Expanding your vocabulary Part 2
Passive vocabulary 和 Active vocabulary的差別
Once you have decided a piece of vocabulary is worth remembering, you must then work out what you need to do with it. If you think you may want to use the word or phrase in your own speaking or writing, i.e. include in your active vocabulary, it is essential that you acquire a deeper understanding of its use than were it simply something you think you might only need to recognize again, and so only have to include in your passive vocabulary.
For passive vocabulary, it is sufficient in most cases just to know what the word or phrase looks like (spelling), how it sounds (pronunciation), and what it means (definition).
However, if it is to be included in your active vocabulary, you must also know how the vocabulary is used in a wider context.
Fortunately, the starting point is the same for both sets; so, for every piece of vocabulary you wish to remember, I would recommend you do the following.
First, write down each new word or phrase on a separate sheet of paper or postcard. Alongside, jot down its pronunciation (using the phonetic alphabet) and below, make a note of the sentence in which you found the vocabulary.
This will help you remember the new language in context.
Then, add its definition IN ENGLISH. If you’ve forgotten why it is important to write the definition in English rather than Chinese, please refer back to my tip of 1st July, 2013 entitled “Throw away your bilingual dictionaries”.
The procedure so far is fine for passive vocabulary.
For active vocabulary, we need to take things a few stages further by adding antonyms (words that have the same meaning) synonyms (words with the opposite meaning); followed by grammatical form (i.e. noun, verb, adjective, adverb forms).
Finally, practice using the new vocabulary by writing as many sentences as you can incorporating the various forms etc. The more work you put into each new piece of vocabulary, the more you will become acquainted with its uses, and comfortable in its use.
It might seem like a great deal of effort to go to, but it is well worth it in the end; besides, you do not have to do everything at the same time. Adding more to your sheets or cards from time to time is a great way to review your newly acquired vocabulary.