Compiled by Ivy Lau.

Study Skills Support

Academic Vocabulary
Equipping yourself with the relevant academic vocabulary will give you
a head start in your university studies. Especially if you’re a second
language learner of English, studying in a foreign language can be very
difficult and time-consuming. In order to do well, you may want to
consider the following ways of learning academic vocabulary more
effectively and relevantly.
You will need:

The General Service List. The GSL is a list of general and basic vocabulary of English used
in order of frequency. It has been recognized and used quite extensively among second lan-
guage learners of English for work and study. It was first created by West in 1953. The
version used was then adapted by Baumann and Culligan in 1995. It contains almost 2,300
words. The GSL here is divided into smaller sublists. Sublist 1 has the first 500 words. Sublist
2 the next 500 words etc. For the complete word lists, refer to:
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/~alzsh3/acvocab/wordlists.htm

Subject-related Word List. This is a list of words which is specific to your discipline of
studies, for example, finance, accounting, education and others. The index at the back of your
textbook is generally the best guide to the terms, concepts that are widely used in the subject.
The index is a valuable guide to understanding the key concepts and terms used in a subject.
So make good use of the book index. You may also want to consult this site for some additional
help and ideas. http://www.uefap.com/vocab/select/selframs.htm

The Academic World List. The AWL is first developed by and compiled by Averil Coxhead
Victoria University of Wellingtown, New Zealand. The AWL contains 10 sublists that include
570 word families which appeared most frequently in academic texts. There are 60 words in
each sublist 1-9, and 30 in Sublist 10. Sublist one consists of the 60 mostly frequently ap-
peared words in the academic texts and sublist two consists of the next 60 word families and
so on.

The academic corpus contained approximately3,500,000 active vocabulary taken from a

variety of texts used and read across the faculties, spanning over more than 25 subject areas.

The complete Academic Word list of 570 root words and their word families can be
conveniently found in http://www.uefap.com/vocab/select/awl.htm with a quick link to their
the dictionary meanings. A note to mention is that the list here is arranged in alphabetical
order and NOT by sublists. Nevertheless, this is a great site to learn the meanings of the AWL
words.

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Is there any shortcut in learning the AWL??

There are gap-filling exercises that you could do to learn the academic words in their proper contexts
and understanding. Besides learning the root word, learn the word families and how they could be
correctly used in sentences e.g. the word “access” can be used as a noun as well as a verb.
The word families of „access‟ are:
accessed, accesses, accessibility, accessible, accessing, inaccessible.

Ensure you have at least 80-85% correct answer in the each exercise of a sublist before you move on
to the subsequent level. Start with exercises in sublist 1 and work your level up.

Good luck!
This website http://www.academicvocabularyexercises.com/id17.htm will take you step by step
through the exercises.

The following is taken from Sublist 6. Ex 1a

1. Be sure you _____________ a recent photo to your passport application.

2. There has been a noticeable drop in the _____________ of crime in the area since the
teen centre opened up.
3. If we all _____________, I’m sure we’ll be able to finish on time.
4. It can be quite difficult to really define _____________ ideas, such as lover or friendship.
5. My wife is quite _____________ because she practices yoga, and she does all these
poses to stretch her muscles.
6. A group of volunteers _____________ to the needs of the victims of the tornado.
7. I _____________ she was talking to me because she was looking right at me when she
said it.
8. The boss _____________ him to send the report out as soon as it was complete.
9. Reading in English is an excellent way to _____________ your vocabulary.
10. We made a _____________ of our baby’s first sounds to send to my parents.

Words to choose from:

tape abstract flexible incidence presumed

cooperate attach instructed enhanced ministered

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The Academic Word Lists (AWL)

Sublist 1 of the Academic Word List - Most Frequent Words in Families

This sublist contains the most frequent words of the Academic Word List in the Academic Corpus.

analysis established occur

approach estimate percent
area evidence period
assessment export policy
assume factors principle
authority financial procedure
available formula process
benefit function required
concept identified research
consistent income response
constitutional indicate role
context individual section
contract interpretation sector
create involved significant
data issues similar
definition labour source
derived legal specific
distribution legislation structure
economic major theory
environment method variable

Sublist 2 of Academic Word List - Most Frequent Words in Families

This sublist contains the second most frequent words in the Academic Word List from the Academic Corpus.

achieve design potential

acquisition distinction previous
administration elements primary
affect equation purchase
appropriate evaluation range
aspects features region
assistance final regulations
categories focus relevant
chapter impact resident
commission injury resources
community institute restricted
complex investment security
computer items sought
conclusion journal select
conduct maintenance site
consequences normal strategies
construction obtained survey
consumer participation text
credit perceived traditional
cultural positive transfer

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Sublist 3 of Academic Word List - Most Frequent Words in Families
This sublist contains the third most frequent words of the Academic Word List in the Academic Corpus.

alternative emphasis philosophy

circumstances ensure physical
comments excluded proportion
compensation framework published
components funds reaction
consent illustrated registered
considerable immigration reliance
constant implies removed
constraints initial scheme
contribution instance sequence
convention interaction sex
coordination justification shift
core layer specified
corporate link sufficient
corresponding location task
criteria maximum technical
deduction minorities techniques
demonstrate negative technology
document outcomes validity
dominant partnership volume

Sublist 4 of Academic Word List - Most Frequent Words in Families

This sublist contains the fourth most frequent words of the Academic Word List in the Academic Corpus.

access error parallel

adequate ethnic parameters
annual goals phase
apparent granted predicted
approximated hence principal
attitudes hypothesis prior
attributed implementation professional
civil implications project
code imposed promote
commitment integration regime
communication internal resolution
concentration investigation retained
conference job series
contrast label statistics
cycle mechanism status
debate obvious stress
despite occupational subsequent
dimensions option sum
domestic output summary
emerged overall undertaken

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Sublist 5 of Academic Word List - Most Frequent Words in Families
This sublist contains the fourth most frequent words of the Academic Word List in the Academic Corpus.

academic expansion objective

adjustment exposure orientation
alter external precise
amendment clause prime
aware facilitate psychology
capacity fundamental pursue
challenge generated ratio
compounds generation sustainable
conflict image rejected
consultation liberal revenue
contact licence stability
decline logic styles
discretion perspective substitution
draft marginal symbolic
enable medical target
energy mental transition
enforcement modified trend
entities monitoring version
equivalent network welfare
evolution notion whereas

Sublist 6 of Academic Word List - Most Frequent Words in Families

This sublist contains the fourth most frequent words of the Academic Word List in the Academic Corpus.

abstract exceed migration

accurate expert minimum
acknowledged explicit ministry
aggregate federal motivation
allocation fees neutral
assigned flexibility nevertheless
attached furthermore overseas
author gender preceding
bond ignored presumption
brief incentive rational
capable incidence recovery
cited incorporated revealed
cooperative index scope
discrimination inhibition subsidiary
display initiatives tapes
diversity input trace
domain instructions transformation
edition intelligence transport
enhanced interval underlying
estate lecture utility

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Sublist 7 of Academic Word List - Most Frequent Words in Families
This sublist contains the seventh most frequent words of the Academic Word List in the Academic Corpus.

adaptation empirical phenomenon

adults equipment priority
advocate extract prohibited
aid file publication
channel finite quotation
chemical foundation release
classical global reverse
comprehensive grade simulation
comprise guarantee solely
confirmed hierarchical somewhat
contrary identical submitted
converted ideology successive
couple inferred survive
decades innovation thesis
definite insert topic
deny intervention transmission
differentiation isolated ultimately
disposal media unique
dynamic mode visible
eliminate paradigm voluntary

Sublist 8 of Academic Word List - Most Frequent Words in Families

This sublist contains the eighth most frequent words of the Academic Word List in the Academic Corpus.

abandon deviation plus

accompanied displacement practitioners
accumulation dramatic predominantly
ambiguous eventually prospect
appendix exhibit radical
appreciation exploitation random
arbitrary fluctuations reinforced
automatically guidelines restore
bias highlighted revision
chart implicit schedule
clarity induced tension
conformity inevitably termination
commodity infrastructure theme
complement inspection thereby
contemporary intensity uniform
contradiction manipulation vehicle
crucial minimised via
currency nuclear virtually
denote offset widespread
detected paragraph visual

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Sublist 9 of Academic Word List - Most Frequent Words in Families
This sublist contains the nighth most frequent words of the Academic Word List in the Academic Corpus.

accommodation duration preliminary

analogous erosion protocol
anticipated ethical qualitative
assurance format refine
attained founded relaxed
behalf inherent restraints
bulk insights revolution
ceases integral rigid
coherence intermediate route
coincide manual scenario
commenced mature sphere
incompatible mediation subordinate
concurrent medium supplementary
confined military suspended
controversy minimal team
conversely mutual temporary
device norms trigger
devoted overlap unified
diminished passive violation
distortion portion vision

Sublist 10 of the Academic Word List - Most Frequent Words in Families

This sublist contains the least frequent words of the Academic Word List in the Academic Corpus.

adjacent enormous odd

albeit forthcoming ongoing
assembly inclination panel
collapse integrity persistent
colleagues intrinsic posed
compiled invoked reluctant
conceived levy so‑called
convinced likewise straightforward
depression nonetheless undergo
encountered notwithstanding whereby

References:
Vocabulary Exercises for the Academic Word List:
http://www.uefap.com/vocab/vocfram.htm
University of Nottingham, Academic Vocabulary
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/~alzsh3/acvocab/index.htm
Using English for Academic purposes
Prepared by Study Skills Support Unit, Dean of Students. With proper acknowledgement, materials can be adapted and distributed for educational purposes.
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