Dessert KEY
Dessert KEY
Dessert KEY
Dessert
Learning IT Vocabulary: Techniques and Tips
2024
1. Guessing meaning from context
Some ICT terms (Information and Communication Technologies) are difficult, but some
other are relatively easy to understand. You probably know term like modem, online, chat, email,
website, virus, and hacker; these words are part of our everyday life.
When you meet an unknown word, first try to guess the meaning from the context – the
surrounding words and the situation. Read the following text and see how words have meaning in
relation to other words:
• You know that a PC is a type of “computer” and digital music relates to “music in
computers”.
• You know that are digitizing is a verb because it derives from “digit”, it is in the form of the
present continuous, and it goes with the subject “families” and the object “home movies”.
• Words change their shape by adding prefixes and suffixes; for example, we add a prefix
inter- to net and form Internet, and we add the suffix -age to store and form storage.
2. Organizing vocabulary
Read the text The birth of a revolution again. There are different ways on which you
can organize your vocabulary. A vocabulary bank is one of the most common techniques
to organize your new words:
How? Examples
Meaning Definition The Internet is a global network for computers.
Lexical family Digit (root), digital, digitally, digitize, digitizer, etc
Synonyms Handle=manage; advent=arrival
translation Storage = almacenamiento
Word class (n), (v), (adj), etc Communication (n); communicate (v),
Word Building Prefixes Internet, research
Suffixes Information; investment; powerful
compounds Checkbook (check + book)
Collocations Word partners, Access information; handle tasks
phrases
Another common technique is a spidergram. They can help you build up you own
mental maps of vocabulary areas. They are diagrams to classify things.
Example 1 Example 2
Peripherals PC
Part 2. Read the following text about the digital era. Use the words from exercise 1 to
complete the text.
A digital era
Computers have changed the way we do everyday
things, such as working, shopping, and looking for
information. We (1) houses with the help
.
of PCs; we buy books or make flight reservations on
the (2) ; we use gadgets that spring to
life the instant they are switched on, for example the
mobile phone, the music player, or the car ignition,
all of which use (3) ;. Many people now
work at home, and they communicate with their
office by computer and telephone. This is called
'teleworking'. With the appropriate hardware and
software, a PC can do almost anything you ask. It's a
magical typewriter that allows you to type and print
any sort of (4) ;. It's a calculating
Nature on screen Semi Flat
Illustrations made by Sotryset: <a
machine that makes (5) ; calculations. It
href="https://storyset.com/user">Illu is a filing cabinet that manages large collections of
stration by Freepik Storyset</a> data. It is a personal communicator that lets you
interact with friends. It is a small lab that helps you
edit photos and movies. And if you like
(6) entertainment, you can also use it to
relax with games.
Activity 2
Part 1. Match the following words with the correct definition:
Part 2. Take a look at the following words. Organize them in the spaces provided.
1. Pronunciation
2. Definition
3. Example sentence
4. Grammar feature
5. Word class
Part 2. Use your monolingual dictionary to find the following words. Analyze the
dictionary entries you find.
Part 3. Select one two of the following words to do a spidergram. Do the map in
your notebook.
1. System
2. Cybercrime
3. Privacy
4. Download
5. Memory
Search Flat Illustrations made by Storyset:
https://storyset.com/illustration/search/rafiki
Self-Assessment
Rate yourself by selecting yes/no/need to practice next to each sentence:
YES NO NEED TO
PRACTICE
Part 1.
Financial (adj), internet(n), electronic (adj), print (v), design (v), microchips (v)
Part 2.
1. Design
2. Internet
3. Microchips
4. Print
5. financial
6. electronic
Activity 2.
Part 1. a-3, b-6, c-4, d-6, e-1, f-2
Part 2. 1. Teleworking, 2. Calculators, 3 calculating, 4. Encender, 5. interact 6.
Communicator, 7. Mobile phone, 8. Typewriter.
Activity 3.
Part 1.
1 5 4
2