Lesson 5

Vocabulary

1. The prefix dis- usually has a negative meaning. What is the opposite of these words? Be careful! One word is different.

1. connected a. disconnected

2. advantage b. disadvantage

3. organised c. disorganised

4. pleased/happy d disappointed

2. Choose the correct words.

The Portuguese and Spanish languages are (1) connected / disconnected in many ways, and many written words look the same. However, Spanish speakers who think that Portuguese is easy to learn will be (2) happy / disappointed. That is because the pronunciation of Portuguese is very different. In fact, it can be (3) an advantage / a disadvantage if you speak Portuguese with a Spanish accent: they might not understand you! If you want to learn both languages well, be (4) disorganised / organised and learn them as if they were two different languages.

Reading

3. Complete the study plan with these words.

Study plan: how to to learn English vocabulary

1. Make flashcards of words that you need to remember, organised by topic (for example, words for furniture).

2. Write the words in context: that means putting the word in a written sentence, so you can see how it works with other words.

3. Don’t try to remember too many words at the same time: find how many words is best for you.

4. Watch English-language TV programmes or films and listen for known words.

5. Read as many stories and news articles as you can: it's the best way to learn vocabulary!

6. Work with a friend and try to test each other on important words.