skkn SOME TECHNIQUES FOR GUESSING THE MEANING OF NEW WORDS

When we read, we often come across words that we do not know, so it is very essential to develop techniques to guess the meaning of these unknown words.. 2.3.Introducing Some Techniques

DONG NAI DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION & TRAINING

NGUYEN DINH CHIEU HIGH SCHOOL

Code No:

EXPERIENCE INITIATIVE

Theme:

SOME TECHNIQUES FOR GUESSING THE MEANING OF NEW WORDS.

PRESENTED BY PHAN VAN HOA

RESEARCH AREA: ENGLISH-TEACHING METHOD

Academic Year: 2012- 2013

APPENDIX

1.Reason for choosing the theme Page 3

2.2 Contents, solutions to complement the theme Page 4

2.3.Introducing some techniques for guessing the meaning of new page 4

words

 Technique 1 Page 5

 Technique 2 Page 6

 Technique 3 Page 7

 Technique 4 Pages 7,8

1 REASON FOR CHOOSING THE THEME:

Learning a foreign language,as we all know, is not easy at all It is required

that language learners master enough four skills:Listening, speaking, reading and writing Additionally,We must have proper ways of learning Of all skills, reading plays an important role in getting information to help learners understand texts written in English

When we read, we often come across words that we do not know, so it is very essential to develop techniques to guess the meaning of these unknown words We can use the following techniques to help us understand the text, to develop our reading speed and to build our vocabulary However, it is advised that we shouldn’t use a dictionary to look up the meaning of unknown words in reading a text since it takes time and breaks concentration In addition, it doesn’t help us to understand

the overall meaning of the text With these reasons, the theme: ”Some useful

techniques for guessing the meaning of new words” has been chosen and

presented in this report in the hope that they will help us, English teachers in

general and our dear students in particular increase the effectiveness of their

reading skill as well as reading speed

2 WAYS TO CONDUCT THE THEME:

2.1.Basis Of Reasoning

It is based on many basis like goals, contents and methods of teaching and learning a foreign language, the ability to use it and its role At the same time, some techniques for guessing the meaning of new words are put forward In order

to help students have no difficulty in their reading comprehension, it is required that a teacher be aware of the significance of improving these techniques for students as well as show them how to apply these techniques to reading the texts written in English Furthermore, through this theme, a teacher can have an overall view and systematize the techniques for guessing the meaning of new words in an effective way

It is hoped that the techniques having been mentioned in this report will bring about teachers along with students several benefits in teaching and learning English in general and the reading skill in particular

2.2.Contents,solutions to complement the theme

Following are some basic techniques that assist students to develop their new word-guessing skill effectively I do believe that if teachers know how to apply these techniques fully and flexibly,they certainly will help students promote positiveness, initiative and creativity of students of all levels while teaching a reading skill In addition, the very techniques create an exciting atmosphere of studying for the whole class, shorten the amount of time doing tasks and a

reading - teaching period really becomes more effective than ever

2.3.Introducing Some Techniques For Guessing The Meaning Of New Words

• Use context

• Use grammar

• Use word structure

• Look for word explanation

Technique1: →Use context

Context refers to the text that surrounds the word We should look for clues in

the sentence or paragraph which contains the unknown word to help us guess its

meaning In other words, we read the words before and after them to guess

what they mean.

Example 1: Let’s guess the meaning of the phrase “ with flying colors” in the

following sentence

- In the text about People’s Background,you will read ”… Marie Curie passed all

her exams with flying colors” (adapted from the textbook,English 10-Unit 3).

- As can be seen, we can base on the key words: passed, all exams in the sentence

to help us guess the phrase meaning with excellent grades/results.

 Suggested answer:

With flying colors: (với điểm số xuất sắc)

Example 2 : To provide another proof how effectively this technique works, we’ll

find out more in the following sentences

- In the text about Future Jobs, you will read “…In addition, you may jot down

your qualifications and experience that can relate to the job and prepare for

questions that are often asked during the interview.” (adapted from the textbook, English 12-Unit 6)

We can pay attention to such phrases as qualifications and experience, relate to

the job, prepare for questions, often asked during the interview in the sentence in

order to guess the phrasal verb ”jot down” meaning “note down”.

 Suggested answer:

Jot down: (ghi chú)

Technique 2: →Use grammar

We should look at the grammatical structure of the sentence in which the

unknown word is located For instance, is it a noun, a verb, an adjective or an adverb? To identify the kind of word helps us know if that word is a thing, an

action or a describing word.

Example 1: Take a look at the grammar of the word in the following sentence and

guess what it means

- In the sentence “John went to a big city to purchase a new car last week”.

As we all know the word “purchase” is a verb as it is situated right after “to” Therefore, we can guess it means “buy” since there are not many other verbs which

will make sense in that sentence

 Suggested answer: purchase: mua

Example 2: Read the following sentence and guess the meaning of the

highlighted word.

In the sentence “Smoking is detrimental to your health; the negative aspects

have been proven” The word ” detrimental” is an adjective because it is

located right after the verb ” to be”, so we can guess the word meaning

“harmful” as not many other words will make sense in that sentence.

 Suggested answer: detrimental: có hại

Technique 3: →Use word structure

Is part of the unknown word familiar with you ? Does it have a base word, a

prefix or a suffix that helps us guess its meanings ? If we are able to recognize

these key factors, we will certainly get the right meaning.

Example 1: The following example proves this technique

-The word “mismanagement” consists of the base word “manage” with a negative prefix (mis-) and a noun suffix (-ment) You can probably guess that the word is a noun meaning bad or poor management.

 Suggested answer:

Mismanagement: (sự quản lý kém hay tồi)

Example 2: Let’s look for a part of the word you know in the following example

- In the word “surrounded”, you can see the word “round” which is very

accustomed to you If a village is surrounded by mountains, you can guess that there are mountains all round it.

 Suggested answer:

Surrounded: (được bao quanh)

Technique 4: →Look for word explanation

We should look for an explanation of the word in the text, which is actually sometimes given to us Thanks to the word explanation, we can guess the

meaning of the unknown word with ease.

Example 1: Let’s discover the following example to understand more about this

technique

- In the text about Friendship, we will read “….The first quality is unselfishness A

person who is concerned only with his own interests and feelings cannot be a true

friend” (adapted from the textbook,English 11-Unit 1).

We can pay attention to the prefix un- and such phrases as concerned only, his

own interests and feelings in the next sentence so as to guess what it means.

 Suggested answer:

Unselfishness: (sự không ích kỉ)

Example 2 : The second example wil help you understand more about how to use

the word explanation in guessing the meaning of unknown words

- In the text about Shopping, we will read “….now meet shopaholics These people

are addicted to shopping”

By looking at the explanation”, These people are addicted to shopping”, you can

guess the word “shopaholics” means.

 Suggested answer:

Shopaholics: People who are addicted to shopping(Những người nghiện mua sắm)

• Let me illustrate the suggested steps of teaching students on how to guess the meaning of unknown words:

Unit 8: CELEBRATIONS A.READING English Textbook 11

- Teacher may set the scene: You are going to read the text about Tet in Vietnam,

and do then do the tasks that follow.

Lunar New Year, or Tet, is Vietnam's main holiday It is the grandest and most

important occasion in the year which falls sometime between 19th January and 20th February on the Western calendar Tet marks the beginning of spring and, for

agrarian people, the start of a new year

Tet's preparations and celebrations used to be spread over months, but nowadays

the holiday is much shorter A great deal of excitement still builds up well before Tet, however Streets are decorated with coloured lights and red banners Shops are

full of goods People are busy buying gifts, cleaning and decorating their houses and cooking traditional foods

Homes are often decorated with plants and flowers at this time Peach blossom is traditional at Tet in the North while apricot blossom is traditional in the South The kumquat tree with its ripe deep orange fruits is popular throughout the country One

of Tet's most special foods is banh chung, which is made from sticky rice, green

beans and fatty pork Mut, which is candied fruit such as sugared apples, plums or

tomatoes, is also popular

On the days of Tet everyone tries to be nice and polite to each other People believe that what they do on the first day of the year will influence their luck during the whole year Thus, only positive comments should be made People visit other

family members or friends, and they exchange New Year's wishes Children receive

their "lucky money" inside red envelopes Many people go to the pagoda to pray for

a happy year for themselves and their family Both children and adults take part in

games and various forms of entertainment Tet is really a time of fun and festivals throughout the country

Task 1: Find what the following words mean in the text.

-First, teacher writes these words on the board: Grand, banner, sugared

apples, pray, excitement.

- Then, teacher instructs students to read the passage quickly and stop at the

lines that contain these words to guess their meanings

- Students guess the meaning of the words based on the contexts in the

sentences For instance, to guess the meaning of the word” grand” in line 1 of

the first paragraph Students may base their guessing on other words such as

main holiday, important To guess the meaning of pray in line 6 of the last

paragraph, they pay attention to pagoda, happy year…Continue doing the

same with the rest

- Finally, teacher should check if students understand the words correctly A

teacher can do this by asking them to provide the Vietnamese equivalents to the words If students find it difficult to guess the meaning of any word,

a teacher should elicit and give suggestions

 Suggested answers:

1.Grand: impressive and large(trọng đại,hoành tráng)

2.Banner: a long piece of cloth with a message on it which is carried between

two poles or hung in public place to show support for sth(biểu ngữ,băng rôn) 3.Sugared apples: táo dầm đường

4.Agrarian: connected with farming and the use of land for farming(thuộc về nông nghiệp)

5.Pray: to speak to God,especially to give thanks or ask for help(cầu nguyện)

6.Excitement: the state of feeling excited(niềm vui thích,sự nô nức,nhộn nhịp)

3.PRACTICE

Exercise 1: Read the sentences a to e and use context, grammar, word

explanation or word structure to guess the meanings of the highlighted words.

a.Alison had triplets at the hospital last night Her parents were overjoyed at

the thought of having three new grandchildren in the family

Triplets means

b.The man wearing skates moved quickly across the ice.

Skates means

c.Modern men are increasingly willing to pitch in with the housework.

Pitch in means

d.Canoeing can be very dangerous after there has been heavy rainfall

because the river is flowing swiftly at that time.

Swiftly means

e.Australia is considered to be a multicultural country as a result of

immigration which have encouraged people to migrate

Multicultural means

 Suggested answers:

a.Triplets means three children born to the same mother at one time b.Skates means either of a pair of boots with steel fixed to the bottom for

moving smoothly over ice.

c.Pitch in means to become involved in sth /to take part in doing sth d.Swiftly means quickly, fast, rapidly or promptly.

e.Multicultural means for or including people of several races, religions,

languages or national traditions.

Exercise 2: Read the passage about Future Jobs and use context, grammar, word

explanation or word structure to guess the meanings of the given words by

circling A, B or C

Unit 6 FUTURE JOBS A.Reading English Textbook 12

Read the passage and do the tasks that follow

Preparing for a job interview can be stressful ,particularly when you are called for the first interview Below are some pieces of advice that can help you reduce the feeling of pressure and create a good impression on your interview

Before the interview

You should find out as much as possible about the job and the vacancy Before the interview, you have to send your letter of application and your résumé to

the company to express your interest in the job and to show that you might be the most suitable candidate for the position

When you come to the interview,remember to bring with you your school

employers In addition, you may jot down your qualifications and experience

that can relate to the job and prepare for the questions that are often asked during the interview

Make sure you know where the interview is and how to get there Be on time or

a few minutes early, don’t forget to dress neatly and formally

During the interview

You should concentrate on what the interviewer is saying and make a real effort to answer all the questions the interviews asks Be clear, polite and honest If you do not know something about the more technical aspects of the job, admit it and stress that you are willing to learn Show enthusiasm when the

job is explained to you Always show your best side, your keenness to work

and your sense of responsibility

Don’t forget to say goodbye to the interviewer before leaving the office

After the interview

If you are offered the position, congratulations! If you do not get the job, try not to be too disappointed Think about the interviewer’s comments because they may help you prepare better when you are called for the next job interview Good luck!

Task 1.Look back to the text and circle the best meanings A, B, or C (page 64)

1.vacancy

A a part of a newspaper where jobs are advertised