Vocabulary Building: Presented by Mavis Hara

Vocabulary Building
Presented by
Mavis Hara
10/05/2009
Things I want to Know

1) _______________________________
2) _______________________________
3) _______________________________
Notes:
Steps
1. Increase your vocabulary by learning to
use CONTEXT CLUES, so that you can
teach yourself new words every time you
read.
2. Increase your vocabulary by learning to
use WORD PARTS so that you can
figure out word meaning by looking at
their prefixes, suffixes and roots.
Steps
3. READ WIDELY, READ A VARIETY OF
THINGS so that you will be exposed to
thousands of new words each month.
Keep a vocabulary journal to record the
interesting words you find, or make
word cards so that you can see your
vocabulary growing.
Steps
4. TEST YOURSELF. You can use the It
Pays to Enrich Your Word Power
feature in Readers Digest magazine
each month.
or
on the internet at
http://www.rd.com/
Steps
5. Use the Library to find other resources
for building your vocabulary.
Bookstores have Word for Today
calendars, crossword puzzles, and
vocabulary word card boxes.
6. USE your words from time to time in
conversations.
Context Clues - Synonyms

Context clues are often found in the
form of synonyms: words that mean the

same as the unknown word.
Synonyms may be purposely included
by an author to help readers understand

a less familiar word.

In such cases, the synonyms are
usually set off by special punctuation

within the sentence, such as commas,
dashes, or parentheses; and they may
be introduced by or and that is.

A synonym may also appear anywhere
in a sentence as a restatement of the

meaning of the unknown word.
1. Are you averseopposed tothe decision?
2. His naivete, or innocence, was obvious.
3. The salesperson tried to assuage the angry
customers feeling, but there was no way to
soothe her.
Context Clues - Antonyms

Antonymswords and phrases that
mean the opposite of the word are

also useful as context clues.
Antonyms are often signaled by words
and phrases such as however, but, yet,

on the other hand, and in contrast.
Context Clues - Antonyms

1. My sister Ann is lively and outgoing; however, I
am rather introverted.
2. Religions in America are not static, but changing,
especially in this period of shifting values.
3. Many people have pointed out the harmful effects
that a working mother may have on the family, yet
there are many salutary effects as well.
Context Clues - Examples

Examples can serve as context clues
for a word.
Examples are often introduced with
such signal words as including and

such as.
Context Clues - Examples

1. Nocturnal creatures, such as bats and owls, have
highly developed senses that enable them to
function in the dark.
2. The adverse effects of this drug, including
dizziness, nausea, and headaches, have caused
it to be withdrawn from the market.
3. Common euphemisms include final resting
place (for grave), intoxicated (for drunk),
and comfort station (for toilet).
General Sense of the

Sentence
In some cases, conclusion based on
the information given the word can be

drawn.
Asking yourself questions about the
sentence or passage may help you

make a fair accurate guess about the
meaning of the unfamiliar word.

Sentence
1. A former employee, irate over having
been fired, broke into the plant and
deliberately wrecked several machines.
2. Despite the proximity of Rons house to
his sisters he rarely sees her.
3. The car wash we organized to raise funds
was a fiasco, for it rained all day.

Sentence - Exercises
1.He was born to a family that possessed
great wealth, but he died in indigence.
2.My friend Julie is a great procrastinator.
She habitually postpones doing things,
from household chores to homework.

3.Since my grandfather retired, he has
developed such avocations as
gardening and long-distance bike riding.
4.The Lizard was so lethargic that I wasnt
sure if it was alive or dead. It didnt
even blink.

5.The public knows very little about the
covert activities of CIA spies.
6.Many politicians do not give succinct
answers to questions, but long, vague
ones.

7.Because my father had advised me to
scrutinize the lease, I took time to
carefully examine all the fine print.
8.In biology class today, the teacher
discussed such anomalies as two
heads and webbed toes on a human
being.

9.Nature has endowed hummingbirds
with the ability to fly backward.
10.Doctors should alleviate the pain of
terminal ill patients so that their final
days are as comfortable as possible.
Word Parts
Words can be made of combination of
different parts called

ROOTS (or BASES),
PREFIXES, and SUFFIXES.
Word Parts
Roots, prefixes, and suffixes have their
own separate meaning and can be

looked up individually in a dictionary.
These meanings suggest the overall
meanings of the words they compose.
Word Parts - Prefix

A PREFIX is a letter of group of letters
that come at the beginning of a word.

A prefix alters the meaning of a word.
Word Parts - Prefix

For example, adding the prefix un to
the word happy changes the meaning

of happy to the opposite of happy.
In addition, sometimes adding a prefix
changes the part of speech.
Word Parts - Prefix

An example of this adding the prefix dis
to the adjective able which produces

the verb disable.
Because of their significant impact on
root words, prefixes are the most

frequent word part studied.
Word Parts - Suffix

A SUFFIX is a word part added to the
end of the word.

It does not generally alter a words
meaning, but it will often change a word
from one part of speech to another.
For example, when the suffix -ness is
placed after the adjective kind, the
results is the noun kindness.
Word Parts - Root

A ROOT is a basic word to which
prefixes and suffixes can be added.

It cannot be further separated into parts
and is fairly constant in form and
meaning.
It can be found at the beginning,
middle, or end of a word.
Word Parts
Be aware that there are times when a
group of letters appears to be a prefix,

suffix, or root, but it is not.
For instance, the prefix anti- means
against or opposite of as in
antisocial.
However, anti- is not a prefix in the
work anticipate or antique.
Word Parts
Learning word parts is very useful in
building ones vocabulary.

Roots and prefixes come from Greek
and Latin words.
One Latin or Greek word may provide
the clue to a dozen or more English
words.
Word Parts
One expert said that ten Latin words
and two Greek words are the basis for

2,500 English words.
The prefix pseudo which means false
is at the beginning of 800 words.
Word Parts
The root anthrop which means
mankind is used to begin 112 words.
Therefore, studying word parts is an
efficient way to improve a persons word

knowledge.
What do the following words

mean?
hydro phobia
mono gamy
eu logy
tele pathic
sym pathetic
photo graph
Read to Improve your

Vocabulary
If you read minutes a day, you will read
millions of words per year

Minutes per Day
Words per Year
14.2
1,146,000
21.1
1,823,000
65.0
4,358,000

Vocabulary
1.Read even as little as 15 or 20 minutes
per day over a long period of time.
(a
year)
2.It is important to read a significant
quantity of material. (about 20 pages
each day, 100 pages each week)
3.Read a variety of material

Vocabulary
4. Read consistently -- everyday
5. You can stop reading a book before finishing it
and choose another one.
6. Read books that are challenging to improve
your vocabulary.
7. Keep an informal daily journal of your reading.
How to Make a Word Study

Card
Write the word in bold letters on one side
of an index card
vacillate
How to Make a Word Study

Card
On the other side of the index card write:
Vacillate: to waver
verb (part of speech)
Connies parents usually came to a decision quickly and
stuck by them. This time they vacillated before deciding.
(a sentence the word appeared in)
Synonym: waver
antonym: decide quickly
Any other interesting information you can find
Test Yourself
It Pays to Enrich Your Word Power
feature in Readers Digest magazine

each month.
or
on the internet at
http://www.rd.com
Test Yourself
More resources
SOS Webpage
Workshop
Resources
Library Resources
Word Mysteries & Histories
Cows
Curfew
The Story Behind the Word
Quixotic
Use Your New Words

USE your new words that you learned
from time to time in conversations and

in your writings.
Vocabulary Building
Learning vocabulary can be fun!
Please fill out the evaluations and
leave them on the front table.
Thank you for attending this SOS
workshop.
~ Mavis Hara ~

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Vocabulary Building

Things I want to Know

Context Clues - Synonyms

form of synonyms: words that mean the

by an author to help readers understand

Context Clues - Synonyms

usually set off by special punctuation

Context Clues - Synonyms

in a sentence as a restatement of the

Context Clues - Antonyms

mean the opposite of the word are

and phrases such as however, but, yet,

Context Clues - Antonyms

Context Clues - Examples

such signal words as including and

Context Clues - Examples

General Sense of the

the information given the word can be

Asking yourself questions about the

sentence or passage may help you

General Sense of the

General Sense of the

General Sense of the

General Sense of the

General Sense of the

General Sense of the

different parts called

own separate meaning and can be

These meanings suggest the overall

meanings of the words they compose.

Word Parts - Prefix

that come at the beginning of a word.

Word Parts - Prefix

the word happy changes the meaning

In addition, sometimes adding a prefix

changes the part of speech.

Word Parts - Prefix

to the adjective able which produces

Because of their significant impact on

root words, prefixes are the most

Word Parts - Suffix

end of the word.

Word Parts - Root

prefixes and suffixes can be added.

group of letters appears to be a prefix,

building ones vocabulary.

and two Greek words are the basis for

The prefix pseudo which means false

is at the beginning of 800 words.

mankind is used to begin 112 words.

Therefore, studying word parts is an

efficient way to improve a persons word

What do the following words

Read to Improve your

millions of words per year

Words per Year

Read to Improve your

Read to Improve your

How to Make a Word Study