Confusing word pairs PART ONE ( a short review...)- TOEIC Students and Upper level learners

Vocabulary acquisition is a challenge when learning a new language, trust me, I know. I am bilingual, fluent in Afrikaans as a second language-steadily working at Russian and attempting German as some of you may well know- yet I am well aware of the fact that vocabulary acquisition is a never-ending road...

Remembering vocabulary is always a challenge after we have have learnt new words. A simple fact.

This is an issue raised by many of my students as we study new words and phrases in class.To make matters more interesting- the situation of dealing with synonyms and homonyms can often cause confusion. In my experience- words are often confused by students, no matter the level they are on. 

Word pairs are essential- something to be taught and studied, these word pairs often appear in exams like the TOEIC.

Below, is a short review of some confusing word pairs:

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advice (noun)

recommendation

I need some advice, how can I manage my time?

advise (verb)

the act of giving a recommendation

I advise (that) you go and see her now!

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effect:

the result or influence of something- noun

I tried taking tablets for the headache but they didn't have any effect.

affect:

 to influence or produce an effect on

Health issues, like Fibromyalgia affect people in their twenties right through to those in their more senior years.

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allot

to give something, especially a share of something available, for a particular purpose:

[+ two objects] They allotted everyone a separate desk.

a lot

always two words meaning many

I have a lot of homework to correct.

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assistance (noun)

help

I need some assistance with these reports.

assistants (noun)

people who help

I need a new assistant- the one I have at the moment just isn't working out!

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complement / compliment

Complement is a noun or verb that means something that completes or makes up a whole:

The black jacket is a perfect complement to those lovely slacks.

Compliment is a noun or verb that means an expression of praise or admiration:

Students receive compliments when they do well in class.

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council / councilor / counsel / counselor

A councilor is a member of a council, which is an assembly called together for discussion or deliberation. 

A counselor is one who gives counsel, which is advice or guidance. More specifically, a counselor can be an attorney or a supervisor at camp.

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i.e. / e.g.

The abbreviation e.g. means for example (from Latin exempli gratia): 

She gives a variety of language sessions (e.g.,Art, crafts, English literature, Grammar and Exam tutorials.).

 The abbreviation i.e. means that is or in other words (from Latin id est): 

The joy of my existence (i.e., Teaching English) imbues my life with meaning.

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lend / loan

Some say that loan should only be used as a noun, lend and loan are both acceptable as verbs in standard English: “Can you lend (loan) me a dollar?” However, only lend should be used in figurative senses: “Will you lend me a hand?”/ ''lend me an ear...''

Motivation/ Inspiration to start the week- Simple Reminders :)

Good day, lovely readers- How do you do on this day of utter finesse and joviality? A a lugubrious face will not serve you well at all - keep a smile on your dial and a dash of happiness in hand... I have been pondering the topic of motivation lately...much to my surprise, I came across a lovely website- ''Simple reminders'', to which the pictures below, are credited. 

I trust that these texts will be easy to digest- a morsel of motivation on which to frugally feast...Now- I must get back to my prior engagements- undivided attention in the virtual classroom.

May you smile today. May you be blessed and bless others.

Be good to each other.

Learning through music---> Carole King and friends- Gap fill activity

When you're down and troubled

And you need some loving care

And nothing, nothing is going right

Close your eyes and think of me

And soon I will be there

To brighten up even your darkest night

You just call out my name

And you know wherever I am

I'll come running to see you again

Winter, spring, summer or fall

All you have to do is call

And I'll be there

You've got a friend

If the sky above you

Grows dark and full of clouds

And that old north wind begins to blow

Keep your head together

And call my name out loud

Soon you'll hear me knocking at your door

You just call out my name

And you know wherever I am

I'll come running to see you

Winter, spring, summer or fall

All you have to do is call

And I'll be there

Ain't it good to know that you've got a friend

When people can be so cold

They'll hurt you, and desert you

And take your soul if you let them

Oh, but don't you let them

You just call out my name

And you know wherever I am

I'll come running to see you again

Winter, spring, summer or fall

All you have to do is call

And I'll be there

You've got a friend

INSTRUCTIONS:

Listen to the first part of the song and fill the blanks with the words you hear.

brighten up, call, darkest, down, fall, helping, right, troubled, wherever

When you're __________ and _________

and you need a _________ hand 

and nothing, oh nothing is going ________,

close your eyes and think of me

and soon I will be there

to _________even your ________night.

You just call out my name

and you know ___________I am

I´ll come running, oh yeah baby, to see you again.

Winter, spring, summer or _________-,

all you got to do is __________

and I'll be there yeah yeah yeah

you've got a friend.

2. Before listening to the second part  match the following letters with the correct numbers- guessing based on meaning- Then, listen to it and check your answers:

a. If the sky

b. should turn dark 

c. and that old north wind 

d. keep your head 

e. and call my name 

f. soon I'll be knocking 

g. You just call 

h. and you know 

i. I´ll come running,

1.out loud now

2.above you

3.should begin to blow,

4.together

5.upon your door.

6.and full of clouds 

7.out my name

8.wherever I am

9.oh yes I will, to see you again.

READING TASK: READ ALOUD: 

Reading aloud is the foundation for literacy development. It is the single most important activity for reading success .

(Bredekamp, Copple, & Neuman, 2000)

''This song is about being there for others and being a friend for someone in need. Along with Tapestry tracks like "So Far Away" and "Home Again," it is a reflection on how friends can be just as important as family. King said the song "was as close to pure inspiration as I've ever experienced. The song wrote itself. It was written by something outside of myself, through me."

Carole King's good friend James Taylor played acoustic guitar on five songs from the album, including this one. He and Joni Mitchell also sang backup on this track. Taylor recorded his own version of the song on his album Mud Slide Slim And The Blue Horizon, which he was recording nearby while King was working on Tapestry; Danny Kortchmar, who played guitar on King's sessions and was in her band The City, was good friends with Taylor.

Taylor's version came out as a single in April of 1971, and became a huge hit, going all the way to #1 in the US by July and hitting #4 in the UK. When Tapestry was first released, Taylor was a much bigger star than King, and in the spring of 1971, they toured together with King opening for Taylor.''- Song facts.com

      With thanks to Isabel Perez Torres  and songfacts.com- You are amazing! :)

Why I started this blog... Why you should teach..or not :)

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. 


     Explore. Dream. Discover.

- H. JACKSON BROWN, JR.

I have always wanted to contribute, to help people- I never thought that I would be given that proverbial gap through the privilege of teaching. My teaching experience began some years ago, as a teacher catering for the needs of children aged five to eight, the focus- art. (...and stopping little boys from climbing the tree in my garden/running across the pool net...)

I have had the opportunity to teach English as a foreign language, for a short two years and seven months- yet still going strong. Life has manifested so many blessings, teaching has provided me insight into the fact that we are all learners- all students grabbing at a sky of dangling dreams; I have learnt that it is a duty of some- to help others reach their dreams ( That ''some'', being the teacher! Yes! The teacher, like a candle, does expend itself to light the way...)

When I was working on my T.E.F.L certification through I-to-I , It dawned on me that this was really something I loved. 

To all budding TEFL Teachers-teaching is not part-time, nor is it a get rich quick scheme- you will not get paid well, but the rewards stem deeper- it is a vocation,  a profession in which you sacrifice and work hard at providing people with a means to expand their horizons- cultivating open minds, building confidence and gauging their ability to speak proficiently,

I started this blog out of pure and raw passion for people and teaching English, with the intention of helping beginner TEFL teachers and Foreign language learners gain some ground in their quest. Teaching has become my life- a source of contentment.

We all have bumps in the road and days of exhaustion, after all, we have to invest much time and energy if we want to succeed at anything in life- 

I always say , ''soldier on!'' and bear in mind- that critical to the success of the student/teacher relationship is the ability to focus on the specific needs of the student- inside and outside of the classroom. I did mention sacrifice, did I not? Love it or leave it! 

Very different circumstances will prevail within the classroom setting-so adaptability is key- it takes energy and certainly patience ( a little something I have learnt in my tenure as a TEFL teacher.) 

My ambitions as teacher and facilitator,are always to set realistic goals, encourage positive self-evaluation and ultimately steady levels of confidence. This blog provides me with a means to share useful information freely- a little extra for people who want to do some after class studying.

So as a teacher- passion is key- as students, your key is motivation.

Vocabulary Acquisition---> The five R's and How to memorize+ Adverb and Adjective combinations

Vocabulary acquisition has long since been a question of ''how to'' and ''how do I remember?''....

A simple solution is to read, another is to choose two to three collocations that you feel will serve you best, then try using them repeatedly in conversations and writing. The best way to memorize, is to make use of repetition.

Today we are going to go through the five R's and follow that up with some vocabulary with which you can work- specifically, Adverb and Adjective combinations/collocates.

PASSIVE AND ACTIVE vocabulary:

Passive (or receptive) vocabulary = words that you understand when listening or reading

Active (or productive) vocabulary = words that you use when speaking or writing

Your passive vocabulary is much larger than your active vocabulary.

To use a word, you need to know more than just its meaning.

THE 5 R'S

Read

Research

Record

Revise

Recycle

READ

Reading is the best way to find new vocabulary.

If you don't like reading very much, try short texts (e.g. magazine articles or web pages) on subjects that interest you.

RESEARCH

You can learn some information about a word without looking it up.

The word class (noun, verb, adjective, etc.) may be clear from the sentence.

In this sentence can you guess the word classes of expressed and ventral?

The water is expressed through the plates by pressure from the ventral pouch and tongue.

Answer: expressed is a verb (past participle) and ventral is an adjective.

MEANING

You may be able to guess the meaning from the context.

Racquet and shuttlecock

Can you guess the approximate meanings of shuttlecock or racquet from this sentence?

Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their opponents' half of the court.

Answer: a shuttlecock and racquet  are used in the game of badminton

OTHER CLUES

The word may be similar to other words that you know (in English or another language), or contain prefixes/suffixes that you recognize.

You probably know the words gate and house, so what is a gatehouse?

When the Tower of London's gatehouse collapsed in 1240, the locals celebrated.

Answer: a house built at or over a gate, e.g. at the entrance to a park or castle

USING A DICTIONARY

Besides a definition or translation, a good dictionary can provide other information about a word, such as:

word class (noun, verb, etc.)

pronunciation

collocations

examples of use

RECORD

To remember new words, you need to record them - in a notebook, on cards or on a computer or phone.

Besides the definition/translation, you may want to record some of these details about a new word:

Word

Translation 

Class

Pronunciation ( see a good dictionary or teacher for examples of this :) )

Meaning

Collocations

Collocations are important. If a word is often used together with another word, write this down. For example:

adjective + preposition, e.g. afraid of, married to

verb + noun, e.g. ride a bicycle

REVISE

There is no point in recording new words unless you revise them often.

One way to revise is to make flash cards.

With this method you can learn hundreds of words very quickly.

FLASH CARDS

Cut up some paper cards.

Write an English word on one side of a card.

Write the translation into your language on the other side

RECYCLE

By recycling, we mean using the vocabulary which you have learned.

If you use new vocabulary often, you will remember it more easily and be able to speak more fluently.

Adverbs and adjectives are important - providing key information on how something is done in the case of adverbs, and how something appears to be in the case of adjectives. Adverbs are also used to give extra information about adjectives- as a team, they help our speaking exude flourish.

These are adverb + adjective combinations often found  in academic writing and eloquent/expressive speaking:

applicable-generally applicable

appropriate-culturally appropriate, developmentally appropriate, entirely appropriate, 

particularly- appropriate, socially appropriate

armed- heavily armed

attractive -particularly attractive

available- commercially available, currently available, easily available, freely available, 

generally -available, publicly available, readily available, widely available

aware- acutely aware, fully aware, increasingly aware, keenly aware, painfully aware

absent- conspicuously absent, largely absent

acceptable- mutually acceptable, socially acceptable

accessible- easily accessible, readily accessible

active- economically active, physically active, politically active, sexually active

acute- particularly acute

advanced- technologically advanced

apparent -immediately apparent, increasingly apparent, readily apparent

competitive- highly competitive, increasingly competitive

consistent- entirely consistent, fairly consistent, generally consistent, internally consistent, remarkably consistent

clear -abundantly clear, entirely clear, perfectly clear

contradictory- seemingly contradictory

controversial- highly controversial

correct -politically correct

creative- highly creative

critical -especially critical, highly critical, particularly critical

large- disproportionately large, extremely large, fairly large, 

increasingly large, relatively large, sufficiently large, unusually large

larger- considerably larger, significantly larger, slightly larger

likely- equally likely, especially likely, highly likely, particularly likely

limited- relatively limited

little- relatively little, surprisingly little

long -relatively long

low- comparatively low, extremely low, fairly low, generally low, relatively low

good- fairly good, morally good, particularly good, really good, reasonably good, relatively good

greater- considerably greater, relatively greater, significantly greater, slightly greater, substantially greater

growing- rapidly growing

variable- highly variable

varying- widely varying

viable- commercially viable, economically viable

visible -clearly visible, highly visible

vulnerable -especially vulnerable, highly vulnerable, particularly vulnerable

successful- academically successful, highly successful, partially successful, particularly successful

supportive- mutually supportive

surprising -hardly surprising

susceptible- highly susceptible, particularly susceptible

sustainable- environmentally sustainable

powerful -particularly powerful, politically powerful

preceding- immediately preceding

prescribed- socially prescribed

present- physically present

problematic- especially problematic, highly problematic, particularly problematic

                              For citation of  vocabulary sourced- contact me.