How to build up your Vocabulary

LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY ENHANCEMENT
Vocabulary Building
Trường Đại Học Ngoại Ngữ - Đại học Quốc Gia Hà Nội
Overview
New Conceptions about Teaching and Learning Vocabulary

Techniques for Building up Your Vocabulary

Vocabulary Learning Resources
1. New conceptions about teaching and learning vocabulary
Do you agree, disagree or keep a neutral view on these statements?
ANSWER
Actually, they are all MYTHS about vocabulary learning and teaching!
Myth1: It is not good to use lists of words when learning vocabulary
Four models of presentation:
1) words presented in isolation
2) words in minimal context
3) words in text context
4) words in elaborated text context.
Myth 2: Vocabulary should be presented in semantic sets
Learners had more difficulty learning new words in semantic clusters (Tinkham 1993).
Myth 3: The use of translations is a poor way to learn new vocabulary
The value of translations in vocabulary-learning activities (Hulstijin 1992; Knight 1994; Prince 1995; Chun & Plass 1996; Laufer &Shmueli 1997; Grace 1998; Laufer & Hulstijin 1998).
Myth 4: Guessing words from context is as productive for foreign language learners as it is for first language learners
Helpful contexts are rare (Schatz & Baldwin 1986).
Myth 5: The best vocabulary learners make use of only one or two effective specific vocabulary learning strategies
Learners’ proficiency level and type of instruction did not impact their vocabulary learning (Sanaoui 1995).
Myth 6: Foreign language learners should use a monolingual dictionary
The use of a bilingual dictionary can increase vocabulary learning (Luppescu & Day 1993).
Myth 7: Vocabulary is sufficiently covered enough in our curricula and courses
No overall plan of vocabulary instruction in the curriculum (Folse 2004).
Overview
New Conceptions about Teaching and Learning Vocabulary

Techniques for Building up Your Vocabulary

Vocabulary Learning Resources
2. Techniques for Building up Your Vocabulary


INPUT - OUTPUT
INPUT - Techniques for Building up your Vocabulary
3000 Basic Words
Word Structure: Prefix – Suffix – Base
Thesaurus
Synonyms, Antonyms
Related Words (of the same Semantic Field)
Context
Pictures
6. Word Webs, Diagrams
7. Flashcards
8. Confusable Words
9. Games
10. Reading
11. A word a day
(1). 3000 Basic Words
Source: Oxford Advanced Dictionary
(2) Word Structure:
Prefix – Suffix – Base
Source: Chin, B.A. (2004). How to build a super vocabulary. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
(3) Thesaurus
Synonyms and Antonyms
Related words
(4). Context
General context
In her essay about Robert Frost’s “Mending Wall,” Nora says she believes that the poem’s last line is deliberately ambiguous. “I think Frost meant us TO INTERPRET THAT LINE IN MORE THAN ONE WAY. There’s NO SINGLE CORRECT MEANING. In fact, there may be SEVERAL MEANINGS. We’re meant TO PUZZLE OVER WHAT THE LINE MEANS.”
Definitions in Context
Every Friday after school, Lara attends a class in botany, the study of plants, at the science museum.

Other Clues to Meaning
You can recognize conifers—such as pine, fir, cedar, and spruce—by their seed-bearing cones.
(5) Pictures
Ready-made pictures
E.g. secure
Hand-drawn pictures
E.g. bow
ENTERTAINMENT
MUSIC
TV
TYPES
INSTRUMENTS
pop
rock
ballad
guitar
piano
drums
comedy
news
6. Word Webs and Diagrams
(7) Flashcards
Dolphin vs. whale?
dolphin
whale
(8). Confusable Words
Confusable word pairs
immigrate, emigrate
affect, effect
compliment, complement
Mispronunciations
Homophones
My aunt shrieked when she saw the ant sampling her freshbaked pie.
Homographs
A mysterious object hung from the ceiling.
Do you object to this plan?
(9). Games
Ready-made games (sample worksheets)
Analogy games
E.g. big is to large as little is to ________
Easy:simple:: difficult:______
Word Map, Word Web
Dictionary games

Other games
Crosswords
Matching
Word search
Word jumbled
Vocabulary Quiz
Pictures
Physical activities
Etc.
(10) Reading
“The man who doesn’t read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them.” Mark Twain.


READING
NEWSPAPER
BOOKS
OTHERS
VOCABULARY
BETTER UNDERSTANDING
OF THE WORLD
When to read? Everyday
What to read? Anything that happens to be in English
Some suggestions:
+ Vietnam news >>
+ Dual-language/Bilingual stories >>

<<
Little Johnny Boy
A new teacher was trying to make use of her psychology courses. She started her class by saying.
“Everyone who thinks you’re stupid, stand up!”.
After a few seconds, Little Johnny stoop up.
The teacher said, “Do you think you’re stupid, Little Johnny?”
“No, ma’am but I hate to see you standing there all by yourself”


Bé Johnny
Một giáo viên mới vào nghề đang thử áp dụng môn tâm lý của mình. Cô bắt đầu bài giảng bằng cách nói:
“Em nào nghĩ rằng mình ngu ngốc thì hãy đứng lên!”
Một vài phút sau, bé Johnny đứng dậy.
“Em nghĩ rằng em ngu ngốc hả, Johnny,” cô giáo hỏi.
“Không, thưa cô, nhưng em không thích phải nhìn thấy cô đứng đó mỗi một mình.”
Whisper
A mother took her little boy to church. While in church the little boy said.
“Mommy, I have to pee.”
The mother said to the little boy, “It’s not appropriate to say the word ‘pee’ in church. From now on when you have to ‘pee’ just tell me that you have to whisper.”
The following Sunday, the little boy went to church with his father and during the service said to his father,
: “Daddy, I have to whisper.”
The father looked at him and said,
“Okay, why don’t you whisper in my ear.”


Thì thầm
Một người mẹ dẫn đứa con trai nhỏ của mình tới nhà thờ. Trong buổi lễ, cậu bé nói:
“Mẹ ơi, con muốn đi đái.”
“Từ ‘đái’ không thích hợp để nói trong buổi lễ. Từ giờ trở đi khi nào muốn ‘đi đái’ thì con chỉ nói với mẹ rằng con phải thì thầm.”, người mẹ nói với đứa trẻ.
Chủ nhật sau, bé trai đó lại đi nhà thờ với bố và trong buổi lễ cậu bé nói với bố:
“Bố ơi con muốn thì thầm.”
Bố cậu nhìn cậu và nói:
“Được thôi, sao con không thì thầm vào tai bố.”
(11) A.W.A.D
A WORD A DAY
Many a little makes a mickle
INPUT - Techniques for Building up your Vocabulary
3000 Basic Words
Word Structure: Prefix – Suffix – Base
Thesaurus
Synonyms, Antonyms
Related Words (of the same Semantic Field)
Context
Pictures
6. Word Webs, Diagrams
7. Flashcards
8. Make up a sentence
9. Confusable Words
10. Games
11. Reading
12. A word a day
OUTPUT – USE IT OR LOSE IT!!!
VOCABULARY - SPEAKING
Sample

This country of ours has more wealth than any nation, but that’s not what makes us rich. We have the most powerful military on Earth, but that’s not what makes us strong. Our universities and our culture are the envy of the world, but that’s not what keeps the world coming to our shores.

Instead, it is that American spirit — that American promise — that pushes us forward even when the path is uncertain; that binds us together in spite of our differences; that makes us fix our eye not on what is seen, but what is unseen, that better place around the bend.
VOCABULARY - SPEAKING
Say the word!
Say a sentence with it
Make a question and
Answer with it
Imagine a real-life
Conversation with words
Why not a speech?


binds us together
the envy of
binds us together
the path is uncertain
fix our eyes on

VOCABULARY - WRITING
Write the word down!
Make a sentence with it
Write a paragraph with it
REVIEW / FEEDBACK
Make up a sentence
The S.S. Titanic was a titanic—gigantic ship.
The two l’s in the middle of parallel form parallel lines.
Write a paragraph with words
Feedback to an article
OUTPUT – USE IT OR LOSE IT!!!
RECEPTIVE SKILLS:
READING & LISTENING
ACCUMULATE
VOCABULARY
PRODUCTIVE SKILLS:
SPEAKING & LISTENING
ACTIVATE VOCABULARY
VOCABULARY LEARNING RESOURCES

English Vocabulary in Use
Elementary
Pre and Intermediate
Upper-high intermediate and advanced
English Vocabulary Organizer
IELTS Ideas and Vocabulary