skills - working with words

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Skills Ü Working with Words

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Finding, identifying and understanding important vocabulary Identifying the relevant vocabulary Usually you will find whole phrases or expressions; only rarely will the items consist of individual words.

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Make a list of these expressions You will sometimes be given lists of words and phrases to work with. In this case, first find the context of each expression within the text.

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Make sure you understand all the words and phrases Look them up in a monolingual and a bilingual dictionary (like leo.org). The monolingual dictionary will supply extra examples, which will increase the accuracy of your understanding and your use of the expression. In some cases it might also be useful to note the German translation, especially where it differs considerably from the English expression. Your dictionary will also tell you whether a word or expression is informal or slang. If so, mark these expressions so that you remember to avoid them in writing or when giving a formal presentation.

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Now you need some more practice with the new vocabulary in order to use it well.

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Find a suitable way of ordering the expressions This can be done by grouping them under different headings or by devising a mindmap.

E:\Schule \Englisch\skills - working with words.doc

Working with new vocabulary

Write a text of your own using as much of the new vocabulary as possible Once you have begun writing, you will see how you move away from the original context in spite of using the phrases taken from the original. This shows that the expressions you lean within one context can come in useful in different contexts – which is exactly why they are worth learning. You might want to write your new texts in small groups.

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Create a gap-text When you have checked that you have used the new phrases correctly, you can delete them to create a gap-text as vocabulary test for other groups. It may be useful to supply translations.

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Exchange your texts and see how many of the gaps you can fill in In this way, you will practice a larger part of the new vocabulary much more effectively than by only studying lists on your own.

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Add new vocabulary Of course, the words and phrases you find in a text have to be complemented by other phrases that you need when talking about the subject. Always check the vocabulary that you already have available when you add a new phrase. And when you discuss a text in class, you – or I – will use words and phrases that you should also add to your mind-maps or vocabulary groups.