Communicating Vocabulary
EJ 417
Do you know what these words mean? We
will look at ways to define them.
squire
irate
abhor
be in hot water
herpetologist
hazardous
‘a steal’
• Today we are going to look at ways to answer
the question from students:
What does that mean?
The police had a suspect in custody and were
interrogating him, but he denied killing anybody.
How do you respond
when a student asks you
what a word or a phrase
means?
Teacher, what’s a
suspect?
What do you do?
Do you . . . ?
• (1) Try to define the word or expression in
English?
“A suspect is somebody that the police think
may have committed a crime, but they are
not sure.”
(2) Tell them to go look it up in a dictionary.
(3) Translate the word into Korean?
In Korean, you say, “용의자.”
• (4) Try to use it in a context that illustrates the
meaning in English?
• When the police found Jack’s fingerprints on
the door he became a suspect in the murder
of his boss, so the police took Jack to the
police station and asked him questions.
Pair Work:
• Task: Take a moment to discuss the
advantages and disadvantages of each way of
communicating vocabulary to your students.
Also discuss how you would deal with this
situation.
We will look at this problem for the next three
weeks.
• For one week we will discuss ways to define
vocabulary items and phrases using English
only definitions.
• For one week we will look at ways to build
vocabulary presentations that put vocabulary
in context.
• Finally, you will give a vocabulary Power Point
presentation project with a partner.
Defining Vocabulary
For Your Students
There are many ways to define vocabulary for
your students. Here are a few of the easiest
ways to define vocabulary:
(1) synonyms
(2) antonyms
(3) relative clauses
(4) noun clauses
(5) conditionals
Synonyms
• We already looked at synonyms when we
discussed word skills at the beginning of the
semester.
• Synonyms are words that have the same (or
nearly the same) in the context given.
Quick and fast are synonyms.
Language for Synonyms.
• Here are some useful patterns for describing
synonyms:
. . . is another word for . . .
. . . mean the same thing as . . .
. . . means . . .
. . . is similar to . . .
. . . is another way of saying . . .
Language for Synonyms
Clever is another word for smart.
Irate means the same thing as angry.
Ideal means the best you can imagine.
Abhor is similar to despise or hate.
You are in hot water is another way of saying
you are in trouble.
Antonyms
• We also already looked at antonyms when we
discussed word skills at the beginning of the
semester.
• Antonyms are words that have opposite
meanings.
Large and small are antonyms.
Language for Antonyms
• The most common way to discuss antonyms is
to use the following phrase:
. . . Is the opposite of . . .
• Hazardous is the opposite of safe.
Relative Clauses (Adjective Clauses)
• Another good way to define a noun is to use a
relative clause.
. . . is a person who . . .
. . . .is a place where . . .
. . . is a time when . . .
. . . a thing that . . .
Word/Category/Description
Another way to define vocabulary is to use the
word/category/description model. This is a
very powerful method for defining nouns and
adjectives.
(word) is (category) that/who/where/when
(description)
• A squire is a young boy who helps a knight with
weapons and armor.
• A herpetologist is a scientist who studies reptiles.
• A prison is a place where criminals are kept.
• Halloween is a time when children wear
costumes and go trick-or-treating.
• A herbivore is an animal that eats only plants.
Adding Detail to the
Word/Category/Definition Model
• We can also slip in an adjective to add detail
to our definition in this model:
The Cyclops was the one-eyed monster that
ate most of Odysseus’s men.
Relative Clauses for Defining
Adjectives.
• Relative clauses are also a great way to define
adjectives because you can group them with
nouns that the adjectives collocate well with.
An extinct animal is an animal that does not
exist anymore because all the members of its
species have died off.
Conditionals
Conditionals are useful for defining idioms, phrases
and phrasal verbs.
• If you are fed up with something then you can’t
stand doing it anymore.
• If you are on cloud nine, then you are very happy.
• If something is a steal, then it is a bargain or it
costs less than it is really worth.
That Means
We often use ‘that means’ when defining terms
with conditionals. This a good way to
distinguish between the words being defined
and the definition.
If you run into someone (that means) you meet
them unexpectedly.
Shades of Meaning and Use
• Another benefit of this model is it’s easy to
distinguish between various shades of
meaning and use:
• If you take care of someone, (that means) you
look after them.
• If you take care of a problem, (that means)
you solve it.
• If you take care not to do something, (that
means) you try not to do it.
Using Nouns Clauses to Define Words
• You can also use noun clauses to define terms but we won’t
cover that this semester.
• Smuggling is when you bring something into a country
illegally.
• A strainer is what you use to get rid of water from
spaghetti noodles.
• A factory is where things are made such as computers and
cars.
• The jury is who decides if somebody is guilty of a crime or
not.
Task 1
• You will be given a list of vocabulary to teach
your class. In pairs come up with definitions
for each of the vocabulary items using the
strategies presented in class (or any other
strategies that you can think of).
Task 2
• Working in pairs, make a Dictionary of Korean
Culture. Define some interesting aspects of
Korean culture to somebody who has never
visited Korea before.