VOCABULARY

Reading and watching guide

Objective:
SWBAT get familiar with basic vocabulary about the field of Lexis.
SWBAT complete a chart through which the following question can be answered:
what are the types of words according to Keith Folse?
SWBAT complete a chart through which the following question can be answered:
what does it really mean to know a word?

Tasks

1.Read and watch the following sources

- English Help Online.( Dic 17th, 2017). Vocabulary. Griffith University. (Video file). Retrieved
from https://www.griffith.edu.au/international/englishhelp/vocabulary
- Folse, K. (2004). Vocabulary Myths. Michigan. Pgs- 1-18 (attached in the email)

Some words we should know by the end of the guide are:

Part of speech or word classes, prefixes, suffixes, polysemy, denotation,
connotation, cline, register, COCA data base, usage, collocation, register,
constraint.

2. Include two more words from the reading or listening exercise that you consider
key to understand the content of the sources. Explain the words by using a
synonym, a definition, a drawing, etc.
Suffixes are the additions at the end of a word; they usually change a word’s part
of speech. The use of suffixes is important in academic texts because we often
make verbs into nouns. This is called ‘nominalisation’. Watch the video about
academic vocabulary for more information about this.
Prefixes are the additional parts at the beginning of a word; they usually change
the meaning. Suffixes are the additions at the end of a word; they usually change
a word’s part of speech. The use of suffixes is important in academic texts
because we often make verbs into nouns.
3.Complete the following chart based on the types of words mentioned by Keith
Folse.

Type of words Definition Examples Your own

provided in the examples
reading
1.Single words This group includes •animals: cat, dog, About my
not only more items elephant examples:
but also more •time periods: Giraffe, Parrot,
frequently used Monday, January, Friday, April,
items today Colombia,
•countries: Egypt, Holland,
Mexico, Somalia Attractive, Sad,
•actions in the and Monthly.
past: flew, stayed,
went
•descriptions:
happy, amazing,
destructive
•counters: dozen,
plenty, decade
2. Phrases These phrases For example, in the •the bottom line
consist of more set phrase in other not:
than one word and words, we cannot the lowest line
do not usually say with other (but the bottom
change. words or in other is the lowest)
terms or in other
remarks or in other •all of a sudden
phrases or other not:
variations, even most of a
though terms and sudden (it’s
remarks and either all or
perhaps phrases nothing—but we
might seem to be don’t have none
able to fit. of a sudden
either)
3.Variable While most of the For example, a
phrases components in usual form of the
variable phrases opening line of
will stay the same, many business
there is some letters, especially
variation. The from companies’
variation often writ- ing to inform
involves personal you of a problem,
pro- nouns or some is It has come to
 sort of possessive. our attention that . .
..
This line could
easily be It has
come to my
attention that if
it were
coming from your
boss or coworker.
4.Phrasal verbs A phrasal verb A good example is About my
consists of two or put up with, examples: Turn
three words. The meaning to toler- round, Break
first word is always ate or stand. down, Take off.
a verb. The second
word in a phrasal put away, put off,
verb is a put on, put up, put
preposition or up with, put down,
particle/adverb. If come back, come
there is a third off as, come up
word, it is usually a with, come down
preposition. with
5.Idioms All languages Other idioms About my
feature idiomatic include raining cats examples: The
expressions, and and dogs, feeling ball is in your
each idiomatic blue, sell like court, Spill the
expression, or hotcakes, jump the beans, Break a
idiom, is a gun, be up in the leg, Pull
vocabulary item. air, get with it, someone’s leg
The test of whether shake a leg, a
a “chunk” is an feather in one’s
idiom or not is cap, wake up on
whether the sum of the wrong side of
the meanings of the bed, and have
the individual a bad hair day.
words is equal to or
similar to the
meaning of the
whole phrase.
 4. Based on both sources…What does it mean to know a word? What does
knowing a word involve? Complete the following chart:
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO KNOW A WORD? /WHAT DOES KNOWING A
WORD INVOLVE?
Aspect Explanation Examples Your own Any
provided in the examples questions?
sources
Pronunciation English is a
F language that
O has a
R relatively low
M letter-to-sound
correla- tion,
thus making
many English
words difficult
to spell and/or
pro- nounce
M (from the
E written letters).
A Spelling Knowing the The letter a can The letter e
N spelling of a be pronounced in can be
word is in itself at least five pronounced in
I
quite an ways: cat /ae/, at least two
N accomplish- father /a/, lawn ways: The ee
G ment for a /[ƒ]/, cake /eI/, in feel is like in
nonnative interval /´ be, see, and
speaker. [schwa]/. we

The e in fell is
like in egg,
wet, and better
Morphology Morphology is Free morpheme: Let us
U the study of a simple word, illustrate the
S the internal consisting of one role of
A structure of morpheme eg morphemes
G words and house, work, through some
E forms a core high, chair, wrap. examples:
part of They are words
linguistic study in themselves. Firehouse
today. Doghouse
Bathroom

Polysemy First of all, a For example, For example,

word rarely shovel can be arc it could be
 has just one the instrument or de instrument
meaning. Most the action. (This or the action.
words in may not seem
English are like two things to
polysemous, you, but note
that is, they how we shovel
have multiple with a shovel,
meanings. mop with a mop,
Some have and mow with a
relatively few mower, but we
meanings sweep with a
broom, paint with
a brush, and
charge with a
card.)
Connotation A connotation For example, the Connotation is
is an idea that word scum is just the use of a
is suggested the name of a word to
by or layer that forms suggest a
associated on the surface of different
with a word. a body of water, association
but the word has than its literal
connotations of meaning,
impurity, which is
badness, and known as
ugliness. denotation.
For example,
blue is a color,
but it is also a
word used to
describe a
feeling of
sadness, as in:
“She’s feeling
blue.”

Connotations
can be either
positive,
negative, or
neutral.
Denotation The thin is a neutral n another
denotation word. To some, example,
refers to the hearing “You imagine a
most basic or look so thin!” drawing with
specific would be a two trees—in
 meaning of a positive one tree is a
word. statement, while cat, and at the
to others it would bottom of the
be a negative other tree is a
statement. dog barking.
The caption
reads: You are
barking up the
wrong tree,
Buddy! Here,
the joke lies in
the phrase’s
denotative
meaning—the
dog is literally
barking up the
wrong tree,
because the
cat is in the
other tree.
Synonyms a word or Happy = glad Short = brief
phrase that (alegre o feliz) (corto)
means exactly Beautiful = pretty Small = tiny
or nearly the (bonito o (pequeño)
same as hermoso) Intelligent =
another word Good = nice o smart o clever
or phrase in fine (bueno o (inteligente)
the same bien) Fast = quick
language, for Big = large (rápido)
example shut (grande)
is a synonym
of close.
Antonyms a word Awake Fat (gordo) –
opposite in (despierto) – Thin (delgado)
meaning to Asleep (dormido) First (primero)
another Beautiful – Last (último)
(hermoso) – Ugly Good (bueno)
(feo) – Bad (malo)
Big (grande) – Happy (feliz) –
Small (pequeño) Sad (triste)
Famous
(famoso) –
Unknown
(desconocido)
Clines A cline is a happy, cheerful, blue, low,
scale of joyful, ecstatic, depressed,
 language jubilant. miserable,
items that well done, sorrowful.
goes from one excellent, mumbled,
extreme to amazing, whispered,
another, for fabulous, said.
example, from awesome. shouted,
positive to freezing, cold, yelled,
negative, or chilly, screamed,
from weak to nippy, cool, mild, shrieked.
strong. warm, hot,
boiling,
sweltering.
Cognates a word that Actor- Actor Carbón-
has the same Admirable- Carbon
origin as Admirable Cartón-
another word, Agenda- Carton
or is related in Agenda Central-
some way to Alcohol- Central
another word Alcohol Cerebral-
Altar- Altar
Animal- Cerebral
Animal Cheque-
Area- Area Cheque
Artificial- Chocolate-
Artificial
Auto- Auto Chocolate
Circular-
Circular
Translation Translating The scientific
information study of
includes more language, or
than just linguistics, was
changing each born out of the
word from the need to facilitate
original the translation
language to process, and
another. One helps inject this
must also much-needed
decode and context into given
decipher all scenarios, so
the facets and that translated
functions of words are
the original bequeathed with
language into meaning and
the new equivalence
language. (same meaning
conveyed by a
 different
expression).

Part of speech or In the English The teacher told would like an

word class language the children to apple.
there are stop chattering in He was sitting
various parts class. in a chair.
of speech John is good at The whale is in
which are put French but weak danger of
together in at History. becoming
order to form a extinct.
sentence.
Without these,
the language
would never
be able to
function. In
this section,
we are going
to looking a
little more
closely at the
various parts
of speech
such as the
verb, the noun
and the
adjective,
amongst
others. This
will allow us to
gain a better
understanding
of how a
sentence is
formed and
how the
various parts
of speech
work.
Collocation A collocation Make a decision, To do a
is a word or Strong coffee, homework, to
phrase that Merry charismas, take a risk, to
naturally and Happy birthday. make the bed.
frequently
occurs before,
 after, or very
near the target
vocabulary
item.
Constraints of In linguistics, He’s going to be
use : register the register is pushing up
defined as the daisies. He’ll be
way a speaker pushing up
uses language daisies. This
differently in expression does
different not occur in
circumstances simple past tense
. Think about even though die
the words you is frequently
choose, your used in the past
tone of voice, tense: He
even your pushed up
body daisies vs. He
language. died.
Constraints of Knowing a Complete this
use: frequency word can also sentence with a
mean that the word that means
learner knows that you are
the frequency extremely
of occurrence hungry: “I’m
of that word. ____.”
Though this Many people
aspect of a would complete
word may the sentence with
seem al- most the word
trivial, the starving, but
frequency of a words such as
word is often ravenous and
cited as a famished are
major factor in certainly
a given word’s possible.
difficulty.
(Adapted by Sandra Rojas)

5.What are some tips to learn vocabulary provided by the video?

So what is the best way to learn new words? We tend to forget up to 80% of what
we have learnt within 24 hours, so one key strategy is to keep reviewing the word
over a period of time and keep testing yourself. There are a number of very good
online flashcard systems that can help you to do this, or you can create your own.
To be able to revise and test yourself, you also need to keep very good vocabulary
notes. A good way to do this is to have a book that you use only for noting
vocabulary. It is important to make sure that when you write down new words you
add all of the information that we have talked about in this video: the word’s
meaning, part of speech, any prefixes or suffixes, grammar, collocation, register,
spelling and pronunciation.

If you do this, you’ll find that your vocabulary will grow and you will be using the
words with a lot more success. Try some of the practice activities below and also
look at the related videos about academic vocabulary, countability, and punctuation
and spelling.
6.What other strategies do you have to learn vocabulary?