I have been studying English for one and a half years in Singapore
government school. I think my problem in English is my poor vocabulary
for comprehension as I failed my comprehension exam yesterday, however
I tried very hard but still can't improve.
Could you help me?
I
assume that your question, Zhang, is all about extending your vocabulary
through reading comprehension activities.
First
of all, make sure that you choose texts which you are interested
in. It is an established fact that reading interesting texts makes
the language that is used in them more memorable.
Try
also to choose texts which are not too difficult for your level
if you really want to consolidate the vocabulary within them when
you are reading. Work on guessing the meaning and use of the lexis
in the context in which it occurs. If the text is appropriate for
your level, your guesses will almost certainly be correct. Underline
expressions or vocabulary that appeals to you as an aid to memorizing
it.
I
find that one useful way of focusing on words and their meanings or
usage is through cloze text activity. There are several varieties
of this and the one I have chosen below is open cloze or gap-fill
in which you have to think of a word which best completes the clause:
Brenda.............to
work over the weekend in order to catch up and she...............her
tutor's offer of additional help.
There may be other equally good options, but the ones that I think
of are agreed and accepted respectively.
