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Hello and welcome to Six Minute Vocabulary. I'm Neal. And I'm Finn.

Today's program is all about academic English. If you are going to study or you are studying at an English speaking university, you might be wondering how you'll cope with understanding lectures and academic texts and writing essays. Yes, academic English is different to the English. People speak and write every day. It's more formal and uses higher level words. So in today's program, we'll give you ideas for understanding words and phrases that you'll come across. And some advice for writing essays and giving presentations will also give you tips for studying in English.

But first, let's look at three main features of academic English, difficult English vocabulary, specialist subject, vocabulary and language for organizing essays and presentations.

Now, when you come across a word you don't know in an academic text or lecture, you can try to guess its meaning by looking at the context or by seeing if the word looks like a word in your own language.

This is a particularly useful strategy if your own language has lots of words from a Greek or Latin, as many of the words used in academic English come from those languages.

Words, for example, like microscopic, which means tiny or analysis, which means study or regeneration, which means renewal.

Another strategy for working out the meaning is to look at how a word is constructed.

Academic English words often have prefixes and suffixes.

Remember, a prefix comes before the main part of the word and can change your words.

Meaning, for example, the prefix D spelt d e means removing something or reversing something.

So D population means a reduction in the number of people somewhere and deforestation means clearing of trees from an area.

Suffixes are attached to the end of words. A common suffix in English is eyes spelled i. S e examples of words with eyes or stabilize characterize and specialize.

And these words are spelled with a z e in American English.

That's right.

They are now another common suffix is eight spelt a t e words with this suffix ar differentiate and duplicate specialist subject words may also cause difficulty.

Now you can help yourself in two ways. Firstly, prepare yourself before lectures.

Find some texts on your subject, on the Internet or in journals and magazines, and study the recurring specialist words in those texts.

Yes, and to help yourself with this get hold of an English English dictionary and an English subject dictionary, for example, of medicine or law or linguistics. And secondly, listen to English radio and watch TV. Now there are lots of specialist features which can help improve both your general and specialist English. And of course, the BBC website has sections which have stories on technology and science and arts, which can also help when writing your academic piece or giving a presentation.

You'll need to structure and organize your writing or presentation by using signposting language. You use signposts to indicate important parts of your essay, such as stating its purpose, its structure, your views, the main points and the direction of the argument and the conclusions at the end as well.

Linking words and phrases show connections between sentences and paragraphs.

Yes. So let's give some examples of signposts, firstly, for starting a piece of writing.

The aim of this study is to this essay argues that. Yes.

And how about for ending it finally in conclusion and some examples of linking words and phrases are firstly, secondly, finally and for adding something you could write in addition. Furthermore, and if you want to show contrast, you might write.

However, nevertheless, on the other hand, six minutes vocabulary from BBC Learning English.

And now for some tips for getting the best out of studying in English. OK, here's a good one.

Have a study buddy. That's someone you can study with. You can test each other and support each other.

And another one set aside time for regular language study in addition to your academic study.

Time for a quiz. Complete the sentences, No one, many words in academic English come from a Latin word, the American words or see newspapers.

It's a Latin words, no question to a good way to start an essay is A, for example, B, in conclusion, or C, this essay argues that and it's C, this essay argues that.

And the last question is a good way to end an essay is a on the other hand, B in conclusion or C in addition. And the answer is B in conclusion.

There's more about this at BBC Learning English NORCOM do join us again for more six minute vocabulary.

Goodbye by six minutes from. From the BBC.