Learn about the Red Words and Stars and what they mean for language learners.
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Look up English words by translating our glossary of new and important English words into your language, then check your translation. If you’re having trouble translating, or want to know the meaning of words that are not in your language dictionary, come back to this page for the next word. (If you can’t find the word you need in this page, go to our main English glossary page to translate the word.)
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English language learners are often confused about how many words they will need to learn. Counting is a good way to start, and the following guide is easy to follow:
Put your right hand in the air, and place your left hand on your head. How many words do you have? You have five fingers, and each finger represents one word.
But what if your language only has a few hundred words? How will you ever learn enough?
There are certain words which are usually used together and will never be used separately, like ‘and’, ‘or’, ‘or not’, ‘but’, ‘so’ and ‘of course’, ‘although’, ‘anyway’, and ‘let’s’. Don’t worry if this doesn’t seem like enough, it will make your vocabulary much more manageable.
You will also find it useful to count the word combinations that you usually use, like ‘a lot’, ‘a little’, ‘very’, ‘a bit’, ‘pretty’, and so on. Even if you don’t use them all of the time, you still need to know which is which.
Put your right hand in the air and place your left hand on your head. How many words do you have?
You have five fingers, and each finger represents one word.
You have two hands, so that’s two words.
You have two hands, two feet, and you are standing on one leg, so that’s four words.
You have two hands, two feet, and you are standing on one leg, but you are also kneeling on your bed, so that’s five words
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