In his book "Vocabulary Myths," Keith Folse notes that "[ESL students] see acquisition of vocabulary as their greatest

source of problems...[However], vocabulary is not dealt with sufficiently...some teachers cover some vocabulary, but this is hardly ever done very systematically. Vocabulary is something that everyone assumes that learners will somehow pick up, much the same way everyone assumes that students will just pick up good pronunciation" (Folse, 2004). It is therefore essential that vocabulary which is introduced in class be reviewed and reinforced repeatedly. The following are some ideas for recycling vocabulary both inside and outside of the ESL classroom, using Gerry's Vocabulary Teacher.

Gap-Fill Exercises - Various Techniques

Gap-fills are an excellent way to reinforce vocabulary, and allow the student to encounter the vocabulary in a variety of contexts. The exercises can be worked on individually or in pairs in class, or can be assigned as homework to be quickly reviewed in class the next day.

The Standard Multi-Word Gap-Fill

Gap-fill exercises can take various forms; the most common is the standard multi-word exercise with a number of sentences and words to choose from. A short example exercise with 5 sentences is shown below.

The Gap-Fill with Clues in Root Form

A challenging variation of the above exercise is a gap-fill exercise in which the words which are gapped are presented in their root form. In this way, students have to choose the correct word from the contexts given, and supply the appropriate form of the word, such as a different derivation or different tense. A short example exercise with 5 sentences is shown below.

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Multiple Contexts for One Word

Another variation which can help students to understand the various derivations for a word is a gap-fill exercise with several different contexts for 1 word, each showing a different form or derivation. A short example exercise with 5 sentences is shown below.

Listening Practice with Gap-Fills

Gap-fill exercises can be presented as listening exercises. In this exercise, students hear the sentence rather than reading it, and have to choose the appropriate answer. A short example exercise with 6 sentences is shown below. The next day in class, students can be shown the sentences that they heard in the language lab. At this time, they can see if what was said is the same as what they thought they heard. It also offers an additional opportunity to review and learn the target vocabulary.