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SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO ĐỒNG NAIĐơn vị: Trường THPT chuyên Lương Thế Vinh

Mã số:.......................

SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM

TOPIC-BASED VOCABULARY TEACHING TO STUDENTS MAJORING IN ENGLISH

Người thực hiện: HỒ THỊ THẢO TRINH

Lĩnh vực nghiên cứu:

Quản lý giáo dục .........................................................

Phương pháp dạy học bộ môn tiếng Anh ......

Phương pháp giáo dục .............................................

Lĩnh vực khác ................................................................

Có đính kèm: Mô hình Phần mềm Phim ảnh Giáo án điện tử

Năm học 2011 - 2012

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SƠ LƯỢC LÝ LỊCH KHOA HỌCI. THÔNG TIN VỀ CÁ NHÂN

1. Họ và tên: HỒ THỊ THẢO TRINH

2. Ngày tháng năm sinh: 28 tháng 11 năm 1973

3. Chức vụ:

Đảng:

Chính quyền:

4. Đơn vị công tác: Trường THPT chuyên Lương Thế Vinh

II. TRÌNH ĐỘ ĐÀO TẠO

Trình độ: Thạc sỹ

Tốt nghiệp: Victoria University

III.KINH NGHIỆM KHOA HỌC

Đã trực tiếp tham gia giảng dạy: 16 năm

Sáng kiến kinh nghiệm trong 5 năm gần đây:

o Using role-play to encourage students’ active

participation during speaking activities at LƯƠNG THẾ VINH HIGH SCHOOL

o Teaching grammar in light of communicative

language teaching

o Applying communicative activities in english

reading class

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SỞ GD&ĐT ĐỒNG NAI CỘNG HOÀ XÃ HỘI CHỦ NGHĨA VIỆT NAMTrường THPT chuyên Lương Thế Vinh Độc lập – Tự do – Hạnh phúc

_____________ _______________

Biên Hoà, ngày ..03.. tháng 05 năm 2012

PHIẾU NHẬN XÉT ĐÁNH GIÁ SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM

Năm học: 2011 – 2012

Tên chuyên đê: TOPIC-BASED VOCABULARY TEACHING TO

STUDENTS MAJORING IN ENGLISH

Họ và tên tác giả: HỒ THỊ THẢO TRINH Tổ: Ngoại ngữ

Lĩnh vực:

Quản lý giáo dục.................... Phương pháp dạy học bộ môn tiếng Anh..............

Phương pháp giáo dục ........... Lĩnh vực khác.......................................................

1. Tính mới- Có giải pháp hoàn toàn mới ................................................................- Có giải pháp cải tiến, đổi mới từ phương pháp đã có..........................

2. Hiệu quả- Hoàn toàn mới và đã triển khai áp dụng trong toàn ngành có hiệu quả cao..............- Có tính cải tiến hoặc đổi mới từ những giải pháp đã có và đã triển khai áp dụng

trong toàn ngành có hiệu quả cao...............................................................................- Hoàn toàn mới và đã triển khai áp dụng tại đơn vị có hiệu quả cao..........................- Có tính cải tiến hoặc đổi mới từ những giải pháp đã có và đã triển khai áp dụng

tại đơn vị có hiệu quả ................................................................................................

3. Khả năng áp dụng- Căn cứ được các luận cứ khoa học cho việc hoạch định đường lối chính sách:

Tốt ......... Khá .......... Đạt ...........- Đưa ra các giải pháp khuyến nghị có khả năng ứng dụng thực tiễn dễ thực hiện và

dễ đi vào cuộc sống:Tốt ......... Khá .......... Đạt ...........

- Đã được áp dụng trong thực tế đạt hiệu quả hoặc có khả năng áp dụng đạt hiệu quả trong phạm vi rộng:Tốt ......... Khá .......... Đạt ...........

XÁC NHẬN CỦA TỔ CHUYÊN MÔN THỦ TRƯỞNG ĐƠN VỊ

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I. Introduction

Nowadays, it is widely accepted that vocabulary plays an important part in

language teaching and should be at the centre of language teaching. More and more

researchers have realized the importance of vocabulary acquisition in second language

teaching. According to McCarthy (1990), without words a learner cannot communicate

or read. David Wilkins (cited in Thornbury, 2002), when mentioning the shift of focus

from grammar as the central anchor of language teaching to the lexicon, emphasizes the

importance of vocabulary acquisition as follows, “ without grammar very little can be

conveyed; without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed.”

Traditionally, the teaching of vocabulary was mostly incidental, limited to

presenting new items as they appeared in reading or sometimes listening texts. This

indirect teaching of vocabulary assumes that vocabulary expansion will happen through

the practice of other language skills, which has been proved not enough to ensure

vocabulary expansion.

Today, it is widely accepted that vocabulary teaching should be part of the

syllabus, and taught in a well-planned and regular basis. Some authors, led by Lewis

(1993) argue that vocabulary should be at the centre of language teaching, because

“language consists of grammaticalised lexis, not lexicalized grammar.” Read (2004)

emphasizes that a more direct and organized study of vocabulary and vocabulary

instruction will be helpful for second language learners although they certainly acquire

word knowledge incidentally while engaged in various language learning activities. The

more their word knowledge increases, the more their other language skills (reading,

writing, listening and speaking) will develop. With this thought in mind, many

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researchers conducted their research dealing with vocabulary. They inspired me to

continue with this topic for my vocabulary teaching to students majoring in English.

II. Literature review

There are two main approaches to teaching vocabulary: incidental learning often

known as implicit learning and intentional learning often referred to as explicit learning

(Rieder, 2002). Incidental vocabulary acquisition can be defined as a “by-product” of any

language learning, whereas intentional vocabulary learning is defined as “any activity

geared at committing lexical information to memory” (Hulstijn,2001 p.271). Incidental

vocabulary learning could be attained by extensive reading, whereas intentional

vocabulary learning could be attained by implementing a lexical syllabus based on word

lists. In a case study, Pigada and Schmitt (2006) indicated that vocabulary acquisition is

possible from extensive reading. The authors asserted that extensive reading leads to

enhancement of knowledge about the spelling, meaning and grammatical behaviour of

words in the text. They concluded that extensive reading leads to substantial vocabulary

learning, but it is not consistent across all word knowledge types (i.e., form, meaning,

and use). All three word knowledge facets were enhanced in only 6% of the cases

studied. This seems to justify the suggestion of many researchers that incidental learning

should be followed up with intentional learning (Hulstijn, Hollander and Greidanus,

1996) and explicit vocabulary teaching (Nation, 2005).

A study of EFL Indonesian students by Nurweni and Read (1999) verified that

given that students had little access to resources for acquiring English outside the

classroom, direct teaching of high-frequency words was an efficient way to expand their

vocabulary knowledge and thus to achieve better coverage of the running words in

academic texts. The authors pointed out one of the reasons of the limited vocabulary

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knowledge of the students was little attention to vocabulary teaching, thus they assumed

that more focused in-class vocabulary teaching would bring about positive outcomes.

Another argument in vocabulary teaching is whether or not vocabulary should be

taught in or out of context. Qian (1996) conducted research to test which approach to

vocabulary teaching is more effective in terms of retention of target words. His results, as

well as other research on the same subject, imply that learning words out of context

results in better retention than learning words in context. However, Qian concludes that

both approaches should be integrated in the classroom. Tozcu and Coady (2004) also

conducted research with two groups of students, the treatment group studied frequent

vocabulary explicitly through CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning), whereas

the control group studied the same vocabulary implicitly by reading texts and doing

reading comprehension exercises. Both groups showed gains in vocabulary acquisition.

However, the treatment group showed significantly greater gains. There is no doubt that

both methodologies need to complement each other for best results.

A combination of both implicit and explicit approaches is introduced in Hunt and

Beglar’s (2005) framework for EFL vocabulary development. In this framework, implicit

instruction and learning strategy includes “meaning- focused reading” which is aimed at

increasing learners’ vocabulary size through extensive reading and development their

fluency. Explicit strategies include “studying decontextualized lexis”, “using

dictionaries”, and “inferring vocabulary meaning from context.” The main purpose of

explicit instruction are learners’ acquisition of new vocabulary knowledge. In applying

both explicit and implicit pedagogical approaches in the framework, Hunt and Beglar

(2005) demonstrated their belief that such a combination is mutually beneficial and offers

the most effective means for promoting lexical acquisition in EFL contexts.

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III. Aims of the research

This research aims to find answers to the following questions:

1. Is there significant vocabulary development if topic-based vocabulary is

taught?

2. Is there improvement in the students’ attitude towards learning English if

they are taught topic-based vocabulary?

IV. Rationale and justification of the research

Krashen (1989) believes that vocabulary is best attained through a large amount

of extensive reading. A learner has to be exposed to a tremendous amount of reading for

incidental learning to occur, and relying only on reading would mean that it would take

too long for learners to acquire the lexis needed to reach higher vocabulary thresholds

(Laufer, 2003). This could be done by implementing an extensive reading program to

encourage learners to read as much as possible. For high school students in Vietnam,

however, this seemingly couldn’t be done because they have to focus on many subjects.

Therefore, English vocabulary they acquire is mostly from the textbook.

I am teaching English in Luong The Vinh high school, Dong Nai province. This

is the seventh year I am performing the new curriculum for high school students. Each

unit in the new English textbook, which is task-based, consists of five parts in order:

Reading, Speaking, Listening, Writing and Language focus. Compared with the old

curriculum, the new has been welcomed by both teachers and students. However, it has

received many complaints from the students majoring in English. In the survey of

students’ attitude towards the new English textbook (class 10) at the end of the last

school year, more than two-thirds of 10th grade students majoring in English said that

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teachers should focus more on teaching vocabulary to help them have more word

knowledge, be able to use vocabulary appropriately in writing and speaking, and

understand the messages more deeply from advanced reading and listening texts.

Especially, if they master more vocabulary, they will be more confident to participate in

many examinations for good students.

Through the survey, we teachers find it necessary to implement topic-based

vocabulary teaching with careful compilation to help them concentrate on learning

English more enthusiastically and confidently.

There is no doubt that vocabulary acquisition is one of the most important needs

of any ESL learners. Therefore, topic-based vocabulary teaching in classrooms should be

carried out to help students acquire vocabulary and have positive attitude towards four

language skills: reading, speaking, listening, and writing.

Previous studies have been done much valuable work in the field of vocabulary

teaching. The present study, which is being implemented in my class (11 English 2),

aims to examine the effect of topic-based vocabulary teaching on students’ vocabulary

acquisition and their attitude towards studying English.

V. Methodology

V.1 - Participants

The subjects of this research are 20 students of class 11 English 2 in Luong The

Vinh high school.

V.2 - Research instruments

Two main research instruments are used. The first is a questionnaire whose aim is

to discover students’ attitudes towards studying English. This questionnaire is completed

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on the first day of the school year. Another questionnaire is filled out on the last day of

the school year to test their attitude towards studying English after a period of learning

topic-based vocabulary. The second is a multiple-choice vocabulary test.

V.3 - Materials

20 lessons with up-to-date topics: Leisure activities, Travel and movement, News

events, Places, Media and advertising, The natural world, Work, Business and money,

People and relationships, Social problems, Entertainment, Government and society,

Health and the body, World issues, Thinking and feeling, Technology, Quality and

quantity, Education, The energy crisis, The Green revolution, Urbanisation are compiled

from some sources such as Advanced Language Practice ( Michael Vince), Vocabulary

for IELTS (Paulyne Cullen)…

V.4 - Procedure

a. 20 students of grade 11 English 2 are given a multiple-choice vocabulary pretest

before learning topic-based vocabulary. They do the test for 45 minutes. The

contents of the test are from the sources mentioned in V.3. The first questionnaire

is given out prior to the pretest and only after the subjects complete the

questionnaire are they able to begin the test.

b. The papers are graded and are never given back to the students. Any type of

feedback are not provided.

c. At the end of the school year, the same test are administered. After the test, the

students fill out another questionnaire to test their attitude towards studying

English.

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V.5 - Results

For the pretest, there are 5 papers got from 8 to 8.5 marks, 7 papers got from 6.5

to 7.5, and 8 papers got from 5 to 6. Most of them showed their attitude that the teacher

should teach them more vocabulary which is based on interesting topics.

For the test at the end of the schoolyear, 4 papers got 10 marks, 15 papers got

from 8 to 9.5, and 1 paper got 7.5. All of the students felt more active in learning English

and confident in participating in English tests and examinations.

V.6 - Discussion

Research question 1: Is there significant vocabulary development if topic-based

vocabulary is taught?

Teaching English is a hard job, but teaching English to gifted students is a harder

one. Teachers endlessly study, try to find many ways to teach them effectively and create

inspiration among those students. Gifted students can generally communicate well,

having learnt all the basic structures of the language. However, they need to broaden

their vocabulary to express themselves more clearly and appropriately in a wide range of

situations. Designing topic-based vocabulary lessons clearly contributes to enriching

their vocabulary, which later helps them take part in other skills more actively. For my

gifted students, their ability to use words correctly is being more and more improved.

Research question 2: Is there improvement in the students’ attitude towards

learning English if they are taught topic-based vocabulary?

Without a careful compilation of vocabulary, students will have difficulty in

reading, speaking, writing and listening and then become tired of learning English. By

learning topic-based vocabulary, they find out many interesting things about meanings

and usage of words. Their attitude towards learning English is, therefore, more

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enthusiastic. Concerning students’ participation and attitudes in the classes, it is proved

that students’ motivation rises when they get engaged in every activity during the classes.

That is to say, they become active participants in the whole process.The reason for

increased motivation is that they learn vocabulay based on interesting topics, helping

them pay more attention to the use of words in right contexts and remember vocabulary

more easily. What is more, the fact that they are given the opportunity to do more

practice tests about vocabulary that they have learnt is an effective way to keep them

more confident of learning English and participating in the exams for gifted students.

VI. Conclusion

It is obvious that the students’ scores on the posttest are significantly improved.

The result suggests that topic-based vocabulary teaching leads to significant vocabulary

development that, according to the students, makes reading, speaking, listening, and

writing easier and more enjoyable. Topic-based vocabulary teaching also makes students

more confident in performing tasks given in each part. It is hoped that the more words

they know, the more interested they are in learning English.

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REFERENCES

1. Decarrico, J. S. (2001). Reading for academic purposes: Guidelines for the ESL/EFL teacher. In M. Celce-Murcia (Ed.), Teaching English as a second or foreign language (3rd ed., pp. 285-299). Boston: Heinle & Heinle.

2. Hulstijn, J.H. (2001). Intentional and incidental second language vocabulary learning: a reappraisal of elaboration, rehearsal and automaticity. In Robinson, Peter (ed.). Cognition and second language instruction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 258-287

3. Hulstijn, J., Hollander, M., & Greidanus, T. (1996). Incidental vocabulary learning by advanced foreign language students: The influence of marginal glosses, dictionary use, and reoccurrence of unknown words. The Modern Language Journal, 80, 327-339.

4. Hunt, A., & Beglar, D. (2005). A framework for developing EFL reading vocabulary. Reading in a Foreign Language, 171 (1).

5. Krashen, S. (1989). We acquire vocabulary and spelling by reading: Additional evidence for the input hypothesis. The Modern Language Journal, 73, 440-464.

6. Laufer, B. (2003). Vocabulary acquisition in a second language: Do learners really acquire most vocabulary by reading? Canadian Modern Language Review 59(4), 565-585.

7. Lewis, M. (1993). The Lexical Approach. Hove, UK: Language Teaching Publications

8. McCarthy, M. (1990). Vocabulary. Oxford: Oxford University Press

9. Nation, I.S.P. (2005). Teaching vocabulary. The Asian EFL Journal Quarterly, 7(3), 47-54. Retrieved October 23, 2006, from http://www.asian-efl-journal.com/September_2005_EBook_editions.pdf

10. Nurweni, A., & Read, J. (1999). The English vocabulary knowledge of Indonesian university students. English for Specific Purposes, 18, 161-175.

11. Pigada, M., & Schmitt, N. (2006). Vocabulary acquisition from extensive reading: A case study. Reading in a Foreign Language, 18(1).

12. Qian, D.D. (1996). ESL vocabulary acquisition: Contextualization and decontextualization. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 53, 120-142.

13. Read, J. (2004). Research in reaching vocabulary. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 24, 146-161.

14. Rieder, A. (2002). Implicit and explicit learning in incidental vocabulary acquisition. VIEWS 12 (2), 24-39.

15. Thornbury, S. (2002). How to teach vocabulary. Essex: Longman

16. Tozcu, A. and Coady, J. (2004). Successful Learning of Frequency Vocabulary through CALL and Benefits Reading Comprehension and Speed. Computer Assisted Language Learning. 17(5), 473-495

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APPENDIX

VOCABULARY 1 – Leisure activities1 Read the text and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each space.

It is now generally recognised that stress is a major (1) ...C ..... of heart disease,

and contributes to many other illnesses. Stress is increased by (2) ...................... such as

worry, overwork and lack of exercise or relaxation. For it is just as important from a

psychological point of (3)...................... to relax as it is to (4)......................physical exercise.

Relaxing does not necessarily mean just lazing about and doing nothing. The benefits of

a weekend away or the diversion of sporting activities are considerable. If you are

suffering from high stress (5)......................, or wish to (6) ...................... after a trying day, it

is generally advisable to have a change of (7)......................Although there are some

individuals who (8)......................on stress, for most of us, it can lead to exhaustion, mood

swings and even severe depression.

1) A reason B motive C cause D purpose

2) A factors B aspects C elements D items

3) A fact B departure C view D return

4) A make B have C undergo D take

5) A rates B layers C ratios D levels

6) A hold up B wind down C draw back D peter out

7) A scene B location C sight D place

8) A bloom B prosper C thrive D flourish

2 Choose two items from the box which are used in each activity (a-h).

a) Gymnastics ......................horse................. ......................bars......................

b) Scuba Diving ............................................... ..................................................

c) Fishing ................................................ ...................................................

d) Walking ................................................ ...................................................

e) Photography ........................................... ..............................................

f) Do-It-Yourself ................................................... ......................................................

g) Swimming ................................................ ...................................................

h) Cycling ................................................ ...................................................

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3 Both options make sense. Underlin e the one which forms a common collocation.

Last week well over a thousand people (1) took place in/took part in our local round-

the-city 10-kilometre fun run. This kind of race doesn't normally (2) appeal to me/amuse

me, as, frankly, I'm not really (3) cut out for/right for long distance running. But I've got

two friends who are dead keen runners and who keep going on about the (4)

beneficial/positive effects of running. So I decided to run, partly for that reason and partly

to (5) earn/raise money for charity. Friends and colleagues agreed to (6) sponsor/support

me, and pay for each mile I completed. Well, I hadn't done much training for the big

event, and after two kilometres I was (7) gasping/panting for breath, so I settled down to a

slow jog and resigned myself to plodding along with the (8) strugglers/stragglers at the

back of the race. At least I finished, and was very pleased with myself, as I didn't need to

stop. I timed myself with a stop-watch, and reckon I (9) crossed/arrived at the finishing

line in 43 minutes - not bad for a novice. The heat proved too much for a few people

who'd gone off too fast for their capabilities and ended up (10) suffering from/showing

exhaustion. Apparently, the course was very fast, and both of my friends ran a (11)

personal best/personal record. The winner (12) surpassed/broke the course record. I was

actually very impressed with the whole event; the organisation was first-class, with

medical volunteers (13) on duty/on standby throughout, and drinks (14) stops/stations every

few kilometres of the route. So now the charity of my choice is £150 the richer, and as

for me, I'm well and truly bitten by the running bug. I go running with my friends

regularly now, and I'm actually starting to (15) catch up with/get near to them!

4 Complete each sentence with a word formed from the word in capitals.

a) The new leisure centre doesn't quite come up to

my ...expectations..............

EXPECT

b) There was a bare ............................... of people at the youth club. HAND

c) Helen's solo crossing of the Pacific was a ............................... feat. REMARK

d) We ............................... go to the pub before lunch on Sunday. VARY

e) All the runners, with the ............................... of Mark, were exhausted. EXCEPT

f) Our club has just purchased new sports ...................... EQUIP

g) Our city has some open spaces but they are not very ...................... ACCESS

h) Is it possible to ............................... between a hobby and an interest? DISTINCT

i) Nowadays ............................... numbers of people are taking up

jogging.

INCREASE

j) Leisure habits won't change much in the...................... future. SEE

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5 Read the text and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best completes each collocation or fixed phrase.

Very few popular (1) ...C..... sports today remain amateur in any sense of the word. In

the past, even in cases where payment to players or athletes was forbidden, many sports

tolerated what became known as 'shamateurism', and even the sports governing

(2) ......................turned a blind eye to such (3)......................as the paying of 'expenses'. More

recently, sport has become, in effect, a (4)......................of the entertainment industry, and

the elite (5)......................in sports such as swimming, tennis, football and track athletics can

expect to become very rich. This worries some people, who complain that the old Olympic

ideal has been lost, but the fact is, sport has become more and more professional in the

wider sense, not only requiring total dedication from (6)......................champions, but also

expensive facilities, training and nutritional advice.

1) A audience B watching C spectator D viewing

2) A associations B confederations C authorities D bodies

3) A practices B occurrences C acts D operations

4) A branch B division C wing D limb

5) A doers B players C makers D performers

6) A hopeful B aspiring C striving D wishful

6 Complete each sentence with the most appropriate word from the box.

board draw lap referee runner-up dive fan oar round whistle

a) While I was rowing across the lake I lost one .....oar…..

b) Neither team deserved to lose and the match ended in a......................

c) Ruth was well out in front by the end of the fifth .....................

d) After the rugby match David was attacked by an angry ......................

e) Brian impressed everyone with his ...................... into the pool.

f) Our gym teacher used to make us stop by blowing a .....................

g) During the chess game Carol knocked all the pieces off the .....................

h) Our team was knocked out of the competition in the second .....................

i) During the match one of the spectators offered the ...................... his glasses.

j) Denise won the race and her sister was ......................

7 Complete the spaces by finding one word which fits in all three sentences.

a) Later in the programme we have highlights of two big matches played earlier today:

Ajax met Juventus while Barcelona . ...took… on Porto.

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The weightlifter who allegedly ...took… performance-enhancing drugs has been

named today.

On my doctor's advice, I ...took…. up yoga in order to relax.

b) The transfer of Mario Rossi to Manchester United has been approved by

the ...................... of directors.

The new pool has a slide, water chute and diving ......................

In any game of chess, the queen is the most powerful piece on the whole

c) Right now Evans is very ....................... in confidence; she needs to start winning a

few races again.

There was a disappointingly ...................... turnout for the youth club's open day.

When you're cycling up a steep hill you will need to be in a ...................... gear.

d) ...................... the earth down around the roots after you've planted the flower.

Jim's Dad took him out into the middle of the pool and showed him how

to ...................... water.

I've got my photos drying out on the kitchen floor, so whatever you do,

don't ...................... on them!

e) Unbelievable - what an amazing ...................... around! Smith has come from

behind to take the gold medal!

As I'd never played this card game before, the others let me have

another ...................... and Walton showed a ...................... of speed that left his

opponents for dead.

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VOCABULARY 2 – Travel and movement1 Read the text and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best completes each collocation or fixed phrase.

Most big cities were built long before the heyday of the private car. As a result they rarely

have enough space for moving traffic or parked vehicles, and long queues of (1) ...C..... vehicles are a

common sight. Indeed some cities end up being almost permanently (2)...................... during the day.

Those that have a relatively free (3)...................... of traffic at non-peak periods of the day do not escape

either. The (4)...................... hour of early morning or early evening can easily see traffic brought to a

(5)...................... The effects of exhaust (6) ...................... on air pollution in cities has been well

documented. Buses might be seen as the solution, but they move slowly because of the sheer

(7)......................of other traffic, thus encouraging more commuters to abandon

(8)......................transport.

1) A standing B settled C stationary D static

2) A stuffed B saturated C crammed D congested

3) A flow B current C tide D flood

4) A push B rush C hasty D hurry

5) A standstill B hold-up C jam D freeze

6) A smells B odours C fumes D stinks

7) A size B volume C breadth D depth

8) A civic B mass C public D popular

2 Match each person from the box with one of the comments.

a) I love wandering through the countryside along deserted footpaths.

b) I'll bring you your drink in just a minute, madam......................

c) I've been waiting all morning at this roundabout for someone to stop......................

d) I was just walking down the street opposite the bank when I saw it happen......................

e) I've spent the last half an hour looking for a spot. It's hopeless.....................

f) I'll ring the bell for you, love, when it's time to get off.....................

g) The sign clearly says two hours only and you've been here all day.....................

h) It's just impossible getting across the road here. We need a subway, ......................

i) Do you think you could go a little more slowly, I'm a bit nervous.....................

j) This train is late every morning. It has been for years......................

3 Complete the text with words formed from the words in capitals.

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The Manager

Transworld Air

Portugal Street

London

Dear Sir or Madam,

I travelled last week on a Transworld Airbus from London Gatwick to

Copenhagen. This was the (1) ….outward……journey of a holiday in Denmark,

a (2)...................... tour arranged through a company called 'Sunset'. My

(3)..................... was due to leave at 8.20 am on Tuesday 25th November, but did

not in fact leave until 20.30, a delay of more than eight hours. The reason given

was that vital (4) ......................work had to be carried out. Although all

passengers were given a free meal, no other offer of (5)......................was given.

Such a long delay is totally 6)......................, and I feel justified in the

circumstances in requesting some form of financial (7) ......................

I have written to the tour (8) ......................, who denied responsibility and

advised me to write to you. I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Charles Rogers

OUT

PACK

FLY

MAINTAIN

ASSIST

ACCEPT

COMPENSATE

OPERATE

4 Both options make sense. Underlin e the one which forms a common collocation.

a) We managed to complete our journey ahead of/in front of schedule.

b) On our way to York, we divided/broke our journey in Peterborough.

c) As I wasn't coming back by train, I asked for a single/simple ticket.

d) The two coaches collided/bumped, but luckily no one was injured/wounded.

e) There has been widespread public enmity/opposition to the plan for a new road.

f) My car skidded/slipped off the road and hit a tree.

g) The train was packed, and there was standing place/room only.

h) Look at that enormous goods/industrial train - it must have 20 or 30 wagons!

i) The police accused Donald of breaking the speed limit/restriction.

j) The Chairman made a brisk/flying visit to the company's new office in Brussels.

5 Read the text and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each space.

Anyone who has gone on a skiing holiday at a ski (1) ….D… of any size will be familiar with

the age-old problem - the eternal wait for ski lifts and cable cars. Well, there is an

alternative. If you feel like something just a little different why not try heli-skiing in

Canada? Somewhere in the snowy wastes of the Rocky Mountains the helicopter will

deposit you and your group onto a slope of virgin snow that you have all to yourselves. It

is all a (2)...................... cry from the busiest slopes of, say, Switzerland, France and

19

Italy. You are fifty miles from the nearest town and there is nothing remotely

(3)...................... a ski-lift, so you have to (4)...................... on legs, skis and the chopper.

You might see the (5).....................mountain-goat or grizzly bear, but there won't be

(6)...................... of other skiers. There are one or two disadvantages. Your friendly

helicopter pilot might just put you down in a five-metre snow (7)...................... And

freezing weather might ground your helicopter and leave you (8)...................... in the

wilderness.

1) A spot B haunt C refuge D resort

2) A different B strange C far D long

3) A resembling B appearing C seeming D looking

4) A count B trust C rely D reckon

5) A occasional B sometime C incidental D irregular

6) A bunches B hordes C throngs D swarms

7) A dune B pile C mound D drift

8) A deserted B stranded C marooned D aground

6 Replace the words underline d in each sentence with a form of one of the words given. It may be necessary to use a plural or a particular verb form.

a) Ann go t of f he r hors e and picked up her riding hat.

b) As the plane wen t faste r down the runway, David began to sweat nervously.

c) Without realising it, Jim drov e backward s into a lamp post......................

d) In thick fog, the two ships ran int o eac h othe r outside the harbour.

e) Passengers who wish to ge t of f at Hove should travel in the front coach.

f) Please d o u p your safety belt before we begin the journey.

g) The captain refused to pu t at ris k the safety of the crew. ..

h) The balloon ros e u p gracefully into the summer sky.

7 Complete the spaces by finding one word which fits in all three sentences.a) It only takes one small accident to .....w?fa…… up the traffic for several hours.

The new Atlantic airbus will … ..№.W…… about 700 passengers.

Like it or not, it is the train and not the car which will ...w.'ff…. the key to the

future of domestic travel.

b) Why don't you just get the goods delivered to your house, and......................

20

yourself two-hour car journey into the city-centre?

By driving at 70 km/h instead of 100, you can ...................... a lot of petrol. I'm

trying to ...................... up for a trip to Canada, so I can't afford to buy much at the

moment.

c) The Department of Transport have ......................a deadline of 1 June for completion

of the new motorway.

Because of the strike by air traffic controllers, delays are ......................to continue

well into next week.

The trains in Switzerland are so punctual you can ...................... your watch by them.

d) The train was delayed because of ice on the.....................

After the accident there was a solid...................... of cars stretching back for several

miles.

In a new initiative announced today, police are to take a harder ......................on

speeding motorists.

e) After a while the......................we had been following became thick undergrowth.

Right, now, I want you to run twice around the......................for a warm-up.

Sorry, I've rather lost......................of my argument.

21

VOCABULARY 3 – News events1 Read the text and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each space.

Reports that the government is about to (1) . ..C… the go ahead to plans for the building of a

new runway at London's Gatwick airport have angered local (2)...................... and raised fears of

increased noise and exhaust pollution. The (3)...................... plans also include permission for

additional night flights and will (4)...................... the compulsory purchase of farmland,

(5)...................... the demolition of a number of private homes. According to sources close to the

Ministry of Transport, the government is known to be concerned by the increasing (6)......................of

traffic at London Heathrow, where there are no plans for further runways in the foreseeable

(7)......................Gatwick is widely (8)......................as a better (9)......................for expansion than

London's third airport, Stansted, which still (10)......................from poor transport links. A spokesperson

for the Keep Gatwick Quiet association, (11)......................up of local people, accused the government of

(12)...................... back on promises made before the General Election. 'We were told then that the

airport authority had no (13)......................of building another runway, and we believe that the

government has a duty to (14)...................... its pledges.' Prominent figures in the government are also

believed to be concerned at the news, although the Prime Minister, interviewed last night, is

(15)......................as saying that reports were 'misleading'. However, he would not give an assurance that

plans for building a runway had definitely been rejected.

1) A sign B make C give D approve

2) A inhabitants B dwellers C occupants D residents

3) A controversial B debatable C notorious D doubtful

4) A involve B concern C assume D need

5) A further to B as well as C moreover D what's more

6) A sum B size C volume D length

7) A years B period C time D future

8) A regarded B believed Cfelt D held

9) A potential B outlook C prospect D likelihood

10) A affects B undergoes C experiences D suffers

11) A made B set C brought D taken

12) A getting B falling C going D turning

13) A desire B intention C wish D objective

14) A bear out B count on C pull off D stand by

15) A quoted B known C thought D written

22

2 Both options make sense. Underlin e the one which forms a common collocation.

a) The two men, disguised/transformed as security guards, overpowered staff at the bank and

escaped with £150,000.

b) The pilot was the one/sole survivor of the crash.

c) The fire extensively/widely damaged the 500-year-old building.

d) Mr Johnson was taken to Maidstone General Hospital where his condition was described

as 'critical/perilous'.

e) The government spokesperson declined to speak about/comment on the matter.

f) A woman and a man were later detained/arrested for questioning.

g) The findings/results of the committee are due for publication this week.

h) The government agreed that the problem must be removed/tackled at once.

i) We must be very careful with sensitive/difficult issues such as this, to avoid giving

offence,

j) A police spokesperson admitted that detectives were baffled/upset by Mr Day's disappearance,

but were hoping to come up with an explanation.

3 Complete each sentence with one of the words from the box.

a) With Smith out injured, there is little …...prospect …… of City reaching the next

round.

b) After heavy rain, ......................during the race were hazardous.

c) It is common ..................... that Douglas intends to retire at the end of the season.

d) Two French and two English forwards were involved in an ugly ......................just before

half-time.

e) Miss Schmidt easily secured her ......................in the next round with a confident display

of power tennis.

f) The final day begins with the Australian team on the ......................of victory.

g) Whether Alberto was offside is a matter of ......................, in my view.

h) I have every...................... that Jack Wood is the man to lead our team to victory.

i) There is no concrete ...................... that anyone in the team has taken drugs.

j) The club has disclaimed..................... for the damage, blaming it on supporters from

London.

4 Complete the collocation or fixed phrase in sentences (a-j) using endings (1-10).

23

a) The union is drawing up6 ......................

b) The managing director said that recent events had put ......................

c) No one holds out ......................

d) He went on to say that the company prided ......................

e) Both sides have agreed to meet on a regular.....................

f) The union has since challenged ......................

g) Others believe that both sides would jump at the ......................

h) It is unlikely that the union will moderate ......................

i) The management stated that the problem had been exaggerated out of ......................

j) The minister said that he put himself at the......................

1 ... basis from now on, he added.

2 ... all proportion, and that an agreement was close.

3 ... a strain upon everyone employed by the company.

4 ... its demand for a shorter working week.

5 ... the figures given to the press by the financial director.

6 ... new proposals to put to the employers.

7 ... disposal of both sides in the dispute.

8 ... itself on its good relations with all its employees.

9 ... chance to resume negotiations without delay.

10 ... much hope for the success of the discussions.

5 Replace the words underline d in each sentence with one of the collocations or fixed phrases from the box.

a) I a m no t thinking of resigning at the moment.

b) Everybody is aware that Smith has a criminal record

c) We all know what cause d the closure of the factory.

d) The report has made peopl e afrai d that others may be at risk from the

disease .......................

e) We shall try hard, although there is no t muc h chanc e o f winning .

......................

f) A hospital spokesperson refused to confir m that the injured man had been

shot ......................

g) Some conservationists advocat e an immediate ban on

hunting. ......................

24

h) Commenting on the weekend travel chaos, the rail company attribute d thi s to a

combination of snow and high winds ......................

6 In each headline, replace the word or words underline d with one of the 'headline' words from the box.

bid clash held toll boost cleared looms set vows

a) Miners' union promise s to fight over local pay deals. ..Vows………

b) Change to school funding aims to increas e teacher numbers .....................

c) Newspapers and union goin g to clash over pay claim ......................

d) Man found innocent in bank robbery case ......................

e) British attemp t to aid refugees turned down .....................

f) Woman arreste d by police after pub shooting .....................

g) Numbe r of peopl e kille d rises to six ......................

h) Rail strike approaches. ......................

i) Ministers in disagreement over pay rises .....................

7 Complete each space in the text with a word formed from the words in capitals.

Press (1) ...speculation…. continues over whether the Prime Minister is

on the point of calling a General Election. An (2)...................... is expected

shortly from government headquarters. Political (3) ...................... believe

that the timing of an election is crucial to the (4..................... of the

government. Michael Lee of the 'Independent' commented:

'We've had repeated (5)...................... from the Prime Minister that no

election would be called this year, but present circumstances may just

cause him to change his mind.' Six months ago this would have been

(6) ......................

An election would have been (7)...................... suicide, and would certainly

have led to the (8) ......................of the government. The government was

coming in for severe (9)...................... because of its education policy. It was

also widely attacked for its (10)...................... involvement in the arms

export scandal, and for its (11)...................... to address the problem of

(12) ...................... But according to recent opinion polls, the electorate is

impressed at the way the PM has restored party (13) ...................... and

overcome the internal (14) ...................... which were threatening to rip the

party apart. Michael Lee comments:

There would be some (15) ..................... in calling an election pretty soon. In

fact, I wouldn't be at all surprised if it happens within the next day or

two.'

SPECULATE

ANNOUNCE

ANALYSE

SURVIVE

ASSURE

THINK

POLITICS

DOWN

CRITICISE

DISASTER

FAIL

EMPLOY

UNITE /

DIVIDE

JUSTIFY

25

26

TEST

1. I’m not keen on __________ control of the project to a relative newcomer.

A. undertaking B. charging C. entrusting D. alloting

2. Our party chairman is __________ great admirer of the Prime Minister.

A. some B. very C. no D. not

3. I’m sure that never happened – it’s just a __________ of your imagination.

A. fantasy B. figment C. piece D. picture

4. He was unable to keep up the pace __________ by the first three runners.

A. set B. staged C. created D. led

5. I’m afraid we haven’t got a spare bed. Can you __________ with a mattress on the floor?

A. make do B. make by C. make over D. make up

6. I can’t write that kind of letter unless I’m in the right __________ of mind.

A. frame B. way C. set D. turn

7. The Health Minister was __________ in a private hospital last week.

A. operated B. admitted C. cared D. treated

8. Can you __________ the BBC World Service on your new radio?

A. put on B. take in C. get at D. pick up

9. If you __________ in behaving in this way you will bring yourself nothing but trouble.

A. persist B. continue C. decide D. react

10. Many local authorities realise there is a need to make __________ for disables people in

their housing programmes.

A. assistance B. conditions C. admittance D. provision

11. Although the producer is __________ to the reactions of his audience, he feels he must

portray a “real” situation.

A. enthusiastic B. respectful C. sarcastic D. sympathetic

12. They’ve sold out of tickets for the football match tonight, so we’ll just have to make

__________ of it and go to the cinema instead!

A. a mess B. a meal C. the best D. a mountain

13. Some intriguing new facts __________ to light during the course of the investigation.

A. came B. brought C. turned D. made

27

14. The pollution problems in the town have been __________ by mass tourism in the summer

months.

A. exacerbated B. developed C. augmented D. contributed

15. You really shouldn’t buy that car. I know the engine is fine, but most of the bodywork has

been __________ away by rust.

A. eaten B. dissolved C. erased D. crumbled

16. I’ve given up trying to make my sister see sense, and now I’m __________ to the fact that

she is going to marry Jason.

A. adapted B. resigned C.adjusted D. accepted

17. The quality papers are a different __________ of fish from the gutter press.

A. pan B. basket C. box D. kettle

18. A new __________ of programmes on wildlife will be shown on Channel 4 in the autumn.

A. episode B. series C. serial D. sequel

19. As I boarded the train, I was suddenly __________ by the arm and ushered towards a first-

class carriage.

A. clutched B. grabbed C. caught D. plucked

20. Although she has three children of her own, this 32-year-old mum has __________ four

others for the local authority.

A. upheld B. supported C. fostered D. sustained

21. How could anyone have __________ a fall from the top of that high cliff?

A. survived B. remained C. existed D. persisted

22. Thousands of children will starve to death if emergency __________ is not received soon.

A. help B. aid C. support D. save

23. There is a good __________ it will rain as the sky is very overcast.

A. capability B. possibility C. opportunity D. chance

24. By the __________ on her face, I’d say she was absolutely furious.

A. view B. sight C. air D. look

25. Mr. and Mrs. Thompson __________ a baby because they couldn’t have any children of

their own.

A. accepted B. adapted C. adopted D. admitted

26. I promise to keep what you tell me in __________ confidence.

A. hardest B. strictest C. tightest D. closest

28

27. When he retired he discovered that his pension only gave him enough to __________ basic

expenses.

A. cover B. spend C. fund D. manage

28. They are so wealthy they can __________ six homes without even noticing the expenses.

A. contain B. retain C. attain D. maintain

29. I’ve had the car for 15 years so it was about time I __________ rid of it.

A. took B. got C. put D. pushed

30. He __________ to have visited the United States more than a dozen times.

A. declares B. confesses C. refuses D. claims

31. Citizens should __________ the law to the best of their ability.

A. observe B. preserve C. conserve D. deserve

32. If you are not here __________ at 8 a.m., the bus will leave without you.

A. concisely B. sharply C. punctually D. accurately

33. The average __________ of a dog is about fifteen years.

A. livelihood B. life C. lifestyle D. lifespan

34. The hotel gives a __________ to regular customers.

A. reservation B. deposit C. discount D. bargain

35. On the weekend, children are admitted to the museum free of __________.

A. cost B. charge C. expense D. fare

36. After the break-in, the company decided to __________ security.

A. straighten up B. clamp down C. tighten up D. narrow down

37. Cars and factories __________ toxic fumes that pollute the environment.

A. commit B. omit C. emit D. admit

38. They hate zoos as they believe it is cruel to keep animals __________.

A. under arrest B. in captivity C. behind bars D. under observation

39. I’m afraid it’s been a while since I read the report – could you just __________ my

memory with a few facts?

A. revive B. refresh C. review D. renew

40. Although her proposal for the new ad campaign was a good one, it was __________

because it was similar to one already used.

A. turned down B. turned back C. turned off D. turned away

41. I'm afraid I don't have much experience in dealing with ....... teenagers.

A. profound B. fractious C. straitening D. remarkable

29

42. This new biography provides a fascinating account of the adventures of one of the

most ....... explorers.

A. intrepid B. intricate C. intramural D. intimate

43. She begged to be allowed to go and her parents finally ...... .

A. argoted B. acquiesced C. arboured D. argued

44. She gave him a ....... smile.

A. thatch B. penance C. demure D. terminable

45. As usual he was dressed ....... .

A. impetuously B. impenitently C. impeccably D. impracticably

46. There was ....... in the crowd as the winning point was scored.

A. jubilation B. prigation C. stiltation D. laughter

47. The defeat was the ....... of his career.

A. zenith B. zephyr C. nadir D. shyness

48. She is almost embarrassingly ....... to anyone in authority.

A. obsequious B. gabardious C.indentious D. preferable

49. There's a  ....... of restrictions on who can apply for benefits.

A. swarthy B. multifarious C. plethora D. number

50. There was  .......  laughter from the audience at every one of his terrible jokes.

A. titivantic B. warfarantic C. sycophantic D. frantic

51. The sales director said that the decline in the company's sales last month was just a

temporary ...... A. abnegation B. apprention C. aberration D. fact

52. If teachers continue to pass students, who have little knowledge in the subjects they are

studying, then the whole system of education in Poland will eventually be ....... .

A. demassed B. debased C. debrowed D. degraded

53. The house and garden had a ...... look.

A. forsook B. foresook C. forsaken D. foresaken

54. Simon has a rather ....... manner which I find offputting.

A. haughty B. primafity C. intuitity D. baggy

55. He manages to combine two strands of the English character which is ....... conservatism

with flashes of eccentricity.

A. innate B. inmate C. inscrute D. inaudible

56. Example sentences help convey the ....... of meaning of a word.

A. nuptials B. nuances C. nubiles D. nucleus

30

57. Surely the answer's obvious - or are you being deliberately  .......

A. obtrude B. obtuse C. obviate D. obstinate

58. Her ....... for disappearing for hours at a time is worrying her parents.

A. pennant B. penchant C. penitent D. penetrate

59. Anyone with a ....... of common sense could have seen that the plan wouldn't work.

A. modicum B. modulum C. modisem D. momentum

60. Harold has a steady job, a house in a respectable neighbourhood and leads a very  ....... 

life.

A. stagnate B. stale C. staid D. stagnant

31