Vocabulary Techniques

PICTURE CLUES

Good readers use appropriate strategies of decoding to recognize unknown words when reading. Using pictures is a strategy that can help your child when he/she comes to an unknown word. • Before reading, share the title and illustrations on

the cover of the book.

• Before reading, take a picture walk through the book identifying illustrations that coincide with key vocabulary words in the text.

• Read the text together and remind your child to use the picture clues to identify key words.

CONFIGURATION

Configuration is the arrangement of the parts of something. It refers to the information given through the size and shape of the letters as well as the length and the number of letters there are in a word

CONTEXT CLUES

are hints that an author gives to help define a difficult or unusual word. The clue may appear within the same sentence as the word to which it refers, or it may follow in a preceding sentence. Because most of one’s vocabulary is gained through reading, it is important that you be able to recognize and take advantage of context clues.

There are at least four kinds of context clues that are quite common:

1)a synonym (or repeat context clue) which appears in that sentence.

2) An antonym (or contrast context clue) that has the opposite meaning, which can reveal the meaning of an unknown term.

3) an explanation for an unknown word is given (definition context clue) within the sentence or in the sentence immediately preceding.

4) specific examples (an example context clue) used to define the term.

STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS

is the way that parts of a word are interpreted to form the entire word. Structural analysis can help readers determine the way a word is pronounced and the way that it is being used in a sentence.

The Importance of Structural Analysis

Studying roots, prefixes, and suffixes helps students:

• Learn to break apart unfamiliar words in order to understand their overall meanings

• Understand how prefixes and suffixes can change a word's meaning and how much of our language is constructed

• Increase vocabulary and reading comprehension

WORD ASSOCIATIONS

When you come across a word, a number of ideas may come into your mind. You are able to think of other words. The process of forming links as you think of the word is called word association. The more links there are between words, the more you understand them. Word associations also help you remember better words you have learned before. As you recall them they become a part of your active vocabulary. You eventually, are able to use them when you talk or write.

WORD ASSOCIATIONS ARE GENERALLY CLASSIFIED AS FOLLOWS:

1. SIMILARITYEXAMPLE: ROAD – STREET, PATH, HIGHWAY

2. CONTRASTEXAMPLE: HAPPY-SAD

3.ASSONANCEEXAMPLE: SITE-CITE, SIGHT, SCYTHE

4. SUBORDINATIONEXAMPLE: ANIMAL – LION, TIGER

5. CO-ORDINATIONEXAMPLE: VIOLIN – GUITAR, CELLO, BANDURIA

6. SUPERORDINATIONEXAMPLE: CABBAGE - VEGETABLES

7. DERIVATIONEXAMPLE: FRIEND – FRIENDSHIP

8. PREDICATIONEXAMPLE: BIRD – FLY, EAT, DRINK

9.COMPLETIONEXAMPLE: BLACK – BLACKBOARD

10. CHARACTERISTIC OR PROPERTYEXAMPLE: TEACHER – STRICK, INTELLIGENCE

WORD BUILDERS

WORD CLUSTERING is a technique for partitioning sets of words into subsets of semantically similar words and is increasingly becoming a major technique used in a number of tasks ranging from word sense or structural disambiguation to information retrieval and filtering.

WORD CLINE - A word cline is a graded sequence of words whose meanings span across a continuum of meanings on a sloping line. This activity expands students’ vocabulary and to discover shades of meaning between words

unlikelyperhaps

sometimesoften

regularly

always

IDIOMS

WHEN YOU READ, YOU OFTEN MEET EXPRESSION LIKE BETTER-HALF, CROCODILE TEARS, BLACK SHEEP, AND OTHERS. THESE EXPRESSIONS HAVE MEANINGS WHICH ARE NOT READILY UNDERSTANDABLE FROM THEIR GRAMMATICAL CONSTRUCTIONS AND FROM THE MEANING OF THEIR SEPARATE ELEMENTS. THESE EXPRESSION ARE CALLED IDIOMS. AN IDIOMS IS AN EXPRESSION PECULIAR TO LANGUAGE.

ANY STUDENTS INTERESTED TO LEARN IDIOMS SHOULD TAKE NOTE OF THE FOLLOWING:

1.NOTE THE PRECISE WORDS THAT MAKE UP ANY IDIOM. NOTE THE EXACT ARRANGEMENT OF THE WORDS, TOO.

2.READ MUCH AND NOTE IDIOMS USED.

3.READ GOOD MODERN AUTHORS.

4.COMMIT IDOMATIC EXPRESSIONS TO MEMORY

THE FOLLOWING ARE EXAMPLES OF IDIOMS AND THEIR MEANINGS:

1.CROCODILE TEARS – pretended sorrow2.CLOSW-FISTED MAN – a miser3.COLD-RECEPTION – a reception wanting

cordially4.BLACKMAIL – money extorted by threat or

intimidation5.GREENHORN – an inexperienced person6.ARGUS-EYED – jealously watchful7.BROAD DAYLIGHT – open, full daylight

FIGURE OF SPEECH

The language we use may sometime be literal or figurative. Literal language uses words in their exact meaning. Figurative language uses words not only in their literal meanings but with a certain emotional coloring. Uses of figures of speech quickens the imagination and stimulates the emotion. The expression add to the effectiveness of our speech. Figure of speech are therefore important because they give color, decoration and life to language.

Common figures of speech are the simile, metaphor, personification, apostrophe, hyperbole, oxymoron

Simile

A simile is a comparison between two unlike objects made by using like or as.

Examples: 1. His mind is like a sponge.2. She is a meek as a lamb.3. The clouds were like masses of whipped cream.

Metaphor

A metaphor as an indirect comparison. A metaphor may be more difficult to recognize because there are no signalling words. The comparison is complete.

Examples: 4. The child is father of the man5. The lion was a friendly kitten6. His mind is a computer.

PERSONIFICATION

Personification is the giving of human characteristics and capabilities to nonhuman things such as inanimate objects, abstract ideas, or animals.

Examples:1. The leaves of the trees were whispering to one another.2. The clouds cried a torrent of tears.3. The sun looked upon the ship all day

APOSTROPHE

the apostrophe is a figure of speech in which the writer directly addresses an absent person as if he were present, or an inanimate object or an abstract ideas as if it had life

the apostrophe goes one step further than personification – it talks to the newly created person.

Examples: 1. O wind, if winter comes, can spring be far behind? 2. Oh, mother, how I wish you were here to see the sight. 3. Time, you old gypsy man, will you not stay?

HYPERBOLE

hyperbole is the use of excessive exaggeration for effect.

Examples:1. She cried forever!2. He is tall as a giant3. I’ve been waiting for an eternity

OXYMORON

oxymoron is the combing of contraries (opposites) to portray a particular image or to produce a striking effect.

Examples:4. Parting is such sweet sorrow.5. less is more6. It is kinder to be cruel to her this time.

Identify the figure of speech used.

1.The typical teenage boy’s room is a disaster area.2.cute as a kitten3.The detective listened to her tales with a wooden

face.4.Pain for pleasure5.You could have knocked me over with a feather6.He is as funny as a barrel of monkeys7.She did not realize that opportunity was knocking

at her door.8.The thunder grumbled like an old man9.Car, please get me to work today10. This car goes faster than the speed of light.