Programme 3: Use it or Lose it

Anna : I think it’s really important. Even when you study for ten minutes vocabulary and you learn five words every day, it’s really useful. useful - užitečný Margaret John: Do you know why so many Cambridge Proficiency students struggle with their Use of English section of the exam? It’s because they never learnt their vocabulary properly in the first place. So I’m going to tell you today: never learn a word in isolation. Cambridge Proficiency - název zkoušky struggle - zápasit in the first place - v prvé řadě Margaret John: All words in English have got little words attached to them – things like prepositions, things like articles, they might have adjectives that are important for that particular description. But most importantly you have to begin by learning every word with its dependent preposition, the preposition that must go with it. to be attached - být připojen dependent preposition - předložka, která k němu patří to go with it - patřit Margaret John: If you don’t do that, you can actually change the meaning of the words. for example, if I say to you, ‘to get away from something’, I mean ‘to avoid something.’ But if I say ‘to get away with something’ I mean ‘you didn’t get caught or punished.’ to get away from - vyhnout se něčemu to avoid something - vyhnout se něčemu to get away with - nebýt chycen, vyváznout to punish - potrestat Margaret John: So remember: Don’t waste your time. When you are learning a word, learn it with the preposition that goes with it. And, if you really want to know how to use it, write 3 or 4 of your own examples. to waste - mrhat (něčím) Mark Shea: You need to write down new words, perhaps including an example sentence for each of them, and you need to check with your teacher that your example sentences are correct. including - včetně example - příklad example sentence - vzorová věta to check - zkontrolovat correct - správný Mark Shea: You need to practice using this vocabulary. Writing it down once isn’t enough. You need example sentences and you need to make sure that you try and use your new vocabulary on a daily basis, perhaps in class or perhaps outside of class. So remember, be systematic about vocabulary. on a daily basis - denně Mark Shea: You need to revise your vocabulary on a regular basis, perhaps once after 24 hours and once a week. It’s not enough to write a word down to learn the word. You need to use the word to really acquire it. to revise - opakovat, učit se on a regular basis - pravidelně to acquire - osvojit si