Republic of the Philippines

Carcar City College

Luanluan Street, Poblacion I, Carcar City, Cebu
Tel # 487-0063/487-9077
[Link]

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN AGRICULTURE

Subject : ENGLISH PROFICIENCY 1 Module No. 01

Class Schedule : BSA 1A: 4:00-5:30 MW
BSA 1B: 7:30-9:00 TTH
BSA 1C: 7:30-9:00 MW
BSA 1 D: 1:00-2:30 MW
Week 1 : ADVANCED GRAMMAR: VOCABULARY BUILDING

LEARNING OUTCOMES: At the end of the lesson, students must have:

a. determined meanings of unfamiliar words;
b. identified group of words lexically; and
c. used the appropriate terms in the sentence.

A blessed morning to everyone! How are you? Well, we need to seek first the kingdom of God before
having our discussion. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen! Heavenly
Father as we start our responsibility being a student, and a facilitator, we praise and honor Your most Holy
name, Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord. Forgive all our lapses committed. Thank You for loving us
always. Remember our loved ones and those who are supporting us. Restore the planet earth, Lord God.
In Jesus Mighty name. Amen!

I. ACTIVITY :

Instruction: Look at the image below. Do you have ideas to share in the class? Can you read
those words attached to it? Read aloud together. Do you know the meanings of all these
words?
 II. ABSTRACTION:
A robust vocabulary improves all areas of communication — listening, speaking, reading and
writing. Vocabulary is critical to a child's success for these reasons: Vocabulary growth is directly related to
school achievement.
What is the importance of vocabulary building?
Vocabulary is the foundation of language.

In a nutshell, vocabulary is important because it's the basis of all language. It's the raw building blocks that
we can use to express our thoughts and ideas, share information, understand others and grow personal
relationships.

In fact, a strong vocabulary forms the foundation for good spoken and written communication
skills. When children know more words, this increases their understanding, allowing them to
communicate in greater detail and express their wants and ideas more clearly.
Vocabulary building skills are what students need to develop your growing vocabulary. Thus, it is very
necessary and typically encourage you to read widely and research. That's what building a vocabulary is -
seeing a new word, researching what it means, and tucking it away to use later.
Practical ways to expand your Vocabulary for academic writing
 Read widely to assimilate the word. ...
 Look up more than the meaning in a dictionary. ...
 But don't look up every unfamiliar word. ...
 Consider using graded readers. ...
 Supplement reading with listening. ...
 Practice using your new vocabulary as often as possible.

What are the benefits of learning new words everyday?

Our working memory can only hold so much information so learning new words actually helps our brain to
create more ways of retaining information. Each new word we learn gets placed into our long-term memory.

Focusing on vocabulary is useful for developing knowledge and skills in multiple aspects of language and
literacy. This includes helping with decoding (phonemic awareness and phonics), comprehension, and also
fluency.
We retain words better when we learn them in small 'chunks' (i.e. small phrases that combine several
words) and 'scripts' (i.e. typical dialogues). For example, instead of memorizing the phrasal verb 'to come
up with', memorize it as part of the phrase 'to come up with an idea'.

As a language learner, you work hard to expand your vocabulary. You plough through new words every
day, make long lists of words and practice with flashcards. However, when it comes to speaking, the new
words seem to fall out of your head, so you resort to your old friends – words you already know and have
used many times – again and again.

Remembering and using new words in speech is often a challenge for language learners. Here are ten
strategies to help you make words stick in your mind and use them in conversation.

1. No random words

We remember what is relevant to us. Making lists or index cards with random words is not usually an
effective way to remember and use these words later. Word lists and index cards are great for revisiting
vocabulary you have already learned, but to make a new word stick in your mind, try linking it with
something meaningful to you. You will be more likely to remember a new word if it is used in a context you
find interesting or are passionate about. For example, if you are a football fan, there are more chances you
will remember the word 'unstoppable' in a sentence, such as 'Messi is unstoppable', rather than just as a
single word or in a generic sentence, e.g. 'Some people are unstoppable'.

Tip: The British Council LearnEnglish website features tons of interactive videos, games and podcasts.
No matter what topic interests you, you will always find something there. There are also discussion boards
under activities, so you can share your ideas with other learners.

2. Learn in chunks and scripts

We retain words better when we learn them in small ‘chunks’ (i.e. small phrases that combine several
words) and ‘scripts’ (i.e. typical dialogues). For example, instead of memorizing the phrasal verb ‘to come
up with’, memorize it as part of the phrase ‘to come up with an idea’. This way, you make sure that you
know how to actually use this verb in at least one sentence. Similarly, instead of memorizing 33 ways of
saying ‘hello’, learn it in a script, such as: ‘Hello, how are you? – I’m fine, thank you’.

Tip: If you are into learning with video, TV and films, try FluentU. There are interactive captions, so if you
tap on any word, you will see an image, definition and useful examples. You can also find other interesting
resources featuring words in context. For example, this 'SpeakSmart' collection on Instagram has
different scenes from popular television series giving examples of particular words and phrases in use. If
you love reading, try reading short texts, such as cartoon strips. There are many comics available online,
including those for language learners, like Grammarman, which you can also listen to while you read.

3. Use your inner voice

Learning is essentially an internal process. To learn a word, you need to get into the world of your inner
voice. Try the following: listen to a word/phrase once, now listen to it inside your head, then say it inside
your head, then say it aloud. Record yourself saying it and listen to the recording. Does it sound the way
you heard it with your inner ear?

Tip: On Forvo, you can listen to native and non-native speakers from different parts of the world
pronouncing different words and phrases. Just type in the word, choose the speaker and practise.

4. Visualize what the word or phrase looks like

Drawing what the word means, either on paper or in your imagination, will help you recall the meaning of
the word whenever you hear it. This method works well with idioms, such as 'to keep one’s mouth shut'
(informal), meaning, 'to not talk about something'.

Tip: In addition to the image of the word, look at word associations in the visual dictionary and
thesaurus Visuwords.

5. Create mnemonics

Try to create a funny phrase or story that will strengthen the connection between the word and its meaning
(known as a mnemonic). I find this technique especially effective when I need to recall words that are hard
to spell.

Here are a few mnemonics created by my students:

‘career’ – car and beer

‘island’ – is land

‘to lose’ – uh-oh, I’ve lost an ‘o’

Tip: There are a lot of mnemonics available online, such as the ‘mems’ created by users in Memorize, but
you will have a better chance of remembering the word if you invent your own.

6. Use spaced repetition

Repetition fixes new words in your memory. However, repeating them a hundred times over the course of
one day will not be as effective as repeating them a few times over a period of several days or weeks (i.e.,
spaced repetition).

Use the new word immediately. Then try to recall it in an hour. Review it shortly before you go to bed. Use it
again one day later. Finally, review it in a couple of days after that.
Tip: In addition to 'spaced repetition' platforms and online software (e.g., Anki, where you can practice with
full sentences), you can schedule revision on your own. Make index cards with your words (use it in a
sentence on one side and put the definition/translation/image on the other), then set up a schedule for
revising them. Flick through the cards and sort them into three categories: ‘green’ – words to revisit less
frequently in the future, ‘yellow’ – words to repeat from time to time, and ‘red’ – words for ‘frequent visits’.

7. Dive deeper into etymology

Before you look up the word in the dictionary, try to guess what it means. Look at its root, suffixes and
prefixes. If you know a few languages, you will start recognizing new words that share roots. Researching
the origin of new words may help you retain new words better.

For example, did you know that the word 'tea' comes from Chinese 't'e' (Amoy dialect), which corresponds
to Mandarin 'ch'a'? The English word ‘tea’ (just as in French, Spanish or German) derives from the Amoy
form (through the Dutch East India Company that introduced the leaves to Europe). Meanwhile, Russian
chai (just as in Serbian, Persian, Greek, Arabic and Turkish) all came overland from the Mandarin form.
Now, whenever you hear ‘tea’ or ‘chai’, you will see a lovely cup of steaming tea and know how it got to the
country.

Tip: Whether you are looking for the origin of idioms or individual words, the Online Etymology
Dictionary may be quite helpful.

8. Challenge yourself with word games

The perception of a challenge stimulates the brain. Games that help you discover new meanings and new
words are a fun way to expand your vocabulary.

Tip: You can find tons of quizzes and games on [Link]

9. Write it down

Writing down a new word (or, ideally, a sentence using the new word) helps fix both its meaning and
spelling in your memory. Make the sentences true about you or someone you know.

Tip: Instead of keeping these sentences to yourself, you can use them in writing games such as
the Folding Story. This is an online version of the popular writing game where each player writes one line
of a story and passes it on to another player to add to it. In the online version, each player gets just three
minutes to write a line and scores points by the number of likes they receive for their lines.

10. Speak it into reality

It is not easy to actively recall a new word or phrase in the moment, even if you have tried hard to
memorize it. To change this, record yourself speaking for two to four minutes without stopping. You could
describe the world around you, or give your opinion on a particular topic. Next, listen to the recording of
your speech and notice which words you used. Did you use any of the new words you’d like to activate?
Did you use any familiar words that could be replaced with the new words? Afterwards, make a new
recording. Is it any better?

Tip: Join an online community of language learners such as The Polyglot Club, where you can ask
questions and practice with native speakers from all over the world.

These are my top ten tips, but you might find that other techniques work better for you. Try to experiment
with these tips to see what works for you. Stay positive and enjoy the ride.

For an additional information on Vocabulary Building, please have an interest to view and listen the two
videos which I uploaded to our GC.

III. ASSESSMENT:
Instruction: Give twenty examples of unfamiliar words and write a sentence to each example.
Submit this during our F2F class.

IV. APPLICATION:
Instruction: Choose the number for your correct answer. Answer this orally.

1. The prince abdicated the crown and returned to his castle. Abdicated means…
1. Gave up.
2. Sold.
3. Reinvested into.
4. Auctioned.
2. The convicted criminal absconded prior to the sentencing phase of the trial. Absconded means…
1. Touched the jury.
2. Reported immediately.
3. Left after discussion.
4. Departed secretly.
3. The aural component of balance is critical for postural control during ambulation. Aural means
related to the…
1. Eye.
2. Ear.
3. Nose.
4. Mouth.
4. The old man was benevolent with his fortune. Benevolent means…
1. Secretive.
2. Stingy.
3. Kind.
4. Careful.
5. The extra dirt was a key buttress to the foundation. Buttress means…
1. Limiting factor.
2. Support.
3. Overwhelming condition.
4. Obstacle.
6. The cathode of a battery was removed. Cathode means…
1. Positive pole.
 2. Negative pole.
3. Neutral pole.
4. Opposite pole.
7. The doctor was known as a charlatan over the years of his practice. Charlatan means…
1. Quack.
2. Knowledgeable physician.
3. Procedural physician.
4. Medical examiner.
8. The wound exhibited signs of copious drainage requiring medical intervention. Copious means…
1. Minimal.
2. Clear.
3. Maximal.
4. Foul.
9. The attorney accused the witness of defaming the defendant. Defaming means…
1. Killing.
2. Badgering.
3. Suffocating.
4. Slandering.
10. The detective was able to derive the facts of the case. Derive means…
1. Desist.
2. Deter.
3. Devise.
4. Deduce.
11. The scientist was able to evoke powerful emotions from her audience. Evoke means…
1. Sell.
2. Calm.
3. Call forth.
4. Exaggerate.
12. The judge was fallible during deliberation. Fallible means…
1. Careful not to err.
2. Falsely accused.
3. Loyal to his supporters.
4. Capable of mistakes.
13. The chemist collected the germane data during the experiment. Germane means…
1. Relevant.
2. Obscure.
3. Limited.
4. Usual.
14. The desperados held up in a grotto in New Mexico during the escape. Grotto means…
1. Large cave.
2. Small cavern.
3. Hotel.
4. Motel.
15. The official exhibited a heedless attitude when dealing with the dignitaries. Heedless means…
1. Thoughtless.
2. Pleasant.
3. Friendly.
4. Bitter.
16. The Sherman tank commander noted innumerable troops moving forward against his
position. Innumerable means…
1. Limited.
2. Weary.
3. Countless.
4. Harmless.
17. The general tried to instill in his troops the hope of victory. Instill means…
1. Infuse.
2. Delay.
3. Inscribe.
4. Indict.
18. The winning team of the World Series often has a jovial attitude. Jovial means…
1. Merry.
2. Sad.
3. Somber.
4. Laborious.
19. The plant entered the latent phase of development in the fall. Latent means…
1. First.
2. Growth.
3. Last.
4. Dormant.
20. The yacht club members were excited about conditions on the loch. Loch means…
1. Water.
2. Lake.
3. Gulf.
4. Ocean.

Good Luck!!!

● , References:
 Sebastian E.,et al. (2013). English Proficiency 1, C & E Publishing, Inc., Quezon City
 Baraceros, E.L. (2015). English Grammar for College Freshmen, Rex Bookstore,
Manila, Philippines

Prepared by:

GILNA D. CAVAN, [Link]

Instructor
Checked by:

NOE B. MEJASCO, MSc

BSA, Program Head

DOLLY ANN D. CARACA, MAED-ET

Director Quality Assurance and IMDL Coordinator

Approved:

LEONARDO E. LACOSTALES, Ph.D

Dean for Academic Affairs