Why a Good Vocabulary Matters
At some point, you have probably heard someone say, “It’s important to have a good vocabulary.” But maybe you really wanted to ask, “Why is having a good vocabulary important?” Here are five reasons why.
1 Knowing a lot of words makes it easier for you to understand others and for others to understand you. Have you ever had trouble following what someone else was saying? Maybe you could not understand the teacher's instructions for an assignment. Perhaps you found it hard to understand a news story or a debate about current events. You probably got upset when you didn’t understand what was being said.
It can also be difficult to tell others what you are thinking and feeling when you don’t know enough words. Maybe the words will not come when you are emailing your teacher or guidance counselor. Perhaps you have a hard time explaining to relatives why you were hurt by something they did. Maybe you have trouble telling friends why you value their friendship.
As your vocabulary gets larger, you will not have to work so hard to understand others—or to make others understand you.
2 A good vocabulary is the key to understanding what you read. If you don’t know enough words, you are going to have trouble with reading comprehension. One or two words whose meanings you don’t know may not stop you. However, if there are many words you don’t know, it will be hard for you to understand what you read. With a strong vocabulary, you will get more out of anything and everything you read.
3 A large vocabulary can help you score higher on tests. Vocabulary is an important part of many tests—for example, school assessments and standardized tests, GED and college entrance exams, armed forces tests, and job placement tests. Why is that? It’s because the people who make these exams know that vocabulary helps measure what you know and how easily you can learn new information. The more words you know, the better you will do on these tests.
4 A solid vocabulary will help you do better in school and at work. Knowing many words makes you a better reader, writer, speaker, listener, and thinker. These are the skills you need to do well in the classroom and on the job. In school, having a good vocabulary helps you understand your textbooks, classmates, and teachers. And in the world of work, a good vocabulary makes it easier for you to understand new ideas so you can get ahead in this fast-changing world.
5 A strong vocabulary helps you believe in yourself. Sometimes people who don’t have large vocabularies are uncomfortable participating in class discussions. They may hear about an interesting job opening but be afraid to apply. Having a strong vocabulary helps you feel you have what it takes to get ahead. In other words, having a strong vocabulary helps you build confidence—the belief that you can do things you never thought you could do.
Now you know why it is so important to have a good vocabulary. The next few pages tell how this book will help you build a strong vocabulary—one that can unlock doors that used to seem tightly closed.
Why Vocabulary Basics Works
The way most books, vocabulary apps, and digital programs try to build vocabulary is by asking students to memorize lists of words. But people usually forget memorized lists quickly. To learn a word really well, you must see and use it a number of times. Vocabulary Basics gives you the chance to use the new words in each chapter seven different ways. By the end of each chapter, you will easily remember what the new words mean because you will have used them so many times.
Understanding Each Chapter
Each chapter of Vocabulary Basics in the Learning Center has six parts. Each part is described below.
1 Learning Eight New Words
The first activity in each chapter is called “Learning Eight New Words.” In this activity, you’ll be presented with eight new vocabulary words. Each word will be in boldface. If you click it, you will hear it spoken out loud (make sure your computer’s volume is turned up). Next to the word, you are also shown how to say, or pronounce, it. For example, here is how to say agreement, one of the words in chapter 1: uh-gree-muhnt. (For help on how to say the new words, use this Pronunciation Guide.)
After showing how to say the boldfaced word, the chapter gives the word’s part of speech. What part of speech is agreement? It is a noun. The vocabulary words in this book are mostly nouns, adjectives, and verbs. Nouns are words used to name something—a person, place, thing, or idea. The words boyfriend, city, hat, and truth are all nouns. Adjectives are words that describe nouns, as in the following word pairs: old boyfriend, large city, red hat, whole truth. Many of the words in this book are verbs, words that show action. They tell what someone or something is doing. The words ask, buy, drive, learn, and sing are all verbs.
Beneath each boldfaced word are two sentences that will help you understand its meaning. For many words, a picture or illustration is also provided to help you. Below the sentences and occasional pictures are three possible meanings for the boldfaced word. From among the three choices, you select the answer that has the closest meaning to that of the boldfaced word. In each sentence, the other words near the boldfaced word—the context—will give clues that help you figure out the meaning of the boldfaced word. There are four kinds of context clues: examples, words with similar meanings, words with opposite meanings, and the meaning of the sentence as a whole. Each kind of context clue is described below.
● Examples
A sentence may have examples that help explain the meaning of the boldfaced word. For instance, take a look at the following sentence (from Chapter 1) and note how the examples (in italics) help explain the meaning of the word agreement:
After fighting for hours, the little girls made an agreement to share their toys.
The sentence gives an example of an agreement—sharing toys. To figure out what agreement means, think about the example. What would it mean if two children said they would share their toys? Now look at the three answer choices below. Choose the letter of the answer you think is right.
___ Agreement means
a. fight.
b. question.
c. promise.
The examples make it clear that the two girls have made a promise to each other, so c is the correct answer.
● Words with Similar Meanings
Words with the same or almost the same meaning are called synonyms (sin-uh-nimz). For example, the words joyful, happy, and pleased are synonyms because they all mean about the same thing. Synonyms often give clues about the meaning of a nearby unknown word. Look at the following sentence (from Chapter 1) and note how the synonym (in italics) helps explain the meaning of the word prepare:
Last year, I prepared all kinds of interesting dishes for our holiday dinner. But this year, I’m going to relax and let someone else make the meal.
Instead of using prepare again in the second sentence, the writer uses the synonym make. Now choose the letter of the right answer.
___ Prepare means
a. get ready.
b. watch.
c. leave.
Since both prepare the meal and make the meal mean “get the meal ready,” answer a is correct.
● Words with Opposite Meanings
Words with opposite or almost opposite meanings are called antonyms (an-toh-nimz). For example, help and hurt are antonyms, as are work and rest. Antonyms can help you figure out the meanings of new words. How? By giving the opposite meaning of an unknown word, an antonym makes it easier to figure out what a new word means. Look at the following sentence from Chapter 1 and note how the antonym (in italics) helps explain the meaning of the word cancel. Then look at the three answer choices below and select the best answer.
I had planned to see the doctor today, but I feel so much better that I think I will cancel my visit there.
___ Cancel means
a. remember.
b. not do as planned.
c. leave.
The sentence says that the writer had planned to see the doctor but now will cancel the visit. You can guess, then, that cancel has the opposite meaning of plan to. So b is the correct answer.
● The Meaning of the Sentence as a Whole
Sometimes there is no example, synonym, or antonym in a sentence. But even without these clues, you can figure out what a word means by studying the meaning of the sentence as a whole. For example, look at the following sentence (from Chapter 1) and see if you can decide on the meaning of the word flexible simply by studying the rest of the sentence:
The new lamp next to my bed has a long flexible neck that can be moved any way I want.
___ Flexible means
a. able to bend.
b. real.
c. heavy.
It’s clear that the neck of the new lamp must be able to bend in different ways. So a is the correct answer.
As you go through the “Learning Eight New Words” sections, look closely at the two sentences given for each word and at the answer choices. As you figure out the meaning of each word, you are doing what’s needed to understand and remember the word. Working with the word in this way and seeing how it is used in a sentence are the keys to completing the rest of the chapter.
2 Matching Words with Meanings
The second activity in each chapter is called “Matching Words with Meanings.” Often it is not enough to see how a word is used in a sentence. To understand a word fully, most people need to see the meaning, or definition, of the word. The matching activity gives the meaning of each new word, but it also makes you look for and think about each meaning. This is the best way to learn and remember a word.
3 Adding One Word to an Item
The third activity of each chapter is called “Adding One Word to an Item.” This section, with eight sentences, gives you a chance to show how well you understand the new words. As you complete each item in the Learning Center, pay attention to the explanations shown to you. They will help explain each item and increase your understanding of the words.
4 Adding Two Words to an Item
The fourth part is called “Adding Two Words to an Item.” This activity is a bit more difficult because you have to see which two words fit best in a sentence. The extra work you do to find the right answers will help you learn the words.
5 Showing You Understand the Words
The fifth activity of each chapter, called “Showing You Understand the Words,” is made up of two sets of four items. Each item uses one of the chapter’s new words. By completing an item or by answering the question asked by an item, you show that you truly understand what the word means. You will, we think, have a lot of fun doing this activity.
6 Adding Words to a Reading
The sixth and final activity, called “Adding Words to a Reading,” presents two interesting readings. By choosing the right word to fill in each blank, you get a good idea of the way the new words can be used in a paragraph.
In addition, this digital version of Vocabulary Basics offers three more online-only activities: The Writing Sentences activity allows you to compose sentences to show your understanding of newly learned words. And the other two optional tests, Online Test 1 and Online Test 2, provide still further opportunity for you to practice and master the words.
Now you know how the Learning Center chapters in Vocabulary Basics are organized. As you have seen, every chapter gives you the chance to work with the new words up to nine times. Items in the Unit Reviews will give you even more practice. Each time you complete an activity, you get closer to making the new words part of your everyday vocabulary.
Unit Reviews
When you glance at the activities in the Learning Center earlier, you’ll see there is a unit review at the end of every six chapters. Each unit review offers five more activities—including crossword puzzles. All in all, you will have the chance to practice using each word in the unit three more times. When you finish the unit reviews, you will have worked at least nine times with each word in the book. By then, you are likely to know the words so well that you will be ready to use them whenever you want.
A Final Thought
The facts are in. It is important to have a strong vocabulary. Having a good vocabulary makes you a better reader, writer, speaker, thinker, and learner. Having a good vocabulary can make things smoother for you at home, in school, and on the job. But learning new words will not happen easily or by itself. You must decide that you want to build your vocabulary and then work hard with the chapters in this book. If you do, you will not only add to your vocabulary—you will add to your life as well. Good luck.
Eliza Comodromos and Paul Langan