Module 2.3.

Lexis
Module Objectives
At the end of this module you will:

 have more understanding of the difficulties EFL students face in their choice of
vocabulary
 understand the importance of teaching appropriate language
 have a basic understanding of the formation of words and their relationships
 have begun to think more deeply about the language you are going to teach

Introduction
Lexis refers to the vocabulary or words that are a vitally important part of learning a
language. A student acquires vocabulary in two ways: the first is by discovery, through
interaction/conversation or reading materials which the student has chosen for himself /
herself; the second is by having words presented to him/her in the classroom in a more
formal manner. The teacher has various ways of achieving this: (s)he can point to
objects in the classroom, draw pictures, mime an action or make a gesture etc.

Selection
The vocabulary you introduce may to a large extent depend on the coursebook your
school uses, but you are free to introduce other areas of vocabulary when you feel that
it is relevant to your teaching. However it is essential that your students do not "drown"
in too much new vocabulary as, if this is the case, they will retain little of it. Long lists of
vocabulary without the structure, relevant context, form and idiom will not bring about
language competence.
Not only is it important not to introduce too much, and particularly not in unrelated lists,
but the selection of the vocabulary is of great importance.

Formation
Students need to know the facts about the formation of words and how different forms fit
different grammatical contexts - for example take the verb 'smile'. 'Smile' can also be a
noun, and the present participle 'smiling' can also be used as an adjective:
 The children never smile at the teacher.
The teacher looked angry then he gave me a smile.
Happy children are always smiling.
The smiling face of the Mona Lisa looks down on the crowd.

Word Stems
Students need to know the relationship between words with the same stem:
for example
speech – speak – spoken – unspoken – speaker – speechless

Parts of Speech
More advanced students may also find it useful to know how the components of lexical
items are put together. The component parts of
multi-word items may themselves be different parts of speech, perhaps a combination of
two nouns making a single compound noun
eg - lampshade

a noun and a gerund making one item of two words

eg - skating rink

two hyphenated words making one item

eg - play-off

Students also need to know common prefixes:

a- auto- dis- pre-
ab- co- ex- re-
ante- con- mis- sub-
an- non- per- un-
and suffixes:
-able -ism -er -ist
-or -ise -ic -ness
-ify -tion

. . . . and how they work

eg making words opposite in meaning:
mis + understand = misunderstand
un + happy = unhappy

eg forming a noun from an adjective

happy - y + i + ness = happiness

Students also need to know how the words are spelt and how they sound. Of particular
importance is the way these words are stressed as this can alter the meaning and make
them incomprehensible
eg potent + im = impotent, put the stress on the wrong syllable and it will sound like -
important.

Synonyms and Antonyms

Students also need to know how the meaning of one lexical item relates to another.

Items which mean the same or almost the same are synonyms.
eg - sizeable and large are synonyms of big

Items which mean the opposite are antonyms.

eg - sad is an antonym of happy
Please note that when a student is translating from his/her mother tongue that he/she
will choose one word but that there may be many synonyms. Two words cannot be
exactly the same in meaning, otherwise there would be only one word.

Appropriate Language
Here, of course, style and register also play a very important part in helping us to decide
which word to choose.
eg synonyms of 'angry' may be elicited as 'cross', which is acceptable in most
situations, or 'pissed off' which often isn't. It is important to ensure that students are
taught, and know how to choose, appropriate language for particular situations. Lack of
awareness in students can cause offence and confusion and can lead to students not
being taken seriously.

A non-native speaker of English may impress an everyday speaker with his/her skill in
manipulating language as in his / her appropriate use of tenses or correct word order
and all things grammatical, but may not know a vitally important word which will satisfy
his/her needs at the time.
eg "I would like some lighter fuel" . Say "lighter fuel" only and you would get what you
want. "I would like" and "please" are simply politenesses and could be excluded.

When teaching lexis the teacher has to make a judgement on which words could be left
until a later stage of learning or for the student to discover for him/herself.
eg 'table' must be taught early on in the student's language learning because of the
frequency of its use: dining table, dressing table, bedside table, scientific table,
frequency table etc.

Collocation
When teaching lexis, students need to be aware of the fact that certain words go
together, ie collocation. Collocations are clusters of two or three words that occur
regularly together in English.
eg It is correct to say, ’wide awake’, but you can not say ‘wide asleep’ (you would say,
’fast asleep’). When teaching lexis, it is important to tell students which words the items
of lexis you are teaching collocate with.
 Look at some of the common types of collocations below, and try to think of some more
examples for each type:
Noun + Noun: pay rise / money box
Verb + Noun: take a break / throw a party
Verb + Adjective + Noun: turn over a new leaf / lead a healthy lifestyle
Adjective + preposition: upset about / embarrassed about / guilty of
Adjective + Noun: square meal / healthy interest
Adverb + Verb: strongly recommend / cautiously suggest
Adverb + Adjective: completely exhausted / utterly amazed
Adverb + Adjective + Noun: totally unacceptable behaviour

An understanding of collocation is important for all learners and is particularly important

for advanced learners.

Teaching Vocabulary
It is important not to overestimate or underestimate your students. Don’t assume that
students know the vocabulary, but on the other hand don’t assume that they don’t know
the language. When you plan a lesson, always fully familiarize yourself with the
materials you will be presenting and prepare how you are going to deal with any new
items of vocabulary.
Do not teach words in isolation, and always check comprehension.
With hundreds of thousands of words in the English language, teaching lexis can seem
to be a very daunting prospect. However, remember that the average native speaker
only uses around five thousand words in everyday speech. Also, remember that your
students will not need to produce every word they learn; some they will just need to
recognize. Selecting what to teach is therefore essential.

You need to ensure that you give your students the information they need in order to
use the words you are teaching:

 Meaning - including limits (eg ripe: can this word also be used in reference to a
person?) It is vital to get across the meaning clearly and to check comprehension by
asking questions.
 Pronunciation - how to say it (eg bough and trough) This can be a problematic area
because there is often no clear relationship between spelling and pronunciation. The
 phonemic chart can be useful here. Also problematic pronunciations can be drilled, and
word stress can be highlighted.
 Form - how to use it. Students need to know if it is a verb, noun, adjective etc in order
to be able to use it effectively.
 Spelling - how to write it. Pronunciation should be clarified before the written form is
introduced.
 Collocation - what does it go with? (eg young, free and single) You can describe things
in ‘great’ detail, not ‘big’ detail, and to ask a question you ‘raise’ your hand, not ‘lift’ your
hand. Students need to know this in order to avoid mistakes in usage later.
 Register - is it formal/informal/neutral? (eg Hang on!)
 Connotation - does it sound positive/negative/neutral? eg ‘bachelor’ is a neutral /
positive word, whereas ‘spinster’ has negative connotations.
 How the word is related to others eg synonyms, antonyms.

Which of the above you choose to highlight will depend on the item you are teaching
and the level of your students.

Other Things to Consider

 Review the words you teach through games & activities, and encourage students to do
the same at home
 Encourage autonomy in your students by encouraging them to read, watch films, and
listen to songs and to note the useful words. Encourage students to purchase a good
dictionary, and ensure that they know how to use it.
 Have a section on the board to note down new items of vocabulary as they arise. You
could try using colour to highlight stress.
 Teach students the grammatical names of the parts of speech, and how to use the
phonemic script.
 Always keep a good dictionary in class.
 It is a good idea to teach words with associated meanings together.

Acquiring and retaining new vocabulary is not easy for students, and unless they have
the opportunity to use and review the new vocabulary, it will quickly be forgotten.
Therefore, it is important to continually recycle learned vocabulary in the classroom.
One useful tip is to keep a Word Bank for each group: the students or teacher choose
important vocabulary from each unit throughout the duration of the course. These
should be written on separate cards and placed in a depot (a box or large envelope).
These can then be used for a variety of activities for time-fill exercises and warm-ups
etc.
Here are a few ideas for vocabulary activities:
STORY TELLING: In small groups students write their names three times on separate
pieces of paper. These are shuffled and placed face down on the desk. The teacher
writes the beginning of a story on the board, and each student is given five words from
the word bank. A name card is drawn from the desk and that student must continue the
story using one of their words. The process continues until all the words have been
used.
PICK A WORD: Each student picks a word from the Word Bank; they must then
formulate a sentence using the word, and write it on the board. Once all the sentences
have been written on the board, ask the students to find any errors, and elicit
corrections.
SYNONYMS & ANTONYMS: Choose five to ten words from the Word Bank. In pairs or
small groups ask the students to think of as many synonyms and antonyms for those
words as they can within a time limit.
SLAM: Spread twenty cards from the Word Bank on a desk. The teacher calls out a
definition and the first student to touch the correct card wins the card. Repeat until all
the cards are taken. The winner is the student with the most cards.
TOPICAL CONVERSATIONS: Make small groups and give each student three words
from the Word Bank. Write a topic on the board. Set a time limit, eg three minutes. The
students then try to lose all their cards by using their words naturally in a conversation.
BOARD BINGO: Play bingo using the Word Bank. Write up some words from the Word
Bank on the board. Each student chooses nine and writes them on a bingo style grid.
The teacher calls out the definitions and the students cross off the appropriate words.
MATCHING DEFINITIONS: The students must match the Word Bank words with the
correct definitions (written on separate cards). You can divide the class into groups to
work together, or you can give each person words or definitions and have the students
walk around the room to find partners.
WHAT’S THE WORD: Each student chooses three or four words from the day’s lesson
and makes a Word Bank card. On pieces of paper they should write a sentence
incorporating the words. In small groups the students take it in turns to read out their
sentences, omitting the target words (they should whistle or say a set word in its place).
The first student to guess the word keeps the card. The winner is the person with the
most cards at the end of the game.
WORD GAME: Give each pair a pile of words from the Word bank. One student takes a
card and gives hints to their partner. Students receive one point for each word correctly
guessed.
Self-check
Self-check
Find at least 2 other different forms from the following nouns. Name the forms and
demonstrate them in sentences.
Please note this task is not about synonyms.

repentance
....................................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................................

grief
....................................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................................