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1、On Teaching English VocabularyAbstract Vocabulary is basic to language learning. It would be impossible to learn a language without learning vocabulary. Vocabulary learning is considered to be a big task in foreign language learning. As foreign language teachers, in order to help students learn Engl
2、ish efficiently, it is necessary to discuss how vocabulary teaching and learning strategies can be improved. Moreover, on teaching English vocabulary, teachers would better divide students into three groups: elementary students, intermediate students, and advanced students. In this paper, approaches
3、 of teaching vocabulary for these three groups will be discussed.Key Words English vocabulary; teaching methods; elementary students; intermediate students; advanced students谈英语词汇教学法摘 要 词汇是语言的基础。学习一门语言，没有词汇是不行的。对外语学习者来讲，词汇是学好外语的关键。对外语教师而言，为了更为有效的帮助学生学习英语，在如何改进词汇的教与学方面上的讨论是极为必要的。并且，在词汇教学中， 教师最好能将学生分为
4、三组：初级学生，中级学生，还有高级学生。本文将对针对这三组学生的词汇教学方法进行讨论。关键词：英语词汇；教学方法；初级学生；中级学生；高级学生1. IntroductionVocabulary is basic to language learning. It would be impossible to learn a language without learning vocabulary. English words are the most important elements in linguistic study, just like bricks in building a ho
5、use. “If you have no bricks, how can you set up a house? For example, when a Chinese goes to England for the first time, if he knows words as “bus”, “food”, “money”, he can convey messages. However, even with a good knowledge of the grammar of the language, but no knowledge of the vocabulary, he or
6、she would not be able to do this.”1p30 As a result, vocabulary teaching turns to be one of the most important parts of teaching to foreign language teachers. If an English teacher is able to teach vocabulary in an interesting and efficient manner by using various methods, his students will receive b
7、enefit from him. Various efficient ways will help students remember new words and phrases more quickly and much easier, and therefore, students can save a lot of time which they can spend learning more. On the other hand, different and useful methods can arouse the students interests in learning and
8、 help them grasp the text better.But how can we teach English vocabulary efficiently? This is a question faced by all English teachers. However, for many years, books that prepared for language teachers gave little attention to techniques for helping students learn vocabulary. Some books appeared to
9、 be telling teachers that students could learn all the words they needed without help. In fact, teachers were sometimes told that they ought not to teach too many words before their students had mastered the grammar and the sound system of the language. In many articles for teachers, vocabulary was
10、seldom mentioned. Pronunciation and grammar were emphasized, but there was little or no emphasis on vocabulary. In short, vocabulary has been neglected in the process of English teaching. Until in recent years, a few books on methods for teaching English are appearing. And many methods are suitable
11、and useful for students who learn English. This paper is intended to introduce and illustrate some ways and means for teaching English vocabulary.2. Teaching vocabulary in elementary classesVocabulary teaching is one of the most important parts of English teaching, especially during the elementary p
12、rocessperiods of middle school. Vocabulary may directly influence the quality of English teaching and students interests of English learning. Therefore, on vocabulary teaching, it is necessary for teachers to adopt some kinds of appropriate teaching approaches to help students learn English words ac
13、tively.2p432.1 Possibly effective methods2.1.1 Object teachingThis method is generally applied to the explanation of those words that define objects, explain actions and express feelings or emotions. (1) For example, when teaching such words as “classroom”, “boy”, “girl”, “book”, “pencil”, “window”,
14、 “door”, the result will be much better if the teachers explain these words by showing the students pictures, models and objects. One reason is that the meanings of these words can easily be made clear. Windows, walls, desks and doors are things that the students can see while they are hearing the E
15、nglish words for them. Furthermore, things in the classroom can also be touched. This is important, because success in learning often depends on the number of senses which are used in the learning process.3p7 When students can touch something in addition to hearing and seeing the word that names it,
16、 it may be easier for them to learn the words. Even if there are practical reasons why each learner cannot touch the object, just seeing it while hearing its name is helpful. At least those two senses (sight and hearing) are working together to gain the learners attention. Through this method, even
17、those words or expressions that can hardly be explained clearly can be made easily understandable to the students.2.1.2Teaching vocabulary by way of comparisonThis method is likewise frequently employed in teaching words and phrases. As we known, English is rich in vocabulary and well-known for its
18、synonyms and antonyms. So, by comparison, since students have learned the word “good”, it may easy for them to learn its synonym “perfect” and its antonym “bad”. Thus, students may know more words than they did before.e.g. (2) Comparison of synonyms: “couch/sofa, boy/lad, lawyer/attorney, toilet/lav
19、atory, large/big”,4p115 buy/purchase, world/universe, hide/conceal, etc . Comparison of antonyms: long-short, young-old, big-small, high-low, far-near, alive/dead, present/absent, awake/asleep, hot/cold, fast/slow, happy/sad, etc.5p73 But comparison of words should not be considered alone but be pla
20、ced in sentences. In different context, the meaning of “nice” may be “pleasant” “kind” “fine” and so many different words.e.g. (3) She is so nice that whenever I was in trouble, she would help me. (“nice” means “kind” here.) (4) What a nice day today! Birds are singing outside. (“nice” means “fine”
21、here.) Therefore, when teaching synonyms or antonyms, teachers would better place the new words in sentences. It is proved by practice that students can be more efficient in learning English and more exact in speaking and writing if the method of comparison is properly employed.2.1.3Teaching vocabul
22、ary by explanationMany English words can be taught by means of explanation.e.g.(5) author-an author is a man who writes a book for reading. “barbariansomeone from a different tribe or land, who people believe to be wild and not civilized”6p31 Sometimes the teachers can evoke the students thought by
23、pointing out all kinds of connection among different things. Thus, the students may understand the new words meaning. e.g. (6) “It is warm in spring. It is hot in summer. It is cool in autumn. It is cold in winter”. 7 p44Considering connections among these four seasons, the students will easily get
24、to know the meaning of new words “warm” “hot” “cool” “cold.2.1.4Teaching vocabulary by combining words pronunciation，form and meaning Pronunciation is helpful to English vocabulary learning. When teaching words, the teachers should pay much more attention to lead students to discover the regularity
25、of pronunciation of vowel and consonant, make clear the relation between phonemes and units of letters, so as to know the words right form of spelling. Therefore, the students can combine the new words pronunciation, form and meaning efficiently.e.g.(7) same pronunciation but different meaning: mi:t
26、-meet, meat; greit-grate, great, wi:k-week, weak, etc. similar pronunciation: prais-prise, praiz-prize, risent-recent, rizent-resent 8 p64 In addition, there are some words that do not conform to regularity of reading pronunciation, they should be treated specially. 2.1.5Teaching vocabulary by creat
27、ing communication situationsIn the process of vocabulary teaching, it is wise for teachers to create a communication situation in the classroom. There are many ways, of course. Such as, showing pictures and objects, having dialogues, broadcasting music, and making programs, etc. Suppose we have used
28、 a picture that shows head with its various parts: hair, eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. Those parts have been named in English; the students have printed the names in their notebooks with their copies of the picture. Now the stage is set for an experience in which students use those English words to c
29、ommunicate. The activity may go like this:(8) “First the teacher introduces the topic of life on other planets, using a few pictures and (if necessary) a few sentences in the students language. The students are then told that they are going to read about a visitor from another planet. Their job is t
30、o draw a picture of the visitor, according to the sentences which they are going to read. For example, if they read that the imaginary visitor has two heads, they must draw two heads. No one should look at a classmates drawing. They will have five minutes for reading the description and drawing the
31、picture. (If students cannot read English, the description should be read for them by the teacher.)”9p27 Each student takes a pencil and a blank sheet of paper on which to make his drawing. The description of the visitor (which the teacher had previously printed on a large sheet) is taped to the wal
32、l, and the students begin the task.The sentences that describe the visitor may be these:(9) I have a friend from Mars. My friend has a big head. He has three eyes. He does not have hair. In place of hair, he has five ears. His five ears are on top of head. His neck is very long. His mouth and his tw
33、o noses are in his long neck. Please draw a picture of this visitor from Mars.During the time allowed for this activity, the teacher walks around the room, observing the work of the students. One student is asked to copy his drawing on the blackboard, while the teacher reads the description aloud. T
34、he drawing is discussed. Does it fit the description? Then the teachers own drawing (made before class, on a large sheet) is displayed. There is a discussion (in English) of differences between the students drawings and the teachers model. For homework, each student may make a different drawing, whi
35、ch represents an imagined visitor from another planethis own idea of such a visitor. He is then to write a description of his visitor (in English) and bring it to class with his drawing. After the descriptions have been corrected by the teacher, each student tries to make a drawing which fits a clas
36、smates description. His classmate judges the accuracy of the drawing compared with the sentences that describe the visitor.2.1.6Teaching vocabulary by supplying the main collocationsThe words collocations are usually neglected in vocabulary expansion. Students always hold an view that as long as the
37、y know a words Chinese meaning, they may know the words usage. However, without knowing the syntactic relation between words, students are less likely to produce acceptable utterances. So, it is very important to perform collocation practices. When the meaning of a given word has been explained, its
38、 common or main collocations should usually be given.e.g. (10) join an organization/the party/the Trade Union/a club; go in for sports (swimming, singing, reading);“open the door, open fire, open a box;war against, war with, war between”;10p68This method is most often employed. Its purpose is to rai
39、se the students ability to use words correctly.3. Teaching vocabulary in intermediate classesWhat is an intermediate class? It is not so easy to define, because there is much in common between elementary classes and intermediate classes. At the intermediate level, teachers teach many of the same kin
40、ds of words that elementary students need. Like lessons for beginners, the Intermediate vocabulary lessons include many words for things and persons in the learners daily lives. In China, usually, we consider students in high school as intermediate students.Compared with beginners, however, intermed
41、iate students have one great advantage. They have learned a large number of English words which can now be used by the teacher for defining new vocabulary. Defining English words by means of other English words requires real skill. It is a skill that is particularly needed by teachers of intermediat
42、e classes, for two reasons. One reason is this: As a general rule, intermediate students should hear only English from their teacher. Even in programs where the learners native language is sometimes used in teaching beginners, the classes for intermediate students should be conducted entirely in Eng
43、lish. And they can be, if the teacher has learned to make explanations that use vocabulary already known to the class.There is another reason why teachers of intermediate classes need skill in composing simple English explanations. Unlike most of the basic vocabulary that is taught in elementary les
44、sons, much of the intermediate vocabulary cannot be demonstrated through actions or shown through pictures. However, teachers can usually show the meaning of intermediate-level words by putting them into English explanations where the other words in the sentences are already known.3.1 Possibly effec
45、tive methods3.1.1 Using simple English or words learned before to show meanings of new wordsUsing simple English or words learned before to show meanings of words, teachers can not only help students easily grasp new words but simultaneously review old words. It is a good approach for vocabulary exp
46、ansion. (11) For example, lets take the word “parent”. The meaning of “parent” can be made clear to students who already know the words “person”, “mother”, and “father”. We can put “parent” into a defining sentence like this, “A parent is a persons mother or father.” In this example, when learning t
47、he new word “parent”, students are also reviewing old words “mother” and “father”.Sometimes, teachers or students can use short phrase to show the new words meanings. e.g.(12) differentnot same, reacharrive in/get to, envoydiplomatic agent/messenger, synthetic(literally, “put together”) artificially
48、 made/man-made,11p1033.1.2Teaching vocabulary by category Like the elementary student, the intermediate student needs to learn words for common areas of living: words related to food, clothing, shelter, and so on. In classes for beginners, however, only a few words from each of these categories are taught. There is no attempt to teach all the English words for furniture (for instance)or even all the most important words in the category of furniture. In intermediate classes, on the other hand, there is a more systematic attempt to include the most commonly used words in various categories: ca