VOCABULARY SKILLS
Visit Anu's webpage and learn one word a day.
A.Word.A.Day:
Click
and go
from Wordsmith.org
Learn all kind of expressions in Themes & Topics.
Expressions Click & go
Feel like slang? Visit Thibaut Ausseur's page. Click below.
HOW TO KEEP RECORDS
Here
are a few suggestions. Experiment with them, and then
decide which method you prefer to adopt.
-Note
down all the new words you learn
in class.
-Use
cards. On one side put a new
word. On the other side put the French translation
-Use a computer database
Put
all the new words on your computer database and learn how to use a
computer at the same time.
- Use a vocabulary notebook
If
you like the alphabetical order, transfer all the new words you learn,
with
their translation, into a vocabulary book. At
the same time
add information, like the pronunciation, and build your own
example sentences.
-Use "post-its"
Write
new words on "post-its" and stick them all over your bedroom,your
office or any other place where you often are .
-Use a special book for topic headings
Put
all new words into a special book under topic headings, eg cooking,
furniture, animals, holiday, etc. Sometimes you have
to put the same word in several places.
- Spoil a dictionary
Boris Bagrov, from Russia, gave this unexpected tip for improving vocabulary: "I searched for an unfamiliar word when I could not understand it. When I had found the translation in my dictionary, I made a mark with ink (Yes, yes! I spoiled ONE dictionary) When any word had 3 marks next to it, I made cards (one side English, one side Russian) and invented sentences ..." You might be surprised to find how many persons learn vocabulary with this system!
WHAT'S INSIDE THE DICTIONARY
Most dictionaries aim at giving the most complete information to their readers about the words they are looking up. The words are presented with all their characteristics- phonetics in the IPA, grammatical category, meanings and field labels, American variations in spelling, U or C, and what not! All the information is presented in a way that may seem difficult and even incomprehensible for the novice. However the time spent in understanding how a dictionary works is highly rewarding in the end. If you are a student at elementary level you should have a bilingual dictionary, familiarize yourself with it,and use it regularly (better a little often than a lot occasionally!). If you are a more advanced student you can also have an English-English dictionary, which will give you access to the native way of explaining words.
HOW TO ASSOCIATE WORDS TOGETHER -You should familiarize yourself with the parts of speech and how they work.For example, you can associate words that go together such as adjectives and nouns to build noun groups, or modals, verbs and their complements to build verb groups.
- Think twice before associating words together. Words that mean the same in both languages do not necessarily have the same collocations (aptitude for words to go together) in both languages. This means that English words for French ones that go together do not always go together in the English language. eg the adjective "thin" rightly translates the French adjective "fin(e)" in several expressions, but we would not use the adjective 'thin" to determine "rain" in English whereas this can be done in French -"une pluie fine".
-Show your findings and own associations to a teacher and check with him if everything is correct.
FALSE FRIENDS & RED HERRING WORDS
- False friends are words who look the same in both languages but who have a different meaning, eg the English adjective "tentative" (expérimental, temporaire, provisoire, hésitant) does not mean exactly the same as the French noun "tentative" (= attempt in English). Red herring words are words which do not mean what at first we think they mean.
-Put them all in a special notebook and transfer them on your computer database.
- Write the exact translation of the English false friend, and add the French word with which it should not be mistaken. Like this:
| English | French | ||
| actually (adv.) | =en fait , en réalité | actuellement | now, currently, at the moment, . |
| patron
(n.) |
= client, habitué | patron
(n.) |
boss |
| tentative (adj.) | =expérimental, temporaire, provisoire, hésitant | tentative (n.) | = attempt |
In this way you can learn two words instead of one.
HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU NEED?
People are very good at forgetting what they learn. After two days,the amount of knowlege drops from about 80% down to 15%! To attend the classes is not enough. It is thus necessary to spend time reviewing the vocabulary previously studied in class,ie looking at it again and again, and develop regular learning habits. It is better to do a little often than a lot ocasionally. But what is the right time for doing all this? You will find down below a list in which you might find the moments that suit you best.
-before going to school/work
-during school hours or during work
-during breaks
-during lunch time
-after school or after work
-at the weekend
-while travelling to school
-in the tailback while commuting
-on the bus or in the tube
WHAT IS THE BEST WAY ?
The best method is the one that will enable you to memorize the vocabulary you have learned, and use it thereby. Whatever your choice may be you have to consider setting goals and define priorities.
TO CONCLUDE
Margaret Atwood, a Canadian poet and novelist, once said :
"A
word after a word after a word is power."
So, learn well ! Be brave! and acquire the power of words!
