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Learning vocabulary is a big part of learning a language. However, it can certainly be challenging! To truly learn a word, we need to know lots of different things: how it’s spelt and pronounced, what it means, and how it is used with other words.
So, to help you with your vocabulary learning, I’d like to share a few tips with you.
They are based on what I’ve learnt in a module on vocabulary teaching and learning at the University of Oxford, and on the book Learning Vocabulary in Another Language (Nation, 2001/2011).
Let’s dive in!
1. The importance of multiword units
When using a language, very little of what we say and write is completely new. Instead, research suggests that native speakers store “strings” or “chunks” of words that commonly go together in their minds. They then use these pre-made “strings” when talking or writing.
These strings are often called multiword units, and in English could include things like phrasal verbs, for example “to be fed up with”, or expressions like “take a chance”, “make a mistake” or “on the whole”. Multiword units are incredibly important for sounding natural and appropriate in a new language.
As a learner, paying attention to multiword units is essential for learning vocabulary more effectively. So, instead of learning individual words, try to learn “chunks” of language, e.g. phrases like “as far as I know”. You can also focus on collocations, words that commonly go together, e.g. “a bright idea” or “fierce competition”.
It can be really helpful to keep a notebook for these chunks and collocations. And be sure to practise them as much as you can with your teacher to make sure you are using them correctly!
2. The importance of word families
Research suggests that native speakers also store related words together in their minds. These groups of related words are often called “word families”. Word families could include things like:
Write
Writer
Written
Writing
Rewrite
Or
Help
Helper
Helping
Helpful
Helpless
Unhelpful
To boost your learning, start to pay attention to word families, and how prefixes (e.g. things like un-, re-) and suffixes (e.g. things like -less, -er, -ful) can be added to the root of the word family to create new words.
3. The importance of both active study and exposure to the language
According to studies, both active study of vocabulary and exposure to the target language are important for learning vocabulary.
So, use of flash cards, dictionaries, and other aids to help remember vocabulary are useful.
However, this shouldn’t be all you do to learn vocabulary! It is very important to read and listen to a large amount of material in the language you are learning, so that you repeatedly meet the words you are learning in context.
To truly learn a word, we need to meet it repeatedly, in a wide range of contexts.
4. The importance of noticing and using words
Finally, noticing, or paying attention to, particular language features is very important for language learning in general. And it is particularly important for learning vocabulary. To learn more deeply about the meaning and use of a word we must begin to notice it when we come across it.
So, when you are reading and listening in English, keep an eye or an ear out for words or expressions you have been working on! This will help you improve your sense of the meaning of the word, and how to form and use it.
Also, if you want to actually use new words, rather than just recognise them, it is essential to practise them productively. What that means is, to add new words to your active vocabulary, you need to practise them in your writing and speaking! This helps strengthen your memory of the word, and also deepens your understanding of how to use them.
A summary
To sum up, there are a few things you can do to learn vocabulary more effectively.
One thing you can do is try to focus on groups of words. This could be words that commonly occur together, in set expressions or collocations. Or it could be word families.
Another tip is to combine active review of vocabulary with exposure to the language you want to learn and lots of reading and listening. Make sure to read or listen actively, keeping an eye out to notice new words that you are working on!
And finally, if you want to build your active vocabulary, make an effort to use new words in your speaking and writing. This is where a teacher can help, as they can check you are using the words correctly.
I hope that these tips are useful to you, and happy vocabulary learning!
Reference:
Nation, P. (2011). Learning Vocabulary in Another Language. Cambridge University Press. (Original work published 2001)