Lesson 2: Learning Words in Simple Contexts
A Word is Known by the Company It Keeps
In our last lesson, you learned to write an example sentence in your vocabulary notebook. Why is this so important? Because words almost never live alone! They have "friend-words" that go with them. Learning a word in a simple sentence, or its context, is one of the most powerful learning strategies.
Key Vocabulary
-
Context
The situation or words that are around a word, which help to show its meaning.
-
Meaning
The idea or thing that a word represents.
-
Grammar
The rules of a language for how words change and are combined into sentences.
-
Example Sentence
A sentence that shows how a word is used correctly.
Why Learn in Context?
- It Shows the Real Meaning: Some words have multiple meanings. The context tells you the correct one. For example, 'cold' can mean temperature ("It is a cold day") or sickness ("I have a cold").
- It Teaches You Grammar: When you learn a full sentence, you learn the grammar automatically. You learn to say "I ride a moto," not "I am ride a moto."
- It Makes Words Easier to Remember: A small story or situation is much easier to remember than a single, lonely word. The sentence provides a story for the word.
- You Learn to Think in English: Instead of translating word-by-word from Khmer, you start to think in complete English phrases.
How to Find and Use Context
- Look in Our Lessons: Every word in our 'Word Bank' tables has an example sentence. This is the perfect place to start!
- Create Your Own Personal Sentence: This is the best method. Take the new word and write a sentence about your life. Make it true for you. This makes the memory much stronger.
- New word: tired
- Lesson sentence: "He is tired."
- Your personal sentence: "After I work all day, I am tired."
- Listen for Words: When you watch a movie or listen to a song, listen for new words. What other words are around them? That's their context.
In Conversation
Bora asks his teacher for help with a new word.
Bora: Teacher, I learned the word 'difficult'. But I don't know how to use it in a sentence.
Teacher: That's a great question, Bora. Let's look at it in context. Can you find an example sentence in your lesson?
Bora: The lesson says, "The test was difficult."
Teacher: Perfect. So you see, 'difficult' comes after the verb 'was' and it describes the test. Now, can you make your own sentence?
Bora: Hmm... "Learning English grammar is sometimes difficult."
Teacher: That is an excellent sentence! It's true for you, so you will remember it. You just used context to learn the word more deeply.
Check Your Understanding
- What is "context"?
- a) The first letter of a word.
- b) The words and sentences around a word.
- c) The sound of a word.
Answer: b) The words and sentences around a word.
- Why is learning a word in a sentence better than learning a word alone?
- a) It is faster to write.
- b) It helps you remember the word and its grammar.
- c) It uses more ink.
Answer: b) It helps you remember the word and its grammar.
- What is the BEST type of example sentence to write in your notebook?
- a) A very long and complicated sentence.
- b) A sentence that is true about your own life.
- c) The first sentence you find in a dictionary.
Answer: b) A sentence that is true about your own life.
Your Mission
- Find the Context: Choose 3 words from any past lesson. Go back to that lesson and write down the full example sentence for each word in your notebook.
- Create Your Context: For those same 3 words, now write your own new, personal sentence for each one. Make it true for you!
- Speak in Context: Your mission is to use a new word in a full sentence when you talk to a friend. For example, instead of just saying "delicious," say "This coffee is delicious!"