Acknowledgments

Interactive Vocabulary - Amy E. Olsen 2017


Acknowledgments

I would like to thank the following reviewers for their helpful suggestions for this fifth edition: Eric Hibbison, J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College; Mary Jeffery, Waubonsee Community College; Colette Novich, Oakton Community College; Pam Sawyer, Collin College, Spring Creek Campus; Dorothy Scully, Modesto Junior College; and Pam Williamson, Odessa College.

Additionally, I am grateful to Amanda Dykstra, Assistant Editor at Pearson, for her help and enthusiasm in preparing this edition. Thanks also to the Production, Marketing, and Supplement departments of Pearson for their efforts on various aspects of the book. I am appreciative of the insights and encouragement offered by assorted colleagues and students. Thanks to my family for the support they continually provide. And finally, a big thank you to my husband for his love and sense of humor.

I am proud to present the fifth edition of a text that makes learning vocabulary fun and effective.

—AMY E. OLSEN

Also Available

Book 2 of the Vocabulary Series:

Active Vocabulary: General and Academic Words, by Amy E. Olsen

Book 3 of the Vocabulary Series:

Academic Vocabulary: Academic Words, by Amy E. Olsen

A reader that combines a holistic and specific-skill approach with thought-provoking readings and activities that ask students to connect with what they read:

ReadingNow, by Amy E. Olsen

To the student

This book is designed to make learning vocabulary fun. You will increase the benefits of this book if you keep a few points in mind:

1. Interact with the words. Each chapter contains nine exposures to a word, and your instruc­tor may introduce one or two additional activities. If you're careful in your reading and thor­ough in doing the activities for each chapter, learning the words will be fun and easy.

2. Appreciate the importance of words. The words for the readings were picked from maga­zines, newspapers, novels, and lists of words likely to appear on standardized tests (such as SAT, GRE). These are words you will encounter in the classroom and in everyday life. Learning these words will help you be a more informed citizen and make your academic life much richer. Even if you don't currently have an interest in one of the readings, keep an open mind: the words may appear in the article you read in tomorrow's newspaper or on an exam in one of next semester's classes. The readings also come in different formats as a reminder that you can learn new vocabulary anywhere, from a letter to a journal entry.

3. Find your preferred learning style. The book aims to provide exercises for all types of learners—visual, aural, and interpersonal. But only you can say which learning style works best for you. See which activities (drawings, acting, matching, completing stories) you like most, and replicate those activities when they aren't part of the chapter.

4. Value critical thinking. The variety of exercise formats you will find in the following pages make the book fun to work with and build a range of critical-thinking skills. For example, the analogies will help you see relationships between words, the fill-in-the-blank formats will aid you in learning to put words in context, and the true/false Self-Tests will focus your attention on whether words are used correctly in a sentence. Each type of activity will develop your critical-thinking skills while building your vocabulary.

5. Remember that learning is fun. Don't make a chore out of learning new words, or any other new skill for that matter. If you enjoy what you're doing, you're more likely to wel­come the information and to retain it.

Enjoy your journey through Interactive Vocabulary!

—AMY E. OLSEN

Interactive Vocabulary Web Site

The Web site features additional exercises and quizzes for more interaction between you and the words. The Web site also has an audio component that allows you to hear the pronunciation of each word as often as you choose. Ask your instructor how to access the Web site.

Getting Started

Learning Objectives

The ultimate goals of Interactive Vocabulary are to increase your vocabulary and build your critical-thinking skills, and you will attain these goals by achieving a number of learning objectives. Each exercise in Interactive Vocabulary will help you to master one or more of the following learning objectives:

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Recognize and use context clues to determine the meanings of new words.

Apply new vocabulary to writing and speaking situations.

Appreciate that words can have multiple meanings.

Understand relationships between words.

Recognize word parts and use them to decode the meanings of unfamiliar words.

Use the vocabulary words to respond to images.

Employ a pronunciation key to correctly pronounce words.

Create and use flash cards and word maps as learning aids.

Look for the "Learning Objective" icon in the Review Chapters to identify exercises that will help you master each objective. Though only one or two learning objectives are identified for most of the exercises, you may discover that you are using skills found in other objectives.

Parts of Speech

There are eight parts of speech. A word's part of speech is based on how it is used in a sentence.

Words can, therefore, be more than one part of speech. For an example, note how the word punch is used below.

nouns: (n.) name a person, place, or thing

EXAMPLES: Ms. Lopez, New Orleans, lamp, warmth

Ms. Lopez enjoyed her trip to New Orleans where she bought a beautiful lamp. The warmth of the sun filled Claire with happiness. I drank five cups of the orange punch.

pronouns: (pron.) take the place of a noun

EXAMPLES: I, me, you, she, he, it, her, him, we, they, which, that, anybody, everybody Everybody liked the music at the party. It was the kind that made people want to dance. They bought a new car, which hurt their bank account.

verbs: (v.) express an action or state of being

EXAMPLES: enjoy, run, think, read, dance, am, is, are, was, were

Lily read an interesting book yesterday. I am tired. He is an excellent student. She punched the bully.

adjectives: (adj.) modify (describe or explain) a noun or pronoun

EXAMPLES: pretty, old, two, expensive, red, small

The old car was covered with red paint on one side. The two women met for lunch at an expen­sive restaurant. The punch bowl was empty soon after Uncle Al got to the party.

adverbs: (adv.) modify a verb, an adjective, or another adverb

EXAMPLES: very, shortly, first, too, soon, quickly, finally, furthermore, however

We will meet shortly after one o'clock. The very pretty dress sold quickly. I liked her; however; there was something strange about her.

prepositions: (prep.) placed before a noun or pronoun to make a phrase that relates to other parts of the sentence

EXAMPLES: after, around, at, before, by, from, in, into, of, off, on, through, to, up, with

He told me to be at his house around noon. You must go through all the steps to do the job.

conjunctions: (conj.) join words or other sentence elements and show a relationship between the connected items

EXAMPLES: and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet, after, although, because, if, since, than, when

I went to the movies, and I went to dinner on Tuesday. I will not go to the party this weekend because I have to study. I don't want to hear your reasons or excuses.

interjections: (interj.) show surprise or emotion

EXAMPLES: oh, hey, wow, ah, ouch

Oh, I forgot to do my homework! Wow, I got an A on the test!

Using the Dictionary

There will be times when you need to use a dictionary for one of its many features; becoming familiar with dictionary entries will make using a dictionary more enjoyable. The words in a dictionary are arranged alphabetically. The words on a given page are signaled by guide words at the top of the page. If the word you are looking for comes alphabetically between these two words, then your word is on that page. When using online dictionaries, you will simply type in the word you are looking for, so guide words will not be important, but the other features of an entry remain the same.

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Source: By permission. From Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition © 2011 by Merriam-Webster, Incorporated (www.merriam-webster.com).

Most dictionaries contain the following information in an entry:

✵ The pronunciation—symbols that show how a word should be spoken, including how the word is divided into syllables and where the stress should be placed on a word. The Pronunciation Key for this book is located on the inside front cover. The key shows the symbols used to indicate the sound of a word. Every dictionary has a pronunciation method, and a pronunciation key or guide is usually found in the front pages, with a partial key at the bottom of each page. The differences in the pronunciation systems used by dictionaries are usually slight.

✵ The part of speech—usually abbreviated, such as n. for noun, v. for verb, and adj. for adjective. A key to these abbreviations and others is usually found in the front of the dictionary.

✵ The definition—usually the most common meaning is listed first followed by other meanings.

✵ An example of the word in a sentence—the sentence is usually in italics and follows each meaning.

Synonyms and antonyms—synonyms are words with similar meanings, and antonyms are words that mean the opposite. (You should also consider owning a thesaurus a book that lists synonyms and antonyms.)

✵ The etymology—the history of a word, usually including the language(s) it came from.

✵ The spelling of different forms of the word—these forms may include unusual plurals and verb tenses (especially irregular forms).

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Despite the popularity of online dictionaries, it can still be handy to own a paper version. When choosing a dictionary, take the time to look at different dictionaries to see- what appeals to you. Dictionaries come in several sizes and are made for different purposes. First read some of the entries to see if the definitions make sense to you. See which of the features above are used in the dictionary. Is it important to you to be able to study the etymology of a word? Would you like sample sentences? Some dictionaries have illustrations in the margins. Decide if that is a feature you would use. Check to see if the print is large enough for you to read easily.

Decide on how you will use this dictionary. Do you want a paperback dictionary to put in your backpack? Or is this going to be the dictionary for your desk and a large hardback version would be the better choice? Several disciplines have specialized dictionaries with meanings that apply to those fields, such as law or medicine. There are also bilingual dictionaries, such as French/English or Spanish/English, that can be helpful for school or travel. Take time in picking out your dictionary because a good dictionary will be a companion for years to come. A few dictionaries to consider are Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, The American Heritage Dictionary, The Random House College Dictionary, and The Oxford Dictionary.

In general, when you are reading, try to use context clues, the words around the word you don't know, to first figure out the meaning of a word, but if you are still in doubt don't hesitate to refer to a dictionary for the exact definition. Don't forget that dictionaries also contain more than definitions and are an essential reference source for any student.

Practice Guide Words

Use the sample guide words to determine on which page each of the ten words will be found. Write the page number next to the entry word.

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Entry Identification

Label the parts of the following entry:

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Completing Analogies

An analogy shows a relationship between words. Working with analogies helps one to see connections between items, which is a crucial critical-thinking skill. Analogies are written as follows: "big : large :: fast: quick." The colon (:) means is to. The analogy reads "big is to large as fast is to quick." To complete analogies

1. find a relationship between the first pair of words

2. look for a similar relationship in another set of words

In the example above, big and large have similar meanings; they are synonyms. Fast and quick also have similar meanings, so the relationship between the four words uses synonyms.

Common relationships used in analogies (with examples) include

synonyms (trip : journey)   grammatical structure (shaking : shivering)

antonyms (real: fake)    cause and effect (step in a puddle : get wet)

examples (strawberry : fruit)  sequences (tum on car : drive)

part to a whole (handle : cup)  an object to a user or its use (spatula : chef)

Analogies in this book come in matching and fill-in-the-blank forms. Try the following analogies for practice.

Matching

1. old : young ::    a. preface : book

2. clip coupons : go shopping :: b. put on shoes : take a walk

3. peel : banana ::   c. low wages : strike

4. no rain : drought ::   d. rested : tired

Fill-in-the-Blank

writer

passion

abduct

sadly

5. frozen : chilled :: kidnap : ...

6. interrupting : rude :: embracing : ...

7. slow : slowly :: sad: ...

8. baton : conductor :: computer : ...

Answers

1. To figure out this analogy, first one needs to see that old and young are opposites, or antonyms. Next look at the choices and see if another pair of words are antonyms, and, yes, rested and tired are opposites. The answer is d.

2. A person would clip coupons and then go shopping, so there is a sequence of events. Of the choices, one would put on shoes and then take a walk, another sequence. The answer is b.

3. A peel is a part of a banana, while a preface is part of a book, so the connection is part to a whole. The answer is a.

4. When an area gets no rain, it can lead to a drought, and when people get paid low wages, they can go on strike. The connection among these pairs is cause and effect. The answer is c.

5. Frozen and chilled have similar meanings; they are synonyms. To solve the analogy, pick a word that has a similar meaning to kidnap, which would be abduct.

6. Interrupting a person is an example of a rude behavior Embracing is an example of another type of behavior; in this case, it fits as an example of passion.

7. Slow is an adjective and slowly an adverb; sad is an adjective and sadly an adverb. This analogy works by using the same grammatical structure between the words.

8. A baton is used by a conductor. Who uses a computer? Among the choices, a writer obviously fits. The relationship here is object to user.

Sometimes you may come up with a relationship between the first two words that makes sense but doesn't fit any of the choices. Look at the choices and the two words again to see if you can find a way any four words fit together. Also do any obvious matches first, and, with fewer choices, it will be easier to spot the harder connections. Doing analogies can be fun as you begin to make clever connections and see word relationships in new ways. Finding word connections will help your brain make other connections in areas as diverse as writing essays, doing math problems, and arranging travel plans. Analogies are just another way to exercise your thinking skills.

Try a few more analogies, and check your answers on page 13 to see how you did.

Matching

1. button : shirt ::    a. broom : janitor

2. map : traveler ::    b. drawer : desk

3. calm : tranquil ::    c. stayed up late : exhausted

4. watched a comedy : laughed :: d. wise : smart

Fill-in-the-Blank

huge 

beverage

warmth

sleep

5. make dinner : eat :: put on pajamas : ..

6. dull: bright :: tiny : ...

7. trunk: storage :: coat: ...

8. the Nile : a river :: iced tea : ...

Benefits of Flash Cards and Word Maps

There are several benefits to using flash cards and word maps to help you study vocabulary words.

Creating The first benefit comes from just making the cards or maps. When you make a card, you will practice writing the word and its definition. You may also write a sentence using the word, record its part of speech, or draw a picture of the word. See the section "Create Your Own Flash Cards" on page 162 for ideas on how to make flash cards. When you make a word map, you will practice writing the word, its definition, and a synonym and antonym for the word. See the section "Make Your Own Word Maps" on page 167 for examples. Creating the cards or maps allows for a personal experience with the words, which makes learning the words easier.

Working with Others Another benefit is that using the cards and maps can lead to collaborative activities. When you ask a friend, family member, or classmate to quiz you on the words, you get the chance to work with someone else, which many people enjoy. You may even establish a study group with the friends you find from quizzing each other.

Evaluating Your Learning A third benefit is that the cards and maps serve as pre-tests that let you evaluate how well you know a word. When a friend quizzes you, ask him or her to go over the words you miss several times. As the stack of flash cards or maps with words you don't know gets smaller, you know that the words are becoming part of your vocabulary. You know that you are prepared to face a word on a quiz or test when you can correctly give the definition several times.

Making and using the flash cards and word maps should be fun. Enjoy the process of learning new words. Turn to the back of the book now to review the directions for both methods, and you will be ready to make cards and maps beginning with Chapter 1. Experiment with using both methods early in the term to see which method best helps you learn the words.

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Context Clue Mini-Lessons

The Context Clue Mini-Lessons spread throughout the text provide different types of context-clue situ­ations and give you the opportunity to practice using each type. Context means the words surrounding a specific word that give clues to that word's meaning. When you encounter a word whose meaning you don't know, keep reading the passage, looking for clues to help you figure out the meaning. These clues might be in the same sentence as the unknown word or in a sentence that comes before or after the word. Look for the following types of clues in a passage:

Synonym—word that has a similar meaning to the unknown word

Antonym—word that means the opposite of the unknown word

General meaning—the meaning of the sentence or passage as a whole that could clarify the meaning of the unknown word

Example—a single item or a list of items that explain the unknown word

A way to remember the four types of context clues is to use the acronym SAGE (synonym, antonym, general meaning, example). Sage also means wise or showing wisdom, so you can feel smart about using this mnemonic device. Each type of context clue has a mini-lesson, and a final lesson combines the methods.

Though more than a clue, watch for times when writers provide the definition of a word right after using it. The definition may be in parentheses or come after a comma. In a textbook, the definition may be highlighted in the margin or in a footnote. Writers usually provide a definition when the word is a technical term or they feel the word would be an uncommon one for their readers.

You will not find a context clue every time you encounter a word you don't know, but being aware of context clues will help you determine the meaning of many new words and make reading more enjoyable.