Mastering Vocabulary 1 What does it mean to know vocabulary?

Books on desk with aspects of vocabulary on spine
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In this lesson, you will learn what it means to know vocabulary (passive) and use (active) vocabulary.

Introduction

Evaluate the vocabulary sections of your past test scores. Why do you think the evaluator scored you that way? 

Warm Up
  • What do you think having good vocabulary means? 
  • Why is it important to have broad vocabulary in your workplace? When do you feel it is enough? When do you feel it is lacking?

When you study vocabulary, it’s important to have both passive and active understanding of words. In other words, merely memorizing vocabulary and its meanings is not enough - you need to be able to use it, too. 

Language

There are 5 parts to knowing a word:

  1. Knowing a word means knowing the definition.
  • ​​​​​​​​E.g.: ineffective — not achieving what you want to achieve; having no effect.
  1. Knowing a word means understanding how it is used in a sentence, and how it is not used.
  • E.g.:
    • Her boss’s management style was ineffective; she had no command of her team. (CORRECT) 
    • Her day was ineffective. (INCORRECT) 
  1. Knowing a word means knowing its word forms (or family).
  • E.g.: ineffective (adjective) → ineffectively (adverb) 
  1. Knowing a word means knowing how to pronounce the word in its various forms.
  2. Knowing a word means knowing collocations, and expressions that use the word.
Practice

Choose a word—any word. Do you know:

  • the definition?
  • the word forms?
  • how to pronounce it?
  • its collocations?
  • expressions that use it? and
  • how to use it correctly in a sentence?