570 Academic word list

Equipping yourself with the relevant academic vocabulary will give you a head start in your university studies. Especially if you’re a second language learner of English, studying in a foreign language can be very difficult and time-consuming. In order to do well, you may want to consider the following ways of learning academic vocabulary more effectively.

Academic Vocabulary

Equipping yourself with the relevant academic vocabulary will give you a head start in your university studies Especially if you’re a second language learner of English, studying in a foreign language can be very difficult and time-consuming

In order to do well, you may want to consider the following ways of learning aca-demic vocabulary more effectively

You will need:

The General Service List

The GSL is a list of general and basic vocabulary of English used in order of frequency It has been recognized and used quite extensively among second language learners of English for work and study It was first created by West

in 1953

The version used was then adapted by Baumann and Culligan in 1995 It contains almost 2,300 words The GSL here is divided into smaller sublists Sublist 1 has the first 500 words Sublist 2 the next 500 words etc For the complete word lists, refer to: http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/~alzsh3/acvocab/wordlists.htm

Subject-related Word List

This is a list of words which is specific to your discipline of studies, for example, finance, accounting, education and others The index at the back of your textbook is generally the best guide to the terms, concepts that are widely used

in the subject

The index is a valuable guide to understanding the key concepts and terms used in a subject So make good use of the book index You may also want to consult this site for some additional help and ideas: http://www.uefap.com/vocab/select/selframs.htm Read through the introduction and see which parts are relevant

to you

The Academic World List

The AWL is first developed by and compiled by Averil Coxhead Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand The AWL contains 10 sublists that include 570 word families which appeared most frequently in academic texts There are 60 words in each sublist 1-9, and 30 in Sublist 10

Sublist one consists of the 60 mostly frequently used words in the academic texts and sublist two consists of the next 60 word families and so on

The academic corpus contained approximately3,500,000 active vocabulary taken from a variety of texts used and read across the faculties, spanning over more than 25 subject areas

The complete Academic Word list of 570 root words and their word families can be conveniently found in http://www.uefap.com/vocab/select/awl.htm with a quick link to their the dictionary meanings A note to mention

is that the list here is arranged in alphabetical order and NOT by sublists Nevertheless, this is a great site to learn the meanings of the AWL words and to see how the words are connected

Critical Thinking is

There are gap-filling exercises that you could do to learn the academic words in their proper contexts Besides

learning the root word, learn the word families and how they could be correctly used in sentences e.g the word

“access” can be used as a noun as well as a verb

The word family for ‘access’:

 accessed, accesses, accessibility, accessible, accessing, inaccessible

Ensure you have at least 80-85% correct answer in the each exercise of a sublist before you move on to the subsequent level Start with exercises in sublist 1 and work your level up

This website will take you step by step through the exercises Try some of these exercises:

http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/~alzsh3/acvocab/learning.htm

PRACTICE TEST

1 Be sure you _ a recent photo for your passport application

2 There has been a noticeable drop in the _ of crime in the area since the teen centre opened up

3 If we all appear _, I’m sure we’ll be able to negotiate a good deal with the sales agent

4 It can be quite difficult to really define _ ideas, such as ‘trust’ or ‘faith’

5 My wife has great _ because she practises yoga on a daily basis

6 The Dutch foreign _ attended to the needs of the victims of the American tornado

7 It was my _ that she was talking to me; I could be wrong though

8 The boss gave me specific _ to send the report to you as soon as it was complete

9 Reading lots of journals really _ my knowledge and grasp of academic vocabulary

10 We made a digital _ of our baby’s first sounds to send to my parents

Words to choose from:

ANSWERS are available on sublist 6 on page 5 of this document The numbers show the correct answers to the

above questions

tape abstract flexibility incidence presumed cooperate attach instructed enhanced ministered

Academic Word Lists (AWL)

Sublist 1 of the Academic Word List - Most Frequent Words in Families

This sublist contains the most frequent words of the Academic Word List in the Academic Corpus

Sublist 2 of Academic Word List - Most Frequent Words in Families

T his sublist contains the second most frequent words in the Academic Word List from the Academic Corpus

analysis

approach

area

assessment

assume

authority

available

benefit

concept

consistent

constitutional

context

contract

create

data

definition

derived

distribution

economic

environment

established estimate evidence export factors financial formula function identified income indicate individual interpretation involved issues labour legal legislation major method

occur percent period policy principle procedure process required research response role section sector significant similar source specific structure theory variable

achieve

acquisition

administration

affect

appropriate

aspects

assistance

categories

chapter

commission

community

complex

computer

conclusion

conduct

consequences

construction

consumer

credit

cultural

design distinction elements equation evaluation features final focus impact injury institute investment items journal maintenance normal obtained participation perceived positive

potential previous primary purchase range region regulations relevant resident resources restricted security sought select site strategies survey text traditional transfer

Academic Word Lists (AWL)

Sublist 3 of Academic Word List - Most Frequent Words in Families

This sublist contains the third most frequent words of the Academic Word List in the Academic Corpus

Sublist 4 of Academic Word List - Most Frequent Words in Families

This sublist contains the fourth most frequent words of the Academic Word List in the Academic Corpus

alternative

circumstances

comments

compensation

components

consent

considerable

constant

constraints

contribution

convention

coordination

core

corporate

corresponding

criteria

deduction

demonstrate

document

dominant

emphasis ensure excluded framework funds illustrated immigration implies initial instance interaction justification layer link location maximum minorities negative outcomes partnership

philosophy physical proportion published reaction registered reliance removed scheme sequence sex shift specified sufficient task technical techniques technology validity volume

access

adequate

annual

apparent

approximated

attitudes

attributed

civil

code

commitment

communication

concentration

conference

contrast

cycle

debate

despite

dimensions

domestic

emerged

error ethnic goals granted hence hypothesis implementation implications imposed integration internal investigation job

label mechanism obvious occupational option

output overall

parallel parameters phase predicted principal prior professional project promote regime resolution retained series statistics status stress subsequent sum summary undertaken

Academic Word Lists (AWL)

Sublist 5 of Academic Word List - Most Frequent Words in Families

This sublist contains the fifth most frequent words of the Academic Word List in the Academic Corpus

Sublist 6 of Academic Word List - Most Frequent Words in Families

This sublist contains the sixth most frequent words of the Academic Word List in the Academic Corpus

academic

adjustment

alter

amendment

aware

capacity

challenge

compounds

conflict

consultation

contact

decline

discretion

draft

enable

energy

enforcement

entities

equivalent

evolution

expansion exposure external clause facilitate fundamental generated generation image liberal licence logic perspective marginal medical mental modified monitoring network notion

objective orientation precise prime psychology pursue ratio sustainable rejected revenue stability styles substitution symbolic target transition trend version welfare whereas

abstract (4)

accurate

acknowledged

aggregate

allocation

assigned

attached

author

bond

brief

capable

cited

cooperative (3)

discrimination

display

diversity

domain

edition

enhanced

estate

exceed expert explicit federal fees flexibility (5) furthermore gender ignored incentive incidence (2) incorporated index

inhibition initiatives input instructions (8) intelligence interval lecture

migration minimum ministry motivation neutral nevertheless overseas preceding presumption (7) rational recovery revealed scope subsidiary tapes trace transformation transport underlying utility

Academic Word Lists (AWL)

Sublist 7 of Academic Word List - Most Frequent Words in Families

This sublist contains the seventh most frequent words of the Academic Word List in the Academic Corpus

Sublist 8 of Academic Word List - Most Frequent Words in Families

This sublist contains the eighth most frequent words of the Academic Word List in the Academic Corpus

adaptation

adults

advocate

aid

channel

chemical

classical

comprehensive

comprise

confirmed

contrary

converted

couple

decades

definite

deny

differentiation

disposal

dynamic

eliminate

empirical equipment extract file finite foundation global grade guarantee hierarchical identical ideology inferred innovation insert intervention isolated media mode paradigm

phenomenon priority prohibited publication quotation release reverse simulation solely somewhat submitted successive survive thesis topic transmission ultimately unique visible voluntary

abandon

accompanied

accumulation

ambiguous

appendix

appreciation

arbitrary

automatically

bias

chart

clarity

conformity

commodity

complement

contemporary

contradiction

crucial

currency

denote

detected

deviation displacement dramatic eventually exhibit exploitation fluctuations guidelines highlighted implicit induced inevitably infrastructure inspection intensity manipulation minimised nuclear offset paragraph

plus practitioners predominantly prospect radical random reinforced restore revision schedule tension termination theme thereby uniform vehicle via virtually widespread visual

Academic Word Lists (AWL)

Sublist 9 of Academic Word List - Most Frequent Words in Families

This sublist contains the ninth most frequent words of the Academic Word List in the Academic Corpus.

Sublist 10 of the Academic Word List - Most Frequent Words in Families

This sublist contains the least frequent words of the Academic Word List in the Academic Corpus

References:

Vocabulary Exercises for the Academic Word List: http://www.uefap.com/vocab/vocfram.htm

Using English for Academic Purposes: http://www.academicvocabularyexercises.com/

University of Nottingham, Academic Vocabulary: http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/~alzsh3/acvocab/index.htm

accommodation

analogous

anticipated

assurance

attained

behalf

bulk

ceases

coherence

coincide

commenced

incompatible

concurrent

confined

controversy

conversely

device

devoted

diminished

distortion

duration erosion ethical format founded inherent insights integral intermediate manual mature mediation medium military minimal mutual norms overlap passive portion

preliminary protocol qualitative refine relaxed restraints revolution rigid route scenario sphere subordinate supplementary suspended team temporary trigger unified violation vision

adjacent

albeit

assembly

collapse

colleagues

compiled

conceived

convinced

depression

encountered

enormous forthcoming inclination integrity intrinsic invoked levy likewise nonetheless notwithstanding

odd ongoing panel persistent posed reluctant so-called straightforward undergo

whereby