Vocabulary:
so far = until now
rarely (adv) = not often, hardly ever
ineffective (adj) = without effect
in context = in use, in a meaningful piece of writing
isolated (adj) = separated from everything, alone
All too often I hear students saying "I need more academic words so I've bought a vocabulary book and I read it before I go to bed". When I ask those students which words they have learnt so far they can very rarely tell me. The fact is: reading meaningless words in a big long list of words is extremely boring and usually ineffective. To learn more 'academic words' you need to see the words in context, in a meaningful piece of writing and not simply in an isolated list. Then, you can see the words in use, understand their meaning and record them. Where should you find these words? The IELTS exam! Use your past papers or practice exams - these are the best source of 'academic vocabulary'. Use all four parts of the exam, try to understand the meaning of unknown words before looking them up in the dictionary and then of course record them on your Vocabulary Record. Then, test yourself regularly. For most of us it is not enough to see a word once and remember it - it takes more effort and time.
Vocabulary: so far = until now rarely (adv) = not often, hardly ever ineffective (adj) = without effect in context = in use, in a meaningful piece of writing isolated (adj) = separated from everything, alone Comments are closed.
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AuthorMy name is Helena Stakounis. I am a Master's Graduate in Applied Linguistics and English Language Teaching. After many years of teaching at home and abroad, opening my own school (Language Cafe) and lecturing at university (Salford), I decided to start a blog to help people succeed in the IELTS exam. I hope you find the information useful. Archives
August 2016
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