English Week 3 - Vocab,Sentence Structure & Idioms

English I - Week 3: Vocabulary, Sentence Structure & Idioms

• Core Idea: This week, we expand our toolkit beyond individual words to understand how they combine to create meaning. We’ll focus on enriching our vocabulary (synonyms and prefixes), understanding how verbs work together (modals), and deciphering the meaning of common phrases and idioms that don’t mean what they literally say.

📚 Table of Contents

1. Fundamental Concepts
2. Question Pattern Analysis
3. Detailed Solutions by Pattern
4. Practice Exercises
5. Visual Learning: Idiom Illustrations
6. Common Pitfalls & Traps
7. Quick Refresher Handbook

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1. Fundamental Concepts

🎯 1.1 Expanding Vocabulary

• Synonyms: Words that have a similar meaning. Knowing synonyms helps you express ideas with more precision and variety.
  • Example: Perseverance is similar to Dedication. Sacrosanct is similar to Holy.
• Antonyms & Prefixes: Antonyms are words with opposite meanings. A common way to create an antonym is by adding a prefix (a group of letters at the start of a word).
  • un-: Changes the word to its opposite (e.g., apologetic $\to$ unapologetic, happy $\to$ unhappy).
  • dis-: Often implies reversal or negation (e.g., agree $\to$ disagree).
  • mis-: Implies something was done incorrectly (e.g., understand $\to$ misunderstand).
  • non-: Means “not” (e.g., fiction $\to$ non-fiction).

⚙️ 1.2 Phrasal Verbs

A phrasal verb is a verb + preposition or adverb thwat, when used together, creates a new meaning different from the original words.

• Example: The verb “throw” means to propel something through the air.
  • throw away: To discard something. (“Let’s throw away the old toy.“)
  • throw up: To vomit.
  • throw in: To add something extra for free.
• Another Example: The verb “stand”.
  • stand out: To be noticeable or different. (“Her pink boots really stand out.“)
  • stand up: To rise to your feet.
  • stand down: To resign from a position.

modal-verbs-icon 1.3 Modal Verbs (Helping Verbs)

Modal verbs are special “helping” verbs that express mood or attitude. They indicate possibility, necessity, ability, or permission. They are always followed by a base form of a main verb.

• Possibility / Probability:
  • Might: Expresses a weak possibility. (“I might have failed the exam, but I’m not sure.“)
  • May: Similar to might, but can also be used for permission. (“You may begin.“)
  • Could: A possibility. (“We could go to the movies.“)
• Necessity / Obligation:
  • Have to: A strong obligation, often from an external rule. (“You have to help me!“)
  • Must: A very strong personal obligation or necessity. (“I must finish this today.“)
• Ability:
  • Can: General ability. (“I can speak English.“)
• Advice:
  • Should: Recommending an action. (“You should study more.“)

Key Rule: Modal verbs are never followed by “to”.

• Incorrect: “You should to go.”
• Correct: “You should go.” (The exception is “have to”).

🖼️ 1.4 Idiomatic Expressions

An idiom is a phrase whose meaning cannot be understood from the ordinary meaning of its words. You must learn them as a complete chunk.

• Getting a second wind: Having a burst of renewed energy after feeling tired.
• Going on a wild goose chase: Wasting time pursuing something that is impossible or doesn’t exist.
• The elephant in the room: An obvious, major problem or controversial issue that everyone is aware of but avoids discussing.

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2. Question Pattern Analysis

From the Week_3_Graded_Assignment, the patterns are focused on applying vocabulary and grammar rules.

Pattern #	Pattern Name	Frequency	Difficulty	Core Skill
3.1	Synonym Identification	High	Easy	Matching a word with another word of similar meaning.
3.2	Antonym Creation with Prefixes	Medium	Easy	Choosing the correct prefix (un-, dis-, mis-) to form the opposite of a word.
3.3	Phrasal Verb Completion	High	Easy-Medium	Selecting the correct particle (away, up, out) to complete a phrasal verb in context.
3.4	Modal Verb Selection	Medium	Easy	Choosing the appropriate modal verb (might, have to, should) to express the intended mood.
3.5	Idiom Meaning Identification	High	Easy	Determining the correct meaning of a common idiomatic expression (True/False).

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3. Detailed Solutions by Pattern

Pattern 3.1: Synonym Identification

• Core Skill: Having a broad vocabulary base.

Example Problem:

Choose the word that is a synonym for Sacrosanct. Options: Earthly, Holy

TAA in Action:

1. Triage: This is a synonym problem.
2. Abstract: I need to know the meaning of “sacrosanct”. It comes from the Latin roots “sacro” (sacred) and “sanct” (holy). It means something regarded as too important or valuable to be interfered with.
3. Act:
   • “Earthly” means relating to the earth or human life, often in contrast to spiritual matters. This is closer to an antonym.
   • “Holy” means sacred or dedicated to a religious purpose. This is a very close synonym.

Final Answer: Holy.

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Pattern 3.3: Phrasal Verb Completion

• Core Skill: Understanding the unique meaning of verb + particle combinations.

Example Problem:

Choose the appropriate option: “Let’s _______ the old toy. We don’t need it.” Options: Throw in, Throw away, Throw up, Throw on

TAA in Action:

1. Triage: This is a phrasal verb problem. The base verb is “throw”.
2. Abstract: I need to evaluate the meaning of each option in the context of an “old toy” that “we don’t need”.
   • Throw in: Add something extra. (Doesn’t fit).
   • Throw away: Discard. (Fits perfectly).
   • Throw up: Vomit. (Doesn’t fit).
   • Throw on: Put on clothing quickly. (Doesn’t fit).
3. Act: The only logical choice is “throw away”.

Final Answer: Throw away.

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Pattern 3.5: Idiom Meaning Identification

• Core Skill: Memorizing the definitions of common idioms.

Example Problem:

True or False: “Going on a wild goose chase” means taking credit for someone else’s achievements.

TAA in Action:

1. Triage: This is an idiom definition problem.
2. Abstract: I need to recall the meaning of “a wild goose chase”. The image is of trying to catch a wild goose—a futile and pointless task. It means a hopeless pursuit of something unattainable.
3. Act: The given definition is “taking credit for someone else’s achievements”. This does not match the idiom’s meaning.

Final Answer: False.

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Memory Palace: Week 3 Concepts

• Modal Verbs (The Traffic Lights):

  • Have to / Must (Red Light): Stop! This is a strong obligation. You must stop. You have to stop.
  • Should (Yellow Light): Caution! This is advice. You should slow down.
  • Might / May / Could (Green Light): Go! These are possibilities. You might turn left, you could go straight… it’s up to you.

• Phrasal Verbs (Lego Bricks):

  • Think of throw as one Lego brick and up as another.
  • Separately, they have their own meaning.
  • When you click them together (throw up), they create a completely new shape and meaning (vomit) that you couldn’t have guessed just by looking at the individual bricks. You have to learn the meaning of the combined shape.

• Idioms (Secret Codes):

  • An idiom is like a secret code phrase. If you don’t know the code, “the elephant in the room” sounds like nonsense.
  • You can’t decode it word by word. You have to learn the entire phrase’s hidden meaning.
  • The Elephant in the Room: Imagine a huge elephant standing in your living room during a party. It’s impossible to ignore, but everyone is politely trying to pretend it isn’t there. That’s the big, obvious problem nobody wants to talk about.