Fotos: Matthieu Rouil14 Spotlight 13/2019 LANGUAGE
antique [Än(ti:k]
, Antiquitäten-
appreciate [E(pri:SieIt]
, schätzen, mögen
aural [(O:rEl]
, auditiv
canteen [kÄn(ti:n]
, Kantine
doodle [(du:d&l]
, kritzeln
educationalist
[)edju(keIS&nElIst]
, Didaktiker(in)
entertain [)entE(teIn]
, hier: zu Gast haben
great-grandfather
[)greIt (grÄnd)fA:DE]
, Urgroßvater
mother-in-law
[(mVDEr In )lO:]
, Schwiegermutterrhyme [raIm]
, Reim
search engine
[(s§:tS )endZIn]
, Suchmaschine
solitary [(sQlEtEri]
, allein
stepsister [(step)sIstE]
, Stiefschwester
streamline [(stri:mlaIn]
, optimieren
technique [tek(ni:k]
, Methode
themed [(Ti:md]
, nach Themengebieten
geordnet
vocabulary item
[vEU(kÄbjUlEri )aItEm]
, Vo k a b e l- My word!
Personalization is particularly impor-
tant when deciding on which vocabulary
items to learn. Too often, learners under-
line every unknown word in a text in the
hope of learning them all. A useful vo-
cabulary strategy is to be selective. Note
down words relevant to your interests
and situation. For example, an antique
dealer may want to know the word “thim-
ble” (Fingerhut); an IT technician, however,
probably won’t use that word in his or her
active vocabulary and therefore doesn’t
need to note it down. Try to extend your
active vocabulary in the fields you’re like-
ly to talk about.
In your notebook, create word groups relating to
one topic, e.g. “Relatives: mother-in-law, great-
grandfather, stepsister...”- One-size-fits-all?
Why do you want to improve your Eng-
lish? Within one group of learners, the
answers to this question may be very dif-
ferent. Some may need it for their work:
dealing with customers, talking to clients
on the phone or giving presentations.
Others may need English in social situ-
ations: entertaining people from abroad,
talking to foreign friends or speaking to
people when they’re on holiday. If you’re
doing a general course in English, it will
probably be “one-size-fits-all”. Obviously,
there are many topics that can be used in a
variety of situations, such as meeting and
greeting people, apologizing, giving your
opinion and making small talk — but it’s
up to you to streamline your learning by
focusing on the phrases and vocabulary
that will be helpful to you in the situa-
tions in which you need to speak English.
If you’re nervous about speaking English on
the phone at work, keep a list of useful phrases
in your desk drawer — these will give you
confidence, and you’ll soon find that you have
them in your head and won’t need the list any
more.- It takes all sorts
Educationalists have suggested that there
are seven basic types of learners. Do you
recognize yourself in one or more of these
categories?
⋅ Visual: You like colours, pictures,
mind maps and images.
Our tip: Highlight key terms and
phrases in colour to make them
stand out visually. Doodle cartoons
to illustrate vocabulary and decorate
your notebook. Visual images will
help you to remember the words.
⋅ Aural: You like sound, rhymes and
music.
Our tip: Make full use of recordings,
both speech and song, and try
recording your own voice. Why not
listen to audiobooks while you’re
driving or doing housework?
⋅ Ve r b a l : You like using words, both in
speech and writing.
Our tip: You should make the most
of word-based techniques such as
exercises or chatting to other English
speakers. You could arrange a weekly
e-mail exchange with a colleague or
friend.
⋅ Physical: You like movement and
physical activity.
Our tip: Why not do some repetition
exercises while you’re doing the
ironing? Or listen to an English
audiobook while you’re cooking
dinner?
⋅ Logical: You like logic and want to
understand the reasoning behind
things.
Our tip: Yo u appreciate grammatical
explanations and lists of themed
vocabulary. Spotlight’s explanations in
the Language section, for example,
are written for you!
⋅ Social: You like to learn in groups or
with other people.
Our tip: An English course would
be ideal for you. Or you can find
live training sessions online.
Alternatively, you could form your
own group of people who want to
practise their English — how about
every Tuesday lunch hour in the
canteen?
⋅ Solitary: You like to work alone in
peace and quiet.
Our tip: You could keep a diary inEnglish and write down what you did
each day. Or start a blog in English.
Reading Spotlight is also an activity
you can enjoy and learn a lot from —
and remember to do the exercises in
Spotlight plus.If you can’t decide which type of learner you are,
try doing an internet test to find out. Type in
“Learning style test” or “Types of learner test” in
your search engine.
You can also test your language level for free by
going to sprachtest.de