Let’s talk about the difference between accept and except.

These are two words that sound the same but have different meanings.

They are English homophones.
Accept and except are almost antonyms (opposites), so it is important that you know how to use them correctly!

Accept means to receive something or to take something.

Except means to leave something out or not include.

We will look at each word separately.

Accept

Accept is an English verb that means to receive or to take.

Examples:

• Please accept my help.
  (Please receive my help.)
• This store does not accept credit cards.
  (The store does not take credit cards. You cannot use them there.)
• They accepted his application for the job.
  (They received/took his application for the job.)

Until now we discussed accept. Now let’s explain what except means.

Except

Except is usually an English preposition meaning leaving out, but or other than.

Examples:

• We go to school every day except Saturday and Sunday.
  (We go to school every day but Saturday and Sunday.)
• Everyone got a prize except Sally.
  (Other than Sally, everyone got a prize.)
• Except for her son, all the kids had a good time.
  (All the kids had a good time, not including her son. Her son did not have a good time.)

Hello,

Let’s talk about the difference between “synonyms” and “antonyms.”

Synonyms are words that have the same or almost the same meanings.

Example: small/tiny

Antonyms are words whose meanings are the exact opposite or almost the exact opposite.

Example: big/small
Synonyms and antonyms can help you be a better writer and speaker.

Synonyms and antonyms can help you be more descriptive and make your writing more interesting.

Synonyms

Synonyms are words that have the same or almost the same meanings.

Examples:

• little/tiny/small
• big/large
• fat/chubby
• beautiful/pretty
• sad/unhappy
• hard/difficult
• and/plus
• cold/chilly
• fast/quick
• kid/child

Synonyms are not always exactly the same.

For example, “pretty” and “beautiful” are synonyms, but they can have slightly different meanings.

• Sally is pretty, but her sister is beautiful!

This means that Sally’s sister is prettier than Sally.

• I am not fat! I am just a little chubby.

Here, fat is considered bigger than chubby.

Antonyms

Antonyms are words whose meanings are the exact opposite or almost the exact opposite.

Examples:

• big/small
• difficult/easy
• add/subtract
• hot/cold
• black/white
• ugly/pretty
• stupid/smart
• up/down
• child/adult

Why should you use synonyms and antonyms?

Synonyms and antonyms can help you be a better speaker and writer. Using the same words all the time can become boring.

Compare these two examples:

1. The tall boy climbed a tall tree to rescue the fat cat. The fat cat was stuck high in the tall tree.
2. The tall, lanky boy climbed the huge tree to rescue the fat cat. The chubby kitty was stuck high in the large tree.

The second sentence is more interesting and more descriptive than the first sentence.

So when building vocabulary you can enrich it by also learning synonyms and antonyms.

English has an ability to express an idea or concept with the finest details possible.

This can be done using synonyms.

A synonym is a word with the same, or almost the same, meaning as another word.

For example, you could say, “Janet wears a blue hat and a red dress.”

You could also say, “Janet sports a navy cloche and a burgundy gown.”

Let’s explain the second sentence:

“Sport” means “to wear in a proud way.”
It is a synonym of “wear.”

“Navy” means “very dark blue.”
It is a synonym of “blue.”

“Cloche” means “a woman’s hat that is shaped like a bell and fits close to the head.”
It is a synonym of “hat.”

“Burgundy” means “dark red,” like the Burgundy wine.
(That’s wine from an area in eastern France called Burgundy.)
It is a synonym of “red.”

“Gown” means “a long woman’s dress, worn in special occasions.”
It is a synonym of “dress.”

If we didn’t have the above words in the English vocabulary, we would probably say something like this:
“Janet proudly wears a very dark blue hat. Her hat is shaped like a bell and fits close to the head. She also wears a dark red long formal dress.”

This is longer and slightly less accurate. (Though definitely clearer if you are unfamiliar with the above words!)

- Now reread the first and second sentences.
- After reviewing each, Imagine Janet’s appearance.
She looks quite different, doesn’t she?  :-)

This is only one way of using synonyms.

Understanding synonyms (and their opposite – the antonyms) is important to truly mastering the English language with all its “colors” (= aspects).

1) So what are synonyms and antonyms?

2) Pretty, beautiful, handsome… what’s the difference?

3) Why are synonyms and antonyms important?

4) How to use them to improve vocabulary?

5) How to use them to improve writing skills?

Visit the Synonyms and Antonyms lesson to get the answers.

This time I would like to talk with you about a topic relevant to vocabulary.

That topic is English word formation processes.

As any student soon discovers, English has a very rich vocabulary. But obviously, it didn’t get all of its words at once. Most of the English words were gradually developed, some adopted, some simply invented.

By understanding these processes, you can get greater understanding of the background of English.

More importantly, by looking into the origin of single words, students can gain deeper understanding of the vocabulary they are trying to learn.

Let’s look at a practical example.

The student is studying a new word for them – “guard” (a person who protects a place or people). After understanding the literal meaning of “guard,” you can look into this word’s origin.

It turns out that it comes from the Old French word “garder,” which means, “protect.” Now, this makes sense, doesn’t it? A guard indeed protects!

Here is another example. The English word “secure” actually comes from the Latin word “securus,” which is built from “se-” (free from) and “cura” (care).

So as you can see, word etymology (the origin and history of words and their meanings) can truly enhance understanding.

Try this tip and see how it affects your or your students’ progress.

And click here to learn more about the different word formation processes in English.

Here are three major vocabulary building tips:

Tip #1: Read, read, read!

Reading can greatly help you in building vocabulary.

Advantages of reading:

• You can look for materials to match your own level.
• You can read at your own pace, or you can reread.
• You can then do many different activities and exercises based on what you have read.

Probably the biggest bonus with reading is the following:

When done properly, reading can be a lot of fun.

You can enjoy reading an interesting story, and improve your vocabulary at the same time.

This can be much more interesting than a “fill in the gap” exercise

However, for reading materials to reach their full effect, they really have to be both interesting and not too advanced for the student’s level.

Click here for interesting yet simple short stories for English learners.

Tip #2: Make sure you understand what you are reading!

This point might seem obvious, but actually, it is really not.

Some people think it is best not to stop on every word, but to understand the words from the context. That basically means, to guess what the word means, or to simply ignore it.

This is a common approach, but research has shown it is a problematic one. It can lead to misunderstanding and all sorts of other confusions.

It might seem like understanding from context is faster, but it doesn’t really help you in building vocabulary. It can leave you with many words you don’t really understand, or that you only think you understand.

It can slow down your progress significantly.

Here is an example:

A student reads the following sentence “It was sunny outside, so Marta brought a parasol.”

Now, what does that mean? What is a “parasol”?

You can guess, but that won’t necessarily get you to the right answer. You will probably remain unsure.

However, this can be solved easily. You can use the dictionary to find out what it really means. “Parasol” is a kind of umbrella that protects against the sun.

So now it makes sense: “It was sunny outside, so Marta brought a parasol.”

In summary, the way to build vocabulary is to learn vocabulary. Not to guess one!

And this is the point where dictionaries really come in handy.

They are wonderful tools. They help not only in finding out what a word means exactly, but also with giving examples of how the word is actually used.

And that is priceless

Click here for a list of recommended good dictionaries.

Tip #3: Practice the new words you have learned!

Okay, so you’ve learned some new words. Cool!

Now what? How can you make sure you don’t forget them?

Here we discover the importance of practice.

Make sure you practice the new words.

Now, practice doesn’t have to be boring. You can turn it into a game, make it fun!

Click here for a list of vocabulary activities you can use to practice new words.