Introduction
To the Student

Why Vocabulary Development Counts

You have probably often heard it said, “Building vocabulary is important.” Maybe you’ve politely nodded in agreement and then forgotten the matter. But it would be fair for you to ask, “Why is vocabulary development important? Provide some evidence.” Here are four compelling arguments:

1 Common sense tells you what many research studies have shown as well: Vocabulary is a basic part of reading comprehension. Simply put, if you don’t know enough words, you are going to have trouble understanding what you read. An occasional word may not stop you, but if there are too many words you don’t know, comprehension will suffer. The content of textbooks is often challenging enough; you don’t want to spend extra time on understanding the words that express that content.

2 Vocabulary is a major part of almost every standardized test, including reading achievement tests, high-school exit exams, college entrance exams, and armed forces and vocational placement tests. Test developers know that vocabulary is a key measure of both one’s learning and one’s ability to learn. It is for this reason that they include a separate vocabulary section as well as a reading comprehension section. The more words you know, then, the better you are likely to do on such important tests.

3 Studies have indicated that students with strong vocabularies are more successful in school. And one widely known study found that a good vocabulary, more than any other factor, was common to people enjoying successful careers in life. Words are, in fact, the tools not only of better reading, but of better writing, speaking, listening, and thinking as well. The more words you have at your command, the more effective your communication can be, and the more influence you can have on the people around you.

4 In today’s world, a good vocabulary counts more than ever. Far fewer people work on farms or in factories. Far more are in jobs that provide services or process information. More than ever, words are the tools of our trade—in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Furthermore, experts say that tomorrow’s workers will be called on to change jobs and learn new skills at an ever-increasing pace. The keys to survival and success will be the abilities to communicate skillfully and learn quickly. A solid vocabulary is essential for both of these skills.

Clearly, the evidence is overwhelming that building vocabulary is crucial. The question then becomes, “What is the best way of going about it?”

Words in Context: The Key to Vocabulary Development

Memorizing lists of words is a traditional method of vocabulary development. However, you are likely to forget such memorized lists quickly. Studies show that to master a word, you must see and use it in various contexts. By working actively and repeatedly with a word, you greatly increase the chance of really learning it.

Vocabulary Chapters

When you review the main menu for Groundwork for a Better Vocabulary, you’ll see each chapter consists of seven activities:

● The first part of the chapter is called Ten Words in Context. In this activity, you’ll be presented with ten new vocabulary words. Each word will be in boldface. If you click it, you will hear it spoken out loud (make sure your device’s volume is turned up). Next to the word, you will also be shown how to pronounce it (in parentheses). For example, the pronunciation of challenge (the first word in Chapter 1) is (chălənj). You can find the full pronunciation guide here or refer to it anytime in the main menu right beneath the book’s introduction.

Along with the word’s pronunciation, you will also be given its part of speech. The part of speech shown for challenge is 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. Familiar nouns include boyfriend, city, hat, and truth. Adjectives are words that describe nouns, as in the following word pairs: former boyfriend, large city, red hat, whole truth. All of the verbs in this book express an action of some sort. They tell what someone or something is doing. Common verbs include sing, separate, support, and imagine.

Beneath each word are two sentences and, for some, a picture that will help you understand its meaning. In each sentence, the context—the other words in the sentence—provides clues you can use to figure out the definition. There are four common types of context clues: examples, synonyms, antonyms, and the general sense of the sentence. Each is briefly described below.

1 Examples
A sentence may include examples that reveal what an unfamiliar word means. For instance, take a look at the following sentence from Chapter 2 for the word category:

When Jasmine was in high school, she didn’t seem to fit into any category. She wasn’t an athlete, a scholar, or a rebel.

The second sentence gives three examples of category—being “an athlete, a scholar, or a rebel.” To figure out what category means, think about those examples. What is the speaker saying that Jasmine doesn’t fit into? Look at the choices below, and pick the answer you think is correct.

___ Category means
a. goal.
b. group.
c. feeling.

Since the speaker is talking about the types of groups in high school, you may have correctly guessed that answer b is the right choice.

2 Synonyms
Synonyms are words that mean the same or almost the same as another word. For example, the words joyful, happy, and pleased are synonyms—they all mean about the same thing. A synonym serves as a context clue by stating the meaning of an unknown word that is nearby. For instance, the sentence below from Chapter 1 includes a synonym clue for the vocabulary word peculiar.

My brother thinks my chip-and-pickle sandwiches are peculiar, but I don’t think they’re as strange as the peanut-butter-and-tuna sandwiches he eats.

Rather than repeat peculiar in the second part of the sentence, the author used a synonym. Find that synonym, and then choose the meaning of peculiar from the answer listed below.

___ Peculiar means
a. attractive.
b. innocent.
c. unusual.

In the sentence from Chapter 1, strange is used as a synonym for peculiar. Both words refer to something that is considered unusual. Therefore, the correct answer is c.

3 Antonyms
Antonyms are words with opposite meanings. For example, help and harm are antonyms, as are work and rest. Antonyms serve as context clues by stating the opposite meaning of an unknown word. The sentence below from Chapter 2 provides an antonym clue for the word deliberate.

Manny’s pushing me was quite deliberate; it wasn’t accidental at all.

To make a point, the author used an antonym of deliberate. Find the antonym, and use it to help you figure out what deliberate means.

___ Deliberate means
a. planned.
b. easy.
c. fair.

The sentence suggests that “deliberate” pushing and “accidental” pushing are opposites. Another word that is the opposite of accidental is planned, so a is the correct answer. Deliberate means “planned.”

4 General Sense of the Sentence
Even when there is no example, synonym, or antonym clue in a sentence, most of the time you can still figure out the meaning of an unfamiliar word. For example, look at the sentence from Chapter 1 for the word surplus.

More and more restaurants are donating their surplus food to homeless people.

After studying the context carefully, you should be able to figure out what kind of food would likely be given to the homeless by restaurants. Select the best answer from the list below.

___ Surplus means
a. strange.
b. extra.
c. main.

From the general sense of the sentence above, plus your own common sense, you probably guessed that the restaurants are donating “extra” food. Answer b is correct.

By looking closely at the pair of sentences provided for each word, as well as the answer choices, you should be able to decide on the meaning of a word. As you figure out each meaning, you are working actively with the word. You are creating the groundwork you need to understand and to remember the word. Getting involved with the word and developing a feel for it, based upon its use in context, is the key to word mastery.

● The second activity in each chapter is called Matching Words with Definitions.

According to research, it is not enough to see a word in context. At a certain point, it is important to look at the actual meaning of a word. The matching activity provides that meaning, but it also makes you look for and think about that meaning. In other words, it continues the active learning that is your surest route to learning and remembering a word.

Note the caution that follows this activity. Do not proceed any further until you are sure that you know the correct meaning of each word as used in context.

Keep in mind that a word may have more than one meaning. In fact, some words have quite a few meanings. (If you doubt it, try looking up the word make or draw in a dictionary.) In this book, you will focus on one common meaning for each vocabulary word. However, many of the words have additional meanings. For example, in Chapter 1, you will learn that challenge means “a test of one’s abilities,” as in the sentence “My new job is a real challenge.” If you then look up challenge in the dictionary, you will discover that it has other meanings. For example, it can also mean “a call to take part in a contest or fight,” as in “Ted never turns down a challenge to play any kind of game.” After you learn one common meaning of a word, you will find yourself gradually learning its other meanings in the course of your school and personal reading.

● The third activity of the chapter is titled Sentence Check 1.

The first check consists of ten sentences that give you an opportunity to test your understanding of the ten words. As you complete each item, be sure to read the explanations of each answer. Doing so will help you to master the words and to prepare for the last two activities and the unit tests.

● The fourth and fifth activity of the chapter are titled Sentence Check 2 and Final Check. Each part tests you on all ten words, giving you two more chances to deepen your mastery. In the fifth part, you have the context of an entire passage in which you can practice applying the words.

In addition, many of the words are repeated in context in later chapters of the book. Such repeated words are marked with a small circle (°).

A Final Thought

The facts are in. A strong vocabulary is a source of power. Words can make you a better reader, writer, speaker, thinker, and learner. They can dramatically increase your chances of success in school and in your job. But a strong vocabulary will not come without effort. Words must be learned in a program of regular study. If you commit yourself to learning words, and you work actively and honestly with the chapters in this book, you will not only enrich your vocabulary—you will enrich your life as well.