2017م - 1444هـ
Presenting vocabulary

Richard Frost, British Council

This article looks at what needs to be taught when teaching vocabulary and ways to present and teach vocabulary.

•Introduction

•What a student may need to know about an item

•Ways to present vocabulary

•Alternative ways of teaching vocabulary

•Other things to consider



Introduction

With hundreds of thousands of words in the English language, teaching vocabulary can seem like a very daunting prospect. Remember though that the average native speaker uses around only five thousand words in everyday speech. Moreover, your students won't need to produce every word they learn, some they will just need to recognize. Selecting what to teach, based on frequency and usefulness to the needs of your particular students is therefore essential. Once you have chosen what to teach, the next important steps are to consider what students need to know about the items, and how you can teach them.