Download English for Academic Skills Independence [EASI]

English for Academic Skills
Independence
[EASI]
Session 10
Vocabulary
A quick review of Session 9 …
What is a synonym?
• A word that has the same (or a similar) meaning to another word in some
contexts.
What is an antonym?
• A word that has the opposite meaning to another word in some contexts.
What should you do before you use a new synonym or antonym?
• Check a Thesaurus and an Advanced Learner’s Dictionary to see how to
use the word.
By the end of this session you will be able to …
 identify some common collocations
What are collocations?
A collocation is a group of words that often go together.
submit (an) assignment
(an) undergraduate student
benefit from
(an) advantage of
in/with regard to
laugh out loud
on the other hand
of course
Why is it useful to learn collocations?
Words do not usually appear individually. They are normally in
groups or chunks.
Learning words in chunks helps with making our English look and
sound natural.
- see and watch
I’d like to see that new movie.
I’d like to watch that new movie.
I’ll see you later.
I’ll watch you later.
see or watch a movie
means the same thing
seeing someone is not the
same as watching them
Different types of collocation
There are many types of collocation. These are some
common ones:
-
adverb + adjective
adjective + noun
noun + noun
noun + verb
verb + noun
verb + preposition
technologically + advanced
long + term
test + score
computers + crash
solve + problems
suffer + from/with
adverb + adjective
adverb
adjective
Housing in Auckland is prohibitively expensive.
Wireless internet is widely available.
My exams are now uncomfortably close.
They have been happily married for many years.
Extreme adverbs + extreme adjectives
If an adverb is extreme, it goes with an extreme
adjective.
Which of these combinations look right?
-
absolutely good
very brilliant
absolutely brilliant
very good
Choose the best adverb for each adjective
adverb
adjective
mildly
mild
blissfully
appalling
upwardly
significant
otherwise
fatal
forever
mobile
potentially
amusing
gainfully
employed
utterly
engaged
qualitatively
unaware
unseasonably
young
Answers
adverb
adjective
unseasonably
mild
utterly
appalling
qualitatively
significant
potentially
fatal
upwardly
mobile
mildly
amusing
gainfully
employed
otherwise
engaged
blissfully
unaware
forever
young
adjective + noun
adjective
noun
Students have to learn many abstract concepts.
The adverse effects of smoking are well known.
Technology plays a pivotal role in our world.
There is a striking contrast between the two data sets.
Choose the best adjective for each noun
adjective
noun
widespread
assessment
indigenous
energy
preferential
goal
accurate
access
vast
belief
online
village
ultimate
population
renewable
relationship
global
treatment
reciprocal
majority
Answers
adjective
noun
accurate
assessment
renewable
energy
ultimate
goal
online
access
widespread
belief
global
village
indigenous
population
reciprocal
relationship
preferential
treatment
vast
majority
noun + noun
noun
noun
I need more background knowledge to make a decision.
We moved here for the employment opportunities.
Governments can no longer ignore climate change.
It is crucial to choose the right research methodology.
Choose the best noun + noun collocations
noun
noun
information
opinion
pilot
audience
minority
guide
target
resolution
lecture
level
expert
stereotype
study
study
conflict
group
gender
theatre
stress
sharing
Answers
noun
noun
expert
opinion
target
audience
study
guide
conflict
resolution
stress
level
gender
stereotype
pilot
study
minority
group
lecture
theatre
information
sharing
noun + verb
noun
verb
The report was delayed because my computer crashed.
Sometimes, opportunities arise unexpectedly.
The assignment deadline has passed.
The library databases contain thousands of eBooks.
‘author’ + verb
Duffy (2011) contends that Facebook can connect
students with peers and teachers, involving them in
communities; a vital component of student success.
What other reporting verbs could go here?
argues
notes
claims
observes
considers
reports
concludes
suggests
verb + noun
verb
noun
The author was disciplined for committing plagiarism.
We cannot disclose information without permission.
I have to apply three theories to this example.
The latest findings cast doubt on this idea.
do, have, make and take
do
have
make
take
an assignment
a decision
a discussion
an exam
an experiment
a measurement
a meeting
a mistake
notes
sense
For each noun, choose the best collocating verb/verbs.
- For nouns which have more than one collocating verb, one
collocation may be more common than another.
verb + preposition
verb
preposition
I depend on Facebook to keep in contact with people.
She graduated from AUT with a hospitality degree.
This assignment contributes to the final grade.
The new iPad does not really differ from the last one.
Traps: Phrasal verbs
We can classify verb + preposition collocations as
phrasal verbs.
• phrasal verbs are common in everyday situations
• informal, or colloquial
For example:
- put off
- They put off the meeting until next week.
This means the same as:
- They postponed the meeting until next week.
Traps: Phrasal verbs
Put off does not always mean the same thing.
Some possible uses:
They put off the meeting until next week.
“Don’t put me off. I’m trying to concentrate.”
The big crowds have put me off going to the festival.
postpone
distract
deter
So, phrasal verbs can be unclear because they have may have
more than one meaning.
Good academic writing should only give the reader one meaning.
Useful resources
Collocations Dictionaries:
• http://www.ozdic.com/
• http://prowritingaid.com/Free-Online-Collocations-Dictionary.aspx
Academic Word List Collocations:
• http://pearsonpte.com/research/Documents/AcademicCollocationList.pdf
Exercises:
• http://www.better-english.com/strongcoll.htm
• http://www.ieltsbuddy.com/academic-word-list-collocations.html
Advanced learner’s dictionary
Collocation information is also provided in this type of dictionary.
Cambridge:
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/
Collins Cobuild:
http://www.mycobuild.com/homepage.aspx
Longman:
http://www.ldoceonline.com/
Macmillan:
http://www.macmillandictionary.com/
Oxford:
http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/
More information for after class …
Have a look at this further information and try the
exercises …
Grammar explains a lot, but not the lot
From a grammatical point of view, these two sentences
are exactly the same.
I’ll see you later.
Subject
Aux. verb
Non-finite Object
verb
Adverbial
I
will
see
later.
you
I’ll watch you later.
Subject
Aux. verb
Non-finite Object
verb
Adverbial
I
will
watch
later.
you
Nonetheless, there is clearly something wrong with this
sentence:
Subject
Aux. verb
Non-finite Object
verb
Adverbial
I
will
watch
later.
you
This can be explained by what feels natural.
watch has the connotation of looking at something
for a period of time, perhaps secretly
It’s likely that your friends will not enjoy it if you
watch them later!
see has the connotation of meeting someone
Subject
Aux. verb
Non-finite Object
verb
Adverbial
I
will
see
later.
you
Making the right choice of word is fairly easy for a native English
speaker, but more of a challenge for someone learning English as
an additional language.
Therefore, learning words in groups (i.e., words that go
together) is a very useful strategy.
See you later
research + verb
Research shows that Facebook can have a potentially
positive impact on learning and teaching at tertiary
level if used appropriately.
show is a reporting verb
What other reporting
verbs can you put into this
space in the sentence?
demonstrates
indicates
reveals
suggests
do, have, make and take
do can be related to obligations and repetitive tasks
- do your homework
make can be related to creating/constructing/producing
- make an agreement
have (in addition to possession) can be related to an action
- have a break
take can also be related to an action
- take a photograph
For learners of English,
choosing the right verb is
very difficult. This is another
reason to learn collocations.
business
Which verbs (do, have, make, take) collocate with business?
Can you:
- do business?
- have business?
- make business?
- take business?
All of them!
All of these verb + business collocations mean something
different, so learning the pair of words in each case is absolutely
necessary if you want to communicate effectively.
do, have, make or take business
do business = make a commercial agreement
- The two companies are doing business together.
have business = have something to settle with someone
- He and I have unfinished business.
make business = create a business opportunity
- If we don’t make more business, we’ll miss our targets.
take business = deprive a competitor of a customer
- The new supermarket has taken business from the dairy.
Useful link
A useful resource for verb + noun collocations with do, have,
make and take:
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Collocations_of_do,_h
ave,_make,_and_take
Choose the right preposition from the box
verb
prep.
example
consist
Facebook consists ____ more than grumpy cat photos.
derive
English is derived ____ several different languages.
equate
Each paper equates ____ about 150 hours of study.
focus
Today, our class focuses ____ business ethics.
participate
The students are participating ____ a group project.
comment
The reviewer commented ____ the book’s exciting story line.
compensate
The beautiful views and easy access to public transport
compensate ____ the high cost of rent.
compare/contrast
Compared ____ Facebook, you can’t beat a real face-to-face
conversation.
cooperate
The two businesses cooperated ____ each other in order to
increase customer satisfaction.
adapt
Companies must adapt ____ the changing economic landscape.
for
from
to (x2)
in
of
with (x2)
on (x2)
Answers
verb
prep.
example
consist
of
Facebook consists of more than grumpy cat photos.
derive
from
English is derived from several different languages.
equate
to
Each paper equates to about 150 hours of study.
focus
on
Today, our class focuses on business ethics.
participate
in
The students are participating in a group project.
comment
on
The reviewer commented on the book’s exciting story line.
compensate
for
The beautiful views and easy access to public transport
compensate for the high cost of rent.
compare/contrast
with
Compared with Facebook, you can’t beat a real face-to-face
conversation.
cooperate
with
The two businesses cooperated with each other in order to
increase customer satisfaction.
adapt
to
Companies must adapt to the changing economic landscape.