Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Academic Word List
Academic Word List
Academic Word List
Table of Contents
I.
II.
III.
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II.
The Academic Word List (also referred to as the AWL), developed by Averil
Coxhead at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand, consists of
vocabulary that students are likely to encounter in most academic subjects. It
consists of the 570 most common word families in academic texts, excluding
about 2000 basic English words such as the, in, of, about, under, dog, cat, that,
and so on. English learners who learn and practice the words on the AWL before
attending university are likely to be able to master academic material with more
confidence and speed, wasting less time and effort in guessing the meaning of
words or consulting dictionaries than those who only know the basic 2,000words, which characterize ordinary conversation. An added feature of the AWL is
that by learning one word on it, there are often a number of other frequently used
forms to learn as well. For example, the word 'analysis' from the AWL has a
number of other forms that are useful to know:
analyze
analyzed
analyzer
analyses
analyzing
analytically
analytical
analysis
analyst
analytic
When learning these words you should also learn their pronunciation. You need
to recognize them when you hear them spoken and you need to be able to
pronounce them correctly. In some cases, the part of the word or syllable that is
stressed might change. For example:
analyze
analysis
Mastering the word families on the AWL can quickly help you reach that 3-5000
word family goal needed for success at the university level in an Englishspeaking country. Learning the first 2000 basic English words and the 570 word
families from the AWL will allow you to comprehend about 90% of the words
encountered in academic text. Keep this in mind:
If, instead of focusing on the AWL, a student moves on to the third 1000 most
common everyday English words, instead of an additional 10% coverage there
would be only an extra 4.3% coverage of the essential vocabulary needed for
academic success.
-Nation, P. (2001) Learning Vocabulary in Another Language. Cambridge; Cambridge University Press.
Clearly then, if you are an ESL learner intending to study at the university level in
an English-speaking country, the Academic Word List is worth studying.
Copyright 2006 ESL Pro Systems, Ltd. All rights reserved. Visit us online at www.esl-pro.com.
assess
assign
assist
assume
assure
attach
attain
attitude
attribute
author
authority
automate
available
aware
behalf
benefit
bias
bond
brief
bulk
capable
capacity
category
cease
challenge
channel
chapter
chart
chemical
circumstance
cite
civil
clarify
classic
clause
code
coherent
coincide
collapse
colleague
commence
comment
commission
commit
commodity
communicate
community
compatible
compensate
compile
complement
complex
component
compound
comprehensive
comprise
compute
conceive
concentrate
concept
conclude
concurrent
conduct
confer
confine
confirm
conflict
conform
consent
consequent
considerable
consist
constant
constitute
constrain
construct
consult
consume
contact
contemporary
context
contract
contradict
contrary
contrast
contribute
controversy
convene
converse
convert
convince
cooperate
coordinate
core
corporate
correspond
couple
create
credit
criteria
crucial
culture
currency
cycle
data
debate
decade
decline
deduce
define
definite
demonstrate
denote
deny
depress
derive
design
despite
detect
deviate
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device
devote
differentiate
dimension
diminish
discrete
discriminate
displace
display
dispose
distinct
distort
distribute
diverse
document
domain
domestic
dominate
draft
drama
duration
dynamic
economy
edit
element
eliminate
emerge
emphasis
empirical
enable
encounter
energy
enforce
enhance
enormous
ensure
entity
environment
equate
equip
equivalent
erode
error
establish
estate
estimate
ethic
ethnic
evaluate
eventual
evident
evolve
exceed
exclude
exhibit
expand
expert
explicit
exploit
export
expose
external
extract
facilitate
factor
feature
federal
fee
file
final
finance
finite
flexible
fluctuate
focus
format
formula
forthcoming
found
foundation
framework
function
fund
fundamental
furthermore
gender
generate
generation
globe
goal
grade
grant
guarantee
guideline
hence
hierarchy
highlight
hypothesis
identical
identify
ideology
ignorance
illustrate
image
immigrate
impact
implement
implicate
implicit
imply
impose
incentive
incidence
incline
income
incorporate
index
indicate
individual
induce
inevitable
infer
infrastructure
inherent
inhibit
initial
initiate
injure
innovate
input
insert
insight
inspect
instance
institute
instruct
integral
integrate
integrity
intelligence
intense
interact
intermediate
internal
interpret
interval
intervene
intrinsic
invest
investigate
invoke
involve
isolate
issue
item
job
journal
justify
label
labor
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layer
lecture
legal
legislate
levy
liberal
license
likewise
link
locate
logic
maintain
major
manipulate
manual
margin
mature
maximize
mechanism
media
mediate
medical
medium
mental
method
migrate
military
minimal
minimize
minimum
ministry
minor
mode
modify
monitor
motive
mutual
negate
network
neutral
nevertheless
nonetheless
norm
normal
notion
notwithstanding
nuclear
objective
obtain
obvious
occupy
occur
odd
offset
ongoing
option
orient
outcome
output
overall
overlap
overseas
panel
paradigm
paragraph
parallel
parameter
participate
partner
passive
perceive
percent
period
persist
perspective
phase
phenomenon
philosophy
physical
plus
policy
portion
pose
positive
potential
practitioner
precede
precise
predict
predominant
preliminary
presume
previous
primary
prime
principal
principle
prior
priority
proceed
process
professional
prohibit
project
promote
proportion
prospect
protocol
psychology
publication
publish
purchase
pursue
qualitative
quote
radical
random
range
ratio
rational
react
recover
refine
regime
region
register
regulate
reinforce
reject
relax
release
relevant
reluctance
rely
remove
require
research
reside
resolve
resource
respond
restore
restrain
restrict
retain
reveal
revenue
reverse
revise
revolution
rigid
role
route
scenario
schedule
scheme
scope
section
sector
secure
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seek
select
sequence
series
sex
shift
significant
similar
simulate
site
so-called
sole
somewhat
source
specific
specify
sphere
stable
statistic
status
straightforward
strategy
stress
structure
style
submit
subordinate
subsequent
subsidy
substitute
successor
sufficient
sum
summary
supplement
survey
survive
suspend
sustain
symbol
tape
target
task
team
technical
technique
technology
temporary
tense
terminate
text
theme
theory
thereby
thesis
topic
trace
tradition
transfer
transform
transit
transmit
transport
trend
trigger
ultimate
undergo
underlie
undertake
uniform
unify
unique
utilize
valid
vary
vehicle
version
via
violate
virtual
visible
vision
visual
volume
voluntary
welfare
whereas
whereby
widespread
Copyright 2006 ESL Pro Systems, Ltd. All rights reserved. Visit us online at www.esl-pro.com.
Copyright 2006 ESL Pro Systems, Ltd. All rights reserved. Visit us online at www.esl-pro.com.