Advanced vocabulary As for word choice, “big words” can be quite impressive if used in small amounts. As mentioned above (1 3.5 to 1 3.8), using synonyms for some common words such as “thing” or “important” can add flavour and variety to your speech or presentation. However, it is not a good idea to flaunt1 fancy words in every sentence. Try to develop a feel for when a little embellishment2 is appropriate, and when it’s better to go with tried-and-true, simple but powerful words and sentences. Ernest Hemingway won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954, and he normally used extremely clear, no-nonsense language: “Pablo stayed in the meadow talking to the horse for a long time. The horse understood nothing that he said” (For Whom the Bell Tolls, p. 67). The vocabulary areas you should focus on include: 1 the terminology of your topics; 2 idiomatic phrases and expressions; and 3 phrasal verbs. How to increase your vocabulary To increase your vocabulary, read. The more you read, the better. It is especially helpful to read longer texts. Read books, newspapers, magazines. Go to the websites of The Guardian, The New York Times, The Atlantic, Vanity Fair, Wired, Salon.com, and thousands more. There are so many fascinating stories waiting to be discovered. To learn the terminology of your topics, read as many texts on those subject areas as possible; and, of course, study the topic-related vocabulary sections of this book. For other ideas to expand your vocabulary, read “Easy Ways to Improve and Expand Your Vocabulary: Seven Tips for Learning New Words” by Randall S. Hansen (search for it or scan this page with the QuickMedia app). There are different types of reading. For our purposes, the most useful technique is close reading. This means that you try to understand exactly what the text says. “Essentially, close reading means reading to uncover layers of meaning that lead to deep comprehension.” This means that “you observe facts and details about the text.” For our purposes, this usually includes focusing on new and unknown words and phrases. Underline them and then look them up to find out what they mean. Learn as much new language from the text as possible. Also, pay attention to the writer’s choice of words (= style) and grammatical structures, and don’t hesitate to borrow some of the newly learned elements in your next text or presentation. To learn idiomatic phrases and expressions, the first and most important step is to become aware of the fact that some words very often go together with other words (“collocations”). For example, you normally use the verb “do” to talk about homework (so you say, “I’m going to do my homework”, but you use the verb “make” to talk about your bed (“I think you should make your bed before you leave”). When you read the words “at a breakneck”, you can be almost certain that the next word will be “pace”. (Look it up on the internet!) Learn to pay attention to those combinations of words. Try to memorise chunks of language, phrases rather than single words. For example, don’t just learn the word “rampant” (zügellos, ausufernd) but the phrase “run rampant” (“to be very common, or to spread very quickly and in a way that is difficult to control”). There are lots of great websites to learn collocations. Use a search engine to find them. When a group of words has a special meaning that can’t be deduced from the meanings of its elements, it is called an idiom. Understanding idioms can be tricky, and sometimes the meaning depends on the context. For example, if you say, “The good news really made my day”, it means that you were very happy. By contrast, the line “Go ahead, make my day” is used to warn a person not to make a wrong move (or to dare them to do it). Some idioms sound quite old-fashioned (e.g. “carry coals to Newcastle” or “it’s raining cats and dogs”). However, if you are a fan of this style, you can still use them. Again, extensive lists of idioms can be found online, e.g. at https://www.ef.com/wwen/english-resources/english-idioms or https://www.eslcafe.com/resources/idioms. b Nothing increases your vocabulary like reading. How-to 9.3 Close reading Idiomatic phrases & expressions, collocations Idioms 1 to flaunt with something: mit etwas protzen, etwas zur Schau stellen 2 embellishment: Verzierung 83 Key aspects Strategies Sample task 9 Politics Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv
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