Building a better vocabulary course guidebook

Topic Professional Subtopic Communication Skills Building a Better Vocabulary Course Guidebook Professor Kevin Flanigan West Chester University of Pennsylvania PUBLISHED BY: THE GREAT COURSES Corporate Headquarters 4840 Westfields Boulevard, Suite 500 Chantilly, Virginia 20151-2299 Phone: 1-800-832-2412 Fax: 703-378-3819 www.thegreatcourses.com Copyright © The Teaching Company, 2015 Printed in the United States of America This book is in copyright All rights reserved Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of The Teaching Company Kevin Flanigan, Ph.D Professor of Education West Chester University of Pennsylvania P rofessor Kevin Flanigan is a Professor of Education in the Literacy Department at West Chester University of Pennsylvania, where he has taught since 2003 He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Mary Washington College (now the University of Mary Washington), where he received a B.A in History, summa cum laude Later, he received an M.Ed from James Madison University and an M.Ed in Reading Education from the University of Virginia After working as a middle grades classroom teacher and reading specialist, he received his Ph.D in Reading Education from the University of Virginia, with a dissertation on emergent readers’ developing concept of word in text Professor Flanigan’s research, publications, and presentations focus on developmental word knowledge, vocabulary development and instruction, and interventions for students who struggle with literacy skills He has presented frequently at national and international conferences and works with schools and teachers to implement effective literacy instruction In 2011, Professor Flanigan was nominated for the U.S Professors of the Year Award by West Chester University In 2009, Professor Flanigan and his colleagues received an Educator 500 award for innovative teaching in the Kennett Experience, a university–public school partnership Professor Flanigan teaches graduate and undergraduate literacy education courses and works in the West Chester University Reading Center, where he supervises graduate-level teachers as they work with students in kindergarten through 12th grade who struggle with literacy skills 3URIHVVRU )ODQLJDQ LV ¿UVW DXWKRU RI WKH FRDXWKRUHG ERRN Words Their Way with Struggling Readers: Word Study for Reading, Vocabulary, and Spelling Instruction, Grades 4–12 He is also coauthor of Vocabulary Their i Way: Word Study with Middle and Secondary Students (2nd edition) and Developing Word Recognition In addition, Professor Flanigan is a member of the authorship team for Vocabulary Their Way: Words and Strategies for Academic Success, a vocabulary program for middle school students The professor has authored or coauthored articles in a number of professional journals, including The Reading Teacher, the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, and the Journal of Literacy ResearchŶ ii Table of Contents INTRODUCTION Professor Biography i Course Scope .1 LECTURE GUIDES LECTURE Five Principles for Learning Vocabulary .3 LECTURE The Spelling-Meaning Connection 10 LECTURE Words for Lying, Swindling, and Conniving 17 LECTURE Words That Express Annoyance and Disgust 24 LECTURE Fighting Words and Peaceful Words 31 LECTURE Going beyond Dictionary Meanings 38 LECTURE Wicked Words 46 LECTURE Words for Beginnings and Endings 52 LECTURE Words Expressing Fear, Love, and Hatred .58 LECTURE 10 Words for the Everyday and the Elite .63 iii Table of Contents LECTURE 11 Words from Gods and Heroes 69 LECTURE 12 Humble Words and Prideful Words 76 LECTURE 13 High-Frequency Greek and Latin Roots 83 LECTURE 14 Words Relating to Belief and Trust 90 LECTURE 15 Words for the Way We Talk 97 LECTURE 16 Words for Praise, Criticism, and Nonsense 104 LECTURE 17 Eponyms from Literature and History 111 LECTURE 18 Thinking, Teaching, and Learning Words 119 LECTURE 19 Words for the Diligent and the Lazy .126 LECTURE 20 Words That Break and Words That Join .132 LECTURE 21 6RPH+LJK8WLOLW\*UHHNDQG/DWLQ$I¿[HV 139 LECTURE 22 Cranky Words and Cool Words 145 LECTURE 23 Words for Courage and Cowardice 151 iv Table of Contents LECTURE 24 Reviewing Vocabulary through Literature .158 LECTURE 25 Words for Killing and Cutting 165 LECTURE 26 A Vocabulary Grab Bag 171 LECTURE 27 Words for Words .176 LECTURE 28 Specialty Words for Language .182 LECTURE 29 Nasty Words and Nice Words 192 LECTURE 30 Words for the Really Big and the Very Small 198 LECTURE 31 Spelling as a Vocabulary Tool 205 LECTURE 32 A Medley of New Words 212 LECTURE 33 Building Vocabulary through Games 217 LECTURE 34 Words English Borrowed and Never Returned .224 LECTURE 35 More Foreign Loan Words 232 LECTURE 36 Forgotten Words and Neologisms 237 v Table of Contents SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL Answers to Review Questions 245 Glossary of Target Words .263 Bibliography 279 vi Building a Better Vocabulary Scope: I n one of the most insightful statements on vocabulary ever penned, Mark Twain said, “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter—’tis the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.” As Mark Twain knew, a powerful vocabulary consists of more than simply knowing a lot of words; it’s the ability to grasp the “just right” word to communicate precisely what you want to say or write Acquiring the type of deep and nuanced vocabulary knowledge that Twain was talking about doesn’t come from simply studying lists of vocabulary ZRUGV DORQJVLGH GLFWLRQDU\ GH¿QLWLRQV 7KLV WUDGLWLRQDO ³RQHZRUGDWD time” approach that many of us experienced in school often leads to surfacelevel vocabulary knowledge that lasts only until the Friday quiz ,Q WKLV FRXUVH \RX¶OO OHDUQ KRZ WR PRYH EH\RQG GH¿QLWLRQDO YRFDEXODU\ NQRZOHGJHWRZDUGDULFKYRFDEXODU\WKDW¶VEURDGGHHSDQGÀH[LEOHDQGODVWV DOLIHWLPH7RGRWKLVZH¶OOFRYHU¿YHFRUHSULQFLSOHVRIYRFDEXODU\OHDUQLQJ LQ WKH ¿UVW OHFWXUH7KHVH SULQFLSOHV ZLOO VHUYH DV WRROV LQ \RXU YRFDEXODU\ toolbox that you can apply as we explore new target words throughout the course You will use these tools to learn word meanings deeply so that you’ll remember and be able to use the words years from now As we move through the lectures, we’ll meet and explore a host of vocabulary words that are, by turns, snappy, lively, powerful, and beautiful, such as JDGÀ\, Promethean, JHPnjWOLFKNHLW, and hornswoggle The lectures are organized thematically; for example, in a lecture on liars and swindlers, we’ll H[DPLQH D VHW RI ZRUGV IRU FRQQLYLQJ ÀLPÀDPPHUV VXFK DV PRXQWHEDQNV and sophists, honoring the way our minds organize vocabulary by meaning We’ll also take the time to examine words in rich context to get a better feel for how to actually use them in speaking and writing In addition, you’ll learn to make personal connections to word meanings so that these words “stick” in your lexicon—the mental library of word meanings we all possess Along the way, we’ll see that there’s no such thing as an exact synonym DQGH[SORUHWKH¿QHUGLVWLQFWLRQVLQPHDQLQJDPRQJFORVHO\UHODWHGZRUGV in the end, you’ll know the difference between such words as specious and spurious and when to use each Importantly, we will also delve into the etymology and morphology of words—that is, their history and structure This will enable you to harness the power of the “meaning system” that is deeply embedded in the DNA of the English language, applying your growing knowledge of high-utility Latin DQG *UHHN DI¿[HV DQG URRWV WR OHDUQ VWRUH DQG PDNH FRQQHFWLRQV DPRQJ words To guide your learning, you will also create a vocabulary notebook that will serve as a place to collect your growing vocabulary Scope By the end of this course, you’ll know many new, powerful, and beautiful vocabulary words Just as importantly, you’ll know how to learn vocabulary for yourself You’ll have your own toolbox of strategies and resources that ZLOOHTXLS\RXIRUDOLIHWLPHRIYRFDEXODU\OHDUQLQJŶ circumlocution captious Lecture malfeasance venal malediction malinger turpitude malaise maladroit malefactor invidious $QVZHUVWR5HYLHZ4XHVWLRQV 10 malcontent 11 insidious Lecture puerile Inchoate sometimes emphasizes what is not present in the beginning stages, focusing on the more “lacking” aspects of a beginning In 248 contrast, nascent stresses the more developing, growing, positive aspects of the beginning stage moribund tyro ingénue dilettante callow Lecture oenophile misanthrope philatelist agoraphobia, glossophobia, acrophobia execrate canoodling xenophobia Lecture 10 No The hoi polloi are the common people, who are not generally WKRXJKWRIDVKDYLQJWKHUH¿QHGPDQQHUVDQGWDVWHVRISDWULFLDQV bromides 249 nonpareil quotidian banal insipid/vapid prosaic Lecture 11 saturnine Sisyphean Sword of Damocles/Gordian knot mercurial Promethean $QVZHUVWR5HYLHZ4XHVWLRQV saturnalia Lecture 12 sycophants/obsequious blandishments unctuous bloviate 250 bumptious hubris wheedling bombast supercilious Lecture 13 The root umbr, meaning “shade, shadow,” is found in the middle of adumbrate, a word that means “to give a sketchy or shadowy outline of.” emancipation dishabille prescient Lecture 14 SRQWL¿FDWHV dissembled SHU¿GLRXV agitprop equivocal dogmatic 251 apostate Lecture 15 philippic FDOXPQ\YLOL¿HG fulminated obloquy bowdlerize pithy foment laconic Lecture 16 $QVZHUVWR5HYLHZ4XHVWLRQV badinage palaver claptrap/bunk jeremiad paean maundering panegyric 252 pilloried pablum Lecture 17 gerrymandering luddite malapropism billingsgate quisling draconian/bedlam quixotic Lecture 18 philistine perspicacious didactic exegesis (UXGLWH PHDQV ³OHDUQHG RU VFKRODUO\´ UHFRQGLWH PHDQV ³GLI¿FXOW WR understand”; esoteric means “understood by only a select group.” 253 Induction is the process of inferring general principles from individual facts; deduction is the process of reasoning in which a conclusion necessarily follows from the stated premises Lecture 19 facile torpor/torpid sedulous/indolent turbid/turgid alacrity Lecture 20 concatenation lacuna $QVZHUVWR5HYLHZ4XHVWLRQV schism maw to split or divide by cutting; to cling to A cabal is a secret group, often meeting for the purposes of treachery A coterie is a small group of people who share a common interest or purpose; coterie doesn’t carry the negative connotations of cabal Diaspora 254 Lecture 21 Both words can mean “to relinquish power,” but abdicate is usually UHVHUYHGIRURI¿FHVRIKLJKHUSRZHUVXFKDVDNLQJVKLS antediluvian solipsism ablution denuded absquatulate nihilism protean Lecture 22 asperity importuning/fractious inured splenetic Phlegmatic means “showing little emotion”; stoic means “seemingly indifferent to pleasure or pain; stolid means “having or expressing little or no sensibility.” 255 Lecture 23 bravado braggadocio chutzpah/moxie temerity intrepid pusillanimous craven fortitude timorous Lecture 24 maudlin $QVZHUVWR5HYLHZ4XHVWLRQV callow supercilious Didactic means “overly preachy and instructive”; pedantic means “characterized by a narrow, ostentatious concern for book learning.” a pattern or scheme into which someone or something is forced 256 Lecture 25 perdition/extirpate Regicide is the murder of a ruler (king or queen); patricide is the murder of one’s father; and parricide is the murder of a parent or close relative desuetude caesura ¿QGHVLqFOH abrogated vivisection Lecture 26 bumptious dissembling stultifying frisson detritus a choice between what is available and nothing Lecture 27 sesquipedalian 257 argot lingua franca discursive sobriquet jargon The vernacular is the language of the common people; a dialect is the ODQJXDJHRIDVSHFL¿FUHJLRQRUVRFLDOFODVV shibboleth somniloquy Lecture 28 Homophones are words that sound the same but are spelled differently $QVZHUVWR5HYLHZ4XHVWLRQV and have different meanings Homographs are words that are spelled the same but have different pronunciations and meanings Homonyms are words that are spelled and pronounced the same but have different meanings Toponyms are place-names or words derived from place names; eponyms are words derived from the names of people portmanteau words/clipped words spoonerism acronyms 258 Lecture 29 Both salubrious and salutary can describe something that’s good for your health, but salutaryFDQDOVRGHVFULEHVRPHWKLQJWKDW¶VEHQH¿FLDORU promotes improvement in a more general sense RI¿FLRXV avuncular mordant virulent piquant pernicious Lecture 30 Brobdingnagian and lilliputian diminuendo magnum opus exiguous juggernaut commodious/capacious 259 Lecture 31 Children in the alphabetic layer have a tacit logic underlying their spelling; they operate under the principle that every letter makes a sound and that we read and spell in a left-to-right, linear fashion; they have the same basic spelling logic as the Anglo-Saxons Children in the pattern layer know that every letter does not make a sound in English, that silent letters provide important information, and that the “one letter at a time” strategy won’t work for all words Many of the classical roots in the meaning layer came into our spelling system during the Renaissance, when an explosion of new knowledge and ideas created a demand for new vocabulary Lecture 32 tendentious/equivocal truculent/truckle trenchant/nascent $QVZHUVWR5HYLHZ4XHVWLRQV venal pernicious tintinnabulation (ringing), susurration (whispering), and harrumph (throat-clearing) Lecture 33 shy spy, straighter traitor, monk’s bunk, quieter rioter 260 Lecture 34 schadenfreude/bête noire weltschmerz/zeitgeist éminence grise doppelgänger mugwump Lecture 35 sangfroid agent provocateur gemütlichkeit lagniappe mot juste cachet gestalt insouciant Lecture 36 quarks muggles/memes 261 peckish sockdolager SURÀLJDWH feckless $QVZHUVWR5HYLHZ4XHVWLRQV evanescent 262 ... example, a common estimate for the average vocabulary of a high school graduate is approximately 40,000 words, and for an average college graduate, approximately 60,000 to 75,000 words z Of course, ... you want to really know a shark, you study it in the ocean—its natural habitat If you want to really know a word, you study how it behaves in its natural habitat—sentences, paragraphs, and books... there is no way that anyone can obtain a 75,000-word vocabulary through direct instruction, one word at a time That’s why traditional word-by-word approaches to learning vocabulary aren’t the most