DATA CENTER COLLEGE OF THE PHILIPPLINES Laoag City Communication Arts 1 Handout # 3 IMPROVING VOCABULARY Definition: a) Learning to use

the right words at the right time, right place b) Learning new words and their meanings and adding these words to your vocabulary bank Reasons: a) Your vocabulary tells a great deal about you. b) To translate ideas into words faster and more accurately c) Your vocabulary is the foundation of your ability to think clearly. Ways: a) Read in your leisure time. b)Bea an active listener. c) Play word games. LEARNING ABOUT WORDS

Word Learning Techniques

Sight Memorization

Structural Clues

Phonetics/ Sound Clues

Contextual Clus

Dictionary Drills

1. Sight Memorization By looking at words over and over, you get to a point where you easily recognize them the moment you see them. All the words you recognize and call out the moment they are flashed before your eyes are your sight vocabulary. 2. Structural Clues A word is often composed of several word parts: root or base word, prefix, and the suffix. 3. Phonetic or Sound Clues Each word is composed of one or more letters. Knowing how to sound certain letter combinations helps a reader learn new words. This is important because English alphabet is not phonetic. [s] ------------- /s/ sun ------------- /z/ closer ------------- /sh/ Asia ------------- /zh/ leisure 4. Contextual Clues The way a word is used with other words in a sentence often gives its specific meaning. Sometimes, other sentences in the same paragraph suggest the meaning of an unfamiliar word. The word or words which help you get the exact meaning of the unfamiliar words are called context clues. Example: The word bar has several meanings. bar - noun. a straight piece of wood or metal - verb. exclude; prevent - noun. railing in a law court where prisoners are stationed

- noun. a counter where alcoholic beverages are served - noun. a vertical line across the musical staff before the initial measure accent - noun. test for would-be lawyers 5. Dictionary Drills The dictionary is an important reference book. It generally provides at least 6 kinds of information: spelling, pronunciation, word derivation, part or parts of speech, various meanings of the word, and the word status (i.e. standard English, slang, archaic, obsolete).

WORD-FORMATION PROCESSES 1. Derivation. This involves the addition of a derivational affix, changing the syntactic category of the item to which it is attached (e.g. orient (v) orientation (n)). 2. Category Extension. This involves the extension of a morpheme from one syntactic category to another (e.g. chair (n) chair (v)). 3. Compounding. This involves creating new word by combining two free morphemes (e.g. bittersweet). 4. Root Creation. It is a brand new word based on no pre-existing morpheme (e.g. Kodak, Frigidaire). 5. Clipped Form. It is a shortened form of pre-existing forms (e.g. phone telephone). 6. Blending. It is a combination of parts of two pre-existing forms (e.g. smog smoke and fog) 7. Acronym. It is a word formed from the first letter(s) of each word in a phrase (e.g. NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration). 8. Abbreviation. It is a word formed from the names of the first letters of the prominent syllables of a word (e.g. TV television) or of words in a phrase (e.g. FBI Federal Bureau of Investigation). 9. Proper Name. The process forms a word from a proper name (e.g. frankfurter Frankfurt). 10. Folk Etymology. This process forms a word by substituting a common native form for an exotic (often foreign) form (e.g. cockroach cucuracha (Spanish, woodlouse)). 11. Back Formation. This process forms a word by removing what is mistaken for an affix (e.g. burgle burglar)). STRUCTURAL CLUES Structural analysis is the means by which we identify the parts of a word, which form meaningful units off pronunciation within a word. The three word parts can be combined in many ways. a. A word may be composed of only one part - the root. b. A word may be composed of two roots. Word formed in this manner are called compounds. c. A single root might have a prefix. d. A root may be followed by one or more suffixes. e. A word may be built of one or more word parts of each type.

KINDS OF CONTEXT CLUES 1. Definition/Description Clues The new term may be formally defined, or sufficient explanation may be given within the sentence or in the following sentence. Clues to definition include that is, commas, dashes, and parentheses. Example: His emaciation, that is, his skeleton-like appearance, was frightening to see. Skeleton-like appearance is the definition of emaciation. 2. Example Clues Sometimes when a reader finds a new word, an example might be found nearby that helps to explain its meaning. Words like including, such as, and for example, point out example clues. Example: In the course of mans evolution, certain organs have atrophied. The appendix, for example, has wasted away from disuse. Atrophied means wasted away. 3. Synonym Restatement Clues The reader may discover the meaning of an unknown word because it repeats an idea expressed in familiar words nearby. Synonyms are words with the same meaning. Example: Flooded with spotlights the focus of all attention the new Miss America began her year-long reign. She was the cynosure of all eyes for the rest of the evening. Cynosure means the focus of all attention. 4. Contrast Clues Antonyms are words with opposite meanings. An opposite meaning context clue contrasts the meaning of an unfamiliar word with the meaning of a familiar term. Words like although, however, and but may signal contrast clues. Example: Hector was wearing gray slacks and a blue cotton shirt turned up at the sleeves. His heavy black shoes and thick rubber soles were oddly out of place in elegance of The Palace, but practical; Hector spent several hours a day on his feet restoring antique furniture in his basement workshop. His hands were raw and coarse, but they had been scrubbed clean of stains and grease. 5. Inference/Unstated/Implied Meaning Clue Sufficient clues might be available for the careful reader to make an educated guess at the meaning. Example: She told her friend, Im through with blind dates forever. What a dull evening! I was bored every minute. The conversation was absolutely vapid. Vapid means uninteresting.

6. Conjunctions Showing Relationships Example: People often ask me if I discipline myself to write, if I work a certain number of hours a day on a schedule. Exercises Direction: Identify the context clue in the following sentences. Determine the most appropriate meaning of the boldfaced word from the given choices. 1. After the Romans left, a millennium and a half passed before people again lived in such

comfort. Churchill wrote, From the year 400 until the year 1900 no one had central heating and very few had hot baths. a. a decade b. many years c. 1000 years d. a century 2. Such are the vicissitudes of history. Nothing remains the same. Three hundred years of peace ended in darkness and confusion. a. evils b. mistakes c. changes d. rules 3. The lugubrious wails of the gypsies matched the dreary whistling of the wind in the all-butdeserted cemetery. a. sorrowful b. cheerful c. hopeful d. silent 4. When the light brightens, the pupils of the eyes contract; however, when it grows darker, they dilate. a. bond b. shorten c. expand d. open 5. Piscatorial creatures, such as flounder, salmon, and trout, live in the coldest parts of the ocean. a. corals b. fishes c. seaweeds d. planktons

Prepared by: RODEL BRYAN C. VALDEZ Instructor, DCCP bryan_6band@yahoo.com.ph +63-948-788-1167

The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go. Dr. Seuss, I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!