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Words! Words! Words!Words! Words! Words!
Alan MarshAlan Marsh
MATEFL 2013MATEFL 2013
Today’s agenda
1 Numbers and words2 Er …….? Or Is this the most useful lesson
I’ve ever taught?
Inspirational dictationInspirational dictation
• conveyed conveyed withoutwithout littlelittle
• veryvery vocabulary bevocabulary be
• grammargrammar nothingnothing cancan
• withoutwithout conveyedconveyedbebe
• cancan
A famous quote ……A famous quote ……
““Without grammar very little can be Without grammar very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed”. (Wilkins nothing can be conveyed”. (Wilkins 1972)1972)
English words and numbers
•50,000
•20,000
•Half a million
•2,000
•7,500
How many words …?How many words …?
• 1 How many words are there in English?1 How many words are there in English?• 2 How many words does an educated native 2 How many words does an educated native
speaker of English speaker of English understandunderstand??• 3 How many words does an educated native 3 How many words does an educated native
speaker of English speaker of English have as part of their active have as part of their active vocabularyvocabulary
• 4 How many words does a speaker of English need 4 How many words does a speaker of English need to be able to take part in everyday conversation?to be able to take part in everyday conversation?
• 5 How many words are defined in an Advanced 5 How many words are defined in an Advanced Learner’s Dictionary?Learner’s Dictionary?
• 6 How many words does a reader of English need to 6 How many words does a reader of English need to understand most texts?understand most texts?
• 1 How many words are there in English?1 How many words are there in English?• Half a million?Half a million?• 2 How many words does an educated native speaker of 2 How many words does an educated native speaker of
English English understandunderstand??• 50,000?50,000?• 3 How many words does an educated native speaker of 3 How many words does an educated native speaker of
English have as part of theirEnglish have as part of their active active vocabularyvocabulary• 20,000?20,000?• 4 How many words does a speaker of English need to be 4 How many words does a speaker of English need to be
able to take part in everyday conversation?able to take part in everyday conversation?• About 2000About 2000• 5 How many words are defined in an Advanced Learner’s 5 How many words are defined in an Advanced Learner’s
Dictionary?Dictionary?• Macmillan’ Advanced Learner’s Dictionary: 7500 key wordsMacmillan’ Advanced Learner’s Dictionary: 7500 key words• 6 How many words does a reader of English need to 6 How many words does a reader of English need to
understand most texts?understand most texts?
How many words does a How many words does a readerreader of of English need to understand most English need to understand most texts?texts?
• Top Top 2,0002,000 words = words = 83%83% of most texts i.e. of most texts i.e. 11 out of out of 55 will be will be unfamiliarunfamiliar
• Top Top 6,0006,000 words = words = 90%,90%, which means which means 11 word out of word out of 1010 will be will be unfamiliarunfamiliar to you to you
• Top Top 10,00010,000 words = words = 95%95% i.e. only i.e. only 11 word word out of out of 2020 will be will be unfamiliarunfamiliar to you - pretty to you - pretty good if you need to work words out from good if you need to work words out from context.context.
• Macmillan Advanced Learner’s dictionary Macmillan Advanced Learner’s dictionary identifies identifies 75007500 key words that advanced key words that advanced learners should knowlearners should know
The top 2000 work the The top 2000 work the hardest!hardest!• Enable learners to speak, read, write and Enable learners to speak, read, write and
listen at Elementary (A1) level about listen at Elementary (A1) level about everyday subjects (+ some subject everyday subjects (+ some subject specific vocabulary)specific vocabulary)
• Since they’re so frequent, they can help Since they’re so frequent, they can help learners to work out meanings, and to ask learners to work out meanings, and to ask for help in real situationsfor help in real situations
• Learners’ dictionaries typically use 2000-Learners’ dictionaries typically use 2000-2500 words as their ‘defining vocabulary’2500 words as their ‘defining vocabulary’
Mmmm ….. Is there a problem?• How many new words do you teach every
lesson?
• How many times do learners need to recall and revise words before they’re permanently stored?
• How many lessons of English do learners have?
• How long do they need in order to permanently store (and be able to recall) 10,000 words?
• Is there a problem here?
What does ‘knowing a word’ mean?What does ‘knowing a word’ mean?
word building
synonyms
translation
antonyms
colligatescollocates
register
connotation
core meaning
part of speech
stressespronunciation
suburbs
How can we help?How can we help?
• Help them to ….NoticeHelp them to ….Notice• Help them to …Record and StoreHelp them to …Record and Store• Help them to …Retrieve and UseHelp them to …Retrieve and Use• Help them to …Extend and Help them to …Extend and
EnrichEnrich• Introduce them to learn…Words Introduce them to learn…Words
for getting around wordsfor getting around words
Going blank
Riding to the rescue …..
Learner TrainingLearner Training
Circumlocution and paraphrasing Circumlocution and paraphrasing strategiesstrategies
How to ‘switch on the light’
CROSSWORD RACE
The answers!
• 3A stale 10A fall asleep 4D lose
• 9D improbable 8A engine 5D tears
• 16D toothpaste 11A rise 20A error
• 7D delete 14A exhausted
• 15A look it up 2D catch up
• 12D unemployed 17A coach 19A shark
• 1D vehicle 10D fuel 18A vet 13D delicatessen 6D broken up
Do you remember the clues?• a. It’s the _____ _____ … fresh/wake up/win/probable• b. It’s ______ _____ _____… go up/mistake• It _______ _____ _____ as cancel• c. It’s a _____ _____ means of transport/fish• d. It’s _____ _____ _____ _____ .. coal, oil, gas etc. /
car, bus, van, etc.• e. It’s the person _____ …. (vet)• It’s the place _____ … (delicatessen)• f. It’s _____ you … (engine) • It’s _____ _____ _____ you _____ for _____ …
(toothpaste)• It’s _____ … (tears)• g. It’s _____ you _____ _____ you … (unemployed)• It’s _____ you _____ _____ you … (look it up /
catch up)• It’s _____ you _____ _____ you … (exhausted)
Paraphrasing and circumlocution• It’s a synonym/another word for ….• It’s the opposite of …..• It’s a kind/type/sort of ..• It’s the general word for …, …., and …
• It’s the thing/stuff you use when you/to …• It’s the place where ….• It’s a/the person who …• It’s how you (feel) when ….• It’s what you (do) when you/to …… • An example sentence with a context
Useful phrases in ItalianUseful phrases in Italian
• Come si dice ..? Come si dice ..?
• E un’altra parola che vuol dire …..E un’altra parola che vuol dire …..
• E un sinonomo di ...E un sinonomo di ...
• Si dice cosi quando si ....Si dice cosi quando si ....
• E il contrario di ….E il contrario di ….
• E un tipo di ..... E una specie di ... E un tipo di ..... E una specie di ...
• E una cosa che si usa quandoE una cosa che si usa quando / /perper
• A last couple of thoughts …..A last couple of thoughts …..
Bricks and mortar …..
• glimpse exciting killer professor
• rush experience enigma protection
• attractive factor leader record
• awful fair-haired lovely rugged
• beautiful fair-skinned lover scenic
• quirky whisper magnificent gutted
• cute fascinating dangerous encounter
• flight attendant moving stunning die
• gang newscaster sunburnt doctor good-looking suntanned elegant murder
• dramatic handsome pig rescue
Words we like ….Words we like ….
• mellifluousmellifluous
• serendipityserendipity
• flabbergastedflabbergasted
• helter-skelterhelter-skelter
• wishy-washywishy-washy
• And in Maltese ….And in Maltese ….
• sahansitrasahansitra
Engagement … and marry the words
•Choose two you like… and say why
•Connect three in a sentence
•Write a newspaper headline
•Make up a story
•Make up a long sentence
•And now …..
•How many can you remember?
Some websites for starters …• www.teachingenglish.org British Council
• www.onestopenglish.com Macmillan
• www.ELTCommunity.com Pearson Longman
• www.matefl.org many more links
• www.mes-english.com flashcards
• www.learningenglish.com for your learners
• www.etprofessional.com practical magazine
• ??????????
Books I’ve found very useful
• Vocabulary In Use, CUP: the whole series• (including Collocations In Use, Phrasal Verbs In Use, etc.)• S. Thornbury How To Teach Vocabulary (Longman)• S. Redman and R. Ellis A Way With Words (1-3) • M.McCarthy, A. O’Keefe, S. Walsh Vocabulary Matrix, Heinle
Cengage• J. Scrivener Learning Teaching, Macmillan• S. Thornbury, An A-Z of ELT, Macmillan• J. Richards, J. Platt, H. Platt Dictionary of Language Teaching
& Applied Linguistics, Longman• All the Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, Cambridge,
Macmillan, Oxford, and Collins Cobuild
