Vocabulary Syllabus

Vocabulary
• use the following terms:
° word, compound, idiom, simile, synonym, antonym, type of, part of, prefix, suffix, phrasal verb, word cline
• Develop a rich vocabulary through:
° extensive reading
° reading a variety of rich texts appropriate to age and ability
° recognising words from reading materials
° substituting selected nouns, verbs or adjectives in a book that is read aloud with synonyms/ near-synonyms
° keeping a record of words (e.g., word wall, word bank)
° using a dictionary and/ or online resources to:
- look up/ clarify meaning of words
- look up information about words (e.g., word class, how the word is used in a sentence, pronunciation)@
° using a thesaurus to look up synonyms
• Deduce meaning of words from how they are used in context:
° use of contextual clues
° word class the words belong to
• Deduce meaning of words from how they relate to one another:
° words belonging to the same lexical field (e.g., ‘pupil’ and ‘recess’ belong to the lexical field of ‘school’)
° words which are synonyms (e.g., quick/ fast)
° words which are near synonyms (e.g., in the word cline, cool – cold – freezing)
° words which are antonyms (e.g., far/ near)
° words which are hyponyms: type of (e.g., apple → type of fruit)
° words which are meronyms: part of (e.g., finger → part of a hand)
° words which are homonyms: spelt and/or pronounced alike but have different meanings (e.g., flower/ flour)
• Learn the vocabulary of fixed expressions and what they mean:
° phrasal verbs (e.g., blow up → get angry)
° collocations (e.g., happy birthday 3, cheerful birthday 7)
° idioms (e.g., lend a hand → help)
° proverbs (e.g., Never judge a book by its cover. → Do not judge others by their appearance.)
• recognise how words are formed:
° compounding (e.g., workbook, playground, doorway)
° affixation: joining prefixes and suffixes to base words (e.g., en + large → enlarge)
° acronyms (ASEAN: Association of Southeast Asian Nations)
° clipping (e.g., telephone → phone)
° blending (e.g., breakfast + lunch → brunch)
• recognise the playful use of words in spoken and written language:
° jokes
° riddles
° puns
Using Appropriate Vocabulary
• use words suitable for purpose, audience, context and culture in relation to:
° type of texts (e.g., explanations: technical language, expositions: persuasive language)
° medium (spoken or written)
° register (formal or informal)
• use collocations appropriately
• use idioms, proverbs and phrasal verbs appropriately
• recognise and use literary language, e.g.,
° simile (e.g., She is as graceful as a swan.)
° imagery (e.g., The use of ‘velvet tiger’ paints an image of a tiger with a thick and soft coat.)
° metaphor (e.g., The moon is the eye of the night.)