Reading a whole book to learn vocabulary
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I.S.P. Nation
Abstract
This chapter examines whether it is a good idea to choose a book that interests you and read it through from the beginning to the end learning all the new words you meet. For the analysis, it is assumed that learners already know the most frequent 3,000 words of English. The criteria used to guide this investigation include the number of unknown words met, the usefulness of the unknown words, the density of the unknown words, and the number of repetitions of the unknown words. Reading a whole book intensively is not a good idea unless the book is a graded reader, a technical text in a relevant subject area, or a set text that would be examined as a part of assessment. Where learners need to do such reading of unsimplified texts, they should be strategic in dealing with unknown vocabulary.
Abstract
This chapter examines whether it is a good idea to choose a book that interests you and read it through from the beginning to the end learning all the new words you meet. For the analysis, it is assumed that learners already know the most frequent 3,000 words of English. The criteria used to guide this investigation include the number of unknown words met, the usefulness of the unknown words, the density of the unknown words, and the number of repetitions of the unknown words. Reading a whole book intensively is not a good idea unless the book is a graded reader, a technical text in a relevant subject area, or a set text that would be examined as a part of assessment. Where learners need to do such reading of unsimplified texts, they should be strategic in dealing with unknown vocabulary.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Guest editorial 1
- Eye movements in vocabulary research 5
- Reading a whole book to learn vocabulary 31
- A Hard Science Spoken Word List 45
- Re-examining the effects of word writing on vocabulary learning 73
- Loanword proportion in vocabulary size tests 95
- The guessing from context test 117
- The effect of out-of-class exposure to English language media on learners’ vocabulary knowledge 143
- Examining incidental vocabulary acquisition from captioned video 169
- The images in television programs and the potential for learning unknown words 191
- Vocabulary knowledge and listening comprehension at an intermediate level in English and French as foreign languages 213
- Index 233
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Guest editorial 1
- Eye movements in vocabulary research 5
- Reading a whole book to learn vocabulary 31
- A Hard Science Spoken Word List 45
- Re-examining the effects of word writing on vocabulary learning 73
- Loanword proportion in vocabulary size tests 95
- The guessing from context test 117
- The effect of out-of-class exposure to English language media on learners’ vocabulary knowledge 143
- Examining incidental vocabulary acquisition from captioned video 169
- The images in television programs and the potential for learning unknown words 191
- Vocabulary knowledge and listening comprehension at an intermediate level in English and French as foreign languages 213
- Index 233
