Professional Documents
Culture Documents
1. Vocabulary
Can you show me a good reader who doesnt have a good vocabulary? I am afraid that
the answer is a no. You cannot understand passages if you cannot understand words.
Word recognition is essential for decoding texts and comprehending aims of their authors.
A good reader subconsciously recognizes whether a certain word makes sense in a given
sentence and the context of the text being read. If it does not, he reads the text again to
understand if he has misunderstood or misread. Fluent word recognition takes less
cognitive capacity and makes the reader sail smoothly through a complete text without
stressing himself. On the other hand, a sloppy word recognition results in frequent breaks
in reading, loss of interest, and subsequent loss of recall about what was being said in the
passage.
Although a good vocabulary takes long time to build, a workable essential vocabulary
can be built over a short period of time by constantly referring to the dictionary,
analyzing words and their various meanings, and connecting every word with your own
life. The sooner you start doing this, the earlier you will start making headway in your
reading.
EXAMPLE: See if the words in this passage slow you down-
Did you understand the text? Did the words in the text make you stop? If the above text,
containing only three sentences, slowed you down, consider what will happen when you
face full page text containing difficult words.
Here are some words in the passage explained Metaphysics - The branch of philosophy that examines the nature of reality, including
the relationship between mind and matter, substance and attribute, fact and value.
Antitheses - The direct or exact opposite. Direct contrast; opposition.