This paragraph illustrates some of the vocabulary difficulties facing students when
reading and writing academic texts. Read it carefully, paying particular attention to
words in bold.
Going to Extremes?
Muller (2012) maintains that the increased frequency of extreme weather events is
linked to global warming, in particular to rising sea temperatures. However,
McKenzie (2013) insists Muller has a bee in his bonnet on this topic, caused by
using a dysfunctional model, and that there is no real evidence that phenomena
such as flooding and hurricanes are becoming more common. He considers that
the key issue is the growing population in areas vulnerable to events such as
floods. Muller’s principal concern is a rise in the temperature of the north Pacific
Ocean of 0.5º C since 1968, which McKenzie regards as being within the normal
range of historical fluctuation. But Javez (2009) and Simmonds (2011), inter alia,
have argued for an international research programme under the auspices of
UNESCO to monitor these events, given the threefold rise in the cost of insurance
claims since 2000.

International students may be understandably concerned by the quantity and
complexity of vocabulary required for reading academic texts in their subject area.
But developing vocabulary involves more than learning lists of words. Part 3
provides a variety of approaches to improving students’ understanding in this area.
Study the table below, which shows where this type of vocabulary is dealt with more
fully.
156 Part 3: Vocabulary for Writing

2 Discussing language
The following words (all nouns) are used to describe common features of language.
Discuss the words in the list with a partner. Try to think of an example of each.

Understatement Saying less than you feel; the opposite of exaggeration
3 Practice
Study the following sentences and decide which of the features listed above is
illustrated by each one.
(a) He argued that allowing students to smoke on campus would destroy the
college’s reputation. ( __________________ )
(b) The President said she regretted the loss of life in the typhoon and
sympathised with the survivors. ( __________________ )
(c) At the beginning of the lecture Professor Chang told them about an accident
she had seen that morning. ( __________________ )
(d) There’s no such thing as a free lunch, he warned them. ( __________________ )
(e) The author of the report passed away on November 21st. ( __________________ )
(f) He told the class that their law course was a voyage over an uncharted ocean.
( __________________ )
(g) After his laptop was stolen, with the only copy of his dissertation on it, he said
he felt rather annoyed. ( __________________ )
(h) She said that the older she got, the less she seemed to know.
( __________________ )
(i) After the price rise, sales fell like a stone. ( __________________ )
(j) It is said that the early bird catches the worm. ( __________________ )
(k) Their teacher explained that the novel consisted of two parts; the first historical,
the second contemporary. ( __________________ )
(l) He was over the moon when he won the scholarship. ( __________________ )
(m) ’Finger lickin’ good’ has sold millions of chicken meals. ( __________________ )
(n) His feelings towards his old school were a mixture of love and hate.
( __________________ )
(o) Paris is the capital of romance; the city for lovers. ( __________________ )
3.1: Approaches to Vocabulary 157
exaggeration
idiom
4 Confusing pairs
Certain common words cause confusion because they have similar but distinct spellings and
meanings:
The drought affected the wheat harvest in Australia
An immediate effect of the price rise was a fall in demand
‘Affect’ and ‘effect’ are two different words. ‘Affect’ is a verb, while ‘effect’ is commonly used
as a noun.
Study the differences between other similar confusing pairs (most common use in
brackets).
accept (verb)/except (prep)
It is difficult to accept their findings
The report is finished except for the conclusion
compliment (noun/verb)/complement (verb)
Her colleagues complimented her on her presentation
His latest book complements his previous research on African politics
economic (adj)/economical (adj)
Inflation was one economic result of the war
Sharing a car to go to work was an economical move
its (pronoun)/it’s (pronoun + verb)
The car’s advanced design was its most distinct feature
It’s widely agreed that carbon emissions are rising
lose (verb)/loose (adj)
No general ever plans to lose a battle
He stressed the loose connection between religion and psychology
principal (adj/noun)/principle (noun)
Zurich is the principal city of Switzerland
All economists recognise the principle of supply and demand
rise (verb – past tense rose)/raise (verb – past tense raised)
The population of Sydney rose by 35 per cent in the century
The university raised its fees by 10 per cent last year
158 Part 3: Vocabulary for Writing
site (noun)/sight (noun)
The site of the battle is now covered by an airport
His sight began to weaken when he was in his eighties
tend to (verb)/trend (noun)
Young children tend to enjoy making a noise
In many countries there is a trend towards smaller families
Choose the correct word in each sentence.
(a) The company was founded on the principals/principles of quality and value.
(b) Millions of people are attempting to lose/loose weight.
(c) Sunspots have been known to affect/effect radio communication.
(d) Professor Poledna received their compliments/complements politely.
(e) The ancient symbol depicted a snake eating it’s/its tail.
(f) Both social and economical/economic criteria need to be examined.
(g) It took many years for some of Einstein’s theories to be accepted/excepted.
5 Words and phrases from other languages
When reading academic texts, you may meet words and phrases from other languages, usually
Latin, German or French. They are generally used because there is no exact English equivalent,
and they are often printed in italics:
While the basic tripartite division of the theory into jus ad bellum, jus in bello and jus postbellum, and the criteria related to each . . .
(meaning: reasons for going to war, laws of warfare and rules for post-war)
You are not expected to use these phrases in your own writing, but it is useful to understand
them when you read. They can be found in a dictionary, but some of the more common are
listed below:
Latin

3.1: Approaches to Vocabulary 159
French
á propos on the subject of
ancien regime old ruling system
coup d’état military take-over
fait accompli accomplished fact
raison d’être reason for living
German
Bildungsroman a story of growing-up
Mitteleuropa central Europe
Realpolitik political reality
Zeitgeist spirit of the times