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