Using the Visual Thesaurus to help students to learn more related words

Vietnam national university, Hanoi
university of languages and international studies
Department of post- graduate studies

Using the Visual Thesaurus to help
students to learn more related words
Semantics
(Final assignment)

Learner: Pham Thi Tam
Learning course: 18 General course
Lecturer: Dr. Ha Cam Tam
Deadline: 28/06/ 2010


hanoi – 2010

Table of contents


I.
II.
III.

Acknowledgment………………………………………..2
Reasons for choosing the topic…………………………..2
Content …………………………………………………..2

1.
2.
3.

4.
5.
6.

What is Visual Thesaurus?.....................................................2
Reasons for choosing the topics…………………………….3
Versions of the Visual Thesaurus…………………………...4
Benefits of using the Visual Thesaurus……………………..5
How to Use the Visual Thesaurus…………………………..7
Applying the Visual Thesaurus to introduce business terms for economic
students………………………………………8
IV. Conclusion ………………………………………………9
V.
Reference…………………………………………………………………
…10

I.

Acknowledgment


First of all, I would like to thank my beloved teacher for her thoughtful lessons and
my classmates as well with their useful presentations that help me understand more
semantic field.
II.

Reasons for choosing the topics

It can not be denied that it is very difficult for me to choose a good topic for my
assignment this time because it is very familiar with others when every aspect has

been searched and taken use of very effectively last times. Searching on the internet
and going to the library had been done; however, it did not work well. How I could
deal with this problem appearing in my minds these days without specific answers.
Luckily when searching internet in vain, I met the words Visual Thesaurus. It
looked very strange to me and I decided to go on conveying what it was and I know
how to take use of it now. I still wonder whether it is strange to other or not, but it
is very new to me and I decide to break it out when it relates to semantic field:
synonyms and antonyms with the hope of giving a new topic for readers, especially
for my teacher.
III.

Contents

1. What is Visual Thesaurus?
The Visual Thesaurus is an interactive dictionary and thesaurus which creates
word maps that blossom with meanings and branch to related words. Its innovative
display encourages exploration and learning. You'll understand language in a
powerful new way.
For example: you have a meaning in mind, like "happy." The VT helps you find
related words, from "cheerful" to "euphoric." The best part is the VT works like
your brain, not a paper-bound book. You'll want to explore just to see what might
happen. You'll discover -- and learn -- naturally and intuitively. You'll find the right
word, write more descriptively, free associate -- and gain a more precise
understanding of the English language.


2.

Versions of the Visual Thesaurus: the Desktop and the Online Edition

Differences between the Desktop and the Online Edition
The Desktop Edition (CD-ROM) makes a great gift, or you can load it into your
travel laptop and go. If you subscribe to the Online Edition, you'll get even more
features, like five additional languages, emailing and access from anywhere. You'll
also get our excellent subscriber-only magazine and join a community passionate
about words, language and creativity.
Can't decide which one to choose? Check out the chart below to compare:

Online Edition

Desktop Edition

Access
Method

No software to install, access
through your Internet browser,
anywhere, anytime.

Download the software, or get a
CD-ROM shipped to you. Software
is installed on your computer.

Internet
Connection

Internet Connection required

Internet Connection optional
(An Internet connection is required

for audio pronunciations)

Printing

Print in two formats (requires
the Java Plug-in on Windows)

Print in two formats

Upgrades &

All updates and upgrades

Minor updates and bug fixes as


Updates

included for the life of your
subscription.

they become available; major
upgrades at additional cost.

Online
Magazine

Access to all online articles,
word lists and word of the day.

Not Available

Multiple
Languages
(beta)

Beta version of the
International Edition gives
access to Dutch, French,
German, Italian, and Spanish.

International Edition is not
available.

Word Lists
(beta)

Beta version allows you to
make and share lists of your
favorite words.

Not Available

Risk-free
Trial

Cancel your subscription
within the 14 day trial period,
and we'll give you the option
to receive a full refund -- no

questions asked.

Not Available

Cancellation

Subscriptions automatically
renew at the end of your term.
However, you can cancel the
automated renewal at any
time. Cancellation is easy and
can be done online -- just click
on "My Account", enter your
email address and password,
and click the "Cancel my
Subscription" button. No
phone calls or annoying emails
required.

Not Applicable

Minimum
System
Requirements

OS: 2000,
XP, Vista,
Windows 7

OS: OSX 10+

OS: 2000, XP,
OS: OSX 10+
Vista, Windows
7

Memory:
128MB

Memory:
128MB

Memory:
128MB

Memory:
128MB

Disk Space:
100MB

Disk Space:
100MB

Browser:
Browser:
Internet
Safari,
Explorer 7+, Firefox

Firefox
Java: Virtual Java: Virtual
Machine 1.4+ Machine 1.4+
3. Benefits of using the Visual Thesaurus

- Find the right word and explore: The Visual Thesaurus has over 145,000 English
words and 115,000 meanings. Search for the word you're looking for and then
follow a trail of related concepts.
- Improve grasp of the English language: The Visual Thesaurus's intuitive interface
helps you find words through their semantic relationship with other words and
meanings. Its focus on connecting words through their meanings results in more
precise understanding.
- Hear words pronounced correctly: (Internet connection necessary) The Visual
Thesaurus offers a choice between a British and an American English accent.
- Understand the relationships between English words and meanings: In addition to
synonyms, the Visual Thesaurus shows 16 kinds of semantic relationships. You can
see that a nose is part of a face that a horned poppy is a type of flower, and that
epinephrine is a type of vasoconstrictor.
- Expand search to the Internet: From any word, you can initiate an Internet search
for either web pages or images.
- Check spelling: The Visual Thesaurus suggests alternatives so you can find the
right word even when you're not sure of the spelling.
- Personalize experience: The Visual Thesaurus allows you fine control over your
settings. You control font size, the types of relationships that are available, content
filtering, and more.
Filter Content: Both the Desktop and the Online Edition allow you to filter content
at four different levels

Benefits for Students of all Ages

Institutional online site licenses offer a number of features that make it ideal for a
school environment. These include:
Ages 8-11: For younger students, the Visual Thesaurus makes clear what a thesaurus
is and how powerful a tool it can be. Through the Visual Thesaurus's innovative
interfaces, students can immediately see all the words and meanings that are related
to their word. Students also learn how the words are related and can learn from
sentence examples, pronunciations, and word usage. The Visual Thesaurus reinforces
lessons on the parts of speech and on understanding words in context. Plus there is
built-in spell checking, which is crucial for this age group!


Ages 12-14: For this age group, seeing the richness of the English language can
spark explorations in vocabulary and word usage. It's not unusual to see students
from this age group spending hours clicking through the Visual Thesaurus, finding
words that they hadn't seen before, and listening to pronunciations. As they explore,
they are learning new words and concepts, and discovering subtleties of the English
language.
Ages 15-18: Older high school students can use the Visual Thesaurus as a vocabulary
builder and will benefit from using more descriptive words in their creative writing,
poetry writing and essay writing. The Visual Thesaurus also helps students prepare
for the SAT. Science and medical terms from the Visual Thesaurus dictionary can be
integrated into upper level science courses.
Ages 19 and up: College students and adult learners can use the Visual Thesaurus
across a wide range of coursework: English, Literature, Creative Writing,
Humanities, and Social Sciences. The medical and science definitions can also be
employed in science coursework to learn about related biological and anatomical
systems. Professionals in writing and creative fields like advertising praise the Visual
Thesaurus for its ability to spark creativity and the brainstorming processes.
English as a Second Language: Students who are learning English as a second
language love the Visual Thesaurus because it helps them to understand that many

words can mean the same thing, and that there are subtle differences among similar
concepts. The meanings list can help in comparing word meanings at a glance.
Sentence examples help the student confirm that the right English word is chosen.
Word pronunciations also help in the learning process for ESL students. Also,
subscribers to the Visual Thesaurus automatically have access to our beta program
for the International Edition.
English-speaking Students Learning Other Languages: For the online edition only,
we offer the Visual Thesaurus in multiple languages through our International
Edition (Beta). Students can try the Visual Thesaurus in French, Spanish, Dutch,
Italian, or German. They can see how words are related in different languages to aid
their memorization of words and understanding of word concepts.
4. How to Use the Visual Thesaurus


(1). The Center. The Visual Thesaurus displays words and meanings that are
related to the item in the center of the display.
(2). The Toolbar. Search for words, view word suggestions, see search history,
and change preferences settings from the toolbar. Forward/Back buttons provide
easy navigation. Help tips are always available.
(3). Words. Click on a word to bring it to the center. Click on the speaker icon
to hear the word spoken. Surrounding the word are words and meanings that are
related to it.
(4). Meanings. Roll your mouse over a meaning to learn more about it. Click on
a meaning to bring it to the center.


(5). Settings. Click on the Settings menu to personalize font size, types of
relationships shown, content filtering, special keyboard shortcuts, and more.
(6). Special Features. Printing, spell checking, Internet image and web page
search are all available.

5. Applying the Visual Thesaurus to introduce business terms for economic
students


IV. Conclusion
In general, it is very useful and time saving when using this visual Thesaurus
because it helps find out the synonyms, the antonyms and many related words of
one given word. I wish that with the introduction to this one, many can take use of
it to support their teaching as well as learning English better.


V. Reference: />ad=ddc.large&utm_medium=large&utm_campaign=VT&utm_source=ddc&word=t
eacher&lang=en