyto-
Meaning
meatclawgreencolorkiller ofwithpouchcell
Prefixes and Suffixes with specific meaningsPrefix or Suffix dermis-, derm-di-ecto-endo-epi-eu-exo-feto-gastro--gengeo-gymno-
Meaning
skintwoon the outsideinner, insideupontrueoutside offetusstomachproducingearthnaked
Prefix or Suffix halo-hemato-hemi-herb-hetero-histo-homo-hydro-hyper-hypo-inter-intra-iso-
Meaning
saltbloodhalfplantothertissuesame, likewateroverunderbetweenwithinequal
Prefixes and Suffixes with specific meaningsPrefix or Suffix-itiskaryo-leuco-locus-logylysismacro-maxillamensismesos-meta-micro-mono-morph-
Meaning
infectionnucleuswhiteplacestudy ofto loosen, breaklargejawmonthmiddlebetweensmalloneform
Prefix or Suffix multi-mut-myco-neco-neur-nomen-niga-oculo-oligo--omaomni-oo, ovumosteo-
Meaning
manyto changefungicorpsenervenameblackeyefewtumoralleggbone
Prefixes and suffixes with specific meaningsPrefix or Suffixpaleo-ped, podperi-pestisphaeo-phage--phorephoto--phyll-phyte, phyto-pino-plankto-poly-pseudo-primordis-pro-
Meaning
oldfootaroundplaguebrownto eatbearerlightleafplantto drinkdriftingmanyfalseoriginalfirst
Prefix or Suffixrenes-reptilis-rhiza, rhizo-roderesacchrumsapros--scopysoma-sonus-sperma-spirare-stasistaxistelo-thallus
Meaning
kidneycrawlingrootto gnawsugarrottenobservationbodysoundseedbreathepositionarrangementendgreen shoot
How to Use Word Parts1. Look for the root (a word inside a larger
word). Example: non/adapt/able2. If you do not recognize the root, then you
will probably not be able to figure out the word.
3. If you did recognize the root word, look for the prefix. Example: non/adapt/able
4. Locate the suffix. Example: non/adapt/able
5. Try out the meaning in the sentence in which the word was used.Nonadaptable = not able to changeThe dodo became extinct because it was nonadaptable.
Vocabulary Expansion Skills –Building Word Awareness
Vocabulary
NounPeople/Things(Suffixes)
Verb Adjective(Suffixes)
Adverb(Suffixes)
Noun(Suffixes)
presenter
entertainerdepressorimpressorstrider
energizer
brooderActorReactorrelaxorrangerrenterabsorberlighterhumoristspeakeraudience/auditor
presentencounterentertaindepressimpressstrideappearenergizeroarbroodactreactrelaxrangerentabsorblightenhumourspeakAuditconsist
present, presentableencountering, entertainingdepressedImpressed, impressivestrident
energetic, energizingRoaringbroodingactiveReactionary, reactiveRelaxed, relaxing
RentedAbsorbent. Absorptive,lightenhumourousspeaking, speakableaudibleconsistent
presentablyencountablyentertainablydepressivelyimpressivelystridently
energetically
BroodinglyActivelyreactivelyrelaxingly
absorptivelylightlyhumourouslyspeakablyAudiblyconsistently
presentationencounterentertainmentdepressionimpression, impressivenessstrideappearanceenergyroarbroodactionreaction, reactionaryrelaxationrange, arrangementrent, rentalabsorptionlight, lighteninghumour, humorlessspeakeraudibilityconsistency
Vocabulary Expansion Skills –Building Word Awareness
VocabularyNoun
People/Things
(Suffixes)
Verb Adjective(Suffixes)
Adverb(Suffixes)
Noun(Suffixes)
satisfier
flasherparticulatescreatorMythPsychologistenthusiastindividualindividualistperson
intensifier
Philosopherlogiciantrusteecomposer
Satisfy
flashparticularizecreate
enthuseIndividualize,individualuatepersonifypersonalizeintensify
philosophizelogicalizetrustcompose
satisfactory, satisfied, satisfyingflashy, flashparticularcreativemysteriouspsychologicalenthusiasticindividual
personal
intensified, intensivereligiousphilosophicallogicaltrue, truthfulcomposed
satisfyingly
particularlycreativelymysteriouslypsychologicallyenthusiasticallyIndividually
personally
intensivelyreligiouslyphilosophicallylogically truly, truthfully
satisfaction
flashparticularity, particularcreation, creativitymystery, psychologyenthusiasmIndividualism
personality
intensificationreligionphilosophylogic, logicalitytruth, truthfulnesscomposition, composite
Vocabulary Expansion Skills Use Words You Already Know
Vocabulary - Story-Making -Example 1
Philosophy (Noun) is to introduce students to the human experience of questioning and seeking to understand the meaning of our existence as persons. We will study the different approaches to the basic questions of human existence and the enduring issues of philosophy (Noun) offered by the classical, Greek philosophers (Noun) Plato and Aristotle. We will learn how these philosophers (Noun) deal with some central philosophical (adjective) problems such as questions about the nature of the human being. It will also address philosophically (adverb) the relation of a human being to other human beings. We aims to understand how the great men philosophize (verb-infinite) the nature and meaning of life.
Vocabulary Expansion Skills Use Words You Already Know Vocabulary - Story-Making-Example 2
Although Smile is a beginner in English, he is enthusiastic (adjective) about it. He shows his strong feeling of interest, enjoyment and determination in learning it even though it is hard. It is because he's enthused (verb-passive voice) by his new teacher and his American girl friend. He starts reading books and writing essay. He also joins the English corner every Tuesday enthusiastically (adverb) without stopping. I really think he is an English enthusiast.(noun)
Websites for roots, prefixes & suffixesLinks to Special Educational Information
http://www.lexfiles.com/spec-links.html
An Abundance of Word Info about English-Vocabulary Sources http://www.logofiles.com/word-resources.html
Tameri Guide for Writershttp://www.tameri.com/edit/roots.html
Latin Roots, Prefixes, and Suffixeshttp://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0907036.html