Vocabulary and Word Study
What the domain tests
Vocabulary and Word Study checks your ability to work out and use words: synonyms and antonyms, homophones and homonyms, word formation by prefix and suffix, collocations, idioms and phrasal verbs, one-word substitutes, and spelling. The exam favours words in context, so the surrounding sentence is your main evidence.
Core rules and concepts
- For meaning in context, look for a definition, an example, a contrast ('but', 'unlike'), or a cause-effect link. Replace the word with your guess and test whether the sentence still makes sense.
- Learn common prefixes: 'un-', 'in-', 'im-', 'il-', 'ir-', 'dis-' (not); 're-' (again); 'pre-' (before); 'mis-' (wrongly). The prefix 'in-' changes form by assimilation: 'impossible', 'illegal', 'irregular'.
- Suffixes change word class: '-ness', '-ity', '-tion' make nouns; '-ful', '-less', '-ous' make adjectives; '-ly' makes adverbs; '-ise/-ize' makes verbs.
- Treat idioms as single units; the literal words usually do not give the meaning. 'To let the cat out of the bag' means to reveal a secret.
- Phrasal verbs change meaning with the particle: 'give up' (stop), 'give in' (surrender), 'give away' (donate or reveal).
- Store collocations as chunks: 'make a decision', 'take a risk', 'heavy rain', not 'do a decision'.
Worked example
Sentence: 'The clerk's reply was so vague that nobody could tell which office to approach.' Question: Choose the synonym of 'vague'. Reasoning: The result clause says nobody could tell what to do. A useful reply would be clear; this one is not. 'Vague' therefore means unclear or not precise. Answer: unclear.
Traps that cost marks
- Choosing a synonym that fits the dictionary but not the sentence's tone.
- Confusing homophones: 'principal/principle', 'stationary/stationery'.
- Using the wrong negative prefix: 'unpossible' instead of 'impossible'.
- Reading an idiom literally.
- Misspelling derived forms: 'argument' drops the 'e' of 'argue'.