Series ID: EDKS-ADV-VOC-ZH-0028 · Advanced English Vocabulary (Chinese Edition) · Lesson No.028 · Batch 07 complete · C1 → C2 · 简体中文辅助
Precision is not “using the most specific word available”. Precision is choosing the level of specificity that the evidence, purpose and audience can support.
精准不是“永远选最具体的词”。精准是：选择证据、任务与读者能够支持的那一层具体度。
Imagine a learner writes:
The animal crossed the road.
If the speaker knows it was a dog, animal may be unnecessarily broad.
The golden retriever crossed the road.
If the speaker only saw a four-legged animal at night and guessed the breed, golden retriever may be falsely specific.
Advanced vocabulary therefore requires a skill that sits underneath synonym choice, technical terminology and paraphrase: level selection.
Cambridge defines a hypernym as a word whose meaning includes a group of more specific words; animal can be a hypernym of dog. A hyponym is a more specific word whose meaning is included in a broader word; horse is a hyponym of animal. Oxford likewise describes a hypernym or superordinate as a general word that includes more particular words, such as fruit including apple and orange.
This hierarchy is not just linguistic terminology. It is a practical editing tool.
Move up the hierarchy when you need category, scope or generalisation. Move down when the evidence earns precision.
需要分类、范围或概括时，往上走；证据真的支持精确时，才往下走。
This lesson owns the Mandarin-supported C1–C2 route for vocabulary specificity, abstraction level, hypernym–hyponym control and lexical scope. It does not replace Lesson No.006 on near-synonyms, Lesson No.013 on polysemy, Lesson No.019 on domain terminology, Lesson No.021 on lexical cohesion, or Lesson No.026 on information density. Here the specific question is: how specific should this word be?
1. Vocabulary lives in hierarchies | 词汇不是平面表格，而是层级网络
Example:
entity → organism → animal → bird → raptor → eagle
As you move downward, the category becomes narrower and more informative. As you move upward, it becomes broader and more inclusive.
2. Hypernyms move upward | hypernym / superordinate：上位词
Examples:
- vehicle → hypernym of car, bus, bicycle;
- emotion → hypernym of fear, anger, joy;
- assessment → hypernym of formative assessment, summative assessment, diagnostic assessment;
- risk → hypernym of credit risk, operational risk, liquidity risk.
3. Hyponyms move downward | hyponym / subordinate：下位词
- car → hyponym of vehicle;
- fear → hyponym of emotion;
- formative assessment → hyponym of assessment;
- credit risk → hyponym of risk.
4. The hierarchy can continue many levels | 上下位不是只有两层
problem → constraint → time constraint → deadline constraint
Each move changes scope.
5. More specific means more features | 越往下，词义通常增加更多必要特征
Dog includes the meaning of animal plus additional category features. Golden retriever includes the meaning of dog plus breed-level information.
6. More specific does not mean more sophisticated | 下位词不自动比上位词“高级”
Eagle is more specific than bird. It is not inherently more advanced English.
The correct word depends on whether eagle-ness matters.
7. Broad words can be exactly right | 上位词有时是最精准的选择
If a policy applies to cars, buses and motorcycles, vehicles may be more accurate than listing one subtype.
8. Narrow words can be exactly right | 下位词也可能决定结论
If only motorcycles are affected, vehicles hides the relevant category boundary.
9. Specificity controls scope | 具体度就是范围控制的一部分
Compare:
- students;
- secondary students;
- Secondary 3 students;
- Secondary 3 students in one class;
- six Secondary 3 students who completed the intervention.
Each version makes a different claim scope possible.
10. Overgeneralisation often begins with moving upward too early | 过度概括：把窄证据提升成宽类别
Evidence:
Six students in one class improved.
Overgeneralised:
Students improve with this method.
The lexical move from six students in one class to students silently broadens the population.
11. False precision begins with moving downward without evidence | 虚假精确：证据只支持上位词，却硬选下位词
You observe a delay but do not know its cause.
Supported:
There is a processing delay.
Unsupported:
There is a network-latency bottleneck.
The second sentence may be precise-sounding but evidentially unjustified.
12. Precision must be earned | 更具体的词需要更多证据
The narrower the category, the more conditions your claim commits to.
13. “Specific” can describe object, cause, mechanism, group or time | 具体度有多个维度
- object specificity;
- cause specificity;
- mechanism specificity;
- population specificity;
- time specificity;
- location specificity;
- quantity specificity.
14. Object specificity | 对象具体度
- document;
- report;
- audit report;
- 2026 audit report.
15. Cause specificity | 原因具体度
- problem;
- delay;
- approval delay;
- regulatory approval delay.
16. Mechanism specificity | 机制具体度
- memory problem;
- retrieval problem;
- cue-dependent retrieval failure.
17. Population specificity | 人群具体度
- people;
- learners;
- adolescent learners;
- Mandarin-speaking adolescent English learners;
- the 24 participants in this study.
18. Time specificity | 时间具体度
- later;
- one week later;
- seven days after training;
- at the seven-day delayed test.
19. Quantity specificity | 数量具体度
- many;
- most;
- 18 of 20;
- 90% of the observed sample.
Greater numerical specificity is useful only when the data are trustworthy and the exact number matters.
20. Use the specificity ladder | 建立“具体度梯”
Target concept: performance problem.
- issue;
- performance issue;
- response-time issue;
- peak-load response-time issue;
- network-latency-related peak-load response delay.
At each level, ask whether the added detail is justified and useful.
21. More words do not always mean more specificity | 字数更多，不一定范围更窄
A very serious issue is longer than latency, but not necessarily more specific.
22. Technical terms often compress specificity | 专业术语把多个特征压进一个词
Liquidity, latency, external validity and formative assessment each package a relatively specific concept.
23. Lesson No.019 tells you how to build the domain term | 本课再问：现在真的需要这么具体的专业词吗？
General readers may need a broader term plus explanation. Specialists may prefer the exact technical label.
24. Audience determines useful specificity | 读者决定“具体到哪里刚好”
| Audience | Possible wording |
|---|---|
| General reader | a delay in how quickly the system responds |
| Professional | response latency |
| Specialist | p95 request latency under peak load, if that metric is relevant |
25. Specificity can overload a novice | 过度细化会让读者在不重要的分类上花力气
If breed is irrelevant, a dog may be better than a male three-year-old golden retriever.
26. Generality can frustrate an expert | 太宽也会让专业读者无法行动
“There is a technical problem” is not enough if the team needs to know whether the problem is latency, throughput, memory or authentication.
27. Specificity should match decision needs | 最重要的问题：读者接下来要做什么决定？
If the distinction changes action, include it.
28. Diagnostic writing needs more specificity than overview writing | 诊断与综述的具体度不同
Overview:
The learner has a vocabulary problem.
Diagnostic:
The learner recognises the target words but cannot retrieve them quickly during spontaneous speaking.
29. Recommendations require actionable specificity | 建议要具体到能行动
Weak:
Improve vocabulary.
Actionable:
Practise meaning-to-word retrieval for five high-frequency professional collocations three times this week.
30. Explanations sometimes need broader words first | 教学时先给上位词，再逐层细化
Example:
- It is a type of assessment.
- It is formative assessment.
- It happens during learning and is used to decide what should happen next.
31. Category-first explanation reduces cognitive load | 先告诉读者“它属于什么”，再说“它跟同类有什么不同”
A hawk is a bird of prey that…
The superordinate provides a conceptual anchor.
32. Definitions often follow category + distinguishing feature | 高质量定义常见结构：上位词＋区别特征
Example:
A hyponym is a word whose meaning is included within the meaning of a more general word.
33. Use category + feature to circumlocute forgotten words | 第025课绕词也依赖上下位层级
Forgot latency:
“It’s a performance measure—the delay before the system responds.”
Performance measure is the broader category; the second phrase adds the distinguishing feature.
34. Hypernyms support lexical cohesion | Lesson No.021 的上位词回指机制
Example:
The study measured accuracy, speed and retention. These outcomes were compared across groups.
Outcomes is a broader category that groups the three measures.
35. But hypernym substitution can broaden the claim | 上位词回指也可能偷偷扩大范围
Original:
Secondary 3 students in the sample improved.
Unsafe:
Learners improved.
Learners is broader than the original population.
36. Hyponyms can create false narrowing | 下位词替换也会添加未证实特征
Original: vehicle.
Unsafe paraphrase: car, unless the original category was specifically cars.
37. Paraphrase must preserve level | 第017课改述必须保护抽象层级
Generalisation and specification are legitimate paraphrase operations only when the meaning/task allows them.
38. Summary naturally moves upward | 总结经常需要把多个细节提升到一个上位类别
Details:
- delayed approval;
- staff shortage;
- budget limit.
Summary:
Several operational constraints delayed implementation.
39. Diagnosis naturally moves downward | 诊断经常从 broad problem 往下追到具体机制
English weakness → vocabulary weakness → retrieval weakness → slow collocational retrieval in spontaneous speech
40. Good thinking moves both directions | 高级思考需要能上升概括，也能下降诊断
If you can only move downward, you drown in detail. If you can only move upward, you lose mechanism.
41. Use the abstraction ladder | 抽象梯帮助你检查论证层级
Example:
education → language education → English education → vocabulary instruction → retrieval practice
Ask: Which level does this paragraph actually own?
42. SEO keywords often live at different hierarchy levels | 搜索词也有上下位层级
English vocabulary is broader than academic English vocabulary, which is broader than C1 academic collocations.
Content architecture benefits from knowing which page owns which level.
43. But this lesson is about reader meaning, not keyword stuffing | 不要把 hierarchy 变成 SEO 机械扩词
44. Specificity interacts with lexical density | 第026课：越具体的技术词可能压缩更多信息
External validity is more specific and denser than whether the result applies elsewhere.
45. Specificity can reduce word count | 一个精准下位词可以替代长解释
Once the reader knows the concept, this is efficient.
46. Specificity can increase processing load | 但读者如果不知道术语，压缩成本会上升
Audience knowledge decides whether a narrow term saves effort or creates it.
47. Specificity interacts with stance | 越具体的断言，也可能承诺更多证据
Compare:
- Something affected performance.
- Timing affected performance.
- Feedback timing caused the performance difference.
The third sentence is both more specific and more causally committed.
48. Do not confuse specific with certain | 具体 ≠ 确定
You can state a narrow hypothesis cautiously:
One possible explanation is delayed feedback timing.
49. Do not confuse broad with vague | 宽类别也可以很清楚
The intervention affected three outcomes: accuracy, speed and retention.
Outcomes is broad but clearly defined by the list.
50. Vague words lack relevant boundaries | vague 与 general 不一样
Thing, stuff, nice, bad can be vague because the category/criterion is unclear. Vehicle is broad but semantically well-defined.
51. Broad-but-defined vocabulary is important | 不要为了“具体”把所有上位词都换掉
52. Specificity interacts with semantic prosody | 第027课：下位词可能带更强的典型语境与评价
Problem, constraint, bottleneck and crisis are not simply increasing levels of specificity. They also differ in mechanism and evaluative environment.
53. Category hierarchies are not always perfectly nested | 词汇世界不是干净的树形图
Natural language categories overlap. A tomato can be classified differently in botanical and culinary contexts. A model can belong to different conceptual systems across domains.
54. Choose the hierarchy relevant to the task | 分类体系取决于当前目的
The same object can be classified by biology, law, business, engineering or everyday use.
55. Technical taxonomies may override everyday categories | 专业领域有自己的层级系统
When writing for specialists, follow the field’s definitions and taxonomy.
56. Everyday language may prefer the mid-level term | 普通交流常用中间层词汇
In many contexts, speakers say dog rather than animal or the exact breed. The mid-level term often balances informativeness and processing ease.
57. Basic-level vocabulary is often communicatively efficient | 中间层类别往往最自然
The exact optimal level is task-dependent. The important point is to notice that neither maximum breadth nor maximum specificity automatically wins.
58. Use the “why narrower?” test | 每次往下选更具体词，都问：为什么要更窄？
- Does it change the decision?
- Does it identify mechanism?
- Does it prevent ambiguity?
- Does the audience need it?
- Does the evidence support it?
59. Use the “why broader?” test | 每次往上概括，也问：为什么要更宽？
- Am I summarising several subtypes?
- Is the subtype irrelevant?
- Do I need a category label for cohesion?
- Am I intentionally generalising?
- Does the broader word preserve the evidence scope?
60. Use the evidence ceiling | 最窄词不能比证据更窄
If the evidence identifies only delay, do not claim network latency unless tested.
61. Use the action floor | 最宽词不能宽到无法行动
If “technical issue” does not tell the engineer what to inspect next, move down the hierarchy.
62. Evidence ceiling + action floor define the useful zone | 两个边界之间，就是合适具体度
broad enough to be true; specific enough to be useful
63. Use category ladders in vocabulary notebooks | 词汇笔记增加“上一级 / 下一级”
| Field | Example |
|---|---|
| Target | constraint |
| Broader | problem / limiting factor |
| Narrower examples | time constraint, budget constraint, capacity constraint |
| Contrast | bottleneck, limitation |
| Decision use | identify what limits available options |
64. Add “scope effect” to the card | 每个层级变化记录范围变化
Example:
- learner → broad;
- secondary learner → narrower;
- Secondary 3 learner → stage-specific;
- six Secondary 3 participants → sample-specific.
65. Add “evidence needed” | 更具体词需要什么证据？
For network latency bottleneck, you may need network measurements—not merely a subjective report that the system felt slow.
66. Add “audience needed” | 哪类读者需要这个区别？
A parent may need “delay”. A systems engineer may need “p95 API latency”.
67. Use specificity editing passes | 修改时单独做一遍“宽窄审计”
- Underline broad nouns.
- Ask whether any hides a necessary distinction.
- Underline narrow/technical terms.
- Ask whether each is evidenced and useful.
- Check population/time/causal scope.
68. Broad-word alarms | 哪些词值得问“到底是什么？”
- thing;
- problem;
- issue;
- factor;
- people;
- system;
- change;
- effect;
- method.
These words are not bad. They simply trigger a specificity check.
69. Narrow-word alarms | 哪些词值得问“证据真的支持吗？”
- cause;
- bottleneck;
- misconception;
- bias;
- fraud;
- clinical diagnosis;
- system failure;
- specific technical subtype.
70. Emotionally loaded specificity is especially risky | 越具体、越带判断的词，越要谨慎
Error, negligence and fraud do not simply describe increasingly specific mistakes. They introduce different responsibility and intent.
71. Legal/medical/high-stakes labels demand evidence | 高风险领域不要用“听起来精准”的标签代替正式判断
Use appropriately qualified professional terminology and evidence. Lexical precision must not create false diagnosis or accusation.
72. Specificity in academic claims | 学术断言：样本层级必须守住
Observed:
participants in this study
Potential generalisation:
adolescent L2 learners
The second requires inferential justification.
73. Specificity in data description | 数据描述要具体到测了什么，不要具体到没测的机制
Good:
Response accuracy decreased by 8%.
Potential overreach:
Working-memory overload caused the 8% decrease.
74. Specificity in professional recommendations | 工作建议要具体到责任与动作
Broad:
Improve the process.
Actionable:
Remove the duplicate approval step before deployment begins.
75. Specificity in teaching feedback | 学习反馈要具体到“下一步改什么”
Broad:
Your vocabulary is weak.
Diagnostic:
You recognise the target collocations in reading but retrieve the headword without its natural partner during writing.
76. Specificity in praise matters too | 表扬也可以更具体
Broad:
Good vocabulary.
Specific:
Your reporting verbs match the evidence strength more accurately than in the previous draft.
77. Specificity in spoken English | 实时口语需要“够用的具体”，不是最大具体
Under time pressure, a mid-level term may preserve flow:
There’s a timing problem.
If the distinction becomes important, refine:
More specifically, the delay happens between feedback and revision.
78. Progressive specificity is a speaking strategy | 先说 broad，再补 narrow，可以减少卡顿
- State category.
- Continue the turn.
- Add specific label when retrieved.
79. Repair can move down the hierarchy | 口语自我修复常常是从 broad 改成 specific
“The main problem—more precisely, the main constraint—is the approval deadline.”
80. Repair can move up too | 发现自己说得太窄，也可以往上退
“The network failure—actually, let me say system issue, because we haven’t isolated the cause yet.”
81. Worked case: Maren overgeneralises a class result | 案例一
Maren observes that three students improve after a vocabulary drill and writes:
The method improves learners’ vocabulary.
Her tutor asks her to restore the evidence level:
All three students in this small trial improved on the immediate retrieval task after using the method.
中文分析：好的词汇范围控制，有时就是把“learners”缩回“这三个学生”。
82. Worked case: Iona over-specifies a technical cause | 案例二
Iona sees slow software and says:
The server latency is causing the problem.
No latency data exists. The safe level is:
The system is responding slowly. We still need to identify the cause.
83. Worked case: Leonie uses jargon when category language is enough | 案例三
Leonie tells a parent:
Your child has weak spontaneous collocational retrieval fluency.
She recalibrates:
Your child knows many useful word combinations but finds it difficult to recall them quickly while speaking.
The diagnosis remains precise; the packaging changes.
84. Worked case: expert audience needs narrower terminology | 案例四
In an engineering review, “system issue” is too broad. The team needs to distinguish latency, packet loss, throughput limits and service failure. The specialist hierarchy supports action.
85. The FENCE specificity-control system | FENCE 具体度控制系统
| Fence | Question | Action |
|---|---|---|
| F0 Referent | What exactly am I naming? | identify entity/concept |
| F1 Category | What broader class contains it? | find hypernym |
| F2 Subtype | What narrower term could name it? | find hyponym |
| F3 Evidence | How narrow can the evidence support? | set evidence ceiling |
| F4 Purpose | What distinction changes the task? | set action floor |
| F5 Audience | Which category does the reader know? | calibrate terminology |
| F6 Scope | Did the word broaden/narrow the claim? | scope audit |
| F7 Stance | Did specificity add causal/evaluative commitment? | claim audit |
| F8 Transfer | Can I move up/down the hierarchy deliberately? | reframe |
86. Build a specificity-control card | 建立“宽窄层级卡”
| Field | Example |
|---|---|
| Target | constraint |
| Broader category | problem / limiting factor |
| Narrower forms | time constraint, budget constraint, capacity constraint |
| Evidence ceiling | name subtype only if identified |
| Action floor | must distinguish if remedy depends on subtype |
| Audience | general vs planning/technical |
| Scope warning | constraint ≠ any problem |
87. Use “move up one level” drills | 往上概括一级
- golden retriever → dog;
- dog → animal;
- credit risk → risk;
- formative assessment → assessment;
- retrieval failure → memory/learning difficulty, depending on context.
88. Use “move down one level” drills | 往下细化一级
- risk → operational risk;
- assessment → diagnostic assessment;
- delay → approval delay;
- problem → time constraint;
- vocabulary weakness → collocation retrieval weakness.
89. Always explain what new feature the narrower word adds | 下位词不是“更漂亮”，而是增加了什么限定？
90. Use scope-repair drills | 修复错误概括
Original evidence: four adult learners in one evening class.
Bad claim:
Adults learn vocabulary better through this method.
Repair by returning to the evidence level.
91. Use false-precision drills | 修复“看起来专业”的未证实细化
Observed: learner pauses before a word.
Bad diagnosis:
The learner has a semantic-network activation deficit.
Safer:
The learner had difficulty retrieving the word quickly in this task.
92. A 15-minute specificity session | 15 分钟具体度训练
| Time | Task |
|---|---|
| 0–3 min | Select five broad words from your writing. |
| 3–6 min | Build one-level-up / one-level-down options. |
| 6–9 min | Check evidence ceiling. |
| 9–12 min | Check action/audience need. |
| 12–15 min | Rewrite at the best level. |
93. A 30-minute abstraction workshop | 30 分钟抽象层级训练
| Time | Task |
|---|---|
| 0–5 min | Choose one topic. |
| 5–10 min | Build 4–6 levels of category hierarchy. |
| 10–15 min | Write one general overview. |
| 15–20 min | Write one diagnostic explanation. |
| 20–25 min | Write one expert version. |
| 25–30 min | Compare scope changes. |
94. A seven-day specificity challenge | 七天具体度挑战
| Day | Focus |
|---|---|
| 1 | hypernym/hyponym basics |
| 2 | population/time scope |
| 3 | technical terminology |
| 4 | summary vs diagnosis |
| 5 | audience calibration |
| 6 | overgeneralisation/false precision |
| 7 | full specificity audit |
95. A 30-day specificity challenge | 30 天抽象层级升级
- Build 30 category ladders.
- Identify 20 overgeneralised claims.
- Identify 20 false-precision claims.
- Rewrite 10 paragraphs for general readers.
- Rewrite 10 paragraphs for specialists.
- Convert 15 vague feedback statements into diagnostic feedback.
- Convert 10 detailed paragraphs into accurate summaries.
- Practise 20 category+feature definitions.
96. A 12-week progression | 12 周具体度路线
| Weeks | Focus | Evidence of progress |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | category hierarchy | better broad/narrow awareness |
| 3–4 | scope preservation | less overgeneralisation |
| 5–6 | technical specificity | less jargon/false precision |
| 7–8 | summary/diagnosis switching | better abstraction control |
| 9–10 | audience calibration | specificity matches reader needs |
| 11–12 | independent editing | words sit at intentional levels |
97. The first weak link diagnostic | 第一个弱点诊断
| Symptom | Likely first weak link | Repair |
|---|---|---|
| My writing is vague. | too broad | move down one level |
| My claims are too sweeping. | scope generalisation | restore sample/population label |
| My technical writing sounds confident but is wrong. | false precision | respect evidence ceiling |
| General readers cannot follow me. | unshared narrow terms | move up + define |
| Experts say my advice is not actionable. | too broad | identify subtype/mechanism |
| I use jargon to sound advanced. | specificity/sophistication confusion | purpose test |
| My summaries contain too much detail. | failure to move upward | category grouping |
| My diagnosis names causes without evidence. | downward overreach | step back one level |
98. Practice A — move up | 练习 A：找上位词
- golden retriever → ?
- credit risk → ?
- formative assessment → ?
- latency → ?
- Secondary 3 student → ?
99. Practice B — move down | 练习 B：找下位词
- vehicle → give three hyponyms;
- assessment → give three hyponyms;
- risk → give three domain hyponyms;
- constraint → give three subtypes;
- vocabulary problem → give three diagnostic subtypes.
100. Practice C — repair overgeneralisation | 练习 C：范围缩回证据
- Evidence: 12 students from one school. Claim: “Students prefer X.”
- Evidence: one company. Claim: “Businesses reduce costs by Y.”
- Evidence: two interviews. Claim: “Parents believe Z.”
101. Practice D — repair false precision | 练习 D：退回可证实层级
- Observed: slow app. Claim: “database contention is the cause.”
- Observed: learner hesitates. Claim: “semantic memory deficit.”
- Observed: employee misses deadline. Claim: “negligence.”
102. Practice E — audience calibration | 练习 E：同一概念写三层
For each concept, write general-reader, professional and specialist versions:
- latency;
- external validity;
- formative assessment;
- liquidity.
103. Answers A | 练习 A 参考
- dog / animal depending on level requested;
- risk;
- assessment;
- delay / performance measure depending on hierarchy;
- student / learner.
104. Answers C — scope repairs | 练习 C 参考
- “Most of the 12 students surveyed in this school preferred X.” if data support “most”.
- “In this company, Y was used as one cost-reduction measure.”
- “Both parents interviewed expressed concern about Z.”
105. Answers D — false-precision repairs | 练习 D 参考
- “The app is responding slowly; the underlying cause has not yet been isolated.”
- “The learner hesitated while retrieving the word in this task.”
- “The employee missed the deadline.” Add cause/responsibility only with evidence.
106. How a strong tutor teaches lexical specificity | 高水平导师怎样教“词要具体到哪里”？
A weak lesson says “be more specific”. A strong lesson asks:
- What is the broader category?
- What narrower labels exist?
- What evidence supports the narrower term?
- What decision needs the distinction?
- What does the audience know?
- Did the new word broaden or narrow scope?
- Did specificity add causal/evaluative commitment?
- Would one level up be more defensible?
107. The learner should become their own abstraction controller | 最终，学习者要会主动上下移动
Before selecting a word, ask:
- What category am I naming?
- Can I move one level broader?
- Can I move one level narrower?
- Which level is actually evidenced?
- Which level is useful for this reader?
- Which level preserves the claim’s scope?
- Am I adding false precision?
- Am I hiding a useful distinction?
108. Canonical ownership and collision boundary | 本课的所有权边界
This lesson owns the Mandarin-supported C1–C2 route for vocabulary specificity, hypernym/hyponym hierarchy, lexical abstraction and scope control. It coordinates but does not replace:
- Lesson No.006 — near-synonym precision.
- Lesson No.013 — polysemy and sense selection.
- Lesson No.019 — domain terminology architecture.
- Lesson No.021 — lexical cohesion and superordinate reference.
- Lesson No.026 — lexical density and information load.
109. Recommended reference floor | 推荐参考资源
- Cambridge Dictionary — hypernym — a word whose meaning includes a group of other words.
- Cambridge Dictionary — hyponym — a word whose meaning is included in a more general word.
- Cambridge English–Chinese Dictionary — hypernym / 上位词 — Mandarin-supported terminology.
- Cambridge English–Chinese Dictionary — hyponym / 下位词 — Mandarin-supported terminology.
- Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary — hypernym / superordinate — general category word including more particular words.
- Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary — sense, label, collocation, domain and example verification.
- Cambridge Thesaurus — candidate generation for semantically related terms; candidates still require scope and usage verification.
- Oxford 3000 and Oxford 5000 — high-value general vocabulary prioritisation across CEFR levels.
110. SEO language map | 本课关键词范围
This lesson naturally serves specific vocabulary English, general vs specific words, precise language English, hypernym hyponym English, superordinate subordinate vocabulary, vocabulary specificity C1 C2, overgeneralisation English writing, false precision writing, lexical abstraction, category hierarchy vocabulary, academic scope control, specific word choice, vague vs general vocabulary, technical vocabulary specificity, advanced English for Chinese speakers, Mandarin vocabulary precision, 英语具体词汇, 英语上位词, 英语下位词, 上位词下位词, 词汇抽象层级, 精准选词, 避免过度概括, 避免虚假精确, 中文母语英语学习, C1 英语 and C2 英语.
111. Your assignment | 本课作业
Choose one analytical, professional or academic paragraph from your recent writing.
- Underline the five broadest content nouns.
- For each, write one broader hypernym and two narrower hyponyms/subtypes.
- Mark the evidence ceiling: how narrow can you honestly go?
- Mark the action floor: how broad can you remain before the sentence becomes unhelpful?
- Rewrite each target at the best level.
- Check whether the new word changes population, causal or evaluative scope.
- Find one technical term and rewrite it for a general reader.
- Find one vague general phrase and rewrite it for a specialist.
- Summarise the paragraph by moving one level upward.
- Diagnose the paragraph’s main problem by moving one level downward.
- Speak both versions aloud.
- Explain why the two versions require different specificity.
Do not score yourself on how many “precise words” you found. Score whether the final labels are true enough, useful enough and appropriate enough for the task.
112. The final rule | 最后一条规则
Be broad enough to stay true. Be specific enough to be useful.
宽到不失真，具体到能行动。
Do not write learners when your evidence concerns six students in one class. Do not write network latency when you only know that a system is slow. Do not hide an actionable time constraint inside the word problem. Do not drown a general reader in a specialist subtype they do not need.
Move upward when you summarise. Move downward when you diagnose. Stay at the middle level when it communicates efficiently. Move further down only when evidence and purpose earn the precision.
Vocabulary depth is not only knowing more words at one level.
It is being able to move through the hierarchy deliberately.
真正的高级词汇控制，是你既知道“这是什么”，也知道“它属于什么”，还知道“什么时候必须说得更具体，什么时候应该退回更宽、更诚实的层级”。
Series: EDKS-ADV-VOC-ZH · Lesson 028 · Batch 07 complete.
