For Intermediate and Advanced Learners

Developing Word Knowledge

10 minutes

A: Word Forms

• Introduce the rationale for teaching word forms. (Once learners know the function of the word, it gives them a much better idea of how to use it in a sentence.)
• Show the first overhead entitled, Word forms.
• Briefly discuss nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs. Give additional examples and have trainees give examples as well.
• Show the second overhead, Word forms.
• Look at the first sentence and ask trainees: Which word is the noun? Which word is the adjective? What could the adjective mean?
• Uncover the remaining two sentences of the overhead and ask trainees: Which word is the verb?
• Ask trainees to write a sentence with the three words (kimbap, mashesh, and mauke) with a partner.

Sample sentences:

I like to mauke kimbap. It is my favorite meal. I think kimbap is mashesh.

• Ask trainees what they think the mystery words mean?
• Tell trainees that even if they do not know that these nonsense words mean food (a rice roll), delicious and eat, they can still gather some information about them from the sentences provided. Context clues (the surrounding information that allows learners to guess the meaning of unknown vocabulary) make this possible.

Optional discussion point:

You may want to point out that for us it will seem natural where to place the words because we have an almost "intuitive" knowledge of English grammar.

However, for learners who have been exposed to more traditional grammar based instruction, there will be a host of other clues that allow them to know what words are nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs. Some of the rules the learner may consider when reading these sentences are as follows: