Vocabulary 7th grade list: Academic vocabulary words for 7th graders
English Vocab 7th grade – Vocabulary List
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preconceivedformed beforehand
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foreshadowindicate by signs
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simulatereproduce someone’s behavior or looks
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elicitcall forth, as an emotion, feeling, or response
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diminishdecrease in size, extent, or range
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implementa piece of equipment or a tool used for a specific purpose
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pulverizemake into a powder by breaking up or cause to become dust
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seethefoam as if boiling
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imbecilea person of subnormal intelligence
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denouementthe outcome of a complex sequence of events
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verdictfindings of a jury on issues submitted to it for decision
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agonyintense feelings of suffering; acute mental or physical pain
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rigorexcessive sternness
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prodigyan unusually gifted or intelligent person
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menacesomething that is a source of danger
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comeuppancea usually negative outcome or fate that is well deserved
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epiphanyan inspiration or divine manifestation
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conciseexpressing much in few words
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decadentrelating to indulgence in something pleasurable
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ludicrousinviting ridicule
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imperceptibleimpossible or difficult to sense
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expositoryserving to expound or set forth
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controversialmarked by or capable of causing disagreement
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eventuallyafter an unspecified period of time or a long delay
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elusiveskillful at evading capture
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myriada large indefinite number
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merelyand nothing more
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amissin an improper or mistaken manner
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eternallyfor a limitless time
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asunderinto parts or pieces
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implicitlywithout ever expressing so clearly
contemplate
think intently and at length, as for spiritual purposes
hoodlum
an aggressive and violent criminal
introvert
a person who tends to shrink from social contacts
adolescent
a person who is older than 12 but younger than 20
omnipotent
having unlimited power
amorally
without regard for the distinction between right and wrong
equidistant
exactly as far from one point as from another
Created on December 4, 2013
(updated December 5, 2013)
Mahoney, Stacy / Vocabulary 7th Grade
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Vocabulary List 1
- evict – expel from one’s property or force to move out
- trek – any long and difficult trip
- infuriate – make extremely angry
- irrelevant – having no bearing on or connection with the subject at issue
- epidemic – a widespread outbreak of an infectious disease
- sham – something that is a counterfeit; not what it seems to be
- impartial – showing lack of favoritism
- abate – become less in amount or intensity
- industrious – characterized by hard work and perseverance
- devastate – overwhelm or overpower
- precise – sharply exact or accurate or delimited acknowledge
- acknowledge – declare to be true or admit the existence or reality of
- estimate – judge tentatively
- agent – a representative who acts on behalf of others
- authority – the power or right to give orders or make decisions
Vocabulary List 2
- astute – marked by practical hardheaded intelligence
- authentic – not counterfeit or copied
- delicacy – the quality of being exquisitely fine in appearance
- derogatory – expressive of low opinion
- devour – eat immoderately
- figment – a contrived or fantastic idea
- mythical – based on or told of in traditional stories
- plumage – the covering of feathers on a bird
- predatory – living by preying on other animals
- prior – earlier in time
- scavenge – clean refuse from
- slaughter – the killing of animals, as for food
- solitude – a state of social isolation
- ungainly – lacking grace in movement or posture
- vulnerable – capable of being wounded or hurt
Vocabulary List 3
- admonish- scold or reprimand; take to task
- aghast – struck with fear, dread, or consternation
- annihilate – kill in large numbers
- benefactor – a person who helps people or institutions
- bestow – give as a gift
- devious – turning away from a straight course
- devoid – completely wanting or lacking
- heed – careful attention
- mortal – subject to death
- muse – reflect deeply on a subject
- pioneer – one the first colonists or settlers in a new territory
- plague
any large-scale calamity - subside – wear off or die down
- unwitting – not aware or knowing
- wrath – intense anger
Vocabulary List 4
- acquire – come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
- antagonize – provoke the hostility of
- competent – properly or sufficiently qualified, capable, or efficient
- comprise – be made of
- correspond – take the place of or be parallel or equivalent to
- dilapidated – in a state of decay, ruin, or deterioration
- illustrious – widely known and esteemed
- incident – a single distinct event
- inherit – receive from a predecessor
- latitude – an imaginary line around the Earth parallel to the equator
- loath – strongly opposed
- maintain – keep in a certain state, position, or activity
- renovate – estore to a previous or better condition
- reprimand – an act or expression of criticism and censure
- supervise – watch and direct
Vocabulary List 5
Vocabulary Packet List 5
- adequate – having the requisite qualities or resources to meet a task
- administer – supervise or be in charge of
- agitate – move or cause to move back and forth
- capitulate – surrender under agreed conditions
- hovel – small crude shelter used as a dwelling
- illiterate – not able to read or write
- disrupt – make a break in
- citrus – a tropical tree cultivated for its juicy edible fruits
- menial – relating to unskilled work, especially domestic work
- permanent – continuing or enduring without marked change in status
- respite – a pause from doing something
- strenuous – taxing to the utmost; testing powers of endurance
- toil – work hard
- urgent – compelling immediate action
Vocabulary List 6
- addict – to cause to become dependent’
- aspire – have an ambitious plan or a lofty goal
- bias – a partiality preventing objective consideration of an issue
- blatant – without any attempt at concealment; completely obvious
- candid – openly straightforward and direct without secretiveness
- confront – oppose, as in hostility or a competition
- debut – the act of beginning something new
- enroll – register formally as a participant or member
- fluster – cause to be nervous or upset
- impunity – exemption from punishment or loss
- intensify – increase in extent or strength
- intimidate – compel or deter by or as if by threats
- obnoxious – causing disapproval or protest
- retort – a quick reply to a question or remark
- stint – supply sparingly and with restricted quantities
Vocabulary List 7
- beseech – to ask earnestly; to beg
- consternation – amazement or fear that makes one feel confused
- delectable – pleasing to the senses, especially to the sense of taste; delicious
- garland – a wreath or chain of leaves and flowers
- gratify – to please or satisfy
- haughty – showing too much pride in oneself and scorn or contempt for others
- impetuous – inclined to act without thinking; hasty
- lavish – much more than enough
- pluck – ]to pull off or out; to pick
- ponder – to think about; to consider carefully
- privilege – a special favor, right, or advantage given to a person or group
- prostrate – lying face down, especially to show respect
- rapture – a state of great joy, or love
- revelry – noisy merrymaking
- whim – a sudden wish to do something without a particular reason; a fanciful idea
Vocabulary List 8
Vocabulary List 9
Vocabulary List 10
Vocabulary List 11
Vocabulary List 12
Vocabulary List 13
Vocabulary List 14
Vocabulary List 15
Vocabulary List 16
Vocabulary List 17
Vocabulary List 18
Vocabulary List 19
Vocabulary List 20
Mr.
Kersey.org – 7th Grade Geography Terms List with Definitions
By the end of the school year you will be expected to know all the terms on this list. We will begin with the first few words or so and with each new topic we will add more terms. There will be a vocabulary quiz approximately every week. Any new words, in addition to all previous words on the list, are fair game for these quizzes. These are not all the key terms and people you will be required to learn this year, but these are the ones that will appear on our vocabulary quizzes throughout the year.
Note: Terms marked with an asterisk (*) are not found in the 7th grade textbook’s glossary. (The definitions are for all other terms are taken from Eastern Hemisphere: Geography, History, Culture by H.H. Jacobs, B. Randolph, and M. L. LeVasseur. Copyright 2001 Prentice-Hall, Inc. Pages 754-764.)
- geography – The study of the Earth’s surface, the connections between places, and the relationships between people and their environment.
- latitude lines– A series of imaginary lines, also called parallels, that circle the Earth parallel to the Equator; used to measure a distance north or south of the Equator in degrees.
- parallel – A line of latitude
- degrees* – A unit of measure used to determine absolute location; on globes and maps, lines of latitude and longitude are measured in degrees.
- minute* – 1/60 of a degree.
- Equator – An imaginary line that circles the globe at its widest point, dividing the Earth into two halves called hemispheres; used as a reference point from which north and south latitudes are measured.
- longitude lines – A series of imaginary lines, also called meridians, that run north and south, from one pole to the other; used to measure the distance east or west of the Prime Meridian in degrees.
- meridian – A line of longitude.
- Prime Meridian – The line of longitude that runs from the North Pole to the South Pole through Greenwich, England; it is designated 0 longitude and is the reference point from which lines of east and west longitude are measured.
- absolute location – The exact position of a place on Earth.
- relative location – The location of a place as described by the places near it.
- place* – A location’s physical and human features.
- physical feature (characteristic) – The natural features of Earth, such as land formations or vegetation zones.
- human characteristic (feature) – Characteristics of a place that are related to people; these might include buildings or parks.
- human-environment interaction – How people affect their environment and how the environment affects them.
- movement* – Theme of geography that explains how people, goods, and ideas get from one place to another.
- region – An area with a unifying characteristic such as climate, land, population, or history.
- plain – A large area of flat or gently rolling land usually without many trees.
- scale – The size of an area on a map as compared with the area’s actual size.
- distortion – A misrepresentation of the true shape; every map projection produces some distortion.
- compass rose – A map feature that usually shows the four cardinal directions.
- cardinal directions – The four main compass points: north, south, east, and west.
- intermediate directions* – The points of the compass that fall between north and east, north and west, south and east, and south and west (e.g., NE, NW, SE, and SW).
- key (legend) – The section of a map that explains the symbols for the map features.
- orbit – The path followed by an object in space as it moves around another, such as that of Earth as it moves around the sun.
- revolution – One complete orbit of the Earth around the sun; Earth completes one revolution every 365 days.
- axis – An imaginary line around which a planet turns.
- rotation – The spinning motion of the Earth, like a top on its axis; the Earth takes about 24 hours to rotate one time.
- earth-sun relationship* – The position of the Earth relative to the sun that helps to determine day and night, seasons, and time zones.
- low latitudes (tropics) – The region between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.
- high latitudes (polar zones) – The regions between the Arctic Circle and the North Pole and the Antarctic Circle and the South Pole.
- middle latitudes (temperate zones) – The regions between the Tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle and the Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle.
- plate tectonics – The theory that the Earth’s crust is made of huge, slowly moving slabs of rock called plates.
- weathering – The breaking down of rocks by wind, rain, or ice.
- erosion – A process by which water, wind, or ice wears away landforms and carries the material to another place.
- atmosphere – The multilayered band of gases that surrounds the Earth.
- weather – The condition of the bottom layer of the Earth’s atmosphere in one place over a short period of time.
- precipitation – All forms of water, such as rain, sleet, hail, and snow, that fall to the ground from the atmosphere.
- climate – The weather patterns that an area typically experiences over a long period of time.
- tundra – A region where temperatures are always cool or cold and where only certain plants, such as low grasses, can grow.
- vertical climate – The overall weather patterns of a region as influenced by elevation; the higher the elevation, the colder the climate.
- population – The people living in a particular region; especially, the total number of people in an area.
- population distribution – How a population is spread over an area.
- population density – The average number of people in a given area (often a square mile).
- birth rate – The number of live births each year, per 1,000 people.
- death rate – The number of deaths each year per 1,000 people.
- life expectancy – The average number of years a person is expected to live.
- standard of living – The material quality of life, often measured by education, housing, health care, and nutrition.
- migration – The movement of people from one country or region to another in order to make a new home.
- immigrant – A person who moves to a new country in order to settle there.
- push-pull theory – A theory of migration that says people migrate because certain things in their lives “push” them to leave, and certain things in a new place “pull” them.
- push factor* – A social, political, economic, or environmental force that drives people from a location.
- pull factor* – A social, political, economic, or environmental attraction to a new area that draws people from a previous location.
- urbanization – The growth of city populations caused by the movement of people to cities.
- rural area – An area with low population density such as a village or the countryside.
- urban area – An area with high population density, such as a city or town.
- suburban area* – A usually residential area close to a city.
- culture – Language, religious beliefs, values, customs, and other ways of life shared by a group of people.
- cultural traits (practice) – A behavioral characteristic of a group of people, such as a language, skill, or custom, passed from one generation to another.
- cultural product* – A tangible or intangible product of a cultural group.
- agriculture – Farming; includes growing crops and raising livestock.
- social structure – The ways in which people within a culture are organized into smaller groups; each smaller group has its own particular tasks.
- nuclear family – A family that includes parents or children.
- extended family – A family unit that may include parents, children, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and other relatives, often living with or near each other.
- economy – A system for producing, distributing, consuming, and owning goods, services, and wealth.
- producer – A person who makes products that are used by other people.
- consumer – A person who buys goods or services.
- goods – Products that are made; objects that can satisfy people’s wants.
- services – Work done or duties performed for other people; actions capable of satisfying people’s wants.
- want* – A psychological or physical desire that can be fulfilled through the consumption of goods and services.
- capital goods* – Human-made resources needed to produce goods or services such as machinery or tools.
- capitalism – An economic system in which people and privately owned companies own basic and non-basic businesses and industries.
- market economy* – An economic system in which people acting as buyers and sellers make the decisions about production and consumption; capitalism is a market economy.
- socialism – An economic system in which the government owns the basic industries, such as transportation and banking; non-basic industries are privately owned.
- mixed economy* – An economic system that combines the features of more than one economic system; socialism is an example of a mixed economy.
- communism – An economic system and theory of government in which all basic and non-basic industries are owned by a central government for the benefit of all citizens.
- command economy* – An economic system in which all decisions about production and consumption are made by a central government, as in communism.
- government – The system that establishes and enforces the laws and institutions of a society.
- direct democracy – A system of government in which the people participate directly in decision making.
- representative democracy (republic) – A system of government in which people elect representatives to run the affairs of the country.
- monarchy – A system of authoritarian government headed by a monarch – usually a king or queen – who inherits the throne by birth.
- constitutional monarchy – A government in which a king or queen is the head of state but has limited powers, such as the present government of the U.K.
- dictatorship* – A system of government in which the leader or leaders have complete power and cannot be held responsible to the will of the people.
- theocracy* – A system of government headed by one or more religious leaders who claim to rule by divine authority.
- country* – A unit of political space; the entire land area of a nation or state.
- nation* – A group of people bound together by a strong sense of shared values and cultural characteristics, including language, religion, and common history.
- cultural diffusion – The movement of customs and ideas from one culture to another.
- cultural perspective* – The complex set of meanings, attitudes, values, and ideas belonging to a cultural group.
- acculturation – The process of accepting, borrowing, and exchanging ideas and traits among cultures.
- natural resource – Any useful material found in the environment.
- raw material – A resource or material that is still in its natural state, before being processed or manufactured into a useful product.
- recyclable resource (flow resource) – A resource that cycles through natural processes in the environment; water, carbon, and nitrogen are recyclable resources.
- renewable resource – A natural resources that can be regenerated if used carefully, such as timber or fish.
- nonrenewable resource – A resource that cannot be replaced once it is used, like oil, coal, and minerals.
- fossil fuel – Any one of several nonrenewable resources such as coal, oil, or natural gas created from the remains of plants and animals.
- manufacturing – The process of turning raw materials into a finished product.
- human resource* – The talents and skills of a human or humans that contributes to the production of goods and services.
- developed nation – A country with a modern industrial society and a well developed economy.
- developing nation – A country with low industrial production, often lacking modern technology.
- commercial farming – Farming that is done by companies; commercial farms are large and use modern technology; also, the raising of crops and livestock for sale in outside markets.
- subsistence farming – Farming that provides only enough food and animals to meet the needs of a family or village.
- ecosystem – A community of living things and their environment; the elements of an ecosystem interact with one another.
- deforestation – The process of clearing land of forests or trees, usually to make room for farms and homes.
- social class* – A group of people within a society that possess the same socioeconomic status, often determined by occupation, education, income, manners, etc.
- middle class – A group of people that included traders, merchants and others who were economically between the poor and the very rich that emerged during the Renaissance.
- colonialism* – A system where one country extends its control over a foreign territory, especially for economic benefit.
- imperialism – The control by one country of the economic and political life of another country or region.
- nationalism – The feeling of pride in one’s homeland; a group’s identity as members of a nation.
This list was lasted updated on 8/23/06.
7th Grade English & Language Arts
Vocabulary List and Guidelines
Words are to be copied down each Monday and defined by Wednesday.
Be prepared to complete an assessment where you are expected to know how to spell the words and identify their meaning through matching, fill in the blanks or by recognizing examples of the words. Students can practice and study word lists interactively on Quizlet.com and join the class by searching and clicking on MsTHendricks.
Vocabulary List #1 1. Abnormal 6. Citrus |
Vocbulary List #2 1. Bellow 6. Dumbfound |
Vocabulary List #3 1. Argument 6. Informative |
Vocabulary List #4 1. Articulate 6. Explanatory |
Vocabulary List #5 1. Audience 6. Evidence |
Vocabulary List #6 1. Argumentative 6. Flashback |
Vocabulary List #7 1. Acquire 6. Confront |
Vocabulary List #8 1. Anonymous 6. Detach |
Vocabulary List #9 1. Allege 6. Nimble |
Vocabulary List #10 1. Acrid 6. Dismal |
Vocabulary #11 (Two Week list due to Holiday) 1. Affliction 6. Docile Vocabulary #13 1. Implore 6. Rupture Vocabulary #15 1. Abate 6. Homage |
Vocabulary #12 1. Orthodox 6. Sullen Vocabulary #14 1. Inundate 6. Nurture Vocabulary #16 1. Admonish 6. Emblem |
Vocabulary #17 1. Adjacent 6. Firebrand |
Vocabulary #18 1. Agitate 6. Grim |
Vocabulary #19 1. Overwhelm 6. Species |
Vocabulary #20 1. Ajar 6. Homicide |
Vocabulary #21 |
Vocabulary #22 1. Acknowledge 6. Melancholy |
Vocabulary #23 1. Annihilate 6. Mull |
Vocabulary #24 1. Acclaim 6. Persist |
Vocabulary #25 1. Abrupt 6. Predatory |
Vocabulary #26 1. Amok 6. Hapless |
Vocabulary #27
1. Antic 6. Introverted
2. Convene 7. Jubilation
3. Disdainful 8. Mesmerizing
4. Dormant 9. Oratorical
5. Elated 10. Paleontologist
Resources / Vocabulary
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Four Components of Effective Vocabulary Instruction
HANDOUT
Four-Part Vocabulary Model BLOG
1. Provide Rich and Varied Language Experiences
Incidental Vocabulary Instruction Pirates of the Carribean YouTube
2. Teach Individual Words
Choosing Words to Teach
Six Steps to Better Vocabulary Instruction- Marzano
Six Step ProcessGraphic Organizers for L. 5 Examples
Figurative Language Four Corners WORD PDF
Connection Map WORD PDF
Word Relationships Antonym Scale WORD PDF
Connection, Connection WORD PDF
Connection Map WORD PDF
Example, Non-example WORD PDF
Oppostites WORD PDF
Shades of Meaning Wheel- synonyms WORD PDFShades of Meaning Wheel- antonyms WORD PDF
Word Line WORD PDF
Nuances in Word Meaning Antonym Scale WORD PDF
Shades of Meaning Wheel- synonyms WORD PDF
Shades of Meaning Wheel- antonyms WORD PDF
General Graphic Organizers
Keep In Memory (KIM) WORD PDF Word Collector Cover
WORD PDF
Word Collector WORD PDF
Sentence Frames
Using a Noun SLIDES
Using an Adjective SLIDES
Text Talk Summary PDF
First 4000 WordsAcademic Vocabulary (Tier 2) from Unit Texts
Grade Unit
Kindergarten 1 2 3 4 5 6
1st Grade 1 2 3 4 5 6
2nd Grade 1 2 3 4 5 6
3rd Grade 1 2 3 4 5 6
4th Grade 1 2 3 4 5 6
5th Grade 1 2 3 4 5 6
ELA Domain Specific Vocabulary
K-5 ELA Domain Specific Word List EXCEL
Grade Word List PPTs with descriptions & examples
Kindergarten K A-F G-R S-Z
1st Grade 1st A-F G-R S-Z
2nd Grade 2nd A-F G-R S-Z
3rd Grade 3rd A-F G-O P-Z
4th Grade 4th A-F G-P Q-Z
5th Grade 5th A-F G-P Q-Z
Follow-up Activities
Example, Nonexample
Word Associations
Generating Situations, Contexts and Examples
Word Relationships
Writing
Puzzles
Notebook Application Examples
Choose One and Draw (kindergarten example)
5 minute Vocabulary Lesson YouTube
3. Teach Word- Learning Strategies
Clarifying the Meaning of Unknown and Multiple Meaning Words
(L.4)
Context Clues Teach Context Clues -Word Detective Flocabulary
Vocabulary Tracker WORD PDF
Meaningful Word Parts Little Bee “Small Words” YouTube
Reference Materials
Multiple Meaning Word Lists in Developmental Order WORD
4. Foster Word Consciousness
Free Homeschool Spelling and Vocabulary Curriculum
Spelling Curriculum
AAAspell.com (1st to 8th)
Each grade level has 30 weeks’ worth of spelling lists based on McGuffey’s Eclectic Spelling Book. The website offers ten different online practice activities for each week’s spelling words.
Barefoot Ragamuffin Curriculum (1st to 4th)
This spelling journal eBook provides practice for spelling rules and phonographs. It is intended for use alongside another spelling program or prepared dictation. Seventy-five phonogram flash cards are also included in the download.
Bible Based Spelling (1st to 3rd) C
These downloadable spelling lessons use words taken from the first 35 Bible lessons at Garden of Praise, Stories from the Old and New Testaments.
The Child’s Own Spelling Book (2nd to 8th)
This book contains spelling lists for each grade, as well as teaching suggestions.
Cozy Spelling (7th)
The Cozy Spelling Course is a 36-week text and audio based curriculum that teaches the spelling of 600 7th grade level words. Pretests, exercises, dictation sentences, spelling rules, final tests, and answer keys are included.
The Homeschool Daily (1st to 5th)
This website provides printable spelling worksheets to use with K12 Reader’s spelling lists.
K12 Reader (1st to 5th & 8th to 12th)
K12 Reader’s spelling courses for 1st to 5th grade consist of downloadable spelling lists, practice worksheets, and dictation sentences. The spelling words correlate to K12 Reader’s weekly reading comprehension worksheets for these grades. Additionally, they offer a downloadable one-year high school spelling course which can be taken at any point during high school or in 8th grade for some students.
McGraw Hill (1st to 12th)
This website provides PDF downloads of Treasures Spelling workbooks for 1st through 6th grade and Spelling Power workbooks for 7th through 12th grade. These resources are listed in a long list of other links. Scroll down to the “Completely FREE PDF Work Books” heading and click “Spelling Book” under your child’s grade level.
McGuffey’s Eclectic Spelling Book (2nd to 6th) C
This classic textbook provides 248 lessons on spelling, pronunciation, abbreviations, usage, vocabulary, and more. The lessons begin with letter sounds and then build in difficultly.
The Phonics Page (2nd to 12th) C
This website’s series of video-based spelling lessons help students (4th grade and up) improve their spelling by teaching phonetic spelling and syllable division rules. Children reading below the 4th grade level who need spelling help should use phonics lessons.
Spelling City (K to 8th)
This website allows students to practice spelling words with interactive games. You can use premade word lists or import your own.
Spelling for Writing (1st to 5th)
These downloadable workbooks teach both spelling and writing skills. Each workbook has a corresponding parent’s guide. Scroll to the bottom of the linked page to download the books.
Spelling Training (1st to 5th)
This website offers online spelling practice, spelling games, and tests. Parents can import their own words or use premade grade level or themed lists.
Spelling Words Well (K to 12th)
SWW provides spelling lists, worksheets, activities, and games. The website also has spelling bee word lists and resources.
Tree Valley Academy (1st to 6th)
This website provides themed spelling lists that incorporate the Fry and Dolch sight words. There are 36 spelling lists per grade. Some of the lists also have corresponding printable worksheets.
Vocabulary Curriculum
Hand2Mind (K to 5th)
Hand2Mind offers worksheets that teach vocabulary skills.
K5 Learning (1st to 5th)
K5 Learning’s collection of vocabulary worksheets helps students improve vocabulary, word recognition, and usage.
K12 Reader (K to 12th)
This website’s large selection of printable vocabulary worksheets covers dictionary skills, Fry sight words, Dolch sight words, phonetics, homographs, homophones, prefixes, root words, shades of meaning, suffixes, synonyms, antonyms and more.
The Measured Mom (2nd to 6th)
This downloadable vocabulary journal is used to help children learn and understand new words they encounter in books they read. The author recommends completing three to five entries per week.
VocabTest.com (6th to 12th)
VocabTest.com teaches vocabulary through the use of online quizzes, games, and other activities. Printable quizzes and flashcards are also available.
Vocabulary Power (7th to 12th)
This website provides PDF downloads of Vocabulary Power workbooks. The workbooks are listed in a long list of other links. Scroll down to the “Completely FREE PDF Work Books” heading and click “Vocabulary Workbook” under your child’s grade level.
Vocabulary.com (5th to 12th)
Vocabulary.com is an interactive online platform for developing and practicing vocabulary. Parents may enter a list of words for their children to work on or choose a list that’s been created by other users. Parents can also paste a passage of text into the website, and it will choose a list of suggested words to use based on the text.
More Language Arts Curriculum
If you are looking for additional resources to complete your language arts program, visit this page. There are free curriculum options for grammar, reading, composition, handwriting, and poetry.
vocabulary: articles on the topic “vocabulary”
20.09.2021
Tips and secrets
Vocabulary is an essential component of any English language training program. Starting a course, many students ask themselves the question: how many words are enough to learn in order to speak like a native speaker and easily perceive English speech by ear? Even perfect knowledge of grammar rules without sufficient knowledge of vocabulary will not help to maintain a conversation and correctly express thoughts. There are a huge number of phrases in the English language, so it is important to highlight among them those that are most often used in everyday life.
Read more
Author: Jane
Topic: learn words, tips, vocabulary
28.10.2015
Tips and secrets
What is more important the ability to correctly build sentences (grammar) or vocabulary (vocabulary)? This question causes a lot of controversy among language learners, especially among those who are just starting to learn it.
Some argue that the most important thing is to have a large vocabulary. After all, knowing the words and not even knowing how to correctly build sentences, you can explain yourself with the interlocutor.
Others say that knowing grammar is much more important, and, first of all, you need to learn English from grammar, and vocabulary will be typed over time.
What should you really focus on? This is what we will find out in today’s article.
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Author: Jane
Topic: vocabulary, grammar, learning difficulties
09/23/2015
Tips and secrets
No matter how hard a person crams English words, they still disappear from the head when speaking. As a result, you often have to suffer, remembering the right word. How not to forget them?
We have prepared a selection of 4 articles with answers to questions that absolutely all people have when learning English words. In the articles you will learn:
How to learn English words correctly?
What are the most common mistakes in memorizing words?
How to activate vocabulary?
How can I quickly replenish it?
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Author: Jane
Topic: tips, learn words, vocabulary
07/22/2015
Tips and secrets
Do you know the situation when you speak English and cannot fully express an idea because you do not know the right word?
Small vocabulary is a common problem. Its size determines how freely you can express your thoughts in English. In this article, you will learn how you can quickly replenish your vocabulary of English words.
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Author: Jane
Topic: learn words, vocabulary
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Vocabulary enrichment test: 10 English words.
c(_p4″ data-question-id=”3$_h5gzzf4yk” data-test-id=”1208″ data-post-id=”5207″ data-answer-count=”5669″> Luggage
003
Question 7 of 10
Error
Step
Council
Thought
Question 8 of 10
Village
Church
Square
Post 9000 Traveler
Train
Pumpkin
Question 10 of 10
Video
Funny
Picture
Gift
Comments
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How many English words you need to know
Contents:
- How many words you need to know at each level of the language
- Beginner A0
- Elementary A1
- Pre-Intermediate A2
- Intermediate B1
- Upper-Intermediate B2
- Advanced C1
- Fluent C2
- How many words do you need to know to speak fluently
Surely everyone who speaks English above the Pre-Intermediate level has heard the question: “Do you really understand what she sang about? And about what? Can you translate?!” Or: “How many words from the dictionary do you know?”
And really: how many English words do you need to know in order to understand what they sing about in songs and talk about in films? What vocabulary do you need to have in order to more or less reflect the speech of a native speaker? How can a beginner not be afraid of a dictionary issued by a teacher, in which, oh mine god, there are 355,000 words? Do they need to be learned right away?
And here it is worth considering:
- How many words are there in the English language?
- What about words that have more than one meaning? The Oxford Dictionary, for a second, has about 460 interpretations of the word “ set “.
- Are phrasal verbs counted as one word or two?
- What about words like ice cream and hot dog ?
- read (read), reading (read), read (read) – are these different words or different grammatical forms?
The well-known “group of British scientists” were still puzzled by the question of how many words are in their native language:
- 171000, which are used in everyday life;
- 47000 obsolete words.
It turns out that in order to speak and understand a language fluently, a poor novice needs to learn 171,000 new words?!
No.
You’ve probably heard of the 80/20 Pareto method: to learn 80% of the information, you need to put in 20% of the effort. This method also works in the study of English vocabulary.
To understand 95% of the text it is enough to have about 3000 words in your vocabulary .
Therefore, it is fundamentally wrong to set yourself the goal of knowing every word of the English language. You won’t reach it. After all, even a native speaker has a vocabulary of no more than 20,000 words. There are suspicions that he doesn’t even know about it…
No, no, no doubt, a rich vocabulary is important and really needs to be increased. What is really worth focusing on is to use words that you already know as often as possible in speech.
Emphasize sentence construction rather than word count. The ability to build a sentence from the current vocabulary will lead you to the desired result faster.
How many words you need to know at each level of the language
As we know, the levels of the English language have their own hierarchy. And each of them corresponds to the approximate number of words that you should be able to operate with.
Beginner A0
At the stage of acquaintance with the language, it is too early to talk about a certain amount. Vocabulary is limited to knowledge of the letters of the alphabet and a maximum of 200 words from the series: dog, cat, London, please, no/yes.
Once in the environment of native speakers, you will feel only pain and sadness, so do not dive there yet.
Elementary A1
New level (survival level) – new words. Here your vocabulary expands to 1000. You will already be able to tell your new English friends about yourself, your family, where you live and what you do. But at the level of general phrases and everyday superficial conversations.
Pre-Intermediate A2
Approximately 2000 words will be available to you at the A2 level. This means that you have already stopped stuttering with excitement when you are asked something about life views, leisure or upcoming travels.
Intermediate B1
You are already at a fairly confident level with a vocabulary of 3000 words. You will not be embarrassed by the question: “What do you feel for me?” You can describe your emotions without being afraid to choose a suitable epithet. It is no longer scary to be alone in an English-speaking city and ask for directions to the airport. And sometimes even describe it in detail to a lost tourist of level A1.
Upper-Intermediate B2
At this stage you can’t lose face and should be able to master a vocabulary of 4000 words. You already have everything you need to communicate with native speakers: a good speed of understanding someone else’s speech, the ability to express your thoughts and personal views orally and in writing.
Advanced C1
Note that you have already crossed the 3000 word threshold we talked about at the beginning. Over 90% of the information provided in articles, books, news and films is more than accessible. Understand and use idioms, can read between the lines and catch the hidden meanings of words. By the way, at the Advanced level, you don’t even think about how many words from the Oxford Dictionary you already know ..?
Fluent C2
Native speaker level. Ideally, here your vocabulary reaches such heights that it is difficult to count: more than 6500 words. Even if a highly educated Englishman is “slipped” on you during a conversation, you will not be at a loss and tell him about your dissertation in colors.
How many words do you need to know to speak fluently?
Important
The level of a fluent speaker is measured not by the number of words in your stock, but by your ability to use them in everyday speech. You are just wasting time if you focus solely on wanting to learn as many words as possible.
Do not forget the fact: the human vocabulary is divided into active and passive. Active – these are the words and expressions that you use in your speech constantly, with understanding and pleasure. Passive vocabulary – those words that you recognize in the speech of the interlocutor, but do not use your own.
To reach the level of fluency in English, you need to activate your passive vocabulary. How to do it? Learn and practice. And then practice and learn again. There are no more options.
Free English can be considered Advanced level with 5000-6000 words in the arsenal. As practice shows, it will take 3-4 years to go from “zero” to this peak.
Interesting fact
American writer Dr. Seuss, author of the famous “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas”, at 1960 wrote a book using only 50 words.
As you can see, in order to be understood, it is not necessary to learn the dictionary from cover to cover. Gradually increasing the vocabulary is important, as well as learning to implement it into your conversational practice.
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How to quickly learn new words in English
From this article you will learn how many words you need to know, where to get them, what resources and services to use, how to learn such a large volume. Use at least a few tips to expand your vocabulary.
The more information a person knows, the better he understands what the characters in the movie or TV series are talking about, what is written on the plates of museums and art galleries, and also how fair and profitable the terms of the transaction are provided by our American partners. This article contains the most popular and effective tips to help you increase your vocabulary.
- Determine the volume of vocabulary
- How to improve vocabulary
- Educational services and applications
- Helpful Tips for Learning English Words
Determining the volume of vocabulary
Before starting, it is recommended to test your own vocabulary by taking the Online English Vocabulary Size Test or Test Your Vocab. It will determine your approximate vocabulary, which you can compare with the average for native English speakers and newcomers to learning. The average is 3,000-4,000 words. This will be enough for communication on a variety of topics.
However, it’s important to know that you shouldn’t rely on test results. Third-party services only provide a rough estimate of your vocabulary for online English lessons in 8th grade.
English words that everyone should know can be divided into 2 large blocks:
- The basic vocabulary that is necessary for understanding English speech. There are standard directions, for example, “Polite treatment”, “Family”, “Food” – everyone should know them, regardless of the level of English.
- Words that you will need. If you are learning English for work, learn general business terminology or more specific terminology for your field of activity, such as IT, industry, etc. If you are planning a large-scale trip around the world, learn colloquial phrases for tourists.
You won’t be able to master all of the vocabulary anyway, and you shouldn’t try to. Do you need medical terminology if you are not a doctor? You can consult with an experienced English teacher, he will tell you exactly what you need to pay attention to for English online classes in grade 8.
How to improve vocabulary
Favorite movies, series, songs, podcasts, books
This method is good because you memorize the words and enjoy the process. If you already watch TV shows in English, take the vocabulary from them.
There are many services for English learners. For example, if you watch movies with subtitles, you can click on an incomprehensible word at any time, and it will automatically be translated exactly in the context that was mentioned. You will be able to create a complete database of new words.
You can find the texts of almost all English compositions on the Amalgam service. Another way is to enter the title of the work and add the word “lyrics” at the end. It is also recommended to listen to podcasts, audio series and radio shows and other educational materials.
Special textbooks
Vocabulary books help you learn new words and the context in which they are used. The manuals are useful in that they have lists of words along with practical examples of their use, which allows you to learn words in a specific context. English online classes 8th grade. Such special textbooks are publicly available on the Internet.
Lists or dictionaries of high-frequency words
There are words in the English language that many people memorize, but in fact these phrases have long been out of use. It will not work to independently understand whether certain words are needed for study.
The Oxford 3000 British Dictionary and The Oxford 3000 American Dictionary lists should be used. They list the 3,000 most important words that every English learner should know. They were carefully selected by linguists and experienced English teachers. To recognize these phrases, you can use the functions of the service.
Word cards
This is an old but still effective way to increase your vocabulary. Everyone who has studied English at least once made cards with words and tried to learn them by heart. You make up such cards yourself, draw up as you wish. The fact that you make them yourself increases the chance of learning them faster.
When compiling cards, use an English dictionary and follow these tips:
- select a translation, preferably with several meanings, if any;
- find standard phrases in which the word can be used;
- study the examples and try to remember them.
The next step is to determine whether you will make vocabulary cards in paper or electronic form. Below are examples of both cases.
Paper cards
Color blocks are recommended (each color corresponds to a theme). For beginners, the following plan is suitable:
The word in English is written on one side of the sheet, and in Russian on the other. Test your knowledge: translate a word from Russian into English and vice versa without a hint.
The first card
On one side, a word is written in English and a picture is pasted, on the other side, a translation into Russian. This method is great for students with associative thinking. In your mind, you combine a new English word and the subject that it stands for English online class 8th grade.
Second card
On the one hand, a word in English with a Russian context is written, on the other hand, a word in Russian without a context. When repeating vocabulary, try to translate the concept from Russian into English. And with the translation in the opposite direction, the second side of the card with the Russian context will help you.
Third card
More advanced students are encouraged to use English-English dictionaries such as the Macmillan Dictionary. On one side is written the word in English, on the other – its definition in English. You can optionally specify synonyms and antonyms for this definition.
Fourth card
Remember English words best in context. Therefore, you can write on the card not only a word, but a full-fledged sentence in which it is used. Examples of sentences can be found in electronic dictionaries, such as ABBYY Lingvo.
E-cards
If you spend a lot of time at the computer, use this as an opportunity to learn English: create digital stickers with words on your desktop and in a few days you will remember them well.
To create electronic vocabulary cards, it is recommended to use the Quizlet program, which allows you to learn new words in various ways: select the correct translation from four options, fill in gaps in sentences and play vocabulary games. You can also track your progress: which words are especially difficult for you, how quickly you learn new material. There are apps for Android and iOS.
Alternative service – Memrise. Its free version has limited functionality, but it will be enough for compiling vocabulary cards.
You should work with the cards regularly: watch and repeat the learned vocabulary. Periodically change the cards to new ones, and after 1-2 weeks, look at the old ones again to check your memory.
Dictionary notebook
This method is good for those who constantly lose something: You can easily forget where the cards are. Structure your notebook however you like. For example, each page corresponds to a specific day. The dates of repetition of the studied words are written at the top. In order for the vocabulary being studied to be well entrenched in memory, do not forget to practice regularly.
Mind map
You will quickly learn English words in one area if you draw a mind map. Such a scheme visually shows which topic the words belong to. In the meantime, you draw it, the vocabulary will be deposited in memory.
Mind map
It is recommended to use the Coggle service to create such schemes. You can share the result with other students, as well as download mind maps in pdf or png.
Educational services and applications
Study on learning resources such as Enroll your child in a free introductory lesson where they will meet the teacher, complete some game tasks and learn that learning English is a lot of fun.
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On your way to school, work or while walking your dog, use every free moment to learn new words. Useful services for any mobile device can be found in free sources.
If you practice 10-20 minutes every day, you will quickly notice progress. The main thing is not to stop at the achieved result.
Useful tips on how to learn English words most effectively
1. General topics
Groups of words related to specific topics are usually well remembered. Therefore, try to break words into groups of 5-10 pieces and learn them in a common block. If you notice the connection between them, it will be easier for you to remember them.
There is the so-called Restorff effect, according to which the human brain best remembers the most prominent one from a group of objects. Put this effect into practice when learning new words: write down an inappropriate phrase in a group of words on one subject – enter a word from a completely different subject. For example, when studying words on the topic “Fruit”, add one word from the topic “Transport” to them, in this way your classes will become more effective.
2. Association and personalization
This method is popular with students: in order to learn a new word, you should come up with an association in your native language. For example, you need to remember the word obstinacy (stubbornness). We break it into 3 syllables: ob-stin-acy, and we get “stubborn, like a donkey against a wall.” The word shoot (to shoot) can be remembered as “the jester shoots.” Make up any associations yourself, the main thing is that you yourself can figure them out without much thought. If you yourself will think about how to remember a certain word, it will be much easier for you.
Learning will be effective if you not only determine the word association, but also visualize it: for example, when you say the word shoot, imagine this shooting jester in your head, even if the picture is funny – this is only an advantage. Ideally, if you come up with a dynamic picture with your personal presence: for example, you imagine how the jester is standing next to you and shooting at another person (with a water pistol, so that the spectacle comes out comical, not tragic). The more alive the picture, the easier it will be to remember the word.
3. Using learned vocabulary in speech
If you have trouble learning new words, use the use it or lose it principle. To keep new knowledge in memory, it is recommended to actively apply it in practice. Make up short stories with new words and phrases. Vocabulary that is used in a short and funny context, written personally about you or your favorite things, is best remembered.
If you are attending an 8th grade English course or with a teacher, try to use the words often in formal or informal conversation: the more often you say a word, the faster it will stick in your memory. Do not forget also about grammar: try to use new words and write English online classes 8th grade.
4. Regular tests and checks
It is recommended to periodically take different tests to determine the level of vocabulary. For example, excellent tests with pictures (they will be especially effective for beginners and visuals – those who perfectly perceive visual information) are on the Vocabulary for learners of English service. After passing such a test, you will immediately determine what you remember, and which topics or words need to be worked out again or repeated.
5. Making a daily plan
The average number of words you need to learn per day is 5-10. It is not worth increasing the volume, otherwise you will not be able to remember all the studied phrases. Try to follow such a daily plan, and you will quickly see progress in English online classes 8th grade.
6. Fun and Pleasure
At engvid.com, native English speakers explain complex material in a simplified and entertaining way, making new information easier to remember.
On newsinlevels.com, every piece of news is adapted to different levels of English proficiency, and detailed explanations are given for each difficult word.
Expand your English vocabulary through fun activities such as crossword puzzles, gallows games, etc. You will find a lot of entertainment on the services Have Fun Learning English and Vocabulary exercises.
7. Development of memory
It is impossible to remember information if you have an insufficiently developed memory. Learning English in itself is great for training the brain and improving memory. However, to facilitate perception, you can use tips for the simple development of memory and thinking.
8. Determining the type of perception of information
Not all methods will suit you. Don’t use all the tips at once. Try text, video or audio formats and choose the ones that help you remember new phrases faster. You will be able to draw up an individual plan for learning English online classes 8th grade.
The main rule for learning English is to apply theoretical knowledge in practice as often as possible. Not only read useful recommendations on how to learn new English words easily and quickly, but also constantly apply them in everyday life. Then you will not think about how to increase vocabulary faster and more efficiently.
The first lesson at Uchi.Home is free! This is a great opportunity to get to know the teacher, the methodology and spend time with benefit. In just one lesson, your child will learn up to 10 new words and learn that learning English is very exciting.
To work at Uchi.Home, we carefully select online math tutors who spark interest in the subject in children. Their professionalism and energy give an amazing result: students look forward to new classes and do their homework without reminders.
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How to expand your English vocabulary systematically
What does it mean to learn a word and how to do it? If everything is more or less simple with one word, then mastering vocabulary is a much more complex process. To explain this to students and help them learn new vocabulary, the teacher himself should understand the mechanics of memorizing words and the basics of memory.
This is what we will do today. To begin with, we highlight 3 key points:
First, the word has 2 forms: graphic and sound; during language learning, both forms are usually taught at once (except for children who do not yet speak written language and study according to the method of “mastering English as a native language” – Show and Tell etc.)
Secondly, are involved in the process of memorizing vocabulary long-term and short-term types of memory. More precisely, even so – at first the word is remembered in the short term, and then it must be “recorded” also in the long term.
Thirdly, vocabulary can be memorized in 2 ways: passively (recognizing other people in speech) and actively (quickly remembering and using it in your speech). The passive vocabulary of any person in any language is several times larger than the active one, but when learning a language, work on the active one is more and more often the priority.
The rule follows from the last paragraph: at each stage of work on vocabulary, it is necessary to SPEAK words. Be sure to speak out loud. Sounds obvious, but do you tell your students this? Do they know about it? It’s minimum. Next comes the USE of words in sentences. It is tedious and difficult to do this every time, but there is nothing better than this yet. Again, an example should be voiced!
For the laziest students there are relentless statistics:
Edgar Dale’s Cone of Learning
Vocabulary Scheme
Stage One:
Memorization – working with short-term memory
Let’s go through the methods of memorizing new vocabulary:
Simple mechanics. These are regular flashcards or their modern counterpart like Quizlet.
Physical cards are good for kinesthetics and students who remember words well when they write. As a bonus, they can be used in class for any activities.
If we talk about Quizlet, then, of course, it will save time – a huge number of ready-made word sets for almost all textbooks have already been collected there.
Provide a translation or definition on the back of the card? Doesn’t matter. Decide for yourself, focusing on your approach and students. So far, there is no evidence that one is more effective than the other.
Mechanics are more complicated: we involve motor skills. Rhythm is a great thing. The task is to get into the rhythm and pronounce the words in it. For example: word-translation-sentence with this word. Ask students to set their own rhythm, you can tap it with your hand or foot, you can shift something from hand to hand, swing with your whole body, etc.
The efficiency of memorizing words increases many times.
Associations. It is problematic to come up with associations for all words, but it is not necessary for all. This method works great for memorizing difficult words.
For example, a student is hung up on the word sophisticated and cannot remember it in any way — let it be “complex Sophie”. Plus, it’s also just a good exercise for developing language competence.
Write words on several lines. This method is rather for an amateur and depends heavily on the students. For children older than the third grade and adults – a rather useless waste of time; but still I recommend focusing on the students.
Again, for example, if you work with children with special needs, this is perhaps the only more or less working way to reinforce new words.
Second stage:
Repetition – work with long-term memory
Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve
He empirically established the scheme of the best repetition of any material:
the first repetition – immediately after the end of the reading;
second repetition – 20-30 minutes after the first repetition;
third repetition – 1 day after the second;
fourth repetition – 2-3 weeks after the third;
fifth repetition – 2-3 months after the fourth repetition.
Thus, it is necessary to mark the time when writing down the word and just set a timer for the second and third repetition, reminders are better for the fourth and fifth 😉
Third stage: Output of vocabulary into speech
(despite the fact that we moved this aspect to the third paragraph, it does not stand alone; it is rather the core of the whole process).
Possession of vocabulary means the ability to use it in a communicative situation. It is impossible to come up with situations for the use of all new words in the lesson, it is physically impossible. But you can work with some of the words.
Real-life situations, role games, realia, etc. work well. Exercises work best in which the student himself needs to introduce vocabulary into speech – come up with a sentence or, even better, ask a question.
Some teachers are addicted to storytelling tasks from a specific list of words. But they rather show the student’s imagination than really help him remember the vocabulary.
As a result, we get the formula: remember (pronunciation) + repeat according to the schedule (pronunciation) + use in speech. And don’t worry that the words are not remembered the first time =))
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Average English vocabulary.
How much is the minimum vocabulary? Vocabulary in oral speech
The language is rather difficult. The complex and large history of Great Britain has led to a very large number of words. The Oxford English Dictionary, known in many circles, has approximately 600,000 words and expressions. And if you add dialect and slang to this list, then the number of words will exceed 1 million. But you should not be afraid of such a large number, because even native speakers do not know all the English words. On average, an educated person, a native speaker, knows 12,000-18,000 words. Well, the average resident of the UK knows 8000-10000 words.
How many words do you need to know?
If a person is not a native speaker and does not permanently reside in an English-speaking country, then it will be practically impossible for him to bring his stock to the cherished 8000-10000 words. A good indicator is 4000-5000 words.
There is a standard and generally accepted language gradation. If the number of learned words is in the region of 400-500 words, then the level of proficiency is considered basic. If the active stock is in the range of 800-1000 words, then you can safely communicate on various everyday topics. If such a quantity refers rather to a passive vocabulary, then you can safely read simple texts. The range of 1500-2000 words will allow you to communicate freely all day long. If the vocabulary is 3000-4000 words, then you can safely read the English press or various thematic materials. A dictionary base of 8,000 languages guarantees fluency in English. With such a number of learned words, you can freely read any literature or write texts in the language yourself. Those who have more than 8000 words in their luggage are considered highly educated people who learn English.
According to the standard vocabulary base is distributed as follows:
– beginner – 600 words;
– elementary – 1000 words;
– pre-Intermediate – 1500-2000 words;
– intermediate – 2000-3000 words;
– upper-Intermediate – 3000-4000 words;
– advanced – 4000-8000 words;
– proficiency – more than 8000 words.
With this data, you can determine your level of language proficiency, as well as set goals for yourself. But how many words have already been learned? No, you do not need to measure anything with a ruler for this. Everything is much easier. There is a test capable of determining the number of studied words with a margin of error of 10%.
7000 words from the dictionary were taken to create this test. Outdated and rarely used words were removed from there. Also removed the words, the meaning of which can be determined through the usual logic. As a result, 2 small pages with words remained.
How to pass the test?
The test must be taken with the utmost integrity. The first page contains a list of words in columns. If at least one of the possible meanings of an English word is known, then a tick is placed next to it. The same columns with words appear on the second page. But there is already a selection of previously unknown words. This program checks whether these words are really unknown. To complete the test, there is another page that indicates age, gender, how many years English has been studied and other important questions. After specifying all the data, the end button is pressed and the number of words in the vocabulary of the tested person appears on the screen.
Every serious lover of anything in the world sooner or later sets on fire with the desire to measure his collection: in money, in volume, in quantity … The philatelist carefully dusts off the hundredth mark in the album, Henry Ford rubs shine a new tire, Rockefeller glances at the number of zeros in the amount stored in the bank, etc. How to be an English lover? Love for English can also be measured. Hours dedicated to study? Words that make up an active vocabulary!
Stock varies
No, not firewood for the winter and not sweets under the pillow, as you already understood, but English words in the lexicon. There is nothing shameful or boastful about measuring vocabulary: after all, there is no limit to perfection, but there are intermediate stages on the way to the goal.
Statistics, backed up by practice, says that only 2000 words are needed to freely express one’s thoughts in English.
Statistics, backed up by optimism, call the figure 1000-1500 words, and the creators of Basic English are magicians and our best friends – only 850 words. Realists and optimists, wait a little with skepticism! Basic English is divided into thematic groups of words (objects and phenomena, actions and movements, expression of qualities) – a kind of selection of the most hit instances from each category. In fact, frequently used mostly monosyllabic words (514 out of 850), which are easy to remember and pronounce, were selected.
We would like to ask all those who have relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief after the announced figures: what do you personally mean by the concept of “speaking freely”? Of course, in order to ask for a window seat at the check-in desk at the airport or order a veal chop in a restaurant, 2000 words are enough. Diving begins where, when answering a question, you will not catch the meaning of unfamiliar words spoken or you will not be able to tell about specific gastronomic preferences in the company of gourmets. And then we multiply 2000 by two and get 4000 words, which will surely allow you not to lose face and keep a conversation in English well done.
Another nuance: so far we have been talking about active vocabulary
, i.e. layer of those words that you regularly use in conversation. What you once wrote out in a dictionary and on occasion it is possible (!) Remember the value is called passive reserve –
words that you seem to know, but most of them lie on the shelves of memory under a layer of dust. Yes, they get into the overall standings, but they do not bring special dividends.
Perfectionists who want more! Outside the language environment, it is quite difficult to learn the 8,000 words that make up the active vocabulary of an English-speaking citizen. It is possible, of course, but with great energy consumption, diligence and methodicalness. With a baggage of 4-5 thousand words, you can safely pack your bags to Britain, the USA or Canada, where you are doomed to expand your vocabulary to the cherished 8-10 thousand units.
Vocabulary grades
Or how much is needed for complete happiness? You can start with the top 10 or top 100 words of the English language and already rejoice. A selection of the most commonly used English words around the world will set the right vector for vocabulary replenishment. And we again pick up the ruler and return to simple arithmetic, this time dedicating you to gradations (types) of the vocabulary.
400-500 words of active vocabulary – a pass to the world of English and a certificate of language proficiency at basic level
. 800-1000 “assets” of words will give the opportunity to explain and talk about everyday topics, the same amount of “passives” will allow you to read simple texts
. 1500-2000 words of “assets” will be rewarded with the opportunity to communicate freely during the day, or the same number of “passives” – with confident reading of more complex texts
. 3000-4000 words bring you closer to almost fluent reading of newspapers or books and magazines in the specialty
. 8000 words guarantee full communication for the average European. This is also enough for free reading and writing thoughts.
. up to 13,000 words characterize a highly educated person learning English as a foreign language.
How to determine and check the vocabulary of the English language?
Inquire on bills? Marking familiar words in the dictionary? Let’s not reinvent the wheel and borrow the answer from the creators of the test, which can weigh your vocabulary with an error of up to 10% in 2-3 minutes. The link to the test will be in a minute, but for now, a brief instruction on its use and the answer to the question “how it works.”
The developers took a dictionary of 70,000 words as a basis, discarded obsolete, compound words, scientific terms and derivatives from each other, having already received 45,000 as a result. that even a respectable Briton may not feel remorse, never having used them in his life. From the test for English vocabulary, words were excluded, the meaning of which can be obtained by friendship with logic.
The whole test consists of two pages: each contains English words in several columns without any logical sequence. If you know at least one of the possible meanings of the word, then confidently put a tick next to it. The task is the same on two pages, only on the second page the program selects words from those unfamiliar from the first page, as if wanting to make sure that you really do not know them. No sleight of hand, no cheating: the only condition is to be honest with yourself and not overdo it with the number of ticks.
We invite you to take the test for a couple of minutes, and then return to our article for debriefing. We have already prepared a line 🙂
We measure the results
And now you are left alone with your test result. How did others do? Statistics collected after passing this test says that among non-native speakers, the majority of respondents received in the end from 3 to 7 thousand words. There are noticeably fewer owners of 7-10 thousand words, and even fewer from 11 to 30 thousand (oddly enough, even 30-thousanders honored this test with their attention).
Among those for whom English is native, the situation looks different: a cosmic vocabulary of 30,000 words for non-native speakers is the norm for 30-year-old English-speaking friends. The average result of the previous category of 3-7 thousand is typical for children 5-6 years old. Do not forget that just at this age the world is actively explored and the entire surrounding family with 30,000 deposits around is not actively silent.
Summing up
Evaluation of the number of learned and memorized words of a foreign language is primarily interesting for understanding how far a person has advanced in the “passive” perception of information: texts, speech, films, etc. I propose to familiarize yourself with several methods that I used, found on the net and “home-made”. Below – a couple of tests for assessing vocabulary, a technique for finding important words that have not yet caught on in the brain, some reasoning and some links.
Online tests
Of the many tests for evaluating the number of words, I liked two. A couple of years ago I came across a rather simple Test Your Vocabulary . As you go through three screens of words, you tick off the ones you (you think) know, and then get an estimate of the total number of words learned. Many of my friends complained about his inadequacy – they received an amount less than “the one about whom I know for sure that he knows worse.” But when passing, there may be a mistake of a different kind – it seems that you know the word, but in fact you have already forgotten it. They say that the hand itself reaches out to put a tick next to a word that seems vaguely familiar, so you can subconsciously overestimate your overall rating.
You know at least 10,500 English word families!
What do my results mean?
In general, there is no minimum vocabulary size. Language ability is related to vocabulary size, so the more words you know, the more you will be able to understand. However, if you want to set a learning goal, Paul Nation’s (2006) research suggests that the following sizes might be useful:
How large a vocabulary is needed for reading and listening?
Skill Size estimate Notes
Reading 8,000 – 9,000
word families Nation (2006)
Listening 6,000 – 7,000
word families Nation (2006)
Native speaker 20,000
word families Goulden, Nation, & Read (1990)
Zechmeister, Chronis, Cull, D’Anna, & Healy (1995)
What is a word family?
There are many different forms of a word, so this test measures your knowledge of the most basic form of a word and assumes that you can recognize the other forms. For example, nation, a noun, can also be an adjective (national), a verb (nationalize), or an adverb (nationally). There are also forms which can be made with an affix such as de- or -ing which also modify the way that the word is used or adds to the basic meaning. For a test of receptive vocabulary knowledge such as this one, word families are considered to be the most accurate way of counting words.
Frequency dictionaries
After registering at www.wordfrequency.info, you can download the American English Frequency Dictionary excel. There is also a text version.
Like this:
Rank Word Part of speech Frequency Dispersion
1 The – A 22038615 0.98
2 BE – V 12545825 0.97
3 And – C 10741073 0.99
4 OF – I 10343885 0.97
5 A – A 10144200 0 0.98
8 have-v 4303955 0.97
…
…
4996 Immigrant – J 0.97
4997 KID – V 5094 0.92
4998 Middle -Class – J 5025 0.93
4999 APOLOGY – N 4972 VILLL – I5000 TILL – I 50 sorted by frequency of occurrence. The frequency was calculated on a huge heterogeneous array of English texts. I recently saw a friend of mine look up words he didn’t know by checking his vocabulary. Looking through the first 500, I did not find any unknowns. He showed an extract on his smartphone – about a dozen words from the second thousand (that is, from 1000 to 2000) and about 20 from the third. It’s funny that when you go through the list, you come across sequences of words that successfully add up to phrases or even short sentences. The logic is very simple – if the word is very common according to statistics, and you don’t know it, then it’s better to learn it and see examples of use.
After reading the list of words unknown to him (already with translation), I saw the following thing. I knew about 50-60% of these words unknown to him, but some of the meanings of the translations recorded there were unknown to me, there were several words completely unknown to me.
In general, the site tries to be commercial, they sell lists longer than 5000, but it’s not so interesting anymore.
So far, this friend of mine is writing a program with a convenient interface to look up unknown words – for learning purposes. I suggested to him that for a global assessment, not this list, but thinned one: every seventh word from the total list of 60,000 words is given. In fact, even watching the first couple of thousand is disheartening, not everyone will get to 5000. Although I can’t say for all 100, but the thinned dictionary will certainly show at least one word from the “family”, and the time will be spent, respectively, 7 or 10 times less (depending on the frequency of thinning).
By the way, such frequency dictionaries of the Russian language contain about 160 thousand words, including abbreviations and abbreviations. There are several different similar “corpuses” of English words from different organizations.
I’m interested in another question: how accurate are the tests that estimate the number of words you know? It is possible that this could be determined just by checking the frequency dictionary, as well as comparing the list of selected unknown words – their number and entry into different “families”.
There are general laws of remembering and forgetting. One of the main things: if a person has learned something and does not repeat, does not use it, the information is forgotten exponentially from time to time. On the other hand, a few repetitions lengthen, stretch the falling exponent to an acceptable level. I was very surprised when a friend who worked as a tutor for schoolchildren told me that there is a sequence of time intervals for deep memorization: say, after 20 minutes, then after 8 hours, another day, etc., after which the information is planted firmly in the brain . That is, the statistically maximum level of the excitation signal is provided in the brain when it encounters this information.
Ebbinghaus curve, from Wikipedia.
How I learned words at the institute.
Without taking into account the standard course, where the requirements for the first three years were quite tough, I tried to read fiction. The first big book was the old Soviet edition of Conan Doyle’s The Lost World. I don’t know how it was adapted, but there were plenty of Victorian words and expressions in the text, and this greatly delayed the progress towards the end … Of course, it was possible to look into Lingvo from a computer, but I didn’t like to read at a computer, but to run back and forth for each new word quickly tired. Tablets were not common then, a pocket electronic translator is an expensive rarity, so I developed a paper system for myself. In thick 9A 6-sheet notebook spread was divided into 6 columns. Now I tried to find a notebook – I got lost. Will have to describe in words. Divided the alphabet into groups of letters, for example – a..d, e..f, g..j, k..n, o..q, r..t, u..w, x..z. Approximately, by eye, I estimated the statistical percentage of words that begin with these letters and divided the columns in the spread into rectangles. For example, the group a..d gave 2/3 of the first column, and so on. The group x..z was assigned the last remaining smallest piece in the 6th column. Then everything is simple. I met an unknown word – enter with the translation in the desired rectangle. Nothing inside the block is not in alphabetical order – it will not take long to find. To get the translation while lying on the bed, you need to get into the book dictionary. That is, the value of receiving a translation is quite large, more than now look at Lingua or an online translator like
The well-known Ellochka from the novel “12 Chairs” easily got by with thirty words of the Russian language, but, apparently, she did not achieve much success in life. How many words do we need to know in English in order to communicate on everyday and professional topics? According to researchers, about 40 words are the minimum required for 50% of understanding and speaking in everyday speech situations, 400 words should be enough for 90% of cases, and 1000 words will provide you with 95% successful communication. Native speakers use an average of 3,000 to 20,000 words, it depends on the education of each individual and the typical situations in which he has to communicate. Practice shows that for English learners it is enough to learn 1500-2000 words to feel confident in a conversation. As for professional terms, they usually do not cause difficulties, because in most cases this is an international vocabulary. But the most important thing is to understand that words should not just be written on beautiful cards and hung around the house, they should become your working tools. Let’s see what steps will help you to firmly master the necessary vocabulary, that is, vocabulary.
1. Read carefully and draw conclusions
Whatever you read – fiction, stock market news or a gardening blog – pay attention to how exactly words are used, what combinations they make. Highlight, write out, copy what seems useful to you. For example, here is an excerpt from How to Become an Early Riser (by Steve Pavlina):
It seems there are two main schools of thought about sleep patterns. One is that you should go to bed and get up at the same times every day. It’s like having an alarm clock on both ends – you try to sleep the same hours each night. This seems practical for living in modern society. We need predictability in our schedules. And we need to ensure adequate rest.
How can we analyze what we have read?
- “It seems” – it seems, apparently. We just take it as an introductory word.
- “This seems practical” We understand that an adjective is used after “seems”, and now we can speak by analogy: “This seems interesting”, “This seems stupid”, “Your ideas seem nice”.
- “Predictability” – predictability. If we know that “predict” means to predict and “ability” means ability, then we can calculate the meaning of this word as well.
2. Watch videos with and without subtitles
The same work can be done when watching your favorite movies, series and TV shows. If you use subtitles, it will be more convenient for you to write out the phrase you like, if not, then train your auditory perception, pause and repeat after the speaker. We can recommend an excellent resource that provides the opportunity to watch TV shows in the original with super-useful subtitles: when you hover over a word, a Russian translation appears. It saves a lot of time and improves memorization.
3. Singing our favorite songs
We have already discussed how songs can help us learn English. Vocabulary expansion is one of the areas where songs can be applied particularly well. It is always much easier to remember what you like and what is associated with positive emotions. You can find a lot of sites with lyrics on the net, for example:
Listening to your favorite songs and singing along with the performers, you learn whole phrases easily and with pleasure.
4. Taking a cue from celebrities
Search for something like “Brad Pitt interview” or “chat show with celebrities” and you’ll get tons of do-it-yourself material. After reading or listening to interview fragments, you will probably notice that certain words are used more often. For example, “amazing” is a very popular adjective for expressing delight:
- “You look amazing!”
- “The film was amazing!”
- “It was an amazing experience.”
5. Learning common phrases for common situations
If you love to travel, you will definitely need a set of certain phrases and expressions that you may need at the airport, customs, hotel, shop, etc. As you know, such conversations do not differ in a special variety, therefore, for greater certainty, you can learn several mini-dialogues on the necessary topics. Various Internet resources will help you with this, where audio recordings and texts are collected, as well as tasks for them are presented. For example, you can start from this site
6. Learning words by topic
It is much easier to memorize new words that are related in meaning. If, for example, you are studying the topic “Food”, you just need to learn the names of different products, ready meals, adjectives to describe them, etc. By discussing the tasks with the teacher, you will be able to activate these words, i.e. transfer from a passive stock to a set of “working tools”. Learning will be more effective if you use different types of memory: look at pictures, listen to pronunciation and repeat yourself. Use, for example, such a resource that will help you do all of the above and learn new words with ease.
7. Using dictionaries
In our age of information technology, paper dictionaries are no longer popular, and even schoolchildren are willing to use their online versions. Starting from the Pre-Intermediate level, it is recommended to use the so-called “English-English dictionaries”, that is, not to translate unfamiliar words, but to look for their definitions in English. In addition, dictionaries can provide you with a stock of synonyms, antonyms, and idioms for a given word. According to Wikipedia, the following dictionaries are the most useful and reliable sources of information:
8.
Playing word games
Crosswords, gallows, scrabble and other games can also help you improve your speech, because they help you remember the spelling of the words you know in a fun way. In addition, many word games can be played in a fun company, combining business with pleasure: learning English with friendly communication. Tip for the curious: try playing Scrabble with an open dictionary.
9. We arm ourselves with devices and gadgets
It takes a long time to write words on cards, there is no time to make sentences, but we always have smartphones, iPhones and other devices at hand. When a free minute appears, you can start learning new words, and you don’t need to carry any leaflets, printouts, textbooks with you. If you don’t know which app to choose, take advice from the British Council experts.
10. Use it or lose it!
The most important thing in learning vocabulary is to use it in your speech. Passive vocabulary is good for reading and listening, that is, for recognizing words. For speaking and writing, we need to learn how to retrieve words from memory very quickly, and this is achieved only by practice. According to researchers, in order for a word to become active in speech, it must be used in various contexts about 17 times. Therefore, before class, set yourself the task of speaking more than the teacher and be sure to use new words.
Big and friendly family EnglishDom
If you are looking at the Oxford Dictionary now and thinking: “I will never learn so many words!” – distract from sad thoughts and read this article. How many words do you really need to know? You may be pleasantly surprised!
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English students often ask, “How many words do I need to learn to be able to hold a conversation on any topic?” Good question, but before answering it, let me ask you another one: what do you think? A question to which there is no intelligible answer. Why? It is impossible to count the number of words in a language for one simple reason – it is difficult to decide what to consider as a word.
It is claimed, for example, that for the word “set” the Oxford Dictionary gives 464 definitions. Should we consider a polysemantic word as one word or each interpretation as a separate word? And what about (phrasal verbs): “set up”, “set about”, “set apart”, etc.? And what about the so-called open compounds – words like “hot dog”, “ice cream”, “real estate”? Add to this the singular and plural forms, verb conjugations, different endings, prefixes and suffixes – and you will understand why it is so problematic to answer how many words there are in the English language.
The question really should be: “Do you know how many words are in the largest dictionary of the English language?” If you roughly imagine the number of words in a language, it can be compared with the number of words used 90-95% of the time in everyday speech and in the news.
Less words – more action
In 1960, the famous American children’s writer Theodor Seuss Geisel (better known under the pseudonym Dr. Seuss, author of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, The Cat in the Hat, The Lorax, etc. ) published the book Green Eggs and Ham. The book was written in just 50 words and was the result of a dispute between Seuss and his publisher, Bennett Cerf. The publisher believed that Seuss would not be able to create a finished work in such harsh conditions (before that, Seuss had already written “The Cat in the Hat”, which featured 225 words).
If it’s possible to write a book in just 50 words, does that mean we don’t need 40,000 words to communicate with each other? Note, however, that according to Susie Dent, a lexicographer, the average active vocabulary of an adult English speaker is about 20,000 words, and the passive one is about 40,000 words.
What is the difference between active and passive vocabulary? In simple terms, active vocabulary includes words that you can remember on your own and apply. As for the passive vocabulary, these are those words that you recognize, the meaning of which you know, but which you are not able to use yourself.
How many words do you know, sir?
And here we come to the most interesting part. On the one hand, an adult native English speaker has an active vocabulary of about 20,000 words. On the other hand, The Reading Teacher’s Book of Lists claims that the first 25 words are used in 33% of everyday written texts, the first 100 words in 50%, and the first thousand words occur in 89% of such texts!
Thus, we can safely say that only 3000 words cover about 95% of general texts (news articles, blog entries, etc.). Liu Na and Nation proved that 3000 is the approximate number of words we need to know in order to understand the rest from the context when reading unsimplified texts.
Do the math!
The Oxford English Dictionary contains 171,476 common words. 95% of general texts cover a vocabulary of only 3,000 words. That’s 1.75% of all words!
That’s right: knowing 1.75% of the English vocabulary, you can understand 95% of what you read. This is only 7.