UG ACCESS PROGRAMME

ENGLISH LANGUAGE TUTORIAL

TOPIC: VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT

TUTOR: PHILOMINA MINTAH
 Lesson objectives
• By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
• Learn the techniques for vocabulary development
• Develop the skills in using context clues
• Use word parts to expand their vocabulary
• Handle technical and specialized vocabulary
 Introduction
• Your vocabulary can be one of your strongest assets or one of
your worst liabilities.
• If your vocabulary is limited, your potential for self expression,
effective communication, and adequate comprehension for
oral or printed materials are also limited.
• Conversely, a strong vocabulary can have both immediate
(academic) and long-term (career) effects.
 Use what you already Know
• There are four different vocabulary levels:

• Reading, writing, listening and speaking.

• There are words that you read and hear which you do not use,
therefore your reading and listening vocabularies are larger
than your speaking and writing vocabularies.
 Use new words you have learnt
• Make a point of using one new word each day, both in
speaking and in writing.
• When strengthening ones vocabulary a good place to start is to
experiment with words you already know but do not use
regularly.
 Using context clues
• Although a dictionary is invaluable, it is not practical to look up
every new word you encounter.
• An alternative is to reason out the meaning of an unfamiliar
word using clues in a sentence or paragraph.
• For instance, if you are asked to define the words ambivalent,
ascertain, and incessant, you might have some difficulty.
• However, if these same words are put in sentences, you could
guess the meaning based on the context.
 Activity 1
• Do not use a dictionary for this work.
• Select a word from the list provided that can best replace the
word in parenthesis
1. Many of us have (ambivalent) feelings about our politicians,
admiring, but also distrusting them.
a. mixed b. critical c. approving
 Activity 1 cont.
2. The officer tried to (ascertain) the truth about the accident by
questioning each witness separately.
•a. create b. avoid c. find out
3. I prefer the occasional disturbance of ear-splitting thunder to
the (incessant) dripping of our kitchen sink.
a. harmless b. exciting c. nonstop
 Types of Context Clues
• Definition – Frequently a writer gives a brief definition for a
word, usually in the same sentence as the word being defined.
The definition may be the key idea of the sentence, as in the
following examples:
1.Ethology is the study of the behaviour of animals in their
natural settings.
 Definition cont.
• After giving definition, authors usually follow it with one or more
examples:
• Example
• People do not always satisfy their needs directly; sometimes they
use a substitute object. Use of a substitute is known as
displacement. This is the process that takes place, for instance,
when you control your impulse to yell at your boss and then go
home and yell at the first member of your family who is unlucky
enough to cross your path.
 Definition
• At other times, the definition may be set apart from the key
idea of the sentence through the use of commas, dashes, or
parentheses, as in the following examples:
Eg. Experimental biology includes the study of learning,
behaviour, memory, perception, and psychology (biological
bases of behaviour)
Eg. Most society are patriarchal – males exert dominant power
and authority.
 Synonyms
A context clue is often available in the form of a synonym: a word
that means the same or almost the same as the unknown word.
Eg. Fresh garlic may not enhance the breath, but it certainly does
improve spaghetti sauce.
•As soon as I made a flippant remark to my boss, I regretted sounding
so disrespectful.
•Although the salesperson tried to assuage the angry customer, there
was no way to soothe her.
 Activity 2
• Each item below includes a word that is a synonym of the italicized
word in red. Identify the synonym of the italicized word.
1. Speaking in front of a group disconcerts Kofi. Even answering a
question in class embarrasses him.
2. Because my friends had advised me to scrutinize the lease, I took
time to examine all the fine print.
3. The presidential candidate vowed to discuss pragmatic solutions.
He said the Ghanaian people want practical answers, not empty
theory.
 Example clues
• Writers include examples to clarify or illustrate important concepts
and ideas. If you are unfamiliar with a word or concept, often you
can figure it out by studying the example, as in the following:

Eg. The use of nonverbal communication, such as smile or gesture,

usually reduces the risk of misinterpretation.
• From the example, smile and gesture, you know that nonverbal
communication refers to “body language” – physical movements
and facial expressions.
 Activity 3
• For each item below, identify the examples that suggest the meaning
of the word in red. Then identify the word from the list a-c that can
be used to replace the word in red.
1. Even presidents must perform such mundane activities as brushing
their teeth and washing their hands and faces.
a. pleasant b. ordinary c. expensive
2. The adverse effects of this drug, including dizziness, nausea, and
headache, have caused it to be withdrawn from the market.
a. deadly b. harmful c. expensive
 Activity 3 cont.
3. Instances of common euphemisms include “final resting place”
(for grave), “intoxicated” (for drunk), and “restroom” (for toilet).
a. unpleasant reactions b. answers c. substitute for offensive
term.
4. Today was a day of turmoil at work. The phones were
constantly ringing, people were running back and forth, and
several offices were being painted.
 Antonyms/Contrast Clues
• An antonym is a word that means the opposite of another
word.
• Sometimes you can determine the meaning of an unknown
word from a word phrase in the context that has an opposite
meaning.
• Antonyms are often signaled by words and phrases such as
however, but, yet, on the other hand, and in contrast
 Antonyms /contrast clues cont.
Despite their seemingly altruistic actions, large corporations are
self-interested institutions that exist to make profits.
• Although you may not know the meaning of altruistic, you may
know it means the opposite of self-interested. The word
“despite” suggests this.
• Altruistic therefore means interested in the welfare of others.
 Activity 4
• Identify the signaling word that shows the opposite word for
the word in red. Then write the meaning of the word in red.
1. Studies of crowd behaviour suggests that people in a crowd
lose their personalities and act impulsively, rather than make
reasoned decisions.
2. Polytheism, the worship of more than one god, was common
throughout Africa in the past; however, monotheism is the
most familiar religion in present Africa.
 Activity 4
3. Many politicians do not give succinct answers. They prefer long
ones that help them avoid the point
a.brief b. accurate c. complete
4. Although investments in the stock market can be lucrative,
they can also result in great financial loss.
a. required b. financial rewarding c. risky
 Inference clues
• Many times you can figure out the meaning of a word you do
not know by using logical reasoning or by drawing on your
own knowledge and experience. From the information that is
given in the context, you can infer the meaning of a word you
are not familiar with, as in the following sentence:
Eg. Confucius had a pervasive influence on all aspects of Chinese
life, so much so that every county in China built a Temple to
him.
 Inference clues cont.
• Logically – if every county in China built a temple to Confucius,
you can conclude that his influence was widespread. You can
infer, then, that pervasive means “spread throughout”.
Eg2. In wind instruments such as the trumpet, sound is emitted
directly by the vibration of air columns in the instrument.
• In the above sentence, emitted means sent out.
 Activity 5
• Select the correct word to replace the word in red by using
inference clues.
1.The lizard was so lethargic that I wasn’t sure if it was alive or
dead. It didn’t even blink.
a. green b. inactive c. big
2. Jane didn’t want to tell the entire plot of the movie, so she just
gave him the gist of the story.
a. ending b. title c. main idea
 Limitations of context clues
• While context clues are generally useful you should know that
they do not always work. There will be words for which the
context provides no clues.
• Also, you should know that context clues give you only a
general sense of what the word means – not its exact or
complete definition.
 Using prefix
• A single prefix can unlock the meaning of fifty or more words. Think
of the prefix inter. Once you learn that it means “between”, you can
define many new words. Here are a few examples.
• Intercede interscholastic
• Interconnect intersperse
• Interracial interstellar
• Interrelate intertribal
• Interrupt intervene
 Using root words
• Knowledge of a single root unlocks numerous word meanings.
For instance, knowing that the root spec means “to look or
see” enables you to understand words such as:
• Inspect retrospect
• Inspector retrospection
• Introspection spectator
• Introspection speculate
• Perspective speculation
 Note
• Not all prefix or root word carry the same meaning.
• For instance, in the word internal, the letters i-n-t-e-r should
not be confused with the prefix inter meaning “between”.
• Similarly, the letters m-i-s in the word missile are part of the
root and are not prefix mis, which means “wrong or bad”.
 Common prefixes
• Amount or Number Example
• Bi two bimonthly
• Deci ten decimal
• Centi hundred centigrade
• Negative
• A not asymmetrical
• Anti against antiwar
• Contra against, opposite contradict
 Common roots
• Root Meaning Example
• Aqua water aquarium
• Aud/audit hear audible
• Aster/astro star astronaut
• Bio life biology
• Graph write telegraph
• Geo earth geography
 suffixes
• Suffixes are word endings that often change part of speech of a
word.
Eg. Adding the suffix ‘y’ to the noun ‘cloud’ produces the
adjective ‘cloudy’.
Often, several different words can be formed from a single root
word with the addition of different suffixes.
Eg. Root: class
Root + suffix = classify/classification/classic
More examples of adding suffixes to words to
form new words

suffix example
-able Touchable
-ance Assistance
-ation Confrontation
-ence Reference
-ible Tangible
-ion Discussion
-ity Superiority
 Summary of lesson
• In this lesson, you learned the following:
• To save time when reading, you should try to figure out the meanings
of unfamiliar words. You can do so by looking at their context – the
words surrounding them.
• There examples of context clues are:
1. Definition – authors provide the meaning of the key term
2. Synonym – words that mean the same as unknown words
3. Examples – marked by words like for example, for instance, including
and such as.
 Summary of lesson
4. Inference – use of logic, education and experience to get the
meaning of words
5. Prefix
6. Root -
7. suffixes
 Assignment 1
• Use context clues to figure out the meanings of the words in
red in the following passage. Write your definition and submit
on Sakai.
Although mysteries and science fiction may seem like very different kinds of writing, the two
forms share some basic similarities. First of all, both are action-directed, emphasizing plot at the
expense of character development. Possibly for this reason, both types of literature have been
scorned by critics as being merely “entertainment” rather than “literature”. But this attack is
unjustified, for both mysteries and science fiction share a concern with moral issues. Science
fiction often raises the question of whether or not scientific advances are of benefit to humanity.
And a mystery story rarely ends without the culpable person being brought to justice.
 Assignment 2
Why did people begin to live in cities? To answer this question, we must start by looking
back some ten thousand years ago. In certain parts of the world (probably those where
the natural food supply was fairly unreliable), people endeavoured to tame nature for
their own purposes. They began weeding and watering groups of edible plants, adding
organic matter to help fertilize the soil, and saving the seeds from the strongest, most
desirable plants to sow the next spring. At the same time, they began protecting herds
of small wild animals that were often hunted by larger animals. They would move them
to more plentiful pastures during the dry months of summer. During the harshest
periods of winter, they would supplement whatever fresh food was available with stored
food. These changes, coupled with a few simple techniques for storing grain and meat,
enabled people to abandon a wandering lifestyle in favour of settlement in small
villages. These villages were the basic form of human social organization for the next
several thousand years.
THANK YOU