| This & That - an e-magazine which promises something exciting for you |
| MAY 2001 |
| A WORD FROM THE EDITOR Have you started on your venture to improve your vocabulary? How have you progressed? With perseverance and determination, you will enjoy the fruits of your labour. In this issue, I would like to introduce you to more ways of establishing relationships among words. I will only give you a few examples for each category. In your reading of English language materials, you will definitely come across more. Make a note of them and also send me an e-mail message to tell me what these words are and which category they fall into. Happy reading and hunting for words! |
| MORE WORDS! MORE WORDS! MORE WORDS! MORE WORDS! MORE WORDS! Good speaking and good writing depend on a sound knowledge of words, their precise meaning and the correct way in which they are used. There are millions of words in the English language. No one can claim that they know all the words in the English language but we can make a conscious effort to improve our vocabulary day by day so that al least we will be able to express ourselves in a more comprehensible manner to the people we come in contact with. Here are some ways of establishing relationships among words. We can do this by finding out more about how certain words are associated with other words and their meanings. I am sure you have come across the following categories of words: 1. HOMONYMS - words which have more than one meaning. light bear rose fine watch last match suit surf board course 2. HOMOPHONES - words that have the same pronunciation but are spelt differently know - no write - right stationery - stationary accept - except knew - new meet - meat advice - advise hear - here sight - site - cite principal - principle knot - not pair - pear 3. HOMOGRAPHS - words that can be pronounced in more than one way read row sow wind minute refuse produce rebel lead 4. SYNONYMS - words with the same meaning aid - help - assist ancient - old character - reputation expect - hope happen - occur 5. ANTONYMS - the opposites of words sober - drunk alive - dead beautiful - ugly boring - interesting victory - defeat It would also be helpful for the learner of the English language to make a list of words which are similar, so that he will be able to use the right word at the right time. For example, when would you use: 1) ship, boat, cargo, liner 2) soldiers, army, cavalry, navy 3) revolver, rifle, gun 4) sofa, chair, stool, couch If you come across more words in the categories mentioned above, please do not hesitate to send me an e-mail message at [email protected]. I could compile a whole list and send you a copy if you make a request for it. |
Quote of the month: Some read to think - these are rare; some to unite - these are common; and some to talk - and these form the great majority. Charles Caleb Colton (1780-1832) |
Related websites Go to http://rhyme.lycos.com, type in a word to find its rhyme, synonyms and more, for example, its definition and homophones. Then you can check all of Shakespeare's works, quotations and even the Bible to see where reference to this word was made. For some fun to know more about words, there is a collection of word oddities and trivia at http://members.aol.com/gulfhigh2/words.html |
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