Transcript Day 2 - BU Blogs - Boston University

Today’s Class
• Vocabulary learning
What does it mean?
What are effective ways to do it?
• BREAK
• Oxford Learner’s Thesaurus
How to use it?
What is for homework?
• Getting to know each other
Work in pairs. Identify why the underlined word or phrase in
each sentence is wrong. Then correct the mistake.
1. She is a very attractive woman, skinny and stylish.
2. The police are looking for the man who did the crime.
3. I like making things out of a paper. I’ve even written a paper
about the things I’ve made.
4. The dog was disappeared in the afternoon.
5. We expect her coming soon.
6. They don’t comprehend the seriousity of the matter.
7. I was extreme embarrassed.
8. We regret to inform you that we are unable to help your
kids.
What does “knowing” a word mean?
Meaning
Spelling
Pronunciation
Connotation
Usage
Parts of speech
Collocation
Derived forms
Grammar
Connotation:
Ideas suggested by a word in addition to its main meaning.
• “Home” can have the connotation of warmth
and security.
• “Stepmother” often has a negative
connotation.
Usage
For example:
• formal/informal register
• slang
• domain-specific vocabulary (e.g. web, virus,
import in technology)
Parts of Speech
• Time flies like an arrow.
[What is the verb in the sentence?]
• Fruit flies like a banana.
[What is the verb in the sentence?]
Collocation:
The ways words are combined with each other.
• make mistakes
• do homework
Derived Forms*:
Changing a word’s part of speech, usually by adding a suffix.
• When are you going to graduate?
• When is the graduation?
• Are you a graduate of Boston University?
* A great way to “kill two birds with one stone”.
Grammar
Verbs
Regular
vs.
Irregular
Regular: arrive, return (arrived, returned)
Irregular: go, leave (went, left)
Grammar
Verbs
Transitive
vs.
Intransitive
Transitive = verb + object
I hardly ever take medicine.
Intransitive = verb (without object)
I hardly ever cough.
Grammar
Verbs
Verb Patterns
i. verb + infinitive
ii. verb + gerund
iii. verb + that-clause
I want to
go.
I suggest going.
I suggest that you go.
Grammar
Verbs
Verb + Preposition
You can depend on me.
Wait for us.
What is he staring at?
Grammar
Nouns
Regular Plural
There’s
one dog.
There are two
dogs.
vs.
Irregular Plural
There’s
one child.
There are two
children.
Grammar
Nouns
experience [C] vs. experience [U]
experience [C]
something that happens to you or something that you do
I had a terrible experience the other day.
experience [U]
knowledge or skill that you gain from doing a job or activity
Do you have experience?
Grammar
Nouns
Noun + Preposition
What is the reason for the delay?
It was a complete waste of time.
Her devotion to her child is unquestionable.
Meaning
Spelling
Pronunciation
Connotation
Usage
Parts of speech
Collocation
Derived forms
Grammar
She is a very attractive woman, skinny and stylish.
Connotation
She is a very attractive woman, slender and
stylish.
Meaning
Spelling
Pronunciation
Connotation
Usage
Parts of speech
Collocation
Derived forms
Grammar
The police are looking for the man who did
the crime.
Collocation
The police are looking for the man who
committed the crime.
Meaning
Spelling
Pronunciation
Connotation
Usage
Parts of speech
Collocation
Derived forms
Grammar
I like making things out of a paper. I’ve even
written a paper about the things I’ve made.
Grammar
I like making things out of paper. I’ve even
written a paper about the things I’ve
made.
Meaning
Spelling
Pronunciation
Connotation
Usage
Parts of speech
Collocation
Derived forms
Grammar
The dog was disappeared in the afternoon.
Grammar
The dog disappeared in the afternoon.
Meaning
Spelling
Pronunciation
Connotation
Usage
Parts of speech
Collocation
Derived forms
Grammar
We expect her coming soon.
Grammar
We expect her to come soon.
Meaning
Spelling
Pronunciation
Connotation
Usage
Parts of speech
Collocation
Derived forms
Grammar
They don’t comprehend the seriousity of the
matter.
Derived forms
They don’t comprehend the seriousness of
the matter.
Meaning
Spelling
Pronunciation
Connotation
Usage
Parts of speech
I was extreme embarrassed.
Parts of speech
I was extremely embarrassed.
Collocation
Derived forms
Grammar
Meaning
Spelling
Pronunciation
Connotation
Usage
Parts of speech
Collocation
Derived forms
Grammar
We regret to inform you that we are unable to
help your kids.
Usage
We regret to inform you that we are
unable to help your children.
Work in pairs. Discuss the answers to these
questions, in the order of your preference.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
How many words do you try to learn at a time? How many do you remember five
minutes later? What about the next day?
Which do you learn more easily—verbs, nouns, adjectives, or adverbs—or is
there no difference?
When you learn a new word, do you learn all its meanings, or just the meaning of
the word in the context that you saw or heard it?
What kinds of material do you use for vocabulary learning:
books
newspapers/news websites/news magazines
TV
special-interest magazines, e.g., sports or fashion
movies
celebrity news in magazines and websites
news broadcasts things from everyday life, e.g., bank statements & phone bills
Do you read short pieces or long texts for vocabulary learning?