A ‣ Using this book

It’s a good idea to have a routine when you use this book. [something you do often and usually in the same way] For example:

1. a weekly routine when you study a new unit for at least [not less than] 30–45 minutes;
2. a daily routine when you revise that unit. [study it again] You may only need to revise for five or ten minutes each time.

B ‣ Studying a new unit

When you are studying a unit for the first time, you need to be active when you are learning.

1. With a new word or phrase, say it aloud [speak it so you can hear it], and repeat it to yourself silently [in your head, not speaking]. If you have the eBook that goes with the book, use it to check the pronunciation.
2. Use a highlighter pen to mark words you think are important or difficult.
3. Write down new words and phrases in your notebook. (See Unit 2 for more information.)
4. Always try to write an example sentence for new words. You can choose an example from this book or a dictionary, but an example from your own life will often help you to remember a word, e.g. I shared a flat with an Australian girl when I was in London last year.
5. Do exercises in pencil, then you can rub them out (using a rubber) and do them again later. This is a good way to revise vocabulary.

C ‣ Revising a unit

When you are revising a unit one or two days later, it is also important to be as active as possible.

1. Test yourself, e.g. look at a word and cover the meaning. Can you remember what the meaning is? If you can’t, check the meaning, then come back to the word in five minutes’ time and test yourself again.
2. Look at what you wrote in your notebook when you first studied the unit. Is there any new information you want to add, e.g. something about the pronunciation, or a common word partner? (See Unit 2.)
3. Diagrams may help you to organise some of the vocabulary differently, and help you to remember it.

D ‣ Expanding* your vocabulary

When you learn a word, e.g. dirty, think of synonyms (syn) [words with a similar meaning] or opposites (opp) in your language. Look them up in a bilingual dictionary to find the English words, then look up the English words in an English dictionary to check the meaning. From this, you will find that the opposite of dirty is clean, and you may also find filthy [very dirty].

* making something bigger