Understanding academic vocabulary 

Practice for the communicative skill of reading, subskill understanding academic vocabulary.

The PTE Academic item types where this subskill is tested are
  • Speaking: Read aloud
  • Reading: Re-order paragraphs
  • Reading: Reading, Fill in the blanks
  • Reading: Reading & Writing, Fill in the blanks
  • Listening: Highlight correct summary
  • Listening: Highlight incorrect words
Click on the link below for more information on the resource Summary of how this subskill is practiced in each resource
Academic Encounters: Human Behavior paraphrasing causality, using synonyms and antonyms, understanding statistical terms and subtechnical vocabulary
Academic Encounters: Life in Society learning words related to topics in sociology
Academic Vocabulary in Use: confirming the meaning of vocabulary for different academic situations, talking about different types of information
Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary: confirming the meaning of content-area vocabulary items as well as general academic words and phrases
Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary: confirming the meaning of words with clear guidewords and example sentences
Creating Meaning: recognizing synonyms, understanding suffixes and prefixes, understanding idioms in context
Inside Reading 1,
Inside Reading 2,
Inside Reading 3
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practicing vocabulary in a range of academic subject areas

Inside Reading 4: practicing vocabulary to categorize information, practicing vocabulary in a range of academic subject areas
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English: confirming the meaning of words with example sentences to clarify usage
Macmillan English Dictionary: highlighting the most commonly used words
New Headway Academic Skills 2: understanding difficult technical and scientific words
NorthStar Reading and Writing 3: finding synonyms and antonyms
NorthStar Reading and Writing 4: identifying word roots
NorthStar Reading and Writing 5: understanding prefixes and suffixes, categorizing words, using synonyms, analyzing descriptive language
Select Readings Pre-Intermediate: learning words in context, learning synonyms, compound nouns and verbs, understanding prefixes and suffixes, grouping words and phrases, recognizing word forms
Select Readings Intermediate: understanding phrasal verbs and compound nouns, recognizing word forms, understanding how words are grouped to communicate meaning, recognizing synonyms, understanding prefixes
Select Readings Upper-Intermediate: understanding phrasal verbs, adverbs and intensifiers, using modifiers, using idiomatic expressions and compound words
Strategic Reading 1: recognizing words with similar meanings, distinguishing between words that sound the same, using adjectives, understanding prefixes, recognizing word formation and word families
Strategic Reading 2: recognizing words with similar meanings, distinguishing between words that sound the same, remembering phrasal verbs, understanding compound adjectives, recognizing word formation, understanding prefixes and suffixes
Well Read 2: understanding vocabulary in context, including synonyms, definitions, examples, and words used in apposition
Well Read 3: understanding vocabulary in context, including synonyms, definitions, phrasal verbs, contrasts, and collocations
Well Read 4: understanding vocabulary in context including synonyms, phrasal verbs, examples, collocations, and contrasts