1. Word frequency.

In the first paragraph, the words in blue are high-frequency words: they are among the top 1,000 most common words in English. The words in green are mid-frequency words: they are in the 1,000 to 2,000 frequency band. The words in red are low-frequency. That is, they are not among the top 2,000 most common words in English.

The four hundred or so enormous stone statues that dot the landscape of Easter Island have puzzled visitors ever since the arrival of the first Europeans. Weighing up to one hundred and fifty tonnes and some of them as tall as a five-storey building, they were first carved in a volcanic crater and then transported and erected on huge stone platforms all over the island. Yet Easter Island’s Polynesian population had possessed no cranes, wheels, machines, metal tools, draft animals or any means other than human muscle power to move the statues. How had the islanders managed to transport and erect them?


Here is the second paragraph. Can you tell which of the words in blue are high- or mid-frequency, and which are low-frequency? Put the words in the correct box. (There are 12 words in each box.)

2. High- vs. mid-frequency.

Now can you divide the high-frequency words (that is, words in the top 1,000 most frequent words) and mid-frequency words (the ones in the 1,000 to 2,000 band)? There are eight high-frequency and four mid-frequency words.

Tip: High-frequency words are usually short!

3. Low-frequency words.

Can you put the low-frequency words back in the paragraph? Drag the words to the gap, or you can click the word and then click the gap.

4. Very high-frequency words.

Read and memorise the text, then use the Start button to begin the exercise. The very high-frequency words will disappear. Type and enter each missing word in the box next to the timer. You have five minutes to complete the text. Tip: Click on a space to see the first letter of the word.

5. Academic words.

Academic words are those words that commonly occur in academic text; that is, texts that are about commercial, scientific, legal or cultural topics. They do not have a high frequency normally (they are in the 2,000 to 3,000 frequency band), but they are worth paying attention to if you want to learn to read and write academic English.

Here is the second paragraph of the text with the academic words highlighted:

Many theories have been proposed as to the origins of the moai. Thor Heyerdahl’s famous Kon-Tiki expedition attempted to prove that visitors from South America’s Inca empire were responsible. Others have argued that the statues were constructed by extra-terrestrials who were stranded on Easter Island and later rescued. Now, based on evidence from the oral traditions of the islanders and on experiments using different transport methods, a clearer idea is emerging of how this amazing engineering feat was achieved.

Here is the last paragraph of the reading text. Can you put the academic words in their correct place?

6. More academic words.

Choose the words to complete the sentences. You may have to change the form of the word slightly (for example, from singular to plural or from present to past). This exercise is in two parts. Scroll down to see the second part.

Part 1

distinctive
environment
erosion
evidence

identify
investigator
isolation
method

parallel
significance
theory
traditions

Part 2

achieve
collapse
consequence
construct

contemporary
emerge
final
obvious

recover
significance
theory
transport

7. Word families.

Most academic words belong to a word family. That is, they form a set of words that have the same root.
For example:

significance  (abstract noun)
significant    (adjective)
signify         (verb)
insignificant (negative adjective)
significantly (adverb)


Can you complete this table for these other academic words?










8. Pronunciation: Academic words.

Choose the correct stress patterns for the lists of words.

Practise saying the words.

9. Pronunciation: Academic words.

Listen to, repeat and record the words. Note: This exercise doesn't give feedback on the correct stress.

Listen, and put the words in the order that you hear them. Then listen again, and practise saying the words. The first and last examples have been done for you.