This is prepared for 3rd year engineering students

1. By Dr. Anjibabu

7. What is Vocabulary
 A vocabulary is a set of familiar words within a
person's language. A vocabulary, usually developed
with age, serves as a useful and fundamental tool for
communication and acquiring knowledge. Acquiring
an extensive vocabulary is one of the largest challenges
in learning a second language.

10.  Vocabulary is commonly defined as "all the words
known and used by a particular person". Knowing a
word, however, is not as simple as merely being able to
recognize or use it.

11. Importance of vocabulary
 An extensive vocabulary aids expression and communication.
 Vocabulary size has been directly linked to reading
comprehension.
 Linguistic vocabulary is synonymous with thinking vocabulary.
 A person may be judged by others based on his or her
vocabulary.
 Wilkins (1972) once said, "Without grammar, very little can be
conveyed, without vocabulary, nothing can be conveyed."

13. Types of vocabulary
 Reading vocabulary
 A literate person's vocabulary is all the words they can recognize when reading. This is generally the largest type of
vocabulary simply because a reader tends to be exposed to more words by reading than by listening.
 Listening vocabulary
 A person's listening vocabulary is all the words they can recognize when listening to speech. People may still
understand words they were not exposed to before using cues such as tone, gestures, the topic of discussion and the
social context of the conversation.
 Speaking vocabulary
 A person's speaking vocabulary is all the words they use in speech. It is likely to be a subset of the listening vocabulary.
Due to the spontaneous nature of speech, words are often misused. This misuse, though slight and unintentional, may
be compensated by facial expressions and tone of voice.
 Writing vocabulary
 Words are used in various forms of writing from formal essays to social media feeds. Many written words do not
commonly appear in speech. Writers generally use a limited set of words when communicating. For example, if there
are a number of synonyms, a writer may have a preference as to which of them to use, and they are unlikely to use
technical vocabulary relating to a subject in which they have no knowledge or interest.

14. Vocabulary building
 Vocabulary building means increasing the vocabulary.
 Vocabulary development refers to the knowledge of
stored information about the meanings and
pronunciations of words necessary for
communication.
 Knowledge of word parts can play a role in increasing
our vocabularies. Word parts include prefixes,
suffixes, and root words.
(Smith, 2012: p.1)

15. Importance of Vocabulary Building
 Roughly 90% of the time, self-expression is done
through words. You can't express what you want to if
you don't know the words to say. Many people find
themselves stumped when it comes to written and
spoken communication because they have trouble
organizing their thoughts and because the right words
tend to elude them.

16.  No matter who you are - a student trying to
finish a term paper or a professional
completing a written project, or anyone else
relying on the power of words to send a
message - you need an expressive and
comprehensive vocabulary in order to interact
well and to do a good job in your daily tasks.
 Most of your vocabulary development takes
place through reading, specially when it comes
to a second language or a foreign language

17. The Value of Vocabulary Building
 Words are unique and interesting. A limited vocabulary keeps
you from expressing your real thoughts and feelings. A strong
vocabulary gives you the right words to use at the right time.
 Vocabulary building takes patience and continued effort. Your
vocabulary can and should be a reflection of you. Your
vocabulary is you. And like you, your vocabulary should be alive.
It should change and grow to meet your needs.
 Vocabulary development is also a primary determinant of
reading comprehension. Readers cannot understand the content
of what they are reading unless they understand the meaning of
the majority of words in the text.

18.  Vocabulary is a basic part of reading comprehension. If you
don't know enough words, you are going to have trouble
understanding what you read. An occasional word may not
stop you, but if there are too many words you don't know,
comprehension will suffer. The content of textbooks is
often challenging enough; you don't want to work as well
on understanding the words that express that content.
 Vocabulary is a major part of almost every standardized
test, including reading achievement tests, college entrance
exams, and armed forces and vocational placement tests.
Vocabulary is a key measure of both one's learning and
one's ability to learn. The more words you know, then, the
better you are likely to do on such important tests.

19. How to build vocabulary?
Word parts
 Prefixes are word parts added at the beginning of
words, and they dramatically alter a word’s meaning,
including changing a word to its opposite meaning:
correct-incorrect; regard-disregard.
 Suffixes are word parts added at the end of words. A
suffix can change a word’s part of speech: jump (verb) -
jumper (noun); poison (noun)-poisonous (adjective).
 Roots are the base part of words. They convey the bulk
of a word’s meaning.
(Smith, 2012: p.1)

21.  genre /ˈʒɑ͂ː.rə/ , /ˈʒɒn-/ noun
 a style, especially in the arts, that involves a particular
set of characteristics
 E.g. What genre does the book fall into - comedy or
tragedy? a literary/musical/film genre