Teaching Vocabulary

Teaching English Vocabulary

There are a variety of different methods a teacher can use in order to successfully teach English vocabulary. Two of these methods include the teacher supplying the students with the meaning and usage of a variety of different words in the English language and the teacher teaching the students how to find out the meaning and usage of different words on their own (making use of classroom tools such as a dictionary or glossary). Each of the above methods has their own advantages, disadvantages, and situations in which to be used. Variables such as the student’s English language level will determine what methodology a teacher preferences. For example, a teacher would teach vocabulary to a beginner student using a much different method than the method that would be used to teach a more advanced student. This brief article will outline the different teaching methods that can be used and should be considered when teaching students English vocabulary. 

In order for a student to communicate effectively he or she must have an understanding of a variety of different words in the English language. The number of words that each student must know in order to create simple sentences is far too great for any one teacher to teach. By choosing to teach the students how to look for the meaning and usage of a word by themselves the teacher eliminates having to guess what vocabulary the students will find most useful in their day to day routines. However, it is important to note that this style of teaching will only be effective for students in more advanced language levels. Beginner level students would have a difficult time trying to use the necessary tools to learn vocabulary themselves. For beginner students, it would be most effective if the teacher focused on teaching the students simple vocabulary (such as classroom objects, etc) and then moved on to more complex vocabulary. A teacher may also choose to teach more advanced students selective vocabulary that would help the students understand the work activity that was being assigned. By providing the students with vocabulary that may not be understood (in a reading article, or activity) the teacher will reduce the amount of time that would be needed to complete the assignment.

When teaching vocabulary to students, the teacher should make sure that the students know how to use an English dictionary (or the glossary in the course book). A dictionary is useful when a student is learning how to pronounce a word, is looking for the definition of a word, or is trying to figure out how a word is used. Using the glossary in the back of the textbook can be less time consuming for the students than using a dictionary. However, the glossary only gives the meaning of the word in the context that it was used in and it does not give other information on the word such as how it is pronounced. By teaching the students how to make use of classroom tools such as the dictionary and textbook glossary the teacher is showing the students how to add words to their vocabulary by themselves. Whether a teacher is teaching beginner students or more advanced students the teacher should focus on creating exciting activities that will help get the students interested in vocabulary and motivated to learn. To do this a variety of activities could be used. For example, when teaching beginner students the teacher could make use of a complex picture (containing a variety of objects such as a door, window, desk, chair, etc) where the students would be asked to help label all of the objects in the picture. For more advanced students a game could be played where the students are provided with a usage and meaning of a word and they have to guess which word (on a list of words) matches the usage and meaning. This game could be played in a variety of forms such as trivia or jeopardy.

Teaching vocabulary is one of the most important aspects of teaching English. It is used in every situation and as the building block to many activities (reading, writing, and listening). The methodology that is chosen to teach vocabulary depends on the teacher and the language levels of the students. It is important to keep the students motivated to learn English vocabulary. This can be done through a variety of creative activities (such as games). The teacher should provide the students with the vocabulary that they will need in the classroom (to complete activities) and the students should be encouraged to learn other needed vocabulary on their own. Through a combination of these two methods a student’s English vocabulary will be greatly improved.

Teaching English Vocabulary

Vocabulary is a set of words known to a person that are part of a specific language. The set of words are used by a person to construct a sentence and a form of communication needed to interact with another person. Increasing one´s vocabulary is considered to be an important part of both learning a language and improving one´s skills in a language. 

According to the National Reading Panel, to develop vocabulary, students should be taught both specific words and word-learning strategies. Familiarizing students with vocabulary rich in contexts provided by authentic texts, rather than an isolated vocabulary drill, it can produce a stronger vocabulary learning experience. Knowing vocabulary goes beyond definitional knowledge; it gets the students actively engaged in using and thinking about the meanings of the word and in creating a relationship with the words. 

In America, an increasing number of students come from homes in which English is not the primary language. From 1979 to 2003, the number of students who spoke English with difficulty increased by 124 percent. That is why vocabulary development is so important for the English-language learners. Research has found that poor knowledge of vocabularies is creating learners who are less able to comprehend the text at grade level than their English-only peers. 

There are two main approaches to teaching vocabulary. The first approach is the list approach, which gives a list of words and their meanings. The list of vocabulary words may or may not be related to the topics the student is studying. The second approach is the contextual approach, which relies on students discovering the meaning of the words through reading. 

A studies done by the National Reading Panel believes that there are strategies that can be especially valuable for building the vocabularies of English learners. For instance, taking advantage of the students´ first language, cognates with English, teaching the meaning of basic words, and providing reinforcement. Take for instance, both the English and Spanish language share a large number of cognate pairs, which gives Spanish-speaking learners an advantage over other learners. A second strategy for English learners is learning the meanings of basic words from a list such as the Dale- Chall List. A third strategy is reinforcement. These methods could include read-alouds, teacher-directed activities, listening to audiotapes, activities to extend word use outside of the classroom, and parent involvement.

There are other ways to teach vocabulary to students, such as, matching synonyms, matching opposites, and fill in the blank sentences. Students can learn vocabulary from reading passages by having them guess the word meaning from the context, or give them the meaning of the word and have them find the correct words, or give the students word sheets with a list of words which they can study and talk about. The students can practice pronunciation, conduct oral mini-quizzes, and answer students´ questions. Games are another method that can be used such as, crossword puzzles, and/or acting out the word/pantomimes. Mix and matching the different methods of teaching vocabulary to students can make it more interesting and enjoyable whether or not the levels are varied.

Teaching Vocabulary

A wide vocabulary store coupled with a sound understanding of the lexical items within it, is the foundation of understanding and communication of a language. Teachers who teach English as a foreign language will aim to help students build up a large vocabulary of useful words during the course . For all learners of English as a second language, vocabulary is not learned instantly and retained indefinitely. Vocabulary is learned over a period of time, by the students being exposed to lexical items in a variety of way . 

Before teachers commence the English course with their students, they need to decide which words they are going to teach their students and how many words they are going to teach at one time.

It seems to be assumed and accepted across a range of literacy sources that the words which teachers choose to teach should be based on the usefulness and frequency of word (although there is not a direct link between the two) . The usefulness and frequency of the words will depend on a range of factors which a teacher of English as a foreign language will need to take into account. These are detailed below; 

?PStudents from different cultures will find different words useful for example ??sleet?? and ??double-glazing?? are useful people living in England, but words like ??mangos?? and ??cockroaches?? will be more useful for people living in Brazil .

?PIn certain countries the socio-economic group of the country will also affect the significance of certain topics covered . 

?PSpecialist fields of student??s interests, for example engineering .

?PVocabulary relating to student??s own interests .

?PSome vocabulary will be necessary for classroom management .

According to Cross, students are able to internalise circa six new words within a 40 minute lesson , and Schmitt claims that students can learn 10 words in a 1 hour lesson . Teachers of English as a foreign language can use these suggestions as a guide, but should adapt the number of vocabulary items taught during a lesson as they believe appropriate and should take account of factors such as the learner objective of each lesson and the ability of the students. 

According to Schmitt teachers should include both explicit teaching techniques and activities from which incidental learning can occur in their course and lesson plans. The former is where the teacher explicitly teaches words of vocabulary to the students and the latter is where the teacher teaches the students methods and techniques to learn words on their own . 

According to Cross there are a variety of modes of presentation available to the teacher to communicate the meaning and or usage of words (explicit teaching techniques). These can be categorised as either ostensive whereby the teacher shows the students something, perhaps by pointing to an object in the classroom such as a table, or verbal definition whereby the teacher gives a verbal explanation (linguistic approach) of the lexical item . The below table show examples of ostensive and verbal presentation techniques and gives a brief explanation of appropriate usage;

Mode of Presentation - Ostensive or VerbalMechanism/Category Tool for presenting or ExplainingExplanation of application OstensiveRealiaThis means real objects. The teacher can request students to bring realia into school, for example toys or items of food. OstensivePicturesPictures can be collected from magazines or newspapers, or made by the teacher. VerbalWord SetsUsed to teach groups or words that are related. For example fruit, banana, apple, pear, orange etc. VerbalSynonymsWords that have a very similar meaning, for example bus and coach. VerbalAntonymsWords that have opposite meanings, for example night and day, left and right, right and wrong.



Incidental learning of vocabulary means that students learn through maximum expose to English. This means the onus for learning new language is completely on the students. According to Schmitt the most effective way for students to benefit from incidental learning is by integrating themselves into a English speaking environment, possibly by living in an English speaking country. Clearly this is not a plausible option for teacher who is teaching English as a foreign language in a classroom. According to Schmitt encouraging students to read has the most tangible impact on improving their vocabulary base .