Context  Context (n): the words that come just before and after a word or sentence and that help you understand its meaning.  Last week was Henry’s birthday. He was twenty- one years old. His mother made him a chocolate cake, and his girlfriend bought him a new _____. Neighbor shoe prettywatchtoy dancemoney

Guess the Part of Speech 1. Oprah Winfrey is a successful actress and TV producer, and the first African-American billionaire in the United States. She was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi, a _____ town in America’s south. 2. Her parents separated when she was a small child. For her first five years, she lived with her _____. 3. The family was very poor. Her grandmother never had much ______, but there were always books in the house. 4. At a very young age, Oprah ___ to read. She often read aloud to her grandmother. 5. Her love of books stayed with her all her life. She believes that her ability to ____ well was a big help in her career. 6. When she was six years old, Oprah was sent to live _____ her mother in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The Vocabulary Problem  There are an estimated 1,000,000 words in the English language.  Maybe 250,000 are in current use. (It’s impossible to count.)  You can’t and don’t need to learn them all.  In fact, native speakers don’t even learn them all!  Average vocabulary for a college-educated person: 100,000 words.

Which Words Should I Learn? 1. Learn the most commonly used words List of 1000 most common words in English 2. Learn words that are useful to you A. Words you need to know to understand a reading B. Words you have seen before and think you will see again C. Words that are connected to your school subjects, work, and interests

The Most Common Words

Examples: Should You Learn Them?  In an article about a soccer game, you see the word defeat several times. It’s on the list of 1000 words.  In the same article, you see the word injury. It’s not on the list of 1000 words, but it’s important to the article, and you’ve seen it before.  You’re learning how to do your taxes. You see the word income. It’s not on the list of 1000 words, but you need to understand it to finish your taxes.  In a review of a movie, you see the word inadequate. It’s not on the list of 1000 words. You only see it once. You think you understand the word from context.  This film is poorly written and the acting is inadequate. The actors should probably return to acting school.

Steps to Learning Words from Reading 1. Read the passage to the end. Don’t stop. 2. Read the passage again and underline new words. 3. Check your list of 1000 most common words for your underlined words. 1. If an underlined word is on the list, circle it. 2. If it’s not on the list, decide if it’s important to learn. If it’s important, circle it. 4. Write your circled words in your vocabulary notebook.

New Words from Extensive Reading 1. Read a chapter or section of the story to the end. Don’t stop to look up words unless you really get confused. 2. After you finish the chapter or section, go back and read it again. Underline new words lightly in pencil. 3. Check to see if your underlined words are in the list of 1000 most common words. 1. If they are, write them in your vocabulary notebook. 2. If they aren’t, decide if the words are important or useful to you.