A vocabulary lesson 2

We convey meaning by words, grammatical structures, intonation, and gestures – but of all these, words are the most important. Probably the most urgent task facing the learner is to acquire a vocabulary of around 2,000 words as soon as possible. Initially, the words to focus on should be high-frequency ones and ones that the learner can use immediately.

Knowing a word means knowing its form (how it is written and pronounced) and knowing its meaning. It’s also important to know in what contexts a word is used – whether, for example, it is a technical term, or whether it is informal. Knowing a word also means knowing other words associated with it. For example, it helps to know that the word nest is associated with both bird and egg. Learning vocabulary is a process of building up these meaning networks.

Words are easier to learn if they have some personal significance. That is why it is good to teach words that relate to the learners’ own world – whether their interests, studies or jobs.

However, there is a limit to the number of words that you can learn in the classroom, especially if you are studying only a few hours a week. Some vocabulary learning will have to take place outside the classroom. This could take the form of memorizing words from lists or cards – a very traditional approach, but which for some learners works well. It’s important that the meaning of the words should be clear, and, ideally, that the words are in context.

Reading is another way of acquiring new words, although you have to read a very great deal to pick up words incidentally (i.e. without making a lot of effort to learn them). A better approach might be extensive reading combined with making word lists based on words in the text.

Also important is continual review of the words that have been studied. This is why it’s important to revise the words that have been studied in class, and to train students in techniques of reviewing their vocabulary lists regularly.