The body of words used in a particular language or

the body of words known to an individual

person.(Oxford Dictionary)
The vocabulary of language is all the words in it.(BBC
English Dictionary)
A collection or list of the words or phrases of a
language, generally arranged in alphabetical order
and present definitions.
The vocabulary of a particular subject is the group of
words that are typically used when discussing it.
(BBC English Dictionary)

Vocabulary is the glue that holds stories, ideas and content
together making comprehension accessible for children.
(Rupley, Logan & Nichols I31)


If language structures build, the skeleton of language, then it is
vocabulary that offers that vital organ and flesh.(Harmer)

Vocabulary is
critically important
because a word is an
instrument for
thinking about
meanings which it
concerns.(John
Dewey)

Misconceptions
Rote Learning
Insufficient knowledge of using Dictionaries
Connotations and Denotations
Homophones
Cognates
Collocations
Idioms



Students problems may be of two types:

Lack of knowledge
Lack of understanding
Rote learning is a memorization technique. In rote learning
repetition of target language items either silently or aloud or
sometimes writing them down is involved. Students focus on
rote learning and neglect meaningful learning which results in
forgetting.

Rote learning takes into account the mental storage of items
having slight or no connections with prevailing cognitive
structures; it is the process of acquiring material as distinct
and relatively secluded entities.

Meaningful, on the contrary, may be referred to as a process
of linking the new material to cognitive entities.


Although dictionary use is
a main feature of most
vocabulary instruction,
many students dont
receive suitable kind of
instruction they need to
learn how to use
dictionary
effectively.(Collier,1989).

Denotations refer to
dictionary meanings, i.e
Catastrophe means
destruction or Crisis

Connotations refer to
associative or affective
meanings that are culturally
embedded . For example,
Red color connotes violence,
bloodshed, terror, danger or
love


Homophones are words that have same
pronunciation but different spelling and different
meanings.
For example:
Cell /Sell
Berth/Birth
Fowl/Foul
Meet/Meat
Week/Weak

Cognates are words that have similar form and meaning in L1 and L2
like music, kitchen, burger, taxi, pilaf, hijab, restaurant etc .
False or deceptive cognates are similar in form but different in meaning.
For example,
sympathetic means understanding in English but in Hungarian
szimpatikus means appealing In French Librairie means book shop
and not library.
Collocations are two or more words which co-occur, or are used
together repeatedly.
If learners want to use language fluently and want to sound like native
speakers, they need to be able to put words together quickly in typical
combinations.(Pawley and Syder).
Thats why, we typically say , Theres no answer rather than There isnt
an answer, heavy rain rather severe rain and take medicine rather
than have medicine or drink medicine

An idiom is a succession of words which functions as a
single semantic unit and its meaning cant be inferred
from an understanding of parts, i.e ,never mind, hang
on, under the weather, get the sack, raining cats and
dogs, etc.
Providing Definitions
Repeated Exposures to words
Multi words Units
Key word Method
Word Maps
Root Analysis
Make up as many associations as possible
Use Mnemonics
Translation
Eliciting
Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition
Context Skills
Using Games
Extensive Reading

Definition is a suitable
method for upper
beginners and relies on
giving definition of a
given word. It can be
simple, precise and
scientific definition
given by the teacher .It
may be a dictionary
definition.

Students should be given multiple
opportunities to use a new word in its written
and spoken form to reinforce their
understanding of it.
Researchers have found that word meanings
are retained longer when they are included in
numerous classroom assignments.
In order to really know a word, students
must be able to use it in more than one
context; it must be used in writing, speaking,
and listening. (Rupley & Nichols, 2005).


Words should be learned as units in
order to attain fluency and build
native like expressions.

The most fundamental guiding
principle for those who are anxious to
be proficient in foreign conversation
is this: Memorize perfectly the
largest number of common and useful
word-groups. (Palmer)

For example, Portable TV, Star-lit-
night, United States of America.

Keyword method takes place before a student reads a particular text. Students
are introduced to unknown words before teacher uses word clues to help them
understand and doesnt provide definition.
This keyword might be a part of the definition, an illustrative example or an
image that the student relates to the word to retain the meaning when reading it
in context.
Key words : vocabulary, teaching, synonyms ,antonyms, O levels.

The word map is considered as a
great method for building and
improving learners vocabulary. A
graphic organizer is introduced
by a teacher for the word. The
vocabulary word is placed at the
top or center of the organizer.
Branching technique is
employed by categorizing the
word: classification (what class
or group does the word belong
to), qualities (what is the word
like) and examples.
Many of the words in the
English language are
derived from Latin or Greek
roots. They either contain a
core root or use prefixes
or suffixes that hold
meaning. For example, in,
un, dis etc are prefixes and
able, ment , ish are suffixes.
In + active=inactive(prefix)
Punish +ment=punishment
(suffix)

In order to activate the auditory memory, the teacher
should ask the student to say a word aloud. Teacher
should relate the word to the familiar words .For
example, the word Gargantuan (very large) is
synonymous with the words gigantic, huge, large etc.
The teacher could make the sequence: small
medium, large, very large, gargantuan .In this way,
the meaning of a new word will be fixed to students
memory.
Consider the word
EGREGIOUS(extremely
bad).Think EGG REACH US-
imagine that weve
committed such a blunder
that people are throwing
egg at us and a rotten egg
approaches us. Students
will never forget the
meaning of a word after
establishing such a funny
picture.
Translation in students mother tongue saves the time during
explanation of a new vocabulary item, if you could not find
synonym for a particular word. It can be very effective way of
conveying meaning.


Teacher can elicit various
responses to estimate the
schema of learners. Eliciting
can take place by asking
students to recall the
context they have met the
word, giving a synonym or
antonym, telling rhyme,
leading it to a lexical field
(e.g. It is not an orange, but
a.?). The learner calls out
or writes the target word.
It is a vocabulary learning
strategy, defined as the learning
of new words as a by-product of
a meaning-focused
communicative activity, such as
reading, listening and
interaction. It happens through
numerous exposures to a word
in various contexts. Extensive
reading, communicative
interactions and exposure to
natural input such as movies and
television are great sources of
vocabulary acquisition.
Research shows that the vast
majority of words are learned from
context skills. Students have to pay
more attention to how words are
used in order to improve their
context skills. Context instruction
should require students to make
hypotheses about what a word is
based on, what they already know
and the context within which the
word is found. Students should then
be able to cross check these
hypotheses with other information
(Blachowicz, 1993).
Language learning is a difficult
target which can sometimes be
tiresome for learners .Games
provides entertainment and fun
for students, thus making it
easier to learn and retain new
words . With the use of games,
the teacher can create various
contexts in which students have
to use the language to
communicate, exchange
information and express their
own opinions . For example,
hang man, cross word puzzles ,
word bingo etc.
Extensive reading means
practice of reading a large
amount of text for
extended periods of time.
Students should be
encouraged to come across
a wide range of authentic
texts because meeting a
word in different contexts
increases our
understanding and
consolidates in memory
(Celce- Marcia 35)