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Welcome effortless English members. This is the vocabulary discussion for the article titled “TPR and Listen First”.

Let’s start with some of the vocabulary. In the beginning of the article, we have the phrase dropping like flies. That is an idiom, a common idiom in English, especially American English. In the sentence it says, students are dropping like flies from foreign language programs.

Dropping like flies means quitting in large numbers. Means a lot of people are quitting or a lot of people are leaving or it could mean a lot of people are dying. But it means a lot of the things, a lot of people, a lot of creatures quitting, leaving, dying, very quickly.

So students are dropping like flies from a class, it means a lot of student are quitting the class and they’re doing it very quickly. Dropping like flies.

OK, and then the next thing, in the next sentence we have the word dropout. The dropout rates in foreign language programs.

Dropout means leaving or quitting. It can be a noun, in this case we’re using it really as an adjective, the dropout rate, it’s a noun used as an adjective.

All right, and in the next paragraph we have the phrase, less than satisfactory proficiency, less than satisfactory. Less than satisfactory means not very good, not satisfactory, the low average, low quality, all of those meanings, it basically means the same thing. Less than satisfactory, not satisfactory.

We have the word proficiency in this article. Proficiency means skill or ability, skill or ability.

We have the word standardize, standardized test. Standardize means uniform, means it’s always the same for everybody, always the same in every situation. Standardized test is always the same.

All right, moving on, we have the phrase audio-lingual. The audio-lingual method of teaching language. Audio-lingual, audio means sound of course, listening; lingual means language and what this means is audio-lingual, it says ‘repeat after me’ kind of teaching.

So, the teacher says, “Hi, my name is AJ” and you repeat after me, “Hi, my name is John” and then I say “How are you?” and you say “How are you?”

OK, so that’s the basic idea, audio-lingual method, it’s a repeat. You’re repeating different patterns, different sentences again and again. You might change one word, but basically you’re repeating it many times. That’s the audio-lingual method. It’s an old method of learning languages, it doesn’t work, it’s very bad, don’t use it.

Okay, we also see the phrase at all cost. At all cost is a common idiom, say most students learn to avoid foreign languages at all cost. At all cost means you will do something no mater how difficult it is, no mater what the cost, right?

“I must have a new iPod at all cost”, it means I will pay any amount of money for a new iPod. It doesn’t mater. I will do anything, I will pay any amount to get an iPod. I will do it at all cost.

So in this case, negative, most students want to avoid foreign language at all cost, they will do anything to avoid foreign language. And that’s not only true of Americans, true of many people.

All right, we see the word approaches, we’ve had that in many articles. Approaches in this case means methods, methods.

We say some different approaches came into wide use after world war II. Wide use, came into wide use means used a lot, a lot of use.

So after world war II, the audio-lingual method (repeat after me) and the grammar analysis method which means memorizing grammar rules, those two method became very popular after world war II.

And they both suck! They’re both bad. They’re not good methods, and don’t work thy’re not very effective. Yes, some people can succeed using them, but most people cannot, and most people hate them.

All right, we see the phrase engaging in. The students engage in practice drills. To engage in means to do, to engage in means to do. So engaging in means doing.

All right, pattern practice drills means repeating the same sentence many times, repeating the same sentence pattern, right? A pattern is something that repeats.

Okay, and a drill is some kind of practice that you do again and again and again.

We see the word theoretically. Theoretically means in idea only or abstractly. It means it’s not proven, it’s not something you touch, something that’s necessarily real, it might be. But it means in theory, in idea.

So, language is theoretically infinite. Infinite means without limit. Having no end, no limit, no end.

All right, so language is infinite and it is creative. It means that with language, you can always create a brand new sentence. A sentence that is totally new, that no one has ever said before.

That’s why you can’t only memorize sentence patterns, because there are an infinite number of possible sentences. You have to learn to create sentences yourself that are new, that are different.

All right, we see the word approximates used as a verb here, in the last paragraph of the first page. Now approximate is an adjective. And you have to listen carefully, the pronunciation is different for the verb and the adjective.

As an adjective you say approximate. The approximate price is five dollars, right? Approximate means kind of not exact. But, if you use it as a verb you say approximate, to approximate, right? You hear the A, it becomes along A sound.

To approximate. So approximate, the stresses is different, adjective: approximate, verb: approximate. So TPR approximates natural language learning. And to approximate, the verb, means get close to or imitate or copy. Not exactly, you don’t copy exactly; but almost exactly, very close.

So TPR, this method of teaching language, this method of learning language approximates native language learning. It gets close to how you learn native language. It gets close to natural language learning. It approximates language learning.

Well, we see acquisition here as a noun. Acquisition means to get something and keep it. You can use it for buying, right? You say I have a new acquisition, means I bought something new.

But we also use it in language to mean learning. Means I want good English acquisition, I want good English learning.

The last sentence of the first page, we see the word receptive. In the receptive stage, the child hears many sounds. Ok, receptive means open, it also means receiving, in fact that’s the real meaning, receiving.

To be receptive means your arms are open and you want to receive. Maybe receive money, maybe receive information, maybe receive ideas. You can be receptive to many things. It means you’re open to many things, you’re ready to get, you’re ready to receive something. You are receptive, adjective, receptive.

All right, children are receptive when they’re young. They receive a lot of language, they’re open, they want to receive a lot of language. They receive language then they respond physically.

To respond is to answer or to react. If you respond, you answer or you react. So, children when they’re very very young like babies, they respond physically, they respond with actions not with words.

All right, and then again we see the word develop. We’ve had that before, to develop means to grow or learn or improve, to be developed, using it as an adjective, it can mean that something has grown, that has improved.

OK, we see the word delayed. Delayed means stopped or inhabited. TPR delays speech and writing, they wait for speech and writing, they stop it and they focus on listening first.

Okay, then we see internalize, used as a verb, to internalize something. To internalize something means to learn it deeply, to learn it subconsciously, to learn it instinctively.

So, you can learn something, but maybe it’s not deep. But if you learn something and you always remember it, and it’s very emotional, very deep, you’ll never forget, you don’t need to think about it.

We say you internalize it, right? It becomes part of your inside, it comes from internal which means inside. So, to internalize means to learn something or to believe something very, very, very deeply.

Right, we see the word oral in this paragraph. Oral of course means related to the mouth, or related to speaking. So, oral practice means, practicing speaking.

Okay, we see the word comprehension in the same paragraph. Comprehension means understanding, right? You want your listening comprehension to be very good before you worry about speaking. So comprehension, understanding must be first. You first must understand.

All right, and then getting near the end, we see the word supplement on the second to last paragraph. Reading is an ideal supplement to listening. Reading is a perfect supplement to listening. Reading is a perfect supplement to listening.

Supplement is an addition, something that is extra. An extra, in this case an extra activity. So, reading is an extra activity to listening. Listening is the main activity the number one activity and reading is something a little extra.

And then finally, in the last paragraph, we see the word extensive. Extensive means a lot, or a large quantity of, or a big range of, that’s extensive. We’ve had that word before.

And then finally, we have an idiom ‘go back to square one’. If you are already an advance learner or intermediate, but you’re listening skill are weak, it is best to go back to square one and focus on listening, for six month or more.

To go back to square one means go back to the beginning or return to the first step, go back to the first step. So, maybe you have a project, you’re doing something, you’re working a long time, but it’s not successful, it fails. Maybe someone tells you, “you need to go back to square one”. It means you must begin again, go back to the beginning, start again, start from the beginning.

OK, so that’s what go back to square one means, return to the beginning, start again, go back to square one.

OK, that is all of the vocabulary explanation for this article. Next, listen to the mini-story lessons and you’ll learn how to use this vocabulary more correctly, more easily.

OK, bye-bye.