THE TEACHING OF VOCABULARY

“While without grammar very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary, nothing can be conveyed”-Wilkins
Building vocabulary is the most crucial phase of learning a language. Acquisition, retention, and retrieval
of suitable vocabulary at suitable places with suitable timing become a complex and challenging
challenge for learners, particularly in second language classrooms. The vocabulary in a second language
is not as familiar to learners as it is in their mother tongue. The majority of vocabulary lessons are taught
using traditional ways in most classroom settings, which causes learners to become increasingly
confused and self-conscious. We are constantly acquiring new words either consciously or unconsciously
as it is a continual process.

Ideas and thoughts travel through words. Whether we express our thoughts and feelings orally or in
writing, words are a very vital tool. One will express ideas and concepts more accurately and quickly the
more words they have at their disposal. Beginning on the first day of school and continuing throughout
one's academic career is the teaching of language.

Teachers frequently teach their pupils to infer a word's meaning by examining the context in which it is
used. The final ten minutes of a class session might be used by a teacher to focus on vocabulary
development outside of the curriculum. The students should take notice of new words' definitions right
away and comprehend the context. Their vocabulary will be a valuable resource for them in the future if
they do this. For pupils, memorization is a classic and tedious strategy. When teaching new terms to
students through interactive activities, an English teacher should be innovative.

Types of words
Ad hoc
Ad hoc is a Latin-based word that originally meant "for this" or "for this situation." In contemporary
American English, it refers to something that has been created or used without prior planning for a
specific and immediate purpose.

Compound Words
A compound word is a word made up of multiple stem words. A compound word is produced by
combining two or more words.
Types of Compound Words
● Closed formed: two words are joined together to create a new word.
Example – notebook, keyboard
● Hyphenated form: words are joined together by a hyphen.
Example- Brother-in-law
● Open form: words are open but a new meaning is formed when read together.
Example: post office

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Root Words
It is the primary form of the word. A word to which affixes (prefixes and suffixes) are added is called a root
word. Or the form of a word after all affixes are removed is called a root word. It is the most basic part of
a word. The root is the indivisible part of a complex word. A root word may be a word that has a meaning
or does not have a meaning.
Example
bene – beneficial, benefactor
Port – portable, transportation

Base Word
A base word is the form of a word to which affixes (prefixes and suffixes) can be added to create new
words. A base word stems on its own and has meaning. It is a word in its simplest form.
Example: ‘unhappiness’ in which ‘happy’ is the base word.
The root words are parts of a base word that do not stand alone and have no meaning by themselves in
the English language and are usually derived from Greek or Latin.
Example: In the word inspection inspect is the base word, while spec from the Latin word ‘spectatare’
(see) is the root word.

Content Words
Content denotes information and meaning. Nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs make up content words
or lexical words. They are referred to as content words since they provide us with crucial details that are
necessary for understanding, such as "girl," "book," "storm," etc. These words are for names, actions,
qualities, and objects.

Function Words
The function words are necessary for grammar. They consist of articles (the), prepositions (to, by, for, on,
in, of), modal (can, may), verbs (is, am, are), pronouns (I, we, you, they, them), conjunctions (and, but, or,
because, though), auxiliaries (do, did, could, might, would), relatives (who, which, whom, whose), some
structural adjective (this, that, any, some) and certain structural adverbs (more, even, again, always).

Active Vocabulary
The words one can use in his speech and writing with the proper and suitable pronunciation, stress,
meaning, and spelling are referred to as active (productive) vocabulary. Learning and using words in their
proper contexts with full comprehension is essential for developing an active vocabulary. The learner
gains proficiency in utilising words through repeated reading and hearing of them in educational contexts,
and these words soon become a part of their active vocabulary. Students employ active vocabulary
flawlessly, naturally, and subconsciously. Additionally known as productive vocabulary.

Passive Vocabulary
The words in one's passive (receptive) vocabulary are those that one can identify and understand to some
extent but cannot employ in one's speech or writing. Since they are not regularly employed in speech or
writing, passive vocabulary words are also known as receptive vocabulary.

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Principles of Learning Words
● Listening - Hearing precedes speaking.
● The object or the action of sight
● Listening to sentences
● Trial and practice
● Speaking proceeds reading and writing

Techniques of teaching new words

Presentation
While presenting the material, the teacher is free to utilise any method.
These methods include verbal context association, demonstration, and visual technique. The use of
demonstration techniques involves both the teacher and the pupils demonstrating real things or acting
out actions. Giving a word description or explanation is what is meant by verbal context. In the
association technique, the teacher either provides the mother tongue definitions of words or their
synonyms or antonyms. Pictures, charts, and information on the flannel board are examples of visual
aids. For teaching vocabulary, the teacher can employ a variety of techniques.

Practice
The students should be given adequate practice in the use of the words. They should be asked to use the
words in sentences of their own. Students should be asked to solve some word exercises like fill in the
gap etc. to have command of the new vocabulary items.

Vocabulary Activities
The teacher can teach vocabulary items with the help of word games. It helps create interest in learning
new words among the students. Some of the word games like
● Preparing a word dictionary
● By re-arranging the jumbled letters
● Pair the words -
● Odd man out
● Opposite meanings words
● The formation of words
● One-word substitution
● Word Puzzle
● Word Building
● Picture Dictionary

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Following activities can be designed by the language teacher to expand
the vocabulary of students:
● Showing pictures, maps, charts or using Audio-visual aids
● Vocabulary notebook-By maintaining the word notebook to note down the new words.
● Showing real objects or models
● Miming or performing an action
● By framing illustrative sentences
● By associating with other words
● Through the use of synonyms, antonyms and homonyms of words and vice versa.
● Referring to a standard dictionary and thesaurus
● Identifying the lexical set
● Breaking words into component units
● Presenting various contexts of using a particular word
● Knowledge of affixes and word-formation
● Supplementary Reading or rapid reading should be encouraged for word enrichment of students.

Conclusion
The most important skill while learning or teaching a foreign language is vocabulary. All other skills,
including reading, writing, speaking, and listening, are developed and based on vocabulary. Vocabulary not
only improves communication skills and helps students express themselves more clearly, but it also
requires pupils to have cognitive academic language competency. Students struggle to understand others
and communicate their thoughts if they don't have a strong command of vocabulary. In all subject areas,
vocabulary instruction is important. Students can be more explicit when expressing their views and
opinions if they are familiar with a variety of words that can be used to describe things like feelings or
happenings. Teachers must encourage students to enrich their vocabulary in all the possible ways
irrespective of subjects. EMBIBE provides a platform (Digital Dictionary) for students to enhance learners'
vocabulary.

Reference:
● http://mpbou.edu.in/slm/B.Ed_SLM/bedteb2u4.pdf
● https://www.uou.ac.in/sites/default/files/bed17/CPS-13.pdf
● https://www.bdu.ac.in/cde/docs/ebooks/B-Ed/I/TEACHING_OF_ENGLISH.PDF
● https://www.uou.ac.in/sites/default/files/bed17/CPS-5.pdf

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