Some difficulties in learning English vocabulary

 

Learning English becomes a difficult task for those who are using it as a second language. Mastering this language is in fact a challenging task due to its complexity, sophistication and immense word count. Following are some challenges in learning English vocabulary.

 

Homonyms

Homonyms are words that sound the same or are spelled the same but have different meanings in different context. It can be further classified into two.

 

Homophones:

Homophones are words that sound the same but have different meanings and often different spellings. Here are some examples:

Sea , see

Site, cite, sight

Week, weak

Stationary,  stationery

 

 Homographs

 These are homonyms that are spelled the same but have different meanings. For example, lead (to guide) and lead (a metal)

Orange - color and fruit

Band- can be arm band and band of soldiers

Bark- dog's sound and the outer portion of a tree

 

Idiomatic expressions

Idioms are group of words in a fixed order which have a meaning that cannot be guessed by knowing the meaning of the individual word. The proper use of idioms adds beauty and charm to one’s language. It is commonly use in (in) formal, spoken and written forms of language.

 

Some commonly used idioms in English

 A bone of contention -  

 A subject which causes disagreements and arguments

 

  A shoulder to cry on-  

 A person who gives you sympathy

 

 Braking up the wrong tree -  

 To make the wrong   choice or ask the wrong person

 

Pour your heart to somebody-   

 To tell somebody all your problems or feelings

 

 Rack your brain(s) - 

 To think very hard or for a   long time about something

 

 Run out of steam-  

Lose your energy and enthusiasm

 

 Stick to your guns-  

To refuse to change your mind   about something even when other people   are trying to persuade

 

 To tie the knot-  Get married

 

 Wreak havoc on (somebody) -

Cause a lot of damage

* Rocket science - Something very difficult to understand

 

*Beat around the bush- 

Avoid saying what you mean, usually because it is uncomfortable.

 

*Hit the sack - Go to sleep

*It's raining cats and dogs- It's raining hard

*Once in a blue moon – Rarely

 

*A storm in a teacup - A big fuss about a small problem

* Burn bridges - Destroy relationships

* ‘A piece of cake’– something is very easy.

 

Hyponyms

Hyponyms are words that belong to a specific category or subset of a broader, more general category . In other words, hyponyms are specific instances or types within a larger category. Here are some examples:

 

Fruit

Apple, Banana, Orange (Hyponyms): These are specific types of fruits.

Color

Red, Blue, Green (Hyponyms): These are specific colors within the category of colors.

Vehicle

Car, Bicycle, Motorcycle (Hyponyms): These are different types of vehicles.

Animal

Cat, Dog, Elephant (Hyponyms): These are specific animals within the broader category of animals.

 

Furniture

Chair, Table, Sofa (Hyponyms): These are examples of furniture items.

 

Collocation

 Collocations are conventional word combinations occur in unpredictable ways which are used in a language. Strong is a word which is often used with tea, but it is not usually used with rain. We often use the phrase strong tea, but we do not say strong rain. Instead we say “heavy rain”. Such combinations in a language are known as collocations. 

 

some commonly used collocations are as follows

 

 to know more about collocations

 

Antonyms and synonyms