One the most difficult activities in learning a foreign language is the acquisition of vocabulary. It takes quite a long time and effort to learn and use vocabulary effectively. It not just a question of learning lists of vocabulary and meanings by heart, we should also learn they way they are combined with other words (collocations), the context in which they are used ( formal or informal) or the processes followed to form new words (prefixation, suffixation, conversion and compounding). (Vocabulary compilation)
Collocations or word pairing has been defined as “a tendency of two lexical items to appear in similar contexts”. It means the way that words form predictable relationships with other words. Knowing the meaning of a word is not only knowing its definition but also the kind of words which are often associated. Examples of collocations are combinations with 'make' and 'do' or strong collocations such as phrasal verbs or idioms. Collocations exercises: practice 1, (take, have ,break), practice 2 (different combinations) practice 3 (do and make) practice 4 (multiple choice)
Other words are easy to remember because they are very similar, cognates, both in spelling and meaning, to the learner´s mother tongue, due to the fact that they share the same origin, e.g. "accuse - acusar" or "decorate - decorar".These words are called cognates . There are, however, other words which are similar in spelling but they have a totally different meaning, they are called" false cognates" or "false friends",e.g." actual - real" or "conductor -director de orquesta" . Examples: list 1 , list 2. Exercises: false friends 1. Confusing words practice : practice 2
Another way of enlarging our vocabulary is by adding prefixes and suffixes to words we already know: word formation: most common prefixes and suffixes and practice 1, practice 2 suffixes
Now we are going to revise different way to teach vocabulary:
- Practical activities and games to learn vocabulary
- 5 vocabulary teaching methods
- Presenting vocabulary to your students
- 8 trucos para aprender vocabulario.
Vocabulary organizers: mindmaps, more mandamus , Mindmaps vs concepmaps
