How to learn vocabulary in english

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Información General

Programa Análisis y Desarrollo de Sistemas de

Información.

Tema Guía 5:

Duración estimada de

estudio (horas)

20

Desarrollador de contenido Alba Nury Cardona Yepes

Fecha de entrega Octubre 2013

Versión 1

HOW TO LEARN VOCABULARY IN ENGLISH

CONTENT

1. INTRODUCTION

2. WAYS TO LEARN AND GUESS THE MEANING OF A WORD OR

PHRASE IN CONTEXT

2.1 Lexical Relations

Same Word class: Adjectives, verbs, nouns.

Same word family and its derivate.

Synonym

Antonym

Co-hyponym

Homonyms

Same lexical field

2.2 Word formation

Blending

2.3 Knowing a word from its categories of meaning: meaning, spoken

form, grammar, derived forms, collocations, register, frequency

(dictionary meaning).


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2.4 From Familiar Context

2.5 Selective level of words

Elementary

Intermediate

Upper-Intermediate

2.6 Words in contexts

Short texts

Literary texts

Corpora

2.7 Idioms

2.8 Direct translation

3. Map Concept

4. Complementary Activity

5. Bibliography

6. Glossary


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1. INTRODUCTION

In order to learn and being able to communicate in English, there are two

fundamental aspects to be considered: vocabulary and grammar through which

the four skills are developed. Therefore, you should study the specific meaning

of each unknown word, so that the context can be evident for an overall point of

view to understand the whole message.

The next explanations will be of help for you to know how to learn vocabulary,

according to each learning style and individual preferences; since this

knowledge depends on your personal characteristics, context, past experiences

and contact with the language.

Although there are many ways in which vocabulary can be learned, some main

considerations will be taking into account in this material, to facilitate the

beginners´ acquisition of elements as well as intermediate to develop the

proposed tasks in each activity.

There have been presented different examples about each characteristic and

topic taught that let you know the best and easiest way to get the meaning of a

word or phrases applying it in the required context.


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2. WAYS TO LEARN AND GUESS THE MEANING OF A WORD OR

PHRASE IN CONTEXT

The learning of any language starts with the vocabulary, which plays a

fundamental role in getting not only the meaning but also the form, and their

relationship with the whole message.

According to Thornbury (2002), to produce and use an intended word in a

context, the learner needs to:

Acquire a critical mass of words for use in both understanding and

producing language

Remember words over time, and be able to recall them readily

Develop strategies for coping with gaps in word knowledge, including

coping with unknown words, or unfamiliar uses of known words

To get these challenges it must be defined and understood what a word is.

Through the next explanations you will be familiar with the terms, definitions,

lexical relations, and in general, grammar implications of a word itself as well as

specific use in different contexts.


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2.1 Lexical Relations

Same Word class: Adjectives, verbs, nouns, etc.

Adjectives Verbs Nouns

Big

Wonder

Bed

Red

Run

Couch


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Loud

Design

PC

Same word family and its derivate

Feminine Feminity Feminist Feminism


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Synonym/Antonym

Bad/good Tall/short Dark/light

Co-hyponym: Words of same topic.

Goldfish Trout Shark


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Homonyms: Same sound, different meaning.

Son/sun Dear/Deer Eye/I

Hyponym and superordinate term:

Wood/material Bronze/metal Sculpture/Art

Same lexical field


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2.2 Word formation: Two words derived from the same root.

Examples:

1. Sculpt: Sculpture, Sculptor

2. Hard: Harden, hardener

Blending

Examples:

1. Twigloo: A tree-house made of branches- a blend of twig and

igloo.

2. Internaut: Habitual user of the Internet- a blend of Internet and

astronaut.

3. Canyoning: Sport that involves descending mountain streams at

high speed. Formed by canyon + ing.

PC´s

Software

Hardware

Monitor

Download

Security


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4. Shareware: Freely distributed computer software. Formed by

share and ware (by analogy with hardware, software).

5. Trainspotter: A collector of information about train movements-

formed by compounding of train + splotter.

2.3 Knowing a word from its categories of meaning ((dictionary

meaning) : meaning, spoken form, grammar, derived forms,

collocations, register, frequency).

2.9 From Familiar Context: Basic vocabulary learned from mother, father

and relatives.


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2.5 Selective level of words: You can choose and create a three level

vocabulary list, according to your understanding of each word.

Elementary: House, Architecture, beauty room, cell phone.

Intermediate: Information, detail, past, determiner.

Upper Intermediate: Available, groom, thunder, carving.

Develop an efficient means of storing vocabulary which you can easily refer to

later. Experiment with the following:

-Alphabetical card indexes with definitions or translations of words.

-A special note-book which you can keep with you at all times.

-An alphabetical list on your home computer.

2.6 Words in contexts: This strategy of learning vocabulary helps a lot to

students when they discover the meaning in practical ways.


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Short texts: The best way to understand and guess the meaning

of a word or word is following the next step.

First, write the general topic of the reading.

Second, make a list of the unknown vocabulary.

Third, look for the meaning in your own language, pay attention to

pronunciation too.

Next, try to get the whole meaning of the text without translating

word by word.

Then, make the reading comprehension or answers the questions

indicated, if there are some.

Literary texts: Remember that the main idea most of the times

goes at the very beginning of the reading, in the middle or at the

end. When the reading is too long, make the analysis of the

vocabulary by sections, titles, subtitles or paragraphs.

Remember to have available a good dictionary, bilingual but also

monolingual if you want to improve your knowledge and lexical

meaning.

Corpora (Corpus data): This means a collection of texts that has

been assembled for the purpose of language study. Modern

corpora are stored electronically and consist of many millions of

words of text, both spoken and written. The benefit for learners is

that it provides them with easily accessible information about real

language use, frequency and collocation. It includes American,

British, and Australian English.

2.7 Idioms: Many phrasal verbs are idiomatic and their meaning is not

easily detected, since most of them are used in certain contexts or

situations. Therefore to study and understand them, it is better to do

it as soon as they arise in the text, according to the topic. To get their


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specific meaning you can use the www, to be sure about what of its

equivalent can be applied for that theme.

2.8 Direct Translation: This resource to learn vocabulary should be the

last but not the least to be used. It is very useful when the learner

cannot guess, nor discover the meaning according to the context,

topic or theme. To be efficient, the skills to manage the use of

monolingual and bilingual dictionary, is compulsory.

3. Map Concept


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4. Complementary Activities

Complementary

Activity´s name

Activity´s description File of the Activity (if required)

Having fun

learning

vocabulary.

The learner

completes the

exercises and

discovers the

meaning of words

in different

categories of

practicing.

Having fun learning vocabulary.rar

4. Bibliography

Nation ISP. (2001). Learning Vocabulary in another Language. Cambridge

University Press.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (3rd Edition). (1995). Longman.

Schmitt N. (2000). Vocabulary in Language Teaching. Cambridge Unversity

Press.

Schmitt N and McCarthy M. (1997). Vocabulary: Description, Acquisition and

Pedagogy. Cambridge University Press.

Thornbury, S. (2002). How to teach vocabulary. Pearson Education Limited.


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5. Glossary

Antonym: Antónimo

Applied: Aplicar

Bad: Malo

Blending: Mezcla

Bronze: Bronce

Canyoning: Descender por barrancos

Compulsory: Obligatorio

Connotation: Connotación

Contemporary: Actual

Context: Contexto

Corpora: Información official en internet

Dear: Querido

Deer: Ciervo

Elementary: Sencillo

Eye: Ojo

Feminine: Femenina

Feminism: Feminismo

Feminist: Feminista

Feminity: Feminidad

Field: Campo

Further: Además

Grammar: Gramática

Golfish: Pez dorado

Good: Bueno

Guess: Descubrir

Hard: Duro

Harden: Endurecido

Hardener: Endureced

Hyponym: Hipónimo

I: Yo

Index: Indice

Intermediate: Intermedio

Internaut: Navegador en la web

Later: Más tarde

Learned: Aprendido

Lexical: Léxico

Meaning: Significado

Paragraph: Párrafo

Punctuation: Puntuación

Refer: Referirse


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Remind: Recordar

Resource: Recurso

Sculpt: Esculpir

Sculptor: Escultor

Sculpture: Escultura

Shareware: Programa compartido

Shark: Tiburón

Short: Bajo

Should: Debería

Son: Hijo

Sun: Sol

Spelling: Deletrear

Stomachache: Dolor de estómago

Store: Almacenar

Style: Estilo

Synonym: Sinónimo

Tall: Alto

Trainspotter: Información de movimiento del tren

Translation: Traducción

Trout: Trucha

Twigloo: Iglú en árbol

Wood: Madera