English for Academic Skills
Independence
[EASI]
Session 1
Vocabulary
By the end of this session you will be able to…
 list a range of vocabulary learning strategies
 identify form, meaning and usage of a word
from an advanced learners’ dictionary
Word knowledge
What do you know about this word?
disagreeable
When you ‘know’ a word, you know about its …
 form
 meaning
 usage
(Nation, 2001)
Form
 pronunciation
/dɪsəˈɡriːəbəl/
 spelling
disagreeable
 word parts
dis / agree / able
Meaning
 different possible meanings (homonyms)
- flat, club, bark
 concept
 (e.g. the branch of a tree and the branch of a business
share the same underlying concept)
 synonyms
– (e.g. minute and tiny have related meanings)
Usage
• how the word is used in a sentence (grammatical
pattern)
• what other words it goes with (collocations)
– e.g. comply is usually followed by with
• where and when the word is used
– e.g. in writing or speaking? in formal or informal
situations? how often is it used?
Advanced learner’s dictionary
• Explains words in English and gives example
sentences using these words
• Before you use a new word
•
•
•
•
refer to an advanced learner’s dictionary
check meaning
look at the example sentence which is given for it
If you can’t find the word at all then this is a warning!
Some well-known advanced learner’s dictionaries
Cambridge (includes Business and multiple
language dictionaries):
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/
Download an advanced
learner dictionary app
for your smartphone or
tablet.
Collins Cobuild:
http://www.mycobuild.com/homepage.aspx
Longman:
http://www.ldoceonline.com/
Macmillan (includes thesaurus):
http://www.macmillandictionary.com/
Oxford:
http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/
Vocabulary activity
1. Find a partner
2. Choose Student A/Student B
3. Look up the word using an advanced learner’s dictionary, make
notes about the word’s form, meaning and usage (check the
pronunciation):
Student A: phenomenon
Student B: analogy
4. Tell your partner all you have learned about the word.
Vocabulary learning strategies
• Read a lot.
• How much do you read in English?
• If you only read in English when preparing for
assignments/exams, this will be insufficient.
Vocabulary learning strategies
• Guess words from context
• When you read a word you don’t know, look at the
words/sentences around that word to help you guess
what it means
• Try to infer rather than reach for a dictionary
Vocabulary learning strategies
• Record new words
– paper/notebooks
– mindmaps
• Themes/subject
areas
• Record form, meaning,
and usage
Another great resource
Visit the University of Manchester’s Academic
Phrasebank for a great resource full of useful linking
words/phrases and more:
http://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/
Vocabulary learning strategies
• Repeat and review.
• Repeating words and reviewing them periodically
(for example, every day or every week) helps in
committing them to long term memory.
• Student Learning Centre - Memory Skills hand out
• Student Learning Centre - Memory Skills seminar
• Student Learning Centre – fantastic downloadable/printable resources
Vocabulary learning strategies
• Make associations and connections between new
words and other words.
• The word piston is related to engines.
• Helpful to remember the
general topic.
Vocabulary learning strategies
• Use mnemonics
• Creating an image in the brain can be very useful in
connecting ideas together.
• The order of the planets:
My Very Excited Mother Just Served Us Nine Pies
(Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn,
Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto)
Vocabulary learning strategies
• Use new words as often as possible.
• ‘Use it or lose it’
• Tutorials and peer study groups
Use flashcard apps
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
Subject specific vocabulary apps
Paramedics
http://www.cram.com/flashcards/brady-prehospitalemergency-care-221007
Business
http://www.cram.com/flashcards/business-vocabularywords-245731
Nursing
http://www.cram.com/flashcards/core-curriculum-forcritical-care-nursing-pulmonary-227984
Vocabulary learning strategies
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Read a lot
Guess meaning from context
Advanced Learners Dictionary
Apps for SmartPhones
Homework
Record (flashcards)
• Choose one of these strategies.
Repeat and review
• Try it for one week.
Associations/connections • Share your experiences next time.
Mnemonics
Use it or lose it
Further information
Explore the following websites:
http://esl.fis.edu/vocab/
http://www.vocabulary.com/
http://www.manythings.org/e/vocabulary.html