Communicating Vocabulary EJ 417

Do you know what these words mean? We will look at ways to define them. squireirate abhorbe in hot water herpetologisthazardous ‘a steal’

Today we are going to look at ways to answer the question from students: What does that mean?

The police had a suspect in custody and were interrogating him, but he denied killing anybody. How do you respond when a student asks you what a word or a phrase means? Teacher, what’s a suspect?

What do you do? Do you... ?

(1) Try to define the word or expression in English? “A suspect is somebody that the police think may have committed a crime, but they are not sure.”

(2) Tell them to go look it up in a dictionary.

(3) Translate the word into Korean? In Korean, you say, “ 용의자.”

(4) Try to use it in a context that illustrates the meaning in English? When the police found Jack’s fingerprints on the door he became a suspect in the murder of his boss, so the police took Jack to the police station and asked him questions.

Pair Work: Task: Take a moment to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each way of communicating vocabulary to your students. Also discuss how you would deal with this situation.

We will look at this problem for the next three weeks. For one week we will discuss ways to define vocabulary items and phrases using English only definitions. For one week we will look at ways to build vocabulary presentations that put vocabulary in context. Finally, you will give a vocabulary Power Point presentation project with a partner.

Defining Vocabulary For Your Students There are many ways to define vocabulary for your students. Here are a few of the easiest ways to define vocabulary: (1) synonyms (2) antonyms (3) relative clauses (4) noun clauses (5) conditionals

Synonyms We already looked at synonyms when we discussed word skills at the beginning of the semester. Synonyms are words that have the same (or nearly the same) in the context given. Quick and fast are synonyms.

Language for Synonyms. Here are some useful patterns for describing synonyms:... is another word for mean the same thing as means is similar to is another way of saying...

Language for Synonyms Clever is another word for smart. Irate means the same thing as angry. Ideal means the best you can imagine. Abhor is similar to despise or hate. You are in hot water is another way of saying you are in trouble.

Antonyms We also already looked at antonyms when we discussed word skills at the beginning of the semester. Antonyms are words that have opposite meanings. Large and small are antonyms.

Language for Antonyms The most common way to discuss antonyms is to use the following phrase:... Is the opposite of... Hazardous is the opposite of safe.

Relative Clauses (Adjective Clauses) Another good way to define a noun is to use a relative clause.... is a person who is a place where is a time when a thing that...

Word/Category/Description Another way to define vocabulary is to use the word/category/description model. This is a very powerful method for defining nouns and adjectives. (word) is (category) that/who/where/when (description)

A squire is a young boy who helps a knight with weapons and armor. A herpetologist is a scientist who studies reptiles. A prison is a place where criminals are kept. Halloween is a time when children wear costumes and go trick-or-treating. A herbivore is an animal that eats only plants.

Adding Detail to the Word/Category/Definition Model We can also slip in an adjective to add detail to our definition in this model: The Cyclops was the one-eyed monster that ate most of Odysseus’s men.

Relative Clauses for Defining Adjectives. Relative clauses are also a great way to define adjectives because you can group them with nouns that the adjectives collocate well with. An extinct animal is an animal that does not exist anymore because all the members of its species have died off.

Conditionals Conditionals are useful for defining idioms, phrases and phrasal verbs. If you are fed up with something then you can’t stand doing it anymore. If you are on cloud nine, then you are very happy. If something is a steal, then it is a bargain or it costs less than it is really worth.

That Means We often use ‘that means’ when defining terms with conditionals. This a good way to distinguish between the words being defined and the definition. If you run into someone (that means) you meet them unexpectedly.

Shades of Meaning and Use Another benefit of this model is it’s easy to distinguish between various shades of meaning and use: If you take care of someone, (that means) you look after them. If you take care of a problem, (that means) you solve it. If you take care not to do something, (that means) you try not to do it.

Using Nouns Clauses to Define Words You can also use noun clauses to define terms but we won’t cover that this semester. Smuggling is when you bring something into a country illegally. A strainer is what you use to get rid of water from spaghetti noodles. A factory is where things are made such as computers and cars. The jury is who decides if somebody is guilty of a crime or not.

Task 1 You will be given a list of vocabulary to teach your class. In pairs come up with definitions for each of the vocabulary items using the strategies presented in class (or any other strategies that you can think of).

Task 2 Working in pairs, make a Dictionary of Korean Culture. Define some interesting aspects of Korean culture to somebody who has never visited Korea before.