Active and Passive Vocabulary

Harry Smith said:

Sometimes it's so difficult to choose the right word for my students. I think it's the lack of the practice. My problem is that I use correct words and very often can't explain why I use them. Where can I find the answer how to choose the right words besides dictionaries?

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Often, the right word is a matter of taste rather than grammar. It very much depends on the circumstance.

Harry, try [DAVIES] Variation in English Words and Phrases (VIEW) for examples of words in use, then compare the contexts- I use this site a lot.

Tdol said:

Harry, try [DAVIES] Variation in English Words and Phrases (VIEW) for examples of words in use, then compare the contexts- I use this site a lot.

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Thanks very much! I'll try.:-D

MikeNewYork said:

Often, the right word is a matter of taste rather than grammar. It very much depends on the circumstance.

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I fully agree with you. Very often I speak English and I can't believe that it's me speaking. I can be very fluent at times like many native speakers.

Harry Smith said:

I fully agree with you. Very often I speak English and I can't believe that it's me speaking. I can be very fluent at times like many native speakers.

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I can't tell about your speaking, but your written English is very good. :-D

MikeNewYork said:

I can't tell about your speaking, but your written English is very good. :-D

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I have been teaching and improving my English since 1977.;-) Fifty of my student are teachers of English now.

Harry Smith said:

I have been teaching and improving my English since 1977.;-) Fifty of my student are teachers of English now.

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That's fantastic! You should be proud. :-D

MikeNewYork said:

That's fantastic! You should be proud. :-D

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I'm very proud of them especially when I hear about their achievament in the field of teaching. Coming back toour discussion I just want to say that Vocabulary is one of the most important factors in learning languages.:-D

Harry Smith said:

I'm very proud of them especially when I hear about their achievament in the field of teaching. Coming back toour discussion I just want to say that Vocabulary is one of the most important factors in learning languages.:-D

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There is no doubt about that. It beats the hell out of pointing and grunting. :lol:

MikeNewYork said:

There is no doubt about that. It beats the hell out of pointing and grunting. :lol:

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When you teach English as a second language the students often complain about reading rules, grammar tenses, spelling and of course vocabulary. Let's take for example the verb "To look". As a beginner they have to know the following phrases: "look for" look after" look up" look forward to" look at" look like" etc. It's really hard to remember, isn't it?;-)

Harry Smith said:

When you teach English as a second language the students often complain about reading rules, grammar tenses, spelling and of course vocabulary. Let's take for example the verb "To look". As a beginner they have to know the following phrases: "look for" look after" look up" look forward to" look at" look like" etc. It's really hard to remember, isn't it?;-)

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It's very difficult. That's why there are teachers. :-D

MikeNewYork said:

It's very difficult. That's why there are teachers. :-D

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I always tell my students if you want to make friends with English you shouldn't pay attention to all these difficulties because some time later they don't seem difficult at all. Learning English and learning to drive are alike. They both seem difficult at the beginning and are very easy two or three years later.;-)

Harry Smith said:

I always tell my students if you want to make friends with English you shouldn't pay attention to all these difficulties because some time later they don't seem difficult at all. Learning English and learning to drive are alike. They both seem difficult at the beginning and are very easy two or three years later.;-)

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Having taken Spanish, Latin, German, and driving, I found driving to be the easiest by far. :-D

But a mistake when driving can be more serious than a grammar mistake.

Tdol said:

But a mistake when driving can be more serious than a grammar mistake.

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You mean a gerund bender? :lol:

:-d

MikeNewYork said:

Having taken Spanish, Latin, German, and driving, I found driving to be the easiest by far. :-D

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I had to start driving Russian cars, after them I also find driving to be the easiest exercise I have ever done. And I agrre with Tdol that a driving mistake can be the last. We all make grammar mistakes and very often find out something new in English. I think all the differences between American and British English are the result of grammar mistakes mainly. :-D

Harry Smith said:

I had to start driving Russian cars, after them I also find driving to be the easiest exercise I have ever done. And I agrre with Tdol that a driving mistake can be the last. We all make grammar mistakes and very often find out something new in English. I think all the differences between American and British English are the result of grammar mistakes mainly. :-D

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Your last point is an interesting statement. Mistakes by whom? It can be said that in 1600 there was no American English. By 1700, because of the separation from the homeland, American settlers started on a path that was slightly different from England. But one has to remember, that the English language wasn't very mature in the 15th or 16th centuries. The first real dictionary wasn't published until the mid 1700s. Grammars were uncommon until the late 18th century. It is not terribly surprising that these two varieties developed somewhat differently. If you look at it as a biological organism, this is similar to what happens when a single species is divided by a geological phenomenon. After many generations, the two populations will have developed differences.

So Brits and Shermans are different species now? That explains a lot. ;-)

As for me Ilike both languages: American & British English, though they differ not only in pronunciation but also in grammar and vocabulary too.