Lesson-1

Vocabulary Development
By Ms. Jahan Ara
 Introduction to Vocabulary

According to the Cambridge dictionary: Vocabulary is all the words known
and used by a particular person.
 Vocabulary (the knowledge of words and word meanings) is one of the
fundamental building blocks in learning a new language.
 The majority of meaning is carried lexically.
 Vocabulary is the total number of words in a language one knows.
 It largely consists of “content words” as opposed to “structure words”.
 Therefore, idioms and multi-word verbs such as phrasal and prepositional
verbs (e.g., give up, to put up with) will be considered words , in the same
way, as single words (e.g., fan).
 Classification
Vocabulary can be classified as:
 Receptive/Passive vocabulary (words we understand when others use them/the words we need to
recognize only).
 Productive/Active vocabulary (words we use ourselves/ the words learners need to be able to use and
understand).
 Vocabulary can also be classifies as oral or written.
 Thus each of us has four vocabularies.
 Receptive/oral (Words we understand when we hear them).
 Receptive/written (Words we can read).
 Productive/oral (Words we use in our specch).
 Productive/written (Words we use in our writing).
 The four vocabularies overlap but are not the same, and their connections shift with time.
 Remembering Words
 Richards (1976) and Nation (2001) list the different things learners need to know about a
word before we can say that they have learned it (cited in McCarten, 2007, p. 18).
 It implies the acquisition of information of various types.
1. The Meaning(s) of the Word
 Understanding its basic meaning (denotation; dictionary meaning of the word) and also
any evaluative or associated meaning it has (connotation; consists of ideas, emotional,
contextual meaning, feeling evoked by a word).
2. Spoken and Written Forms
 Spellings and pronunciation are problematic for learners of English; often no clear
relation between spellings and pronunciation. E.g., plumber /ˈplʌm.ər/
3. Morphology
 What “word parts” it has (e.g., any prefix, suffix, and “root” form) and possible
derivations?
 Remembering Words
4. Grammatical Form and Behavior
 Every word belongs to a word class, which summarizes the ways in which it can be used
in grammar. To use a word properly, students need to know whether it is a verb, a noun, an
adjective, etc. (For instance, its word class, and typical grammatical patterns it occurs in).
 It is crucial when a word follows unpredictable grammatical patterns. For example, man-
men/information (uncountable) and if the word is followed by a particular preposition (e.g.,
depend on).
5. Collocations
 Collocation refers to a group of two or more words that usually go together.
 The words occur together both semantically and syntactically.
 It is important to prevent mistakes in usage. E.g., to ask a question you ‘raise your hand’
you don't say ‘lift your hand’.
 Remembering Words
6. Register
 A register is a variety of languages used for a particular purpose or in a particular
communicative situation.
 Registers vary because the language is used for different purposes, in different contexts, and
for different audiences.
 Think about the words you choose, your tone of voice, and even your body language.
 E.g., the language of law, medicine, cooking, etc.
7. Style
 The style defines the level of formality, e.g., humorous, ironic and poetic, etc.
8. Dialect
 It is a geographical variation of language. E.g., British English, American English, etc.
E.g., Lift (UK) – Elevator (US)
 Remembering Words
9. Associations
 E.g., Words that are similar or opposite in meaning; lexical sets.
10. Translation
 Knowledge of the equivalent in the mother tongue of learners.
11. Frequency
 Frequency of occurrence of a word in a language.
 Some words occur more frequently in speech – ‘indeed’, ‘by the way’.
 Others in writing – ‘former’, ‘latter’.
Tips and strategies of vocabulary development
 According to the Center for Improvement of Early Reading Achievement
(as cited in Antunez, 2002), scientific research on vocabulary development
demonstrates that children learn the majority of their vocabulary indirectly
by: 1) talking and listening, 2) listening to adults read to them, and 3)
reading on their own.
 It is therefore assumed that process writing can be a useful means of helping
students to stretch their vocabulary, although it is suggested that explicitly
concentrating on vocabulary in the pre-writing stage may encourage even
greater vocabulary development. (Muncie, 2002).
 Use the dictionary and thesaurus. 
 Play word games.
 Use flashcards.
 Practice using new words in conversation.
 Inferring Meaning from Context
 When you encounter an unfamiliar word, a good strategy is to
guess the meaning from the context (how the word is used).
You might not guess the exact meaning, but enough to
continue reading with understanding.
 Inference is using observation and background to reach a
logical conclusion. You probably practice inference every day.
 For example, if you see someone eating new food and he or
she makes a face, then you infer he does not like it. Or if
someone slams a door, you can infer that she is upset about
something.
 Word Formation
 Word formation is the creation of a new word. 
 Word formation refers to the ways in which new words are formed based on other words
or morphemes (words or a part of a word that has meaning). 
 Word formation processes are
1. Coinage
2. Eponyms
3. Borrowing
4. Compounding
5. Blending
6. Clipping
7. Hypocorism
8. Acronym
1. Coinage
 Coinage is the word formation process in which a new word is created
either deliberately or accidentally without using the other word
formation processes.
 In coinage, we identify the word formation process of inventing
entirely new words.
 This is the constant evolution of new words and new uses.
 These words are invented as trade names for commercial products, and
soon they become general terms.
 They have become everyday words in the language.
 Older examples are nylon, vaseline, zipper, and pamper, etc.
2. Eponyms
 New words are also made based on the name of a person or a place.
 A person, place, or thing named after a particular person.
 The name of an object or activity that is also the name of the person who
first produced the object or did the activity
For Example
 Hoover (after the person who marketed it )
 Spangle (after the person who invented it)
 Sandwich (after an Earl who would have two pieces of bread with meat while gambling)
 Jeans (after the city Genoa)
Some eponyms are technical terms, based on the names of those who first discovered or invented
things such as:
 Fahrenheit (from the German, Gabriel Fahrenheit)
 Volt (from the Italian, Alessandro Volta) .
3. Borrowing
 In linguistics, borrowing (also known as lexical borrowing) is the process by which a word from
one language is adapted for use in another.
 The borrowed word is called borrowing, a borrowed word, or a loanword.
 A borrowed word is never given back as the word indicates.
 It is the most common source of new words in English.
 Some commonly borrowed words and the languages that have been borrowed are mentioned below.
 Croissant (French) - a piece of light crescent-shaped pastry, usually eaten in the morning.
 Pretzel (German)-a hard salty biscuit that has been baked in a stick or knot shape:
 Tattoo (Tahitian)- a permanent image, pattern, or word on the skin that is created by using needles to
put colors under the skin.
 Tycoon (Japanese)-a person who has succeeded in business or industry and
has become very rich and powerful.
 Zebra (Bantu)
4. Compounding
 Joining two separate words to produce a single form is a very common word
formation process in languages.
 It is a very common process in other languages too.
Examples of compounding using all nouns:
 bookcase, doorknob, fingerprint, sunburn, textbook, wallpaper, wastebasket, and
waterbed
Using adjectives:
 good-looking, low-paid
Compounds of adjective:
 Fast plus noun food=fast-food restaurant, a full-time job.
5. Blending
 The combination of two separate forms produces a single new term whose meaning is
often a combination of the original words.
 The beginning of the first word is joined with the ending of the second word .
 E.g.
 Smog (Smoke +fog)
 Motel (hotel + motor)
 Infotainment ( information + entertainment)
Mixing of languages
 Spanglish (Spanish + English )
Information technology
 Telex ( teleprinter + exchange)
6. Clipping
 The element of reduction that is noticeable in blending is even more apparent in the
process described as clipping for example:
 This process occurs with a word of more than one syllable (having one vowel sound) and
usually, the beginning is clipped.
 It is used in casual speech.
 E.g., Fax from the facsimile
 ad (advertisement),
 cab (cabriolet),
 flu (Influenza)
 English speakers also like to clip each other’s names. Liz, Mike, Ron, Sam, Sue,
 In educational field chem, exam, lab, math.
7. Hypocorisms
 A particular type of reduction, favored in Australian and British English, produces
forms technically known as hypocorisms.
 In this process a longer word is reduced to a single syllable, then -y or -ie is added to
the end. For E.g.
 Movie (moving pictures)
 barbie (‘barbecue’)
 brekky (‘breakfast’)
 A hypocorism is a pet name, or nickname, often a shortened form of
a word or name. E.g., "kitty" for a cat
8. Acronyms
 An acronym is a word or name formed as an abbreviation from the initial components in a phrase or a
word, usually individual letters, and sometimes syllables.
 Words are formed from the initial letters of a set of other words.
 The initials are pronounced as new single words.
 There are many everyday terms such as:
 Radar (radio detecting and ranging),
 Scuba (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus)
 NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)
 It can be pronounced as individual letters, like in FBI and ATM.
 Names for organizations are often designed to have their acronym represent an appropriate term.
 NED (Nadirshaw Edulji Dinshaw)
 NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization),
 9. Derivational Affix (Prefixes, Suffixes)

An English word can be divided into three parts:

 Prefix
 Stem
 Suffix.
 A derivational affix is an affix through which one word is formed (derived) from another.
 An affix is a set of letters generally added to the beginning or end of a root word or base
word to modify its meaning.
  A letter or group of letters added to the beginning of a word to make a new word is called
a prefix.
 E.g., un-, mis-.
 A suffix is a letter or group of letters added at the end of a word which makes a new
word.
 E.g.,-less, -ish
9. Derivational Affix (Prefixes, Suffixes)
 The derived word is often of a different word class from the original.
Word Part of speech Affix New word Changed class
Bake Verb -er Baker Noun
Quick Adjective -ly Quickly Adverb
Happy Adjective -ness Happiness Noun

 Prefix
 Pre-means ‘before’ and therefore, is what comes before the stem.
 Example
 Consider as an example, the prefix de-(meaning ‘reduce’ or ‘reverse’)
in a word like demagnetize (‘to deprive of magnetism’).
9. Derivational Affix (Prefixes, Suffixes)
 Suffix

 A suffix is what is attached to the end of the stem.

 E.g.,

 Consideras an example the suffix -er (meaning (‘someone who’) in the programmer (‘the person who
programs’).
 Both prefixes and suffixes are referred to as affixes.
 The stem of a word is its basic form, the fundamental element that is common to all the other forms of the
word. A prefix is a form that is fixed to the beginning of a stem; a suffix is a form which is fixed to the end
of a stem.
 E.g.,

 Stem = measure
 Suffix= measurable
 Prefix =immeasurable
 P R A C T I C E
Nation

Nation (Noun)

Nation-al (Adjective)

Nation-al-ity (Noun)

Nation-al-ize (Verb)

Nation-al-iz-ation (Noun)

Nation-al-ism (Noun)

Inter-nation-al-ly (Adverb)
 Locating Base Words
 It is sometimes difficult to locate a base word because its spellings
frequently change when suffixes are added to them.
 If a base word ends in e, the e may be dropped when a suffix is
added to it.
 Mature +it y=maturity
 If a base word ends in y, the y may be changed to i , when a suffix is
added to it:
 Harmony +ous=harmonious
 Base words may undergo other spelling changes when suffixes are
added to them:
 Reclaim+ation=reclamation (the I in reclaim is dropped)
 Recap

 An English word can be divided into three parts: a prefix, a

stem, and a suffix. Prefix is what comes before the stem. A
suffix is what is attached to the end of the stem. A stem is the
root of the word. Both prefixes and suffixes are referred to as
Affixes.
 Prefix

 A prefix is a letter or group of letters that is added to the beginning of a stem/ base
word e.g. in untrue the prefix is un- and the stem/base word is true.

 They change the meaning of the base word. Un + happy = unhappy Re + do = redo
Prefixes
 Idiomatic expression
 Idiomatic Expressions are phrases where the words together
have a meaning that is different from the dictionary
definitions of the individual words.
 In other words, idioms don't mean exactly what the words
say.
 They are commonly used in everyday conversation by native
speakers of English and make the English language more
colorful!
Homophones
 The Greek prefix homo- means same and the root phone means sound.
 Homophones can be sets of two, three, or even more words that sound alike.
 The word that is pronounced the same as another word but has a different meaning or spelling or both
are called Homophones.
 Homophones Examples
 Even though homophones sound the same, their meanings are distinguishable based on their unique
spellings. Here are some examples of common homophones along with sentences that utilize both words:
• aisle and isle - The bride and groom skipped happily down the aisle during their wedding on the
beautiful isle of Fiji.
• knew and new - She knew that she needed to soon replace her old car with a new one.
• hour and our - The hour had come when we had to accept the consequences of our actions.
• male and mail - Is the mail deliverer a male or female?
• I and eye - I almost wrecked my bike when the bug flew into my eye.
Homonyms
 The word that sounds the same or is spelled the same as another word but has a
different meaning are called Homonyms.
 One form (written or spoken) has two or more unrelated meanings.
 They have separate histories and meanings.
 But they have the same form.
 bank (of a river) bank (financial institution)
 bat (flying creature) bat (used in sports)
 mole (on the skin) mole (small animal)
 pupil (at school) pupil (in the eye)
 race (contest of speed) race (ethnic group)
 References
 Graves, M. F., August, D., & Mancilla-Martinez, J. (2013). Teaching Vocabulary to English Language Learners.
In Google Books. Teachers College Press.
https://books.google.com.pk/books?id=RkOpr3DRUJ0C&printsec=frontcover&dq=tips+and+strategies+of+vo
cabulary+development&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwji97D1jejzAhWzSPEDHWcRBJgQ6AF6BAgIEAI#v=o
nepage&q&f=false
 McCarten.J. (2007). Teaching Vocabulary. Cambridge University Press.
file:///C:/Users/STARIZ.PK/Downloads/TeachingVocabularyMcCartenInner%20(1).pdf
 McCarthy,M., & O’Dell, F. (2005) English Vocabulary in Use -Upper Intermediate. Cambridge University
Press. https://toefl.uobabylon.edu.iq/papers/ibt_2015_41955588.pdf
 Attention required! | Cloudflare. (n.d.). MasterClass Online Classes.
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-improve-your-vocabulary#7-ways-to-improve-your-vocabulary
 Erkaya, O. R., & Drower, I. S. (2012). Perceptions of an EL Learner on Vocabulary
Development. International journal of special education, 27(1), 81-92.
 Muncie, J. (2002). Process writing and vocabulary development: Comparing lexical frequency
profiles across drafts. System, 30(2), 225-235.