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KNOWING A WORD
What is a vocabulary item or a unit of meaning?
 A single word
 A compound word with or without a hyphen: record player, second-hand
 A fixed or semi-fixed expression: bits and pieces, looks like new
 A phrasal verb with one or two particles: look up, run out of
 An expression used to manage conversation: or something, I mean, personally, actually
Encourage your learner to:
 Notice the words around the target vocabulary item in texts and when listening
 Use an English-English dictionary to get more information about words and expressions.
 Use the words or expressions in their own sentences.
 Record information about the word in their books.
What
different
meanings
does it
have?
Collocation
s - what
other words
is it usually
found with?
How to
use it in
context,
grammar
How to
say it,
syllables,
word
stress
How to
spell it
Is it formal,
informal,
slang,
spoken,
written?
Knowing
a word
Other
forms of
the word,
word
families
Connotations
- positive,
negative,
other
associations
Some resources:
A good learner dictionary - I like the ones from Cambridge
British National Corpus (BYU-BNC) - Brigham Young University
VOCABULARY CHECKLIST FOR LEARNERS
Pronunciation and spelling




What is the pronunciation?
Can I guess the pronunciation from the spelling? Can I guess the spelling from the
pronunciation?
How many syllables does the word have? What is the stressed syllable?
How many schwas /ə/ does the word have? Does the word often have a schwa in
connected speech?
Meaning




What is the meaning?
How many meanings? Are they similar or very different? What is the most common
meaning?
Is the word positive or negative? Is it formal, informal, neutral or slang? Does it belong to a
particular domain (e.g. medical, legal etc.)
Are there any words with a similar meaning? Does the word have an opposite?
Grammar and use:





Is it a noun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition? What are other words in the same word
family?
If it is a verb, is it regular or irregular in the past? If it is a noun, does it have an irregular
plural?
What prepositions come after or before this word?
What are some common sentence structures for this word?
How can I use this word in a sentence?
Collocations


Is this word part of a fixed expression? Is it a phrasal verb?
What other words often go with this word = what other words collocate with this word?
TASKS FOR TUTORS
Task A: What are some words or units of meaning?
Yeah, I mean, I like looking for bits and pieces like old second-hand record
players and stuff, and doing them up to look like new.
Task B: Find the phrasal verbs
Task C: What does it mean to know a word? Brainstorm…
Task D: How many different ways are there to pronounce “ough”?
A rough-coated, dough-faced, thoughtful ploughman strode through the streets of
Scarborough; after falling into a slough, he coughed and hiccoughed
Task E: Are these expressions formal or informal? Written or spoken?
pursuant to, tendering my resignation, increased demands on my time
chuffed, stoked, dolly
Task F: Find some useful expressions with “have”. Are there any other collocations
that you can see?
Task G: What would a learner need to know about these words?
fat
obese
curvy
tubby
chubby
A rough-coated,
overweight