To the Student

WHY A GOOD VOCABULARY MATTERS

At one time or another, you have probably heard someone say, Its important to have a good
vocabulary. Wanting to be polite, you may have agreed. But perhaps you really wanted to ask, Why
is having a good vocabulary important? Here are five reasons why.
1 Knowing a lot of words makes it easier for you to understand others and for others to
understand you. Have you ever had trouble following what someone else was saying?
Maybe you found it hard to understand a television news report. Perhaps you could not
understand a doctors instructions for completing a medical form. Maybe you could not figure
out what family members meant when they talked about an election. If you are like most
people, you probably got upset when you didnt understand what was being said.
It can also be difficult to tell others what you are thinking and feeling when you dont
know enough words. Maybe the words will not come when you are writing a letter to a sick
neighbor. Perhaps you have a hard time explaining to relatives why you were hurt by
something they did. Maybe you have trouble telling friends why you are so excited about your
new apartment.
As your vocabulary gets larger, you will not have to work so hard to understand others
or to make others understand you. That, in turn, will make your life much easier.
2 A good vocabulary is the key to understanding what you read. If you dont know enough
words, you are going to have trouble figuring out the meaning of what you read. One or two
words whose meanings you dont know may not stop you. However, if there are many words
you dont know, it will be hard for you to understand what you read. With a strong vocabulary,
you will get more out of newspapers, magazines, booksor anything else you want to read.
3 A large vocabulary can help you score higher on tests. Vocabulary is an important part of
many testsfor example, the GED exam, college entrance exams, armed forces tests, and job
placement tests. Why is that? Its because the people who make up these exams know that
vocabulary helps measure what you already know and how easily you can learn new
information in the future. The more words you know, the better you will do on these exams.

To the Student

4 A solid vocabulary will help you do better in school and at work. Knowing many words
makes you a better reader, writer, speaker, listener, and thinker. These are the skills you need
to do well in the classroom and on the job. In school, having a good vocabulary helps you
understand your textbooks, classmates, and teachers. And in the world of work, a good
vocabulary counts as never before. More and more, workers are being asked to change jobs
and learn new skills. Knowing how to learn quickly is the key to doing well in this fastchanging world. A good vocabulary makes it easier for you to understand new ideas so you
can get ahead on the joband stay there.
5 A strong vocabulary helps you believe in yourself. Sometimes people who dont have large
vocabularies feel they dont have what it takes to do well in todays world. They may sit
quietly in the back of the classroom, nervous about joining in. They may hear about an
interesting job opening but be afraid to apply. Having a strong vocabulary helps you feel you
have what it takes to make your life better. In other words, having a strong vocabulary helps
you build confidence. What is confidence? It is the belief that you can do things you used to
think you would never be able to do.
Now you know why it is so important to have a good vocabulary. The next few pages tell how
this book will help you build a strong vocabularyone that can unlock doors that used to be tightly
closed.

HOW VOCABULARY BASICS IS DIFFERENT FROM OTHER BOOKS

The way most books try to build vocabulary is by asking students to memorize lists of words. But
people usually forget memorized lists quickly. To learn a word really well, you must see and use it a
number of times. Vocabulary Basics gives you the chance to use the new words in each chapter seven
different ways. By the end of each chapter, you will easily remember what the new words mean
because you will have used them so many times.

UNDERSTANDING THE BOOK AS A WHOLE

Inside Front Cover and Contents
By filling in the blanks below, you will understand how the book is organized. First, turn to the inside
front cover. As you can see, the inside front cover provides a chart called _______________________
________________________________________. This chart will help you figure out how to say the
vocabulary words in the book. Next, turn to the Table of Contents on pages vvi. There are ________
chapters in the book and a unit review after every _____________ chapters. At the end of the last unit
review, there are four short sections. The first section shows how to form verb tenses. The second
gives information on making __________________________________. The third section is a
______________________________________. The fourth section is a list of the ________________
in the book.

To the Student

UNDERSTANDING EACH CHAPTER

Now its time to turn to the first chapter in the book, on pages 813. This chapter, like all the others
(except for the unit reviews), has seven parts. Each part is described below.

1. Learning Eight New Words

The first part of the chapter (see pages 89) is called Learning Eight New Words. The left-hand
column lists eight boldfaced words. Underneath, you are shown how to say, or pronounce, each
boldfaced word. For example, here is how to say agreement, the first word on page 8: uh-gree-muhnt.
(Remember: for help on how to say the new words, see the guide on the inside front cover.)
After showing how to say the boldfaced word, the chapter gives the words part of speech. What
part of speech is agreement? It is a noun. The vocabulary words in this book are mostly nouns,
adjectives, and verbs. Nouns are words used to name somethinga person, place, thing, or idea. The
words boyfriend, city, hat, and truth are all nouns. Adjectives are words that describe nouns, as in the
following word pairs: old boyfriend, large city, red hat, whole truth. Many of the words in this book
are verbs, words that show action. They tell what someone or something is doing. The words ask, buy,
drive, learn, and sing are all verbs.
To the right of each boldfaced word are two sentences that will help you understand its meaning.
And below the sentences are three possible meanings for the boldfaced word. From among the three
choices, you select the answer that has the closest meaning to that of the boldfaced word. In each
sentence, the other words near the boldfaced wordthe contextwill give clues that help you figure
out the meaning of the boldfaced word. There are four kinds of context clues: examples, words with
similar meanings, words with opposite meanings, and the meaning of the sentence as a whole. Each
kind of context clue is described below.
Examples
A sentence may have examples that help explain the meaning of the boldfaced word. For
instance, take a look at the following sentence (from Chapter 1) and note how the examples (in
italics) help explain the meaning of the word agreement:
After fighting for hours, the little girls made an agreement to share their toys.
The sentence gives an example of an agreementsharing toys. To figure out what agreement
means, think about the example. What would it mean if two children said they would share their
toys? Now look at the three answer choices below. On the answer line to the left, write the letter
of the answer you think is right.
___ Agreement means

a. fight

b. question

c. promise

The examples make it clear that the two girls have made a promise to each other, so c is the
correct answer.
Words with Similar Meanings
Words with the same or almost the same meaning are called synonyms (sin-uh-nimz). For
example, the words joyful, happy, and pleased are synonyms because they all mean about the
same thing. Synonyms often give clues about the meaning of a nearby unknown word. Look at

To the Student

the following sentence (from Chapter 1) and note how the synonym (in italics) helps explain the
meaning of the word prepare:
Last year, I prepared all kinds of interesting dishes for our holiday dinner. But this year,
Im going to relax and let someone else make the meal.
Instead of using prepare again in the second sentence, the writer uses the synonym make. Now
choose the letter of the right answer.
___ Prepare means

a. get ready

b. watch

c. leave

Since both prepare the meal and make the meal mean get the meal ready, answer a is correct.
Words with Opposite Meanings
Words with opposite or almost opposite meanings are called antonyms (an-toh-nimz). For
example, help and hurt are antonyms, as are work and rest. Antonyms can help you figure out the
meanings of new words. How? By giving the opposite meaning of an unknown word, an antonym
makes it easier to figure out what a new word means. Look at the following sentence from
Chapter 1 and note how the antonym (in italics) helps explain the meaning of the word cancel.
Then look at the three answer choices below and select the best answer.
I had planned to see the doctor today, but I feel so much better that I think I will cancel my
visit there.
___ Cancel means

a. remember

b. not do as planned

c. get ready for

The sentence says that the writer had planned to see the doctor but now will cancel the visit. You
can guess, then, that cancel has the opposite meaning of plan to. So b is the correct answer.
The Meaning of the Sentence as a Whole
Sometimes there is no example, synonym, or antonym in a sentence. But even without these
clues, you can figure out what a boldfaced word means by studying the meaning of the sentence
as a whole. For example, look at the following sentence (from Chapter 1) and see if you can
decide on the meaning of the word flexible simply by studying the rest of the sentence:
The new lamp next to my bed has a long neck that is so flexible it can be moved any way I
want.
___ Flexible means

a. able to bend

b. real

c. heavy

Its clear that the neck of the new lamp must be able to bend in different ways. So a is the correct
answer.
As you go through the Learning Eight New Words sections, look closely at the two sentences
given for each word and at the answer choices. As you figure out the meaning of each word, you are
doing whats needed to understand and remember the word. Working with the word in this way and
seeing how it is used in a sentence are the keys to completing the rest of the chapter.

To the Student

2. Matching Words with Meanings

The second part of the chapter (see page 9) is called Matching Words with Meanings. Often it is not
enough to see how a word is used in a sentence. To understand a word fully, most people need to see
the meaning, or definition, of the word. The matching activity gives the meaning of each new word,
but it also makes you look for and think about each meaning. This is the best way to learn and
remember a word. Now look at the Be Careful note that follows the matching activity. This note
reminds you that you should not move on to the rest of the chapter until you are sure that you know
the correct meaning of each word.

3. Adding One Word to an Item

The third part of the chapter (see page 10) is called Adding One Word to a Sentence. This section,
with eight sentences, gives you a chance to show how well you understand the new words. After
placing one word in each sentence, be sure to check your answers in the Limited Answer Key at the
back of the book. Checking your answers will help you see if you really know the words. If you do,
you are ready to complete the rest of the activities, for which answers are not given.

4. Adding Two Words to an Item

The fourth part (see page 10) is called Adding Two Words to a Sentence. This activity is a bit more
difficult because you have to see which two words fit best in a sentence. The extra work you do to find
the right answers will help you learn the words.

5. Showing You Understand the Words

The fifth part (see page 11), called Showing You Understand the Words, is made up of two sets of
four items. Each item uses one of the chapters new words. By completing an item or by answering the
question asked by an item, you show that you truly understand what the word means. You will, we
think, have a lot of fun doing this activity.

6. Adding Words to a Reading

The sixth part (see page 12), called Adding Words to a Reading, has two interesting readings. By
choosing the right word to fill in each blank, you get a good idea of the way the new words can be
used in a paragraph.

7. Using the Words When Writing and Talking

The seventh part (see page 13) is called Using the Words When Writing and Talking. By coming up
with your own ending for each item, you will be well on the way to making the words part of your
everyday vocabulary.
At the end of the seventh part, you will find a box where you can enter your scores for Adding
One Word to an Item through Adding Words to a Reading. To get your score for each part, count
how many you got right. Then look at the Number right explanation below the box to see what your
score is for that part. You should also enter your scores on the Vocabulary Performance Chart found
on the inside back cover of the book.

To the Student

Now you know how the chapters in Vocabulary Basics are organized. As you have seen, every
chapter gives you the chance to work with the new words seven times. Each time you complete an
activity, you get closer to making the new words part of your everyday vocabulary. And to give you
even more practice, almost every chapter repeats some words from earlier chapters. (These repeated
words are marked with small circleslike this. If you are not sure of the meaning of a repeated word,
turn to the Word List on pages 257258. There you will find the page on which the word was first
used.) In short, you will have plenty of chances to learnand relearnthe words.

UNDERSTANDING THE UNIT REVIEWS

As you saw earlier, there is a unit review at the end of every six chapters. Each unit review offers six
different kinds of activitieseverything from crossword puzzles to sentence writing. All in all, you
will have the chance to practice each word in the unit three more times. When you finish the unit
reviews, you will have worked at least ten times with each word in the book. By then, you should
know the words so well that you will be ready to use them whenever you want.
Take a moment to look at the instructions for the final activity in the unit reviews (see page 53,
for example). Note that when doing this final activity, you should feel free to use any tense of a
boldfaced verb and to make a boldfaced noun plural. For example, for the verb assist, you might
use a number of different tenses: My family assists me when I have trouble with my schoolwork,
Last summer, I assisted my uncle with the opening of his new store, or For two weeks, my friends
have been assisting me with plans for the party. For the noun volunteer, you might use the plural
form and write or say, Two volunteers came to the school to talk about fire safety.
Like many people, you may have trouble remembering the correct form of some verb tenses and
the correct plural form of some nouns. So, when doing this final activity, you will probably find it
helpful to look at the charts on pages 249251 and 252. They will give you the help you need.

A FINAL THOUGHT
The facts are in. It is important to have a strong vocabulary. Having a good vocabulary makes you a
better reader, writer, speaker, thinker, and learner. Having a good vocabulary can make things
smoother for you at home, in school, and on the job. But learning new words will not happen easily or
by itself. You must decide that you want to build your vocabulary and then work hard with the
chapters in this book. If you do, you will not only add to your vocabularyyou will add to your life as
well. Good luck.
Judith Nadell
Beth Johnson
Paul Langan