Download English for Academic Skills Independence [EASI]

English for Academic Skills
Independence
[EASI]
Session 6
Vocabulary
A quick review
firstly
to begin with
one major… is
in addition
furthermore
another… is
however
although
nevertheless
in summary
it is clear that
therefore
for example
such as
for instance
therefore
because
for this reason
unless
even if
except
in fact
in particular
obviously
By the end of this session you will be able to …
• use web resources, apps and e-dictionaries to learn
technical vocabulary
English vocabulary
How many words are there in the English language?
This depends on several factors, such as
whether or not you count words which
have more than one meaning:
• rock
– He likes to rock the baby to sleep.
– They threw a rock into the river.
Could be at least 250,000!
pig
roughly
injure
mixture
announcement
biological
praise
disagree
electric
excess
fulfill
depress
fancy
compose
continuous
complexity
friendship
stability
accomplish
comprise
holder
inquiry
weakness
noun…
So many words to learn!
How can we possibly learn them all?
Thankfully, we don’t have to.
Prioritise which words you should learn.
Three lists of high frequency words:
- The New General Service List
- The Academic Word List (AWL)
- The Academic Vocabulary List (AVL)
New General Service List (NGSL)
2818 words which occur often in everyday English
90% of General English texts and everyday situations.
Academic Word List (AWL)
570 word families most frequent in academic contexts
- excludes the 2000 most frequent words in English
- divided into 10 sublists
- available on SLC website EASI  Resources  Vocab
Session 3
You need to learn all of the AWL
Academic Vocabulary List (AVL)
http://www.wordandphrase.info/academic/fre
quencyList.asp
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A new list of 3015 words in academic contexts
1991 word families
Uses a better corpus than the AWL
Can see definitions, collocates and relevancy to
different subject areas
• But you still need the technical vocabulary for your
subject area
Some words are more common than others:
everyday language
NGSL
Academic Word List
analyse
galvanometer
Academic Vocab List
Technical Vocabulary
- electronics
Levels of specificity
Some words are only used in a subject.
Context specific and almost useless
outside of that subject.
These are the technical terms of the
subject.
Other words in a subject will also be
used in more everyday contexts.
Levels of specificity
Law
judge
accused
caution
jactitation
The history of
jactitation
Subject-specific dictionaries in AUT library
• Paper dictionaries
• Electronic dictionaries – some examples
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Dictionary of Business
Dictionary of Finance and Banking
A Dictionary of Marketing
International Dictionary of Hospitality Management
A Dictionary of Nursing
Bender’s Dictionary of Nutrition and Food Technology
A Dictionary of Astronomy
The Blackwell Encyclopedic Dictionary of Marketing
So much to learn!
How can you remember the new words you meet in
your studies?
• Use vocabulary learning strategies…
Vocabulary learning strategies (from session 1)
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Read as much as possible
Guess meaning from context
Advanced Learners Dictionary
Apps for SmartPhones
Keep lists or make flashcards
Repeat and review
Associations/connections / mnemonics
Use it or lose it
Vocabulary learning websites, eg.
www.vocabulary.com
Use flashcard apps – (from session 1)
1. Cram
www.cram.com/
2. Quizlet
https://quizlet.com/
3. Studyblue https://www.studyblue.com
• Make your own flashcards
• Libraries of cards made by other users
• Constant recall / self-testing most effective
Summary
• Use the Academic Word List (AWL)
– Try apps like studyblue
• Prioritise which words to learn
– AWL
– Technical vocabulary from your subject
• Use one or more vocabulary learning strategies
Homework
Explore the following websites:
http://esl.fis.edu/vocab/
http://www.vocabulary.com/
http://www.manythings.org/e/vocabulary.html
Try the activities which follow …
Follow-up activity: Technical Vocabulary
What is technical vocabulary?
• the vocabulary which specifically relates to a
particular subject and does not occur in everyday
situations
Health
Sport
Engineering
Computing
bacne
nutmeg
torque
Easter egg
Follow-up activity: Online dictionaries
Choose one or more of the following technical terms
and find out its:
- form
- meaning
- usage
biofeedback
pronunciation / spelling
part of speech / where it fits into a sentence / collocations
bogie
Dictionaries:
Cambridge
Collins
Macmillan
mensuration
Oxford
Longman
WYSIWYG
Answers
Health
Sport
Engineering
biofeedback
bogie
mensuration
Computing
WYSIWYG
Pronunciation
/baɪəʊˈfiːdbæk/
/ˈbəʊɡi/
/menʃəˈreɪʃən/
/ˈwɪzɪwɪg/
Part of Speech
noun
noun
noun
Meaning and Examples
adjective