Teaching English

Presentation - 7

Lt Col M. Javeed Khan (R)

Department of EDUCATION 1
Sarhad University of Science and Information Technology, Peshawar
 Course Outline

Detail of Course Outline1

4. TEACHING VOCABULARY
4.1 Difficulties in learning Vocabulary
4.2 Types of Vocabulary
4.3 Words

Department of EDUCATION 2
Sarhad University of Science and Information Technology, Peshawar
 Learning Outcomes

At the end of this lecture the students will be able to:

• Understand the English Vocabulary, its types and usage

Department of EDUCATION 3
Sarhad University of Science and Information Technology, Peshawar
 Vocabulary

• Vocabulary, also known as word-stock.

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• Vocabulary can be define as “a set of words used in a specific
language”.
• It comprises of all the words that are understood while reading or
writing something or listening to someone speak.
• The vocabulary consists of all the words that we understand, feel,
or comprehend in the correct context.
• The more effort you put in to understand the meaning of a word,
the stronger your vocabulary grows.

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Word is a single distinct meaningful element of speech or writing,

used with others (or sometimes alone) to form a sentence and

typically shown with a space on either side when written or printed.

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As nouns the difference between word and vocabulary
 is that word is the fact or action of speaking, as opposed to
writing or to action while vocabulary is a usually
alphabetized and explained collection of words e.g., of a
particular field, or prepared for a specific purpose, often for
learning.

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The main difference between lexicon and vocabulary is
that the lexicon refers to the list of words along with its
related knowledge on their linguistic significance and
usage etc. while the vocabulary merely means the list
of words a person knows of a particular language.

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Vocabulary means the list of words a person knows of a particular
language or a field. Therefore, vocabulary is mostly the person’s
awareness of the words that will assist him in his daily
communication. Or in brief, vocabulary is the set of
familiar words within a person’s language.
Therefore, unlike lexicon, which denotes a complete group of all
words in a language, vocabulary only refers to a subset of words in a
language that are used in a particular context or of a particular
person.
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• Vocabulary is learnt and develop our entire lives.
• While some vocabulary is acquired implicitly through everyday
interactions, it’s important to teach more complex and technical
vocabulary explicitly.
• Vocabulary is becoming more important in a world of digital
dependency.
• Autocorrect may have a chance of picking up incorrect spelling,
but it can’t be relied on to help you choose the word with the
right meaning.
• Teaching vocabulary is about context and repetition what they
need to know about the words they’re using and using them
multiple times.

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Vocabulary Growth and Development
• During infancy, a child instinctively builds vocabulary.
• Infants imitate words that they hear and then associate those
words with objects and actions.
• This is the listening vocabulary.
• The speaking vocabulary follows, as a child's thoughts become
more reliant on his/her ability to self-express without relying on
gestures or babbling.
• Once the reading and writing vocabularies start to develop,
through questions and education, the child starts to discover the
anomalies and irregularities of language.

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Kinds of difficulties faced by the students are;
1. Almost all of the students have difficulties in pronouncing the
words.
2. How to write and spell
3. The different grammatical form of a word known as inflections
was one of causes of students difficulties in learning vocabulary. In
addition
4. The students found difficulties in choosing the appropriate
meaning of the words.
5. Also still confuse in using the word based on the context
6. The students were also still confused when they found words or
expression that were idiomatic.

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There were some factors for students’ difficulties in learning
vocabulary;
1. The written form is different from the spoken form in English.
2. The number of words that students need to learn is exceedingly
large.
3. The limitations of sources of information about words.
4. The complexity of word knowledge. Knowing a words involves
much more than knowing its dictionary definition.
5. Causes of lack of understanding of grammatical of the words.
6. The incorrect pronunciation is often caused by the lack of sound
similarity between English and the students’ native language.

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Importance of Vocabulary
• An extensive vocabulary aids expression and communication.
• Vocabulary size has been directly linked to reading
comprehension.
• Linguistic vocabulary is synonymous with thinking vocabulary.
• A person may be judged by others based on his or her vocabulary.
• Wilkins (1972) once said, "Without grammar, very little can be
conveyed; without vocabulary, nothing can be conveyed."

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Importance of Rich Vocabulary
• Vocabulary builds over time.
• It develops with reading and with specific instruction.
• A good vocabulary helps you to develop your comprehension skills
and master a language.
• When you take the effort to understand unfamiliar words, you
actually try to understand the entire context in which the word is
used.
• And this entire process helps you to understand what the writer or
speaker is trying to say. 15
Importance of Rich Vocabulary
• In addition to comprehension skills, a good vocabulary also helps
you to articulate your ideas and thoughts in an effective way.
• Rich vocabulary, you will not sound repetitive and boring.
• You will be able to choose the appropriate words and express your
ideas with maximum impact.
• At the same time, you will also be able to receive and process
information in a better way.
• Grasping ability increases with a good vocabulary.
• Another advantage of a good vocabulary is that you will be able to
create a good impression.
• Well articulation, will make the other person more inclined to
listen and exchange ideas with you.

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Types of Vocabulary
Expressive and Receptive
• Vocabulary can be categorized into two types - expressive and
receptive vocabulary.
• Expressive vocabulary refers to the words that we use to express
our thoughts and ideas. That is all the words that we use for
“speaking” and “writing” fall under the expressive category.
• Speaking vocabulary comprises of the words that you would
generally use in your speech.
• Research proves that on average, people have about 10,000 words
in their speaking vocabulary. Writing vocabulary refers to the
words that you use while writing your ideas or thoughts. Your
comfort with spelling words usually determines your writing
vocabulary.
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Types of Vocabulary
Expressive and Receptive
• Receptive vocabulary, on the other hand, refers to all the words
that you understand while “reading” books or “listening” to
someone speak.
• All the words that are processed while receiving information fall
under receptive vocabulary.
• Listening vocabulary includes all the words that you hear and
understand.
• On average, adults can understand and process around 50,000
words. 18
Vocabulary—Oral and Written
• Vocabulary can also be classified into the oral and written
vocabulary.
• Oral vocabulary consists of all the words you use while speaking
and all the words you understand while listening.
• Written vocabulary comprises of all the words that you understand
while reading and all the words that you use while writing what you
want to express.

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Building Vocabulary
• Building a rich vocabulary is an experience in itself.
• Not only will it help you in your professional life, but it will also
open your mind to new worlds.
• As you keep learning new words, you will realize how it creates an
interest to learn and explore more.
• You will also notice how you can use words in a different context,
thereby improving your communication skills.

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Building Vocabulary
• One of the best ways of building a strong vocabulary is to explore
the variations of a single word.
• That is, when you come across a new word, you can try looking up
its antonym and synonym, or its connotation, or check if it is an
idiom, and so on.
• Antonyms are opposite words whereas synonyms are words that
have the same meaning. Idioms are a group of words that have a
meaning different from their literal meaning.
• Connotation refers to the feeling or idea the word generates. You
can also check the etymology of a word, that is, where the word
originates from.

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The End

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