Building your vocabulary - St. Joseph High School



Building your vocabulary

 

|Learning outcomes |

|When you have completed this module, you will be able to |

|Explain the importance of developing a strong vocabulary. |

|Figure out unfamiliar words by using the context of the sentence or paragraph |

|Use the grouping strategy to increase word knowledge |

|Recognize common word parts (prefixes, suffixes, roots) and know some of their meanings |

Preview:  How important do you think vocabulary is for college students?

|[pic] |Vocabulary is to a reader what bricks are to a builder. They are the building blocks of language. With |

| |words, you construct meaning just as a bricklayer constructs a wall or a home. The more skills the |

| |bricklayer has, the better his final product. The larger your vocabulary, the more effective your |

| |reading will be. |

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[pic]    Assignment 2.1:  Taking a quick quiz about learning new vocabulary

[pic]   By completing this assignment, you'll learn how much you already know about learning new vocabulary.  It's always good to start a  learning project with an idea of what you already know -- because this helps you learn new material more easily.

1.  Open your "Reading Journal" file.

2.  Scroll down to the end of the last assignment in the file, then copy and paste the questions into the file. Then label each question "true" or "false."

_____a.  The word "stay" has 27 different meanings.

_____ b.  When you read or hear a word you don't know, you should look it up in the dictionary right away.

_____ c.  The best way to learn new words is to get a list and start memorizing it.

_____ d.  A bigger dictionary is more complete than a small pocket dictionary.

_____ e. If "psych" means "mind," and "ology" means, "the study of," then "psychology" should mean, "the study of the mind."

_____ f.  The words "talk," "discuss," and "inform" all mean the same thing.

_____ g. If you were taking a sociology course, and you were having trouble understanding the difference between the words "gender" and "sex," the best resource would be a college dictionary.

Be sure to save your work.

3.  Now, click on this link to see answers to the questions.  Open your Reading Journal file and respond to these questions:

• Which answer surprised you most?  Explain why. 

• Which answer you were most sure of? Why? 

Be sure to write in complete sentences.

4.  When you're finished, save your work.  Check it over to be sure it's clear and easy to read.  Check your spelling, too.  Then save your work again, and send it to your instructor with the heading "Read 2.1."

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When you're finished with the assignment, go on to the next section.

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|[pic] |A first set of tips about learning new words |

• Read as much as you can.  Find things to read that interest you.  Don't try to read things that are really hard.  Look for something fun.  Keep these books, magazines, or newspapers in places where you're likely to see them and pick them up to read. 

• As you come across new words, try to consciously collect them.  Write their meanings in the book, in a notebook, or on an index card.  If you do this, you'll be able to actually see how much you're learning.

• Try to use new words to help you remember them.  Use them in conversation or in things you write.

• Remember that one word can have more than one meaning.  But many times the meanings are related to each other.  So, knowing one of the meanings can help you figure out another meaning of the same word.

You've probably guessed that each of the questions in the quiz makes an important point about learning new words.

|[pic] |Vocabulary -- or vocabularies? |[pic] |

Think for a minute about how and when you use language.  You don't just use it when you read, do you?  You use it when you talk, when you listen to other people talk, and when you write.  For each of these situations when we use language, we may use a different set of words.  So, we can say we all have four vocabularies -- speaking, listening, reading, and writing.

Most of us know words we can recognize --but seldom use.  And some words we use frequently when we speak that we don't use in our writing.  Most beginning college students have larger listening and reading vocabularies than speaking or writing vocabularies.

Building your vocabularies is not simple or quick. Mastering vocabulary is more than memorizing a one-word definition. When you really KNOW a word, you can use it correctly when speaking and writing. Just as it takes time to really know a friend, it takes time to really know a word.

The process of learning new words

When you learn a word "naturally," your learning goes through these five stages. 

• First, you recognize the word as a word you don't know.  (This might sound funny--but many times we get into a habit of just ignoring words we don't know.  So, paying attention really does make a difference.)

• The next time you come across or hear the word, you remember that you've seen or heard it before, but you still don't remember what it means.  You try to learn its meaning using context, prefix or root meanings, or the dictionary -- or by asking someone else what it means.

• The third time you come across the word, especially if you've tried using and practicing it, you might remember what it means when you read or hear it in a sentence.   You've learned it well enough to explain what it means to someone else, or give another word that means more or less the same thing.

• You reach a fourth stage in learning the new word when you can use it in a sentence.

• And, at the last stage of learning the word, you'll be able to fit it into a sentence and know that it's grammatically correct.

|[pic]                                      Important point! |

|We're telling you about these five stages, not to discourage you, but to help you understand that it takes |

|attention, time, and practice to build your vocabulary. |

|Remember:  you don't always need to know the meaning of every word in something you're reading. It's almost |

|always more important to focus on getting the main points the author is making than to know every word. |

But, knowing some strategies to help you figure out unfamiliar words is important.   In this module you will learn and practice three strategies to help you figure out the meanings of unfamiliar words.

1. Using context clues

2. Using the cluster grouping strategy to increase word knowledge

3. Recognizing common word parts (prefixes, suffixes, roots)

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[pic]     Assignment 2.2:  Reflecting on what you just learned

This assignment will help you think through your ideas about vocabulary building.

1.  Open your "Reading Journal" file.

2.  Copy and paste the questions below into the file, after the last entry. Then respond to each question.  Remember to write in complete sentences.

a.  Why do you want to increase your vocabulary? What do you think the major benefits will be?

b.  What steps do you plan to take to build more word knowledge?

c .  Describe what you do when you see a word in your reading that you do not know.

When you're finished, be sure to save your work.  Then send your reading journal to your instructor with the heading Read 2.2.

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|Using context clues:  the best tools you'll ever have |[pic] |

Most readers don't know the meaning of every word they read.  But effective readers know some useful strategies that help them figure out word meanings as they're reading, without stopping to look up the word in a dictionary.  One of these strategies is using context clues.

When you come across unfamiliar words, you can guess at what the words mean -- looking at the the sentence and the paragraph where you find the word.

Benefits of using context clues

How does it feel when you can read without stopping to look up words in the dictionary?  Isn't it easier and more pleasurable?  Learning to use context to figure out word meanings has many benefits.  It

• helps you to read faster because you don’t interrupt your reading

• helps your comprehension because you stay focused on the main ideas of what

you are reading

• helps build vocabulary because you are more likely to remember the word when you figure out its meaning on your own

• allows you to enjoy your reading more because you don’t have to stop often

|Strategy #1:  Look at the meanings of the other words in the sentence or paragraph.  |

|Look at the main point the sentence or paragraph is trying to make.  What does the |

|writer want you to understand from the sentence? |

|Check sentence meaning |

When you use the context to decide the meaning of a word, you use your knowledge of grammar and your understanding of the author’s ideas. The following examples will help you see how to guess the meaning of words you don’t know.

Example One:

Think about which words in the sentences give you clues to the meaning of the word slucky.  (By the way, slucky is not a real word. It’s just a word we’ve made up to show you how the other words in a sentence are clues to the word you don’t know.)

It was hot and humid outside, and Tien was tired and hungry.  As a matter of fact, he felt completely slucky.

Do you agree that "hot," "humid," "tired," and "hungry" are used to describe negative feelings? So, even though you don’t know exactly what slucky means, you can make a guess by looking at the other words in the sentence and by seeing how the new word is used. You are making an educated guess using context clues that Tien isn't feeling very good.

Example Two:

Think about which words in this sentences give you clues to the meaning of the word bremmy? (Bremmy is also not a real word.)

Ramon really enjoyed working with computers.  They helped him get his assignments completed more quickly, and he thought it helped him do his work more correctly.  We agreed -- computers are truly bremmy.

The words "helped," "quickly" and "correctly are used to describe positive things about computers. Even though you don’t know the meaning of bremmy, you can make a guess by looking at the other words in the sentence that Ramon and his friend like computers. 

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|Strategy #2:  Look at the words that come before and after the word you don't know. |

|Look before and after |

Many writers will provide clues to a word's meaning by using words with similar meanings next to it.

In the examples below, the author explains the meaning of words she thinks the readers might not know. The explanation or definition follows the unfamiliar word. The unfamiliar word in the sentences below is in bold, and the author’s definition or explanation is in color.

1. My grandfather was a nomad, an continual traveler who never could stay in one place for very long.

2. The Sahara Desert is an arid land; it rarely receives any measurable rain.

3. He liked riding a unicycle, a bike with one wheel.

|Strategy #3:   Watch for punctuation clues.   An author will often explain or define a |

|word following a punctuation mark. |

|Punctuation clues |

In the examples below, you'll see a punctuation clue -- a semi-colon. The unfamiliar word is in bold, and the semi-colon is in color. The second half of each of these sentences tells you what the bold word means.

1. Sofia is an awful thief; she would steal money from his own family.

2. Mary was a prudent young woman; she saved part of her paycheck each month in a saving account.

3. Cows are herbivorous animals; they eat only grasses and not any meat.

In the examples below, the punctuation clue is a dash. The unfamiliar word is bold, and the dash is in color.

1. Everyone experiences fear during a major crisis -- such as a fire,

automobile accidents, etc. -- but some people are even afraid

of the dark.

2. Matrimony seems to agree with Judy -- she has been very happy since

her wedding.

3. The material was somewhat flexible -- yet it would bend much more easily when it got hot.

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|Strategy #4:  Pay attention to key word clues.  Certain key words can signal that the |

|word following them will be synonyms (have a similar meaning) or antonyms (words with |

|opposite meanings.) |

|Key word clues |

Let’s look at some sentences that use key words to let you know that a synonym is used to explain the meaning of an unfamiliar word. The unfamiliar word in the sentences below is bold and the key words are in color.

1. Most castles had high walls and were surrounded by a water-filled ditch

that is called a moat.

2. He delegated responsibility to his employees, that is, he gave them tasks

to do.

3. You can delegate, or give responsibility to others.

4. She was arrogant and rude. In other words, she thought she knew

everything and wasn’t very nice about it.

Now we look at sentences that use key words to let you know that the unfamiliar word means the opposite of the words that follow. The unfamiliar word in the sentences below is in bold and the key words are in blue.

1. Although my cat is very affectionate, she doesn’t always want to sit on

my lap when I watch television.

2. Hundreds of species of animal life become extinct each year; however,

many organizations around the word are working to preserve species.

3. Jim can be very introspective, but sometimes he is very social and likes

going to parties.

|The important idea in all of the examples is that you can figure out the meanings of|[pic] |

|words you don't know by paying attention to the way they're used in a sentence or | |

|paragraph. | |

|These tools are the very best way to build your vocabulary. | |

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[pic]Assignment 2.3. Using context clues

[pic]  This assignment will help you practice figuring out meanings of words from context.  Practicing something you've just learned, right after you've learned it, is the best way to remember it.

1.  Copy and paste questions 1 through 10 to an assignment form.

 

2.  Each of the following sentences gives a definition or a synonym (a word that means the same) for the word in quotation marks (“ “).  Guess the meaning of the word from the context of the sentence.  Don’t look the words up in your dictionary.  (If you do, your instructor will be able to tell!)

1. What does the word “mastodon” mean? ______________________________________________________

Russian scientists found a mastodon in the ice; this large animal looked like an elephant.

2. What does the word “reprimand” mean?_______________________________________________________

Usually, if restaurant food is poorly prepared, I don’t criticize the waiter. Instead, I reprimand the manager.

3. What does the word “transparent” mean? ______________________________________________________

The walls of the room were transparent. That is, we could see everything that was going on in the next room.

4. What does the word “priority” mean? _________________________________________________________

A high priority should be given to providing public transportation.

Although Sam did not think returning phone calls as soon as possible was important, his boss thought this job had high priority.

5. What does the word “corrupt” mean? _________________________________________________________

When Governor Brown was first elected, he was probably an honest man. However, since then, he has become as corrupt as all of the dishonest people around him. Now many people say he is doing a bad job.

6. What does the word “obedient” mean? ________________________________________________________

Martha was an obedient child because she always did what her mother told her to do.

7. What does the word “communicate” mean? ____________________________________________________

Her mother told her she had to communicate with the teacher so that the teacher would understand why she was absent from class.

8. What does the word “controversial” mean? ____________________________________________________

Scientists cannot all agree on the value of the study. Heated arguments and angry disagreement have surrounded the controversial research ever since it was published.

9. What does the word “gestures” mean? ________________________________________________________

When chimpanzees are angry, they may raise their arms rapidly and wave them wildly.  These gestures are similar to those of an angry human.

10. What does the word “similarities” mean? _____________________________________________________

The similarities between humans and chimpanzees prove that humans are not unique.

11. What do you think the word “zep” means in this paragraph?  ("Zep is not a real word.)

In the United States and in many other European countries, there is a serious problem.  What should be done with the garbage?   There is no more room for garbage dumps. It is not possible to burn garbage, because that pollutes the air. So the governments are looking for ways to reduce the amount of garbage that is produced. One way to do this is to zep as much as possible. Not all kinds of garbage can be zepped, of course. The easiest things to zep are probably glass and paper. However, one can also zep many kinds of metal and plastic. Many cities now require people to zep these materials. The people must put them separately from the regular garbage. Then special trucks take them away and bring them to private companies. These companies will buy them and use them again.

( Milulecky and Jeffries, More Reading Power, 1996, p. 57.)

Now go back to number 1.  Read each question to yourself and write your answers on the assignment form.  Check your work to be sure you've responded to each question thoughtfully.  Be sure to save your work.   When you've finished, send the assignment to your instructor with the heading Read 2.3.

 

 

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|[pic]    Want a little extra practice? |

|If you want to do some more practice with context clues, you can visit this website at Cerritos Community |

|College. |

[pic][pic]      Assignment 2.4: Reflecting on what you've just learned

If you take some time to reflect, or think about, something you've just learned, your learning is more likely to last!

1.  Open your "Reading Journal" file and scroll past the last assignment.

2.  Type in "Reading 2.4.  Then copy and paste the questions below in your file.  Write a response that gives reasons for your ideas.

Be sure to save your work.

a.  Explain how the strategy of using the context to figure out unfamiliar words can be helpful.

b.  Find something to read in your home or school and look for words you don't know.  Find two examples where you think you can figure out the word from context.  Type those sentences into your assignment file.  Name the words you didn't know, and write what you think they mean next to them.

c.  Summarize briefly what you learned from doing Assignment 2.3.

Be sure to save your work. When you're finished, send it to your instructor with the heading Read. 2.4

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 Using the word clustering strategy

As you work to increase your collection of words, you will come across new words that you want to be sure to remember.  Here's a strategy you can use to make sure you think through a word carefully enough that you can move through all five learning stages.

This strategy is called "clustering."   You take the word you want to learn, and cluster, or group, other words that are related to it in different ways. 

One of the reasons this strategy works is because it is visual -- you create a picture of the characteristics of the word.

Here's an example:

Suppose you wanted to learn the word "shark."   

First, think about whether you already know anything about sharks.  If you do, you can put what you already know into the circles of a cluster.

Second, you can look at the context, the sentence or paragraph where you found the word.   Find some additional information about the word "shark" to include in the cluster.

Third, look up the word in a dictionary. Find some additional information about sharks to add.  Look for meanings of prefixes or roots, if there are any.  (You'll learn more about this in the next part of this module.)

Fourth, think of a visual way to remember the word.  Draw any kind of visual that will help you remember what you've just learned.

Last, save the cluster in your vocabulary notebook or on an index card.  Copy the sentence you found the word in.  Then write a sentence of your own using the new word.

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Sentences:  Some sharks attack humans, others do not.

I have seen many movies where sharks attack and kill people.

Here's another way to use clustering.  You can group characteristics together.  What is a shark?  (in the center)  What does the shark do? (purple)   What does it look like? (pink)  Where do we find sharks? (blue)  Including images is also a big help.

Colors may help us remember the different parts of the cluster diagram.

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Sentences: Some sharks attack humans, others do not.

Sharks are large fish-like creatures that live in oceans and use gills to breathe and fins to swim.

 

[pic]Now, let's try another example. 

Here's a paragraph and a word for us to work on:

Becoming an effective college student is a process that can take some real adjusting.  Every college has its own culture -- a way of being that is different from any high school or organization you've ever been in.  And so, having problems getting accustomed to being a part of such a culture -- learning new types of behaviors, learning what your professor expect of you, learning to manage your time -- are challenges that are almost inevitable.

Let's ask ourselves:

What can we learn about this word "inevitable," based on our own knowledge? 

You already know that college can be challenging or difficult.  There will be lots of new things to learn about it.

What can we learn about it, based on the context? 

A college setting is different from any other environment.  You can expect to have to learn new things.

What can we learn from a dictionary? 

If we look it up, we learn it means "impossible to avoid."  "Predictable."  A synonym is "certain." The prefix "in" means "not."  The root word comes from "evade," which means to "avoid." The word means, "not avoidable."

How can we use the word correctly in a sentence? 

Let's make new sentences by using the original sentence as a model.

And, this is what we might come up with:

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[pic]Now, we'll ask you to try making a cluster diagram on your own.

Assignment 2.5:   Using the word clustering strategy

[pic]  Because it's good to try a new way to visualize what you're learning.   As we say in English, "A picture is worth 1,000 words." 

1.  You can make a cluster diagram using Word.   Click here to open a Word document with two cluster diagrams already set up for you. 

2.  When you click, if you see a box asking you if you want to "open" or "save" the file, click "Open."  When it opens, save the document in your course folder.  Name it Read 2.5.  To add words into the circles, just click inside them and you'll be able to type inside the circle.  For this assignment, you can leave out visuals of the word, if you don't know how to insert a picture into a document.  You'll probably make cluster diagrams by hand most of the time, and then you'll be able to draw in any visual that will help you remember the word you're learning..

If you have any trouble with opening the file or with the rest of the assignment, be sure to let your instructor know. 

A.  Make a cluster diagram for the word "robot."  Click in the center circle in the first diagram and type in the word "robot."  Then, in the other circles, you can type in words that would help you remember the word "robot."  You can use the dictionary for some ideas if you wish.  Think about what a robot looks like, what it does, what it is made of, where you might see one, who might have a robot.  Then type your ideas into the other circles in the diagram.  You don't have to use them all, but try to use as many of them as you can.

Don't forget to include sentences using the word, as we did in the examples.

B.  Select any one of the words below and make a cluster diagram for it in the second cluster in your file. 

Don't forget to include sentences using the word, as we did in the examples.

Finish Assignment 2.6 before sending this assignment to your instructor.  Then send this assignment with the heading Read 2.5.

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(We made the diagrams by clicking "Insert" on the top toolbar in Word, then clicking "Diagram." If you try this, you'll see that you have a choice of different types of diagrams you can use in Word.)

[pic]    Assignment 2.6:  Reflecting on what you just learned

[pic]  If you take some time to reflect, or think about, something you've just learned, your learning is more likely to last!

1.  Open your "Reading Journal" file and scroll through it until you pass the last assignment.

2.  Respond to this questions in your journal.  Be sure to write in complete sentences.

Why do you think making a cluster diagram can help you learn a new word?

Send your journal file to your instructor with the heading Read 2.6.

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Now you're ready to go on to the next topic in this module:  prefixes, roots, and suffixes!

Learning word parts:  prefixes, roots, and suffixes

Many English words are made up from word parts that come from other languages. Learning the meanings of these word parts will increase your vocabulary immensely because the words you need for college work are often those made up of these word parts.  Do you remember the quiz at the beginning of this module asking about the meanings of the word parts "psych" and "ology"?  Those word parts are the type of thing we're going to learn more about in this section of the module.

What do words with roots, prefixes, and suffixes look like?

Compare the words in the first two columns:

|List One |List Two |What's happened? |

|view |preview |The prefix "pre-" (meaning "before") has been added.  Prefixes are added to the|

| | |beginning of a word and change its meaning. |

|view |viewing |The suffix" -ing" has been added, making the word into a verb.  Suffixes are |

| | |added at the end of a word.  They change the part of speech.  In this case, |

| | |they change the part of speech from a noun to a verb. |

|view |previewing |"view" is the root of the word.  It's the word's basic part. |

|Not all root words are words that stand alone, like "view."  Some roots are used only with prefixes or suffixes.  In|

|your dictionary, they are written with a hyphen (-) before and after them to show where the prefix or suffix can be |

|added. |

|-dict- |predict (v) |The prefix "pre-" has been added. |

|(means "say" or | | |

|"tell") | | |

|-dic- |diction (n) |The suffix "tion" (making the word a noun) has been added.  |

|(means "say" or | | |

|"tell") | | |

|-dic- |prediction (n) |Both a prefix and a suffix have been added. |

 

[pic]How many prefixes, roots, and suffixes are there?

There are many prefixes and suffixes in the English language -- too many to learn all at once!. The good news is that there are some prefixes that are much more common than others.  These are the prefixes we're going to learn in this part of the module.

Frequently used prefixes

|Prefix |Prefix meaning |Examples |

|un |not |unhappy, untrue |

|re |back, again |review, replay, return |

|in, im,il, ir|not |Invisible, impersonal, illegal, irresponsible  (notice that the last letter of the prefix|

| | |changes to make the whole word easier to pronounce) |

|dis |the opposite of |disagree, disabled |

|en, em in |put into |enable, enjoy, enlarge, employ, empower |

|non |not |nonexistent, nonbreakable, nonbeliever |

|over |above, too much |overcook, overripe, oversensitive |

|mis |wrong, bad |misbehave, mistake, misfortune |

|sub |under, beneath, below |subcommittee, subdivision, subside, submarine |

|pre |before |prehistoric, precede, precook |

|Inter |between, among, together|Interact, intercontinental, interview |

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Assignment 2.7:  Working with common prefixes

[pic]This assignment will help you become more comfortable working with these common prefixes, and will help you remember what they mean, too!

1.  Make a file for this assignment named Read 2.7.  Be sure to save it in your course folder.

2.  Use a dictionary to find a new word -- one you don't already know -- that begins with each of the prefixes in the chart above.  Write these words in your assignment file.  Save your work.

3.  Use these flashcards to review the prefixes until you think you know them. You'll have to click on the word "Prefixes" when the file opens.  After you've memorized them, wait a day or so and then try using them again to see if you still remember them.  You can also make a set of flashcards using index cards, or use this website to make and print out flashcards, so you can review when you're not near a computer.  If you're having any trouble learning these, write a question for your teacher in your course file.  If you think you've learned them successfully, tell your teacher that, too.

Send your file to your teacher with the heading Read 2.7.   Be sure to let your teacher know if you have any questions.

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|  |

|[pic]    Want a little extra practice?  (Check with your teacher if you're not sure.) |

|If you want to try making your own flashcards on the Web, you can try this site.  You can make and print out |

|your own flashcards here. |

|Here's a website sponsored by Franklin International School where you can practice learning more about |

|prefixes. |

|And, here's a longer list of prefixes you can print out for reference if you wish. |

Now, go on with the module.  The next topic will help you learn about frequently used suffixes.

 

[pic]Frequently used suffixes

Eighty-six percent (86%) of the suffixes used in English are from the list below.

|The Most Frequent Suffixes in English |

|Suffix |Meaning |Examples |

|-s, -es |plural (more than one, noun) |babies, losses, trips |

| |(You probably know that some verbs use -s and -es to show present tense as well | |

| |-- just one of many things that make learning English a real challenge!) | |

|-ed |past tense (happened in the past, verb or gerund) |helped, studied, practiced |

|-ing |an action (verb) |going, studying, driving |

|-ly |like, having the quality of (adverb) |quickly, friendly, happily |

|-er |someone who does something (noun) |worker, swimmer, learner |

|-ion, -tion |the act of (doing/being something) (noun) |celebration, recreation, religion |

|-able -ible |capable of, having the quality of (adjective) |dependable, responsible, |

| | |understandable |

|-y |a quality of something (noun) |tasty, worthy, spendy |

|-ness |being something (noun) |kindness - being kind |

| | |happiness - being happy |

| | |firmness - being firm |

|-ment |a result of, the product of  (noun) |government, judgment, assessment |

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Assignment 2.8:  Learning and using suffixes

[pic]This assignment will help you become more comfortable working with these common suffixes.  Knowing how to use grammatically correct forms will help you build your English skills.

1.  Make a file for this assignment named Read 2.8.  Be sure to save it in your course folder.

2.  For each of the prefixed words you listed in in assignment 2.7, use the suffixes from this list to change the word.  Check your dictionary to be sure you have it right.

3.  Go to this URL, and try the quiz on suffixes at the ESL Quiz Center.  When you're finished, use the "Edit" menu to "Select All," then "Copy."  Return to your assignment file, and use the Edit menu to "Paste" your quiz into your assignment file.

Use the assignment form and send your work to your teacher with the heading Read 2.8.  Include any questions you have about the assignment you'd like your teacher to respond to.

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|[pic]   Want a little extra practice? |

|(Check with your teacher if you're not sure.) |

| |

|You can also print out this longer list of suffixes to use for reference if you wish.  |

Now, go on to the next section of the module to learn some frequently used root words.

 

[pic]Frequently used root words

As you might expect, the English language has thousands of root words.  It's very likely no one has ever known them all!  We're going to begin with a few that are very frequently used.

| Frequently used root words |

|Root |Meaning |Examples |

|port |carry |portable, import, export |

|aud |hear |auditorium, audiovisual |

|vid or vis |see |video, visual |

|dict |speak, tell |dictionary, predict |

|meter |measure |thermometer, kilometer |

|scrib or scrip |write |describe, prescription |

|mit or mis |send |transmit, missile |

|ped |foot |pedal, pedestrian |

|phon |sound |telephone, microphone |

|spect |look at |spectator, inspect |

|struct |build |construction, destruction |

[pic]

Assignment 2.9:  Learning and using root words

[pic]This assignment will help you recognize the common roots in the table above when you see them, and to use them, along with context clues, to help you figure out meanings of new words.

1.  Make a file for this assignment and name it Read 2.9.  Be sure to save it in your course folder.

2.  Find 5 words that aren't on the list that contain one of the common root words.  Use each one in a sentence.

Example:  audio

I wanted to get a new computer that had a sound card because I wanted to be able to hear the audio features on my favorite band's web site.

3.  Read each of the sentences below.  Then explain the meaning of the underlined word that uses one of the common root words.  Be sure to figure out the definitions yourself -- if you look them up in the dictionary, your teacher will be able to tell! 

a.  Kim's supervisor at work asked him to go to a training workshop and report to the other workers what he'd learned.

b.  Inez was asked to make a presentation in her history class about a time period in her country's history.  It was hard for her to predict how nervous she would be.

c.  His instructor told him that he thought his paper could be an "A" paper if he would agree to revise it.

Finish Assignment 2.9 before sending this assignment to your instructor.  When you've finished both of them, send your work with the heading Read 2.9.

[pic]

|  [pic]  Want a little extra practice? |

|(Check with your teacher if you're not sure.) |

|VUrootmatrix.html |

|Here's a longer list of roots you can print out for reference if you wish.    There are also a number of roots |

|that refer to numbers you can see by clicking here. |

[pic]

[pic]     Assignment 2.10. Reflecting on what you've just learned

[pic]   If you take some time to reflect, or think about, something you've just learned, your learning is more likely to last! 

1.  Open your "Reading Journal" file and scroll down past the last assignment.

2.  Type in "Reading 2.10.  Then copy and paste the questions below into the file.  Write responses that give reasons for your ideas.

Be sure to save your work!

a.  Explain how knowing the meanings of prefixes, roots, and suffixes will help you learn words more easily.

b.  Find something to read--from home, work, or school, and look for words that contain any of the common roots or prefixes you learned in this lesson.  Type the sentences where you found the words into your assignment file.  After each sentence, write the meaning of the word.  Try to use context clues and what you know about the meaning of the root or prefix to help you figure out the meaning.

Be sure to save your work. When you're finished, send it to your instructor with the heading Read. 2.10.

[pic]

 

Learning word parts:  prefixes, roots, and suffixes

Many English words are made up from word parts that come from other languages. Learning the meanings of these word parts will increase your vocabulary immensely because the words you need for college work are often those made up of these word parts.  Do you remember the quiz at the beginning of this module asking about the meanings of the word parts "psych" and "ology"?  Those word parts are the type of thing we're going to learn more about in this section of the module.

What do words with roots, prefixes, and suffixes look like?

Compare the words in the first two columns:

|List One |List Two |What's happened? |

|view |preview |The prefix "pre-" (meaning "before") has been added.  Prefixes are added to the|

| | |beginning of a word and change its meaning. |

|view |viewing |The suffix" -ing" has been added, making the word into a verb.  Suffixes are |

| | |added at the end of a word.  They change the part of speech.  In this case, |

| | |they change the part of speech from a noun to a verb. |

|view |previewing |"view" is the root of the word.  It's the word's basic part. |

|Not all root words are words that stand alone, like "view."  Some roots are used only with prefixes or suffixes.  In|

|your dictionary, they are written with a hyphen (-) before and after them to show where the prefix or suffix can be |

|added. |

|-dict- |predict (v) |The prefix "pre-" has been added. |

|(means "say" or | | |

|"tell") | | |

|-dic- |diction (n) |The suffix "tion" (making the word a noun) has been added.  |

|(means "say" or | | |

|"tell") | | |

|-dic- |prediction (n) |Both a prefix and a suffix have been added. |

 

[pic]How many prefixes, roots, and suffixes are there?

There are many prefixes and suffixes in the English language -- too many to learn all at once!. The good news is that there are some prefixes that are much more common than others.  These are the prefixes we're going to learn in this part of the module.

Frequently used prefixes

|Prefix |Prefix meaning |Examples |

|un |not |unhappy, untrue |

|re |back, again |review, replay, return |

|in, im,il, ir|not |Invisible, impersonal, illegal, irresponsible  (notice that the last letter of the |

| | |prefix changes to make the whole word easier to pronounce) |

|dis |the opposite of |disagree, disabled |

|en, em in |put into |enable, enjoy, enlarge, employ, empower |

|non |not |nonexistent, nonbreakable, nonbeliever |

|over |above, too much |overcook, overripe, oversensitive |

|mis |wrong, bad |misbehave, mistake, misfortune |

|sub |under, beneath, below |subcommittee, subdivision, subside, submarine |

|pre |before |prehistoric, precede, precook |

|Inter |between, among, together |Interact, intercontinental, interview |

| |

Learning about the Academic Word List

What is the Academic Word List?

The Academic Word List -- also called the UWL, or University Word List -- was developed by having a computer find the the most common words in college textbooks.  The list has approximately 600 of the most common words in college textbooks.  A college student who knows these words will know approximately 80% of the words in first-year college texts.

The task of learning these words would be a long-term project, and you would not be able to finish it by the time you finish this reading course.  And, of course, you will learn many of these words as you read materials in Mindquest Academy courses.  Reading as much as you can is always the best way to learn new words.

But, if you want to begin learning some words from the list now, you can continue with this section of the module to learn how to approach this task.  Check with your teacher first to see whether you should consider working on this project.

If you decide not to work on this project now, skip to the last assignment in the course, in the Module Summary section.  If you decide you want to learn the words on this list on your own, be sure to check with your teacher.

Choosing words to study

You can find out whether you know most of the very common words in English by going to

If you need to, you should work on learning words from the common lists first, before starting on the Academic Word List.

The Academic Word List has been divided into 10 sub-lists to make the task of learning the words easier.  The words on the first list are used the most often in textbooks.  As you move through the sub-lists, the words become less common.  So, the words in Sublist 10 are words that are found less frequently than those in previous sublists.

1. Start with Sublist 1.  These are the most frequently used words in the list.

2. Read through the list.  Check off the words you already know.

3. Select 10 words to work on.  If you pick too many words at a time, it will be harder to learn them.

4. Choose words that do not look like each other and are not related in meaning. This will also make your job easier.

5. Move on to the next list when you've finished the first.

Learning words

Follow a specific process for learning the words.  If you follow these 5 guidelines, your learning will come more easily.

1. Focus on remembering the meanings of words rather than just recognizing them.

2. Every time you study the meaning of a word, the connection between the form of the word and its meaning is made stronger. Using word study flash cards makes this easier.  Click here for ideas on how to work effectively with flashcards.

3. Space the number of repetitions of the words you are learning, because spacing repetitions results in longer lasting memory. The best spacing is to review the words a few minutes after first looking at them, then an hour or so later, then the next day, then a week later and then a couple of weeks after that.  Click here for an interesting approach to spacing out your study of new words.

4. Learn the words by thinking carefully about them -- don't just try to memorize them.  Creating good flashcards helps.  You should also use any techniques you can to make associations with the words you are learning. For example, think of where and how you could use the words.

5. Choose words that are spelled differently and start with different letters. Don't learn words with similar meanings at the same time.  Words which look the same or share similar meanings are easy to confuse and make your learning harder.

|Module Summary |

|In Module 2 you learned that there are five stages to really know a word. You practiced using strategies to figure out an |

|unfamiliar word by using the context of the sentence. You have a list of the most frequently used prefixes, root words, and |

|suffixes you have used and become more familiar with. |

|[pic] |

| |

| |

|[pic][pic]   Assignment 2.11:  Summarizing what you've learned |

|[pic]  Whenever you finish a study session, or finish reading about a topic, it's a good idea to summarize what you've just |

|learned. |

|Remember that a summary contains the most important ideas and supporting details from a longer text.  When you answer the questions|

|we've listed here, you'll have a pretty good summary of the main points of the module. |

|1.  Open your Reading Journal file.  Scroll down past the last entry, and type in "Assignment 2.11."  Then copy and paste the |

|questions below into the file. |

|2.  Answer the questions as well as you can without looking back. (If you look back right away, you're not exercising your memory |

|enough to make it work.)  If you can answer most of them without looking back, you'll know you've learned the material from Module |

|Two very well!  Be sure to write in complete sentences. |

|a.  Why is a good vocabulary important for a college student? |

|b.  What are context clues?  How do they help you when you're reading? |

|c.  Explain what  (1) prefixes, (2) roots, and (3) suffixes are.  You can use words as examples to help you explain the meanings. |

|d.  When you're learning a new word, drawing a cluster diagram can be helpful.  Explain why. |

|3.  Are you still trying to read a little bit every day, just for fun?  If you are, that's great.  Write a little bit for your |

|teacher about what you're reading.  If you're having trouble developing this habit, why do you think this is?  Write an idea or two|

|in your assignment file about why developing the habit of reading is challenging for you.  If you want suggestions for kinds of |

|things to read, ask your teacher.  And, keep working on developing the habit! |

|4.  When you're finished, be sure to save your work.  Re-read it to be sure your writing is clear and easy to understand.  Then |

|send it to your teacher with  the heading Read 2.11. |

|[pic] |

|Congratulations!  You're finished with Module Two.  If you have any questions about anything you've learned in this module, this is|

|a good time to ask your instructor about it.  Then, go on to Module Three, where you'll learn some strategies that will make |

|reading college textbooks easier.  |

| |

|2007 |

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