English Working Words
by TruAlfa & IndoDic.com
There are a small number of English words that are used very frequently in all types of discourse. We refer to these as "Working Words" because they are used so often. Our classification of a word as a Working Word is highly subjective and arbitrary. We aren't following rules or guidelines but simply selecting words with very common usage that we feel are somewhat generic in character and usable in all types of discourse. Working Words are hard to classify by conventional methods because most can be classified as more than one word type and some can be classified as having 3 or 4 different word types. For example, a large percentage of prepositions are also classified as conjunctions and some of these are considered adverbs as well. It all depends on the context in which they are used. They often act as connectors to link parts of sentences and to add notions or concepts to the connection. Working Words are words that show relationships and deserve special study in the early stages of a language learning program.
In the tables below we present Working Words in two different ways. The first table has them arranged in alphabetical order (Alpahabetic Listing) while the second table arranges them by the notion or concept inherent in each (Concept Listing). The same information is duplicated in each table, only the order of presentation is changed. The Concept Listing table deemphasizes word type and emphasizes the notion or concept that is inherent in each. For example, the word "on" can be classified by word type as a preposition, conjunction, adverb or adjective, depending on how it is used in a sentence. Yet it has the same basic meaning of "being on top of" in each of these and always indicates "where" something is. It normally acts to link an actor or object in a sentence to a phrase that describes position. We group it and all the other working words that describe position under the category "where". Similar groupings are done for other concepts such as "when", "also", "regarding", "qualifying", etc. Working Words that have more than one concept are placed in more than one category. We hope this new approach will be useful for persons who are writing English text and who want to see Working Words grouped by concept.
We have provided Indonesian translations for each Working Word to allow Indonesian speakers who are learning English to scan these translations and select the English working word that best fits the notion they are trying to convey. Sample usages in English for each are also included. Working Words may not be exciting, flashy or sexy but they are hard workers that act as a form of glue to connect thoughts in sentences. Unfortunately, Working Words also confuse and complicate the learning process because of their multiple uses and meanings. However, the doors of learning will open wider for those who can master these most commonly used English words early in the learning program. Selamat belajar!
There are a small number of English words that are used very frequently in all types of discourse. We refer to these as "Working Words" because they are used so often. Our classification of a word as a Working Word is highly subjective and arbitrary. We aren't following rules or guidelines but simply selecting words with very common usage that we feel are somewhat generic in character and usable in all types of discourse. Working Words are hard to classify by conventional methods because most can be classified as more than one word type and some can be classified as having 3 or 4 different word types. For example, a large percentage of prepositions are also classified as conjunctions and some of these are considered adverbs as well. It all depends on the context in which they are used. They often act as connectors to link parts of sentences and to add notions or concepts to the connection. Working Words are words that show relationships and deserve special study in the early stages of a language learning program.
In the tables below we present Working Words in two different ways. The first table has them arranged in alphabetical order (Alpahabetic Listing) while the second table arranges them by the notion or concept inherent in each (Concept Listing). The same information is duplicated in each table, only the order of presentation is changed. The Concept Listing table deemphasizes word type and emphasizes the notion or concept that is inherent in each. For example, the word "on" can be classified by word type as a preposition, conjunction, adverb or adjective, depending on how it is used in a sentence. Yet it has the same basic meaning of "being on top of" in each of these and always indicates "where" something is. It normally acts to link an actor or object in a sentence to a phrase that describes position. We group it and all the other working words that describe position under the category "where". Similar groupings are done for other concepts such as "when", "also", "regarding", "qualifying", etc. Working Words that have more than one concept are placed in more than one category. We hope this new approach will be useful for persons who are writing English text and who want to see Working Words grouped by concept.
We have provided Indonesian translations for each Working Word to allow Indonesian speakers who are learning English to scan these translations and select the English working word that best fits the notion they are trying to convey. Sample usages in English for each are also included. Working Words may not be exciting, flashy or sexy but they are hard workers that act as a form of glue to connect thoughts in sentences. Unfortunately, Working Words also confuse and complicate the learning process because of their multiple uses and meanings. However, the doors of learning will open wider for those who can master these most commonly used English words early in the learning program. Selamat belajar!
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