Vocabulary I – English

around the world

Professor Stephan Hughes

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 A quick look at World Englishes – British or American?

1. We rented a house by the creek and spent the weekends exploring

little trails nearby.
2. I'll wait in the parking lot while you load up the shopping cart
3. We stopped at a petrol station just before joining the motorway.
4. There's a frying pan near the cooker.
5. The flight will deplane momentarily.
6. Coach class passengers are only allowed one piece of carry-on
baggage
7. It's very expensive to rent a skip.
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 Choose the best alternative that means the word in bold.
1. The gardai immediately arrived after the accident.
a. Soldiers b. Police
2. Our Taoiseach announced his retirement yesterday.
a. Bishop b. Prime Minister
3. The craic was amazing at Zero's last night.
a. Food b. Fun
4. This boreen will take you to the village of Castleroe.
a. Lane b. Bus
5. There's a big fleadh on in the town this week.
a. Trade fair b. Music festival
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 Where would you probably hear someone say these?

1. The washroom's over there.

2. She has two lovely bairns.
3. We shifted last week to a bigger house.
4. I don't believe it, mate!
5. It's okay. We pay at the Shroff.

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1. Where would you hear this: Struth!
a. Canada b. Hong Kong c. Australia
2. Which word means "godmother" in the Caribbean?
a. Macomère b. Didgeridoo c. Mistress
3. An informal word used in Britain and Australia for a man.
a. Chap b. Bloke c. Gent
4. What does "dingo" mean in Australian English?
a. A musical instrument b. A type of vehicle c. A wild dog
5. How do Australians abbreviate the words "Australia" and "beautiful"?
a. Aus and byu b. Trailer and beau c. Oz and beaut
6. What is the South African equivalent to the word “outback”?
a. Backwater b. Veld c. Range
7. How might an Australian say person is "crude and ignorant"?
a. Blimey twat b. A dumb bumpkin c. A stupid ocker
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 Watch the video. What
other diverse forms has
English taken on as a lingua
franca?

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 Watch the video and match the words on the left with the
Standard English version.
1. Arvo, sunnies, spag bol a) Move up
2. Smoko b) Coffee with two creams and two sugars
3. Say me well to them c) Give my regards to them
4. Prepone d) Afternoon, sunglasses, spaghetti bolognese
5. To belanja e) Cigarette or coffee break
6. Lekker f) Good, nice or tasty
7. Double double g) To treat someone

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 Internet or Innernet?

• If English is a lingua franca and there are many “regional dialects”

around, it would seem inappropriate to impose that everybody
follows one particular accent, wouldn’t it?
• Watch the video (from 1:31 to 3:50). You are ONE of the characters:
• Todd, an American exec sent to India to train telemarketing operators;
• Asha, one of the Indian employees doing the training session who is not afraid
to speak her mind.
• What makes Todd’s request reasonable or unreasonable? Justify your
answers.

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Brain break! 9
 Identify the errors in the speech bubbles below.

• I sometimes have trouble with my

grammar, isn't it?
• Sometimes I'm perfect, but other
times I don't, won't they?
• I think she sometimes has trouble
mixing metaphors, aren't she?
• Why doesn't we all try studying
together, is it?
• How does the next week sound,
didn't we?
• I'm alright with my grammar. My
problem is spilling. I can't spill to save
my loaf
• I have to rely on a spill chalk on my
complooter
• A peach therapist that can't spike
properly
• I'm surprised your boss hasn't sucked
you
• Grape idea!

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 The correct forms are...

• I sometimes have trouble with my • I'm alright with my grammar. My

grammar, don’t I? problem is spelling. I can't spell to
• Sometimes I'm perfect, but other save my life.
times I don't, aren’t I? • I have to rely on a spell check on my
• I think she sometimes has trouble computer.
mixing metaphors, doesn’t she? • A speech therapist that can't speak
• Why don't we all try studying properly
together? • I'm surprised your boss hasn't sacked
• How does the next week sound? you.
• Great idea!

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 Identify the errors in the speech bubbles below.
• You can lead a horse to water, but you
can't eat it too, you know what I'm
saying?
• I'm always crying over spilled chickens
before they're hatched
• You give them an inch it's worth two
in the bush
• I have problems with my emPHAsis
• My emPHAsis on different parts of
the senTENces
• In my job that can cause a lot of
awKWARDness
• I'm a speech theRApist
• Can I make a SUggestion?
• Why don't you purCHASE a
dictioNARY? You'll save yourself a lot
of embaRRASSment
• FaBUlous
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 The correct forms are ...
• You can lead a horse to water, but
you can’t make it drink.
• You can’t have your cake and eat it
too.
• I'm always crying over spilled milk.
• I’m always counting chickens before
they're hatched
• You give them an inch, they take a
mile.
• A bird in the hand is worth two in
the bush.
• I have problems with my EMphasis
• My EMphasis on different parts of
the SENtences
• In my job that can cause a lot of
AWkwardness
• I'm a speech THErapist
• Can I make a suGGEStion?
• Why don't you PURchase a
DICtionary? You'll save yourself a lot
of emBArrassment.
• FAbulous
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Watch the video.
Which student ...

• Makes no mistakes?
• Is most intelligible?
• Is not able to
communicate?

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 Do you agree or disagree with these sentences?

• Vocabulary errors outnumber grammatical errors.

• Vocabulary is the source of all problems in language learning.
• Lexical errors interfere with basic meaning.
• Language learning is primarily lexical meaning.
• Achieving proficiency depends to a great extent on using words and
their combinations.
• Language is grammaticalised lexis, not lexicalized grammar.

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 Did you know ...?

• Lexical errors interfere with basic meaning resulting in a lack of

understanding between the speaker and listener (Gass and Selinker,
2001:372)
• Vocabulary is a set of individual words with fixed meanings, while
lexis is a ensemble of word combinations that a community of
speakers use to communicate ideas.

That is why focusing on collocations is paramount to language

learning. It will also aid users to identify equivalent forms in other
varieties.
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What are collocations?

A combination of words in a language, that happens very

often and more frequently than would happen by chance. A word or phrase that is often
Oxford Advanced Learners’ Dictionary used with another word or
phrase, in a way that sounds
correct to people who have
The arrangement of words in a sentence. spoken the language all their
Dictionary.com lives, but might not be expected
from the meaning, e.g. hard frost
(forte geada); a coat of paint
(uma demão [de tinta])
"The readily observable phenomenon whereby certain Cambridge Dictionary Online
words co-occur in natural text with greater than random
frequency".
Michael Lewis.

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What type of collocations are there?
• Unique
• To foot the bill (pagar o pato)
• To shrug your shoulders (mostrar desconhecimento ou desdém com ao mexer
os ombros)
• Strong
• Rancid butter (manteiga rançosa)
• A peculiar accent (um sotaque carregado)
• Weak
• Long hair (cabelo comprido)
• Highly motivated (altamente motivado)
• Medium-strength
• To make a mistake (cometer um erro)
• To hold a meeting (realizar uma reunião)
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What word or phrase collocates with each group below?

1. Sit, take, do, pass, fail, survive, undergo. (noun)

2. Opportunities, the day, chance, belongings, someone. (verb)
3. Traffic, load, fire, attack, rain, scrutiny. (adjective)
4. Flames, tears, laughter, a tantrum, pieces. (phrasal verb)
5. Places, destinations, lands, locations, territories. (adjective)
6. Believe, feel, reckon, think, suppose. (adverb)
7. Excellent, solid, firm, limited, poor, impressive. (noun)
8. Range, open, to fling, of the mark , with fear (adjective/adverb)

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How do we identify collocations?

1. Frequency, e.g. Miss an opportunity X miss a chance

2. Conciseness, e.g. Mind the gap X Be careful of the void between the
subway car and the platform
3. Register e.g. Switch roles X Swap roles
4. Associations, e.g. I’d like to settle the bill, please; Is the manager
in? I need to file a complaint.
5. Identification of preferred usage, e.g. Mindful X Aware; Needy X
Underprivileged, ameliorate conditions X improve conditions
6. Familiarity –websites like Newseum and Newsela provide access to
English from diverse countries and with different writing styles.

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What do you notice in this excerpt in terms of collocations?

• “A man who had been soaked in water, and smothered in mud, and lamed
by stones, and cut by flints, and stung by nettles, and torn by briars, who
limped and shivered, and glared and growled; and whose teeth chattered
in his head as he seized me by the chin”. Great Expectations, Chapter 1

• Soaked
• Smothered
• Lamed
• Cut
• Sting
• Tear

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Using Vocab Grabber to better organize learning

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O
B
S
E
R
V
E

L
A
N
G
U
A
G
E
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 U
S
E

P
R
E
D
I
C
T
I
V
E

T
E
X
T

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Complete with one word in each blank

• My understanding, and interpretation, of ‘Globish’ as expressed in my

book Globish: How the English language became the world’s
language, is ……….. different from Nerriere’s. His focus was on the
business community. My interest was in the ……. shift in global self-
expression that is now asserting itself throughout a world united by
global capitalism and the internet. English and its international
deployment can be described, in Nerriere’s words, as ‘the ………..
dialect of the third millennium’, but I wanted to ……….. the roots of
the phenomenon, and to try to …… what, if anything, differentiated
Globish from British or American English.
• From the article “The role of Global English”.

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Put these sentences in Portuguese into English. Pay special
attention to the underlined words.
1. As últimas enchentes vêm alastrando e já fizeram milhares de vítimas fatais.
2. O presidente visitou as regiões afetadas logo depois da passagem do furacão.
3. A mulher, embora vítima de agressão física pelo marido, responderá a um
processo de homicídio culposo por ter matado o cônjuge a facadas.
4. Alguns candidatos chegam a sofrer de um nível de estresse exagerado durante a
prova, o que afeta diretamente o tempo de concentração.
5. Sempre há trânsito intenso nas principais estradas do país na véspera de
feriado.

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Put these sentences in Portuguese into English. Pay special
attention to the underlined words.
1. O carro roubado bateu em outro que vinha no sentido contrário e explodiu em
chamas.
2. O vulcão, inativo por mais de cinqüenta anos, subitamente começou a entrar
em erupção hoje de madrugada.
3. O candidato que deseja prestar o exame de admissão na sua região deve
indicar a data e hora da sua escolha.
4. Muitos questionam a funcionalidade de uma organização como a ONU, mas
deve-se lembrar que ela oferece um palco/fórum em que estados soberanos se
reúnem para dividir fardos, resolver problemas mútuos, e agarrar
oportunidades em comum.
5. Os assaltantes foram acusados de roubo a mão armada, o que dá uma pena de
cinco anos de prisão.

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Brain break!

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Do you know these proverbs?

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How about these?

30
According to Hill,
• It is possible that up to 70% of everything we say, hear, read or write
is to be found in some form of fixed expression". (Hill 2000:53)
• Idioms make language more creative and colorful
• Set expressions, metaphors, colloquialiisms, sayings are a few
examples of idioms

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A few things to remember about idioms

• They include set expressions, e.g.

• As good as gold (tão bom quanto …)
• At the end of the day (afinal de contas)
• Ups and downs (altos e baixos)

Professor Stephan Hughes

A few things to remember about idioms

• They include metaphors e.g.

• Green with envy (roxo de inveja)
• Shoulder the blame (assumir a culpa)
• Go bananas (ficar louco)

Professor Stephan Hughes

A few things to remember about idioms

• They include colloquialisms, e.g.

• How is it hanging (or Howzit, particularly in Canadian English)?
(Qual é?)
• Just chillax, will ya? (Fique frio, vá!)

Professor Stephan Hughes

A few things to remember about idioms

• They include sayings, proverbs and quotations e.g.

• That’s the way the cookie crumbles (É assim que as coisas são)
• You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink (Cada um tem que
trilhar seu próprio caminho)
• It’s not over till the fat lady sings (Só acaba quando termina)

Professor Stephan Hughes

A few things to remember about idioms

• They can also include collocations (strong and weak) e.g.

• Let’s cut to the chase (Vamos ao que interessa)
• Call the shots (Dar as cartas)
• Mitigating circumstances (atenuantes)
• Mind over matter! (Use a força do pensamento!)

Professor Stephan Hughes

A few things to remember about idioms

• They are more figurative than fixed expressions:

• Haven’t the foggiest x Have no clue (referring to the famous
London fog to mean that a person is in the dark, that they don’t
know)
• Hold your horses x Wait a second (referring to the horse-driven
carriages in the US expansion to the West, in which drivers would
pull the reins on the horse to stop. They would say “Hold!”)

Professor Stephan Hughes

Complete the missing words to make English idioms. Is there an
equivalent in Portuguese?
1. If you make a lot of money quickly, you make money hand over
_________.
2. If you can go wherever and whenever you want, the world is your
_____________.
3. If you spend your life savings to throw a big party or celebration,
you push the _________.
4. If someone is so thin, he/she is nothing more than skin and
____________.
5. If you face a problem head-on, you take the bull by the
____________.

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Complete the missing words to make English idioms. Is there an
equivalent in Portuguese?
1) If someone makes a mess of something, he/she makes a pig’s
_________ of it.
2) If you refuse to do something, you won’t do it for all the
___________ in China.
3) If you look very angrily at someone without speaking, you look
__________ at them.
4) If something is quite easy to understand, it’s as plain as
___________.
5) If you change the rules to make things more difficult for a person,
you move the ________________.

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Match the idioms on the left with the ones on the right

1) Know your onions a) Not my thing

2) Drop a clanger b) Shut up
3) Keep your pecker up c) Lost your mind
4) Put a sock in it d) That takes the cake
5) Not my cup of tea e) Put your foot in it
6) That takes the biscuit f) Make a royal cock-up
7) Lost the plot g) Know your stuff
8) Mess up big time h) Keep your head/chin up

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41
What would be an equivalent for the following Brazilian
expressions in English?
• Mas logo eu?
• Olhar não tira pedaço
• Dá no mesmo no final
• Ninguem na sua sã consciência
• Ficar para titio/titia
• Assoviar e chupar cana
• Apressado come cru
• Já é!
 Nunca vi mais gordo
 Não gostou? Problema seu!
 Dar uma de João sem braço
 Engolir sapo
 Viajar na maionese
 Queimar seu filme
 A fila anda
 Mandou bem!
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One more “slang test! Give definitions for each term in English

1. Flossing
2. Ba donka donk
3. Shawty
4. Chin wag
5. To be chuffed to bits

• Now look at the video to check.

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References and resources

• Gass, Susan and Selinker, Larry. Second Language Acquisition: An

Introductory Course. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. 2001
• Hill, Jimmie. Revising priorities: From grammatical failure to
collocational success. In Teaching Collocations: Further
Developments in the Lexical Approach, ed. Michael Lewis, 47-69.
Hove: Language Teaching Publications. 2000
• Lewis, Michael. Implementing the Lexical Approach: Putting Theory
into Practice. Hove: Language Teaching Publications. 1997
• Mc Carthy, Michael & Dell, Felicity. Test Your English Vocabulary In
Use Advanced. CUP. 2013.
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