Chapter 1 page 8

THE AMERICAN ENGLISH EXPRESS Chapter 1 page 7

B. Grammar text

A grammar text will help you understand English grammar rules. This textbook will provide you with everything you ever needed to know about English grammar. Often I will ask you to use your grammar book to better understand a particular English language issue. You should read the grammar book and then use it for reference when you need help understanding something that you are reading or writing.

C. The Thesaurus

A thesaurus is a book that is organized alphabetically (as is the dictionary) but lists ‘synonyms’ (words with the same meanings) and ‘antonyms” (words with the opposite meanings). For either reading or writing, the thesaurus is an excellent tool. You can look up words and find others to use in their places. Students with a limited vocabulary tend to use the same words over and over again. This is both boring and shows the reader that the writer does not have a very broad vocabulary. When speaking, you may seem uneducated and, therefore, not worth listening to. Close reading and using the thesaurus when writing can cure this deficit by providing you with alternative words to help you to become a more interesting speaker and writer.

Use of a thesaurus is similar to the use of a dictionary. You can find new words and substitute these into your sentences to see if they make sense and communicate what you want to say.

You could purchase a thesaurus for a dollar, I am sure.

D. Vocabulary Builders

There are many aides on the market that can help you increase your vocabulary. Different techniques work for different people. You should try to use some of these vocabulary-building strategies to see what will work best for you. There is no substitute, however, for reading, reading and reading. You will always be learning new words and you never stop building your vocabulary.

E. Encyclopedias

A standard encyclopedia has alphabetically listed entries. A general encyclopedia tries to list all knowledge.

One of the first modern encyclopedias, the Encyclopedie, was compiled by Denis Diderot (1713-1784) a French Philosophe (or philosopher).

An ancient Greek Philosopher named Aristotle (384-322 BC) also compiled an encyclopedia in his day. You may have heard this name. He called his work “The Physics” meaning ‘all about the physical world’. The story is that, after he completed this book about everything, he realized it was incomplete! He wrote another book about all the things he left out and placed it on the shelf next to his book ‘physics’. He called the new book “The Metaphysics” (in Greek, the word ‘meta’ means ‘next to’). That is the derivation of the word ‘metaphysics’ which refers to all things not of the physical world, that is, of the human mind.

In addition to general encyclopedias, such as the Britannica, there are special encyclopedias (sometimes called ‘dictionaries’) such as The Encyclopedia of Philosophy, The Encyclopedia of Medicine, The Dictionary of the History of Ideas, to name just a few. These books and other reference books will be useful to you later on in your college or professional career. You can find them for free at your school or local library (on-line access for many articles is also free).

One book that you should definitely consult is The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy. The sub-title of this book is “What every American should know.” The publisher is Houghton Mifflin Co. and the editor is Hirsch. Although much of the premise or thesis (the main idea) of this book is controversial, the content of the book represents an invaluable resource to anyone who is interested in understanding American language and culture.

WE ALL MUST LEARN WORDS:

Here’s a story about a famous American author, Jack London. When he first began writing short stories, he set himself the task of learning a certain number of new words each day. To accomplish this, he would write down the words and their meanings on small scraps of paper and hang them up around his apartment in convenient places (such as over the sink where he would shave or by his desk where he would work). He would see these words and definitions all day. The next day he would take those words down and hang up new ones. In this way, he successfully learned many new words.

On your own, you need to devise (create) a way (method) to learn new words. Jack London had a daily goal of a certain number of words. Setting a goal for yourself is a good idea as well. Your goal might be to learn 5 new words a week.

To learn these words, be sure to write them down with their definitions. Some people do this on an index card (3 inches by 5 inches). On one side is the word and definition, and on the other side is a sentence that helps you to remember the meaning and usage of the word. Many students find it useful to carry the cards around with them and study them whenever they have a chance: at work at lunchtime, traveling on the train or bus, waiting in line, and so on.

Whatever method you devise, stick to it! Keep learning new words!

Do not continue reading this book until you have a dictionary by your side!

A thesaurus would be useful, as well.

Here’s a rule for you to follow, and one that I enforce in my classroom

Anytime you do not understand a word,

Look it up!

Write it down!

Own it!

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