Reading 3/Young/Fall 2016

THE ACADEMIC WORD LIST

The Academic Word List (AWL) is a list of high-frequency academic vocabulary that you must know in order to succeed in regular (non-ESL) classes. We will not spend much time in class on them, so you will need to study them on your own. Below are links to the lists, as well as on-line exercises. Quizzes will be approximately every week. Some questions will ask you to choose the best answer (multiple choice), while others will ask you to use the words in meaningful sentences.

Meaningful SentencesA meaningful sentence shows that you understand the meaning of the word. Some ways to write these sentences are:

1. With a definition: Variable means changeable.2. With an example: In the equation (x+1=y), x and y are variables.3. With a clear context, usually including an explanation: The weather has been variable lately:

we never know what it will be from one day to another.BAD examples of sentences—ones which are NOT meaningful—are these:

X The weather is variable. (Cool? Warm? Rainy? Sunny? Good? Bad?)X Traffic is variable. X My father is variable.

The lists:

Lists 1-3 http://web.pdx.edu/~i6my/nr3/AWL_shortLists_1_2_3.doc

List 4 http://web.pdx.edu/~i6my/nr3/AWL_shortList_4.doc

Lists 1 &2long forms http://web.pdx.edu/~i6my/nr3/AWLlists1_2longforms.doc

Exercises and other information:

Introduction/Overview (a bit difficult to use):http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/~alzsh3/acvocab/

This link shows word families and gives easier definitions.http://www.uefap.com/vocab/select/awl.htm

This link shows the part of speech and the meaning of all words, but the definitions are often difficult to understand.http://www.rong-chang.com/awlmenu.htm

Exercises:[Note: Click on the sublist that you want to work with at the top of the page. At this website, each sublist is divided into 6 different groups.)http://www.academicvocabularyexercises.com/#ex

This link shows the usage of words.http://www.uefap.com/vocab/exercise/exercise.htm