Comprehensive Guide to Academic Vocabulary Skills

Vocabulary for Inference and Interpretation

• Infer

  • Definition: To figure something out based on context or facts.
  • Practical Application: When students do not know the definition of a word, they can infer the meaning from the context of the sentence.
  • Contextual Example: Olivia inferred that her teacher was upset with her behavior because he frowned when she was not paying attention in class.

• Interpret

  • Definition: To explain the meaning of something.
  • Practical Application: Sammy did not understand the results from his lab experiment, so his partner interpreted the meaning of the results to him.
  • Contextual Example: Lily interpreted Tom’s words, ‘I’m happy,’ as a lie because he said it so sadly.

Vocabulary for Predictive and Evaluative Thought

• Predict

  • Definition: To say something will or may happen in the future.
  • Practical Application: After reviewing his class notes, Mohammed predicted some questions that he thought would be on the exam.
  • Contextual Example: Sophia predicted that she would do very well on the CELPIP-General Test because she was doing very well in the CELPIP Preparation Program.

• Assess

  • Definition: To make a judgment about something.
  • Practical Application: Marc assesses his students’ performance based on their class participation and test scores.
  • Contextual Example: Alex assesses his writing according to the CELPIP Performance Standards.

• Generalize

  • Definition: To make a broad statement or conclude that something is true in most cases based on limited specific instances.
  • Practical Application: Ben generalized that taking notes in class would help all students improve their grade because it helped him.
  • Contextual Example: At the end of class, Dylan generalized that everyone loved learning English because he enjoyed learning it.

Vocabulary for Elaborating and Summarizing Information

• Elaborate

  • Definition: To give more details.
  • Practical Application: Miss Atkins liked the class’s idea about having a party on their last day of school and asked her students to elaborate on the details of the event.
  • Contextual Example: Ava asked her student to elaborate on why he likes learning spoken English more than written English.

• Summarize

  • Definition: To provide a brief statement of the main points of something.
  • Practical Application: Emma forgot to do her reading homework, so she asked her classmate to summarize the reading for her before class started.
  • Contextual Example: William easily summarized $70$ pages of reading in just $1$ page.

• Gist

  • Definition: A basic or general idea of something.
  • Practical Application: Edward was feeling sleepy in class, so he did not hear most of the lesson, but he got the gist of what the teacher said.
  • Contextual Example: One student noted that while their French isn’t that good, they can get the gist of a conversation.

Vocabulary for Structural Clarity and Comparison

• Outline

  • Definition: To lay out the main features of something.
  • Practical Application: Mina outlined the most important points that would be on the test.
  • Contextual Example: The CELPIP Study Guide: Listening and Speaking outlines the structure and main points of the CELPIP Test.

• Compare

  • Definition: To look at two or more things closely to see their similarities or differences.
  • Practical Application: Thiago compared his last Listening Test results with his current ones and realized that he had improved.
  • Contextual Example: Vincent compared two articles he read in class and found the first one easier.

• Contrast

  • Definition: To reveal the difference from something else.
  • Practical Application: Mariam learned the contrast between ‘p’ and ‘b’ sounds, as in ‘pack’ and ‘back,’ in her English class.
  • Contextual Example: Mateo’s outgoing personality contrasts with his brother’s shyness.

• Coherence

  • Definition: The way paragraphs, sentences, and ideas are linked together in logical order.
  • Practical Application: Daniel could not understand anything his classmate, Shirley, was telling him because there was no coherence in the things she said.
  • Contextual Example: Coherence is important when telling a story because listeners need to know the logical order and relationship of events and actions to understand what is going on.

Vocabulary for Communication and Persuasion

• Demonstrate

  • Definition: To show or explain something.
  • Practical Application: The teacher demonstrated to her English class a way to change a statement into a question.
  • Contextual Example: Tamar demonstrated her love for learning English by participating in every class.

• Persuade

  • Definition: To convince someone to do something.
  • Practical Application: Initially, a student's parents did not want her to join an afterschool English class, but she was able to persuade them eventually.
  • Contextual Example: Meiling persuaded her partner to present their project to the class.

• Response

  • Definition: A reply to something.
  • Practical Application: Althea asked her class a question, but there was no response; the class was shy.
  • Contextual Example: Jihoon recorded his speaking response so he could listen to it and see how he could do better.

Reference for Academic Vocabulary Definitions

• Assess: To make a judgement about something.
• Coherence: The way paragraphs, sentences, and ideas are linked together in logical order.
• Compare: To look at two or more things closely to see their similarities or differences.
• Contrast: To reveal the difference from something else.
• Demonstrate: To show or explain something.
• Elaborate: To give more details.
• Gist: A basic or general idea of something.
• Infer: To figure something out based on context or facts.
• Interpret: To explain the meaning of something.
• Outline: To lay out the main features of something.
• Persuade: To convince someone to do something.
• Predict: To say something will or may happen in the future.
• Response: A reply to something.