Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET)

VOCABULARY and
READING
Ali G. Anudin
English Department
Philippine Normal University
COMPETENCIES

VOCABULARY: Using context clues, structural analysis,
and other word formation techniques

READING:
* Noting details to discover the central theme of a passage
* Pointing out the organizational structure of a passage and
determining how the parts are related to the whole
* Drawing inferences and implications on reading texts

1. What is meant by GINGERLY in this
paragraph: She was deep in the road
before she became conscious of her
shoes. In horror, she saw that they were
coated with thick, black clay. Gingerly
she pulled off one shoe after the other
with the hand still clutching the letter?
A. disgusted C. hurried
B. careful D. determined
Smoking has been proven dangerous to peoples
health, yet many continue to smoke for various
reasons. For young people, smoking often
represents maturity and individuality. Many smoke
as a way to reduce tension. In addition, the regular
smoker becomes addicted psychologically and
physically to the nicotine in cigarettes.
2. What is the author implying in the paragraph?
A. Smoking is dangerous.
B. Smoking is a way of life for many people.
C. Young people smoke to look mature.
D. People smoke even if they know
it can kill them.
3. My favorite sport is basketball which I
play and also watch on TV. I also like
softball better than volleyball, but I prefer
tennis as a summer sport over softball
and volleyball.
Which is correct about the paragraph?
A. I like softball least.
B. Tennis is my second favorite sport.
C. I like volleyball better than tennis.
D. I like tennis as much as I like
basketball.
4. What character trait is revealed in this
statement: During the five years that
Ive taught Ive done my best to live to
my ideals. Yet I please nobody. Its
the same old narrow conformism and
favor-currying?
A. militant C. idealistic
B. stubborn D. pessimistic

THREE TYPES OF VOCABULARY

GENERAL: everyday words with widely
acknowledged meanings in common usage

SPECIAL: words from everyday vocabulary
that take on specialized meanings

TECHNICAL: words that are used only in a
particular subject matter
CONTEXT CLUES. words, phrases, sentences surrounding
an unfamiliar word may give clue to its meaning.


1. Synonym or Antonym: clues that indicate an unfamiliar word
is similar or opposite in meaning to an unfamiliar word or phrase

Many memoirs describe the feeling of camaraderie between
people, the friendship they felt when they shared what little they
had with others.


During the draught, many farmers abandoned their unproductive
fields in search of arable farmland.
SYNONYMS

His guilt and regret shows that his remorse was
real.

The mountain pass was a tortuous road,
winding and twisting around the trees of the
mountainside.

ANTONYMS

Abigailes remarks are generally not cryptic,
but straightforward.
The twins Abby and Joshua are really different.
Abby is lively and talkative while Joshua is
reserved and taciturn.

2. Cause and Effect: clues that indicate an unfamiliar word is the
cause of and or the result of an action, feeling, or idea

Constant drought and windstorm conditions caused the erosion of
fertile topsoil that crops needed to grow.


3. Comparison and Contrast: an unknown word may be
compared or contrasted with a more familiar word or concept

Impromptu camps of squatters would spring up like mushrooms in
vacant lots of city subdivisions.


Unlike the displaced migrants and others who were suddenly
unemployed, the affluent were not much affected by the
socioeconomic depression.
4. Definitions and Restatements: words that define the term or
reinstate in other words

Definition is considered the simplest and most obvious way by
which the meaning of a word is revealed. The be verb is used
to equate the term to be defined to the familiar word in the
sentence.

Morphology is a sub discipline of linguistics that
studies word structure.


Entire families often became transient, moving from place to
place in order to find work.
WORD MEANINGS. words have many layers of meanings that
change depending on the time, place, or situation in which they
are used.

Denotation and Connotation: denotation refers to a words
literal meaning while connotation is the emotional meaning or
association people connect to the word
Denotation Connotation

Impromptu

spontaneous
a speech or other action
done with little rehearsal
or preparation

Impetuous

hasty and ill-advised
action
Jessa Marie walked along the crowded street.
Strolled a casual, easy gait
Wandered lack of aim or direction
CAST
Theater the actors in a stage production
Sculpture the molding of liquefied metal into a
specific shape
Medicine the plaster dressing used to set a
broken line
Fishing the throwing of a baited fishing line into
water

Synonym: words with the same meaning often have subtle
shades of or differences in meaning
Jargon: a special language used by groups of people in
particular occupation, hobby, or field of study
Euphemism More direct form
memorial garden cemetery
socially maladjusted rude
Faux imitation
misrepresentation lie
casualties dead
Euphemism: indirect, agreeable terms used in place of more
direct, less appealing ones
A) more than one can afford
B) a sunny day
C) suddenly
D) very happy
E) very ambitious
Match the underlined idioms with their meanings
On Monday, out of the clear blue sky, the
local travel agent called up Elsa to tell her that
she had won two tickets to the International
Balloon Fiesta in New Mexico. She had always
wanted to go with her husband Randy but they
thought that such a trip was beyond their reach.
She was walking in air when she told Randy the
good news.
I) rapidly
J) daydream
K) unaware
L) slowly
M) aspire for something
At first, Randy thought that Elsa was
joking and full of hot air. But when he realized
that she was not building castles in the air, his
annoyance vanished into thin air. As soon as
Randy came home from work, the couple talked
eagerly about the trip. Soon their plans grew by
leaps and bounds . Elsas head was in the
clouds all the time because she was looking
forward to her first balloon ride. She was in cloud
nine thinking how good it is to reach for the sky.
E) talking nonsense
F) temperamental
G) disappear without
leaving a trace
H) very happy

Simile - comparison of two unlike
ideas or objects, using the
word like or as
Lips like rosebuds and kisses like
wine

Metaphor - a comparison of two
dissimilar things
She is an angel in disguise.
Personification - the representation of
an object or idea as
human
The jovial moon smiling benignly
down at us

Apostrophe - an old-fashioned direct
address to an absent or dead person
or thing
Oh freedom! Hear our cry!
Hyperbole - exaggeration or
overstatement for emphasis
I could eat a horse.
Oxymoron- a phrase linking
incongruous or contradictory terms
A wise fool
Paradox - an apparently absurd or self-
contradictory statement that may
nevertheless be true or wise
Her gentleness was too hurtful to
bear.

Metonymy - use of concrete term to
refer to some wider idea that it
characterizes

The crown for monarchy

Synecdoche - use of the name of a part
to refer to the whole, or vice versa,
such as

forty sail to refer to forty ships

Irony - use of word/s to convey
something markedly different from the
literal meaning; a common component
of sarcasm, though not necessarily so
cutting
Its a secret so only half of London
knows about it.
Allusion - refers to a literary, biblical,
historical, mythological, scientific
event, character, or place
Beware of the kiss of Judas! ;
Beware of Greeks, bearing gifts
Onomatopoeia- use of words whose
sound suggests their meaning
Sizzle, splash, crack, buzz, zap

Alliteration - use of words with same
initial consonant sound
The furrow followed free

Assonance uses repetition of vowels
without repetition of consonants, also
called a vowel rhyme
alone, alone, all, all, alone

Consonance repeats the final
consonant sounds, also called a slant
rhyme
dreary and weary odds and ends

Rhyme employs identical sounds from
the vowel of the accented syllables to
the end
hold, told, mold, gold; die, sky, my, fly,
pie

Anaphora repeats a word or words at
the beginning of two or more
successive clauses or verses
Cannons to the right of them/Cannons
to the left of them!
Lets try these:

1. The president took the floor for his
acceptance speech.
2. Your smile is as sweet as honey.
3. The sanitary officer collects our trash
every Friday.
4. Blue, blue, my world is blue

metonymy
simile
euphemism
alliteration
Identify the figure of speech used in the following:

1. The train click-clucked, and click-
clucked, click-clucked monotonously
over the rail joints.

2. I have been to all places looking for
you.

3. Your senseless chats are tinkling
cymbals to my ears.
Onomatopoeia
Hyperbole
Metonymy
4. The wind whispered its secret to the
bamboos.
5. Congratulations! You lost the ball
game again.
6. I hate love for all the pains it cause
me.

7. We live in one roof.

8. Beware of Judas in your group.

Personification
Irony
Oxymoron
Synecdoche
Allusion
9. O sweet woods, the delight of
solitariness!

10. Fair is foul and foul is fair.
Apostrophe
Alliteration
Reading Models
Bottom-up Model
Text-based; reading
instruction emphasizes
letters, letter-sound
relationships and words.
Reading is essentially
mechanical decoding of
speech written down
(Silberstein, 1987)

Knowledge-based and
conceptually-driven
Comprehending the
selection is possible even
if each word in the
selection is not
recognized.
Reading instruction
emphasizes prior
knowledge.
Top-down Model
(Goodman, 1967)
Pictures reading as
making sense of print
through the interaction
between TEXT and
READER.
Believes that meaning
is not residing in the
text alone waiting to be
decoded
Interactive Model
(Rummelhart, 1977)
involves the transaction between the mind
of the reader and the language of the text.
READING
bottom - up
top - down
SCHEMATA
Influence reading comprehension
and learning
Provide a framework that allows
readers to select information
relevant to their purposes
Help readers organize text
information by enabling them to
relate the new to the old which
eventually facilitates retention and
retrieval
Predicting
Hypothesizing
Deducing
Inferring
Drawing implications
Cognitive processes which act as tools for
understanding the text
UNDERSTANDING THREE LEVELS OF IDEAS
The main focus of reading is getting the main point the
core, the message, the thesis, the main idea, the central
focus, the controlling idea, and the central thought.
MAIN POINT
Major Detail Major Detail Major Detail
minor detail
minor detail
minor detail
minor detail
minor detail
minor detail
The TOPIC is the general subject of the
material. It answers questions like,
Who or what is discussed in the text?
or Who or what is the content of the
material?
Cost-cutting measures have to be practiced if a
company or even the country as a whole has to
survive. Cost-cutting takes different forms. A
plain housewife can best cost-cut on expenses
by recycling leftover food, turning off electricity
and water faucets when not in use. Going to
supermarket only once instead of water trips.
These practices also help prevent panic buying
which results in shortage of food supplies.
Indeed the hardship that is felt nowadays can be
reduced by observing some cost-cutting
measures.
The MAIN IDEA is the chief point an
author is making about the topic. It
sums up the authors primary message.
It is also called the central idea or
thesis. It is usually found in the
beginning of the paragraph.
Cost-cutting measures have to be practiced if a
company or even the country as a whole has to
survive. Cost-cutting takes different forms. A
plain housewife can best cost-cut on expenses by
recycling leftover food, turning off electricity and
water faucets when not in use. Going to
supermarket only once instead of water trips.
These practices also help prevent panic buying
which results in shortage of food supplies. Indeed
the hardship that is felt nowadays can be reduced
by observing some cost-cutting measures.
DETAILS develop, explain, and prove the
main point or main idea. These are facts,
descriptions, examples, and reasons that
convince the reader and make the
material interesting.
Cost-cutting measures have to be practiced if a
company or even the country as a whole has to
survive. Cost-cutting takes different forms. A
plain housewife can best cost-cut on expenses by
recycling leftover food, turning off electricity and
water faucets when not in use. Going to
supermarket only once instead of water trips.
These practices also help prevent panic buying
which results in shortage of food supplies. Indeed
the hardship that is felt nowadays can be reduced
by observing some cost-cutting measures.
INFERENCING is to interpret unstated
meaning; the author provides clues so
that the reader can put together facts and
details in a logical order and draws
conclusions.
Cost-cutting measures have to be practiced if a
company or even the country as a whole has to
survive. Cost-cutting takes different forms. A
plain housewife can best cost-cut on expenses by
recycling leftover food, turning off electricity and
water faucets when not in use. Going to
supermarket only once instead of water trips.
These practices also help prevent panic buying
which results in shortage of food supplies. Indeed
the hardship that is felt nowadays can be reduced
by observing some cost-cutting measures.
TIMES ARE HARD SO IT IS IMPORTANT
FOR PEOPLE TO SAVE.
PREDICTION is made on the basis of
prior knowledge. It answers questions
such as: What do you think will happen?
and Why do you think so?
IF WE DONT OBSERVE COST-CUTTING
MEASURES, WE MAY HAVE DIFFICULTY
LIVING UP WITH THE TIMES.
Cost-cutting measures have to be practiced if a
company or even the country as a whole has to
survive. Cost-cutting takes different forms. A
plain housewife can best cost-cut on expenses by
recycling leftover food, turning off electricity and
water faucets when not in use. Going to
supermarket only once instead of water trips.
These practices also help prevent panic buying
which results in shortage of food supplies. Indeed
the hardship that is felt nowadays can be reduced
by observing some cost-cutting measures.
There are some potential advantages in being closer to the
sun. Given enough fertilizers and water, year-round
sunshine can create an extraordinary agricultural potential
allowing as much as three crops a year. But water shortage
restricts the areas where this is possible. As the oil runs out
and solar power becomes more economical, the Third World
will have greater possibilities of endlessly renewable energy
than the developed Temperate Zone countries.
What is the main idea of the paragraph?
A. Fertilizer and irrigation can increase the productivity of
the developing world.
B. Two potential advantages of ample sunshine are
increased agricultural output and solar energy.
C. The developed world has less solar energy potential than
the developing world.
D. Oil runs out and solar power becomes more economical.