The Sunday News
Charles Dube
When you use idioms in your writing do you really understand what they mean? For example, consider these listed here: against time – in an effort to finish within or before a certain time.
Learners are working against time to complete their syllabi before the start of the examinations. Ahead of time – before the time due or expected; early.
He arrived for the meeting at the appointed time.
At the same time – however, nevertheless. He kept phoning his friend at the same time waiting for a word from the office.
At times – sometimes; occasionally. He comes for the lesson at times. Behind the times – old fashioned. There are some communities who are behind the times in terms of development. For the time being – for the present; temporarily.
For the time being the teacher asked them to be revising their work. From time to time – now and then; occasionally.
Check for progress in the garden from time to time.
In good time (a) at the proper time; within reasonable time. (b) When or sooner than expected; quickly. They arrived in good time for the examination.
In no time – almost instantly; very rapidly. In no time he was back from an almost impossible assignment. In time – (a) before it is too late.
They were in time not to miss the flight. (b) in the course of time; eventually; in time, all this will be a thing of the past. (c) In the correct or corresponding rhythm or tempo; to clap in time to music.
On time (a) at the correct or appointed time; punctual or punctually. (b) payable in instalments over time. He paid his monthly instalments on time.
Time after time – repeatedly. Also, time and again. Time after time he has been caught on the wrong side of the law. Time out of mind – longer than can be remembered.
It is time out of mind since he committed the crime. To keep time – to record time, as a clock. They used a stop watch to keep time during the competition.
To make time (a) to move rapidly, as in attempting to recover lost time. (b) Slang, to progress in gaining favour or acceptance, as in carrying on a flirtation.
The senior class went to class early to make time lost during the coronavirus induced lockdown.
Reading is another key component in learning which most learners take for granted.
Learn to read a wide range of materials for a variety of purposes.
Strategic readers take advantage of a variety of sources for information and for entertainment. For instance, to create a detailed and interesting piece of writing you might refer to the following listed sources: Textbooks provide a basic foundation of information.
Learners, memos, speeches, newspapers, and magazines add valuable information as well as personal perspectives.
Databases, library indexes, and internet sites often supply interesting information.
Novels, poems, plays, and anthologies, or collections of literature, provide excellent opportunities to read for pleasure as well as to explore the ideas of a writer in a particular time. You can read for various purposes. Experts tell us that reading begins with thinking about a reason for reading.
You may find that you have more than one purpose or that your purposes overlap.
When your purpose for reading is: to be informed, read slowly, take notes, reread, and review difficult sections.
To be entertained, read at a faster rate. To appreciate a writer’s craft, read simply to admire how well others write. To discover models for your own writing, look at other writers’ works to help stimulate your own ideas. As you read you also develop your vocabulary.
Having a good vocabulary means more than just knowing the meanings of isolated words.
It means knowing the larger concepts that surround these words. The best way to build a good vocabulary is to read widely, listen carefully, and participate actively in discussions in which new words and concepts are used.
“Books that may be just too hard for you to read on your own are often excellent choices as selections to be read aloud to you. They provide a good way to learn new vocabulary. ‘
Read-alouds’ also give you a model for your own future oral reading. As you hear new words, try to pay attention to their context – the words and ideas surrounding the unknown words. Try to guess at what meaning would make sense for new words.
Using experience and prior knowledge – because of your life experiences, you know certain things and understand the meanings of certain words and ideas.
Those experiences are called prior knowledge, help you determine word meanings. For instance, if you had experience, if you have had experience using computers, you will understand the following sentence.
He was asked to explain what a central processing unit (CPU) is.
The above-mentioned examples of developing vocabulary are part of many which will be explained later.
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