Part 1: The right approach to English vocabulary building

Forget about rote learning – it’s all about understanding

Through empirical observation, I have seen many learners struggle with building English vocabulary, especially those who learn by rote. They look at their lists containing thousands of words, trying to memorize everything in preparation for their upcoming exams. Although I acknowledge that rote learning could help students increase their vocabulary size to a certain extent, I do not approve of this technique for three reasons.

First, the focus of rote learning is on sheer memorization rather than an adequate understanding of what is being committed to learners’ memory. That’s why students are likely to confuse one word with another, especially when it comes to homophones such as discreet and discrete, compliment and complement, principle and principal, etc. However, this will not be an issue once the words are clearly understood. One of the best ways to differentiate between commonly confused words is to write sentences containing both homophones in order to see the difference.

Some examples are as follows:

- The teacher’s compliment on Tung’s improvement is a complement to the maximum score he got.

- The discrete units of the company carried out their work in a very discreet manner.

- The school principal is a person of high moral principles.

Rote learning creates the gap between knowing and understanding, which causes major difficulty for language learners in more than one way. Even a narrow gap could make readers find it hard to appreciate foreign literature to which wordplay and other literary techniques are applied to create a unique, enjoyable reading experience. Moreover, those who learn by rote are not confident in their ability to express ideas due to a lack of understanding of proper word usage.

Second, students learning by rote tend to forget words shortly after taking their tests. That is actually a colossal waste of time and resources, especially when English has become a global language. Although high test scores are of great value, being proficient in English and confident in one’s skills are truly invaluable.

Third, rote memorization makes learners perceive vocabulary building as a bore and even torture, when indeed it could bring learners great joy and deep satisfaction, as Tim Gunn once stated, “Few activities are as delightful as learning new vocabulary.”

So, the right approach to learning English vocabulary is to understand words thoroughly. Rote learning, which seems to be a time-efficient and energy-saving strategy, will ultimately prove to be counterproductive. Only when students have a sound understanding of new words will they be able to expand their vocabulary steadily and significantly.

Quality first, quantity second

The two main criteria used for assessing a learner’s vocabulary are quality and quantity. A vocabulary of twenty thousand words, most of which are “dead” words, cannot be considered a superior vocabulary. On the other hand, a vocabulary containing only one thousand words is not strong no matter how well the learner understands every single word. When it comes to vocabulary building, a crucial thing to keep in mind is Quality first, Quantity second.

This notion is supported by the finest minds in the world, from the Roman Stoic philosopher Seneca when he said, “It is quality rather than quantity that matters” to the great American innovator Steve Jobs as he confirmed, “Quality is more important than quantity.”

From the perspective of a linguist, the secret to building a vocabulary of great quality and becoming a “living dictionary” is to use the words you’ve learned as much as possible. A word is only meaningful if the learner’s knowledge of that word is beyond meaning. He must know how to use the word properly and intelligently to create something that makes sense and convey his ideas. Only then does he truly understand the word as well as remember it for long and even forever. I personally enjoy writing about my past experiences using new words. However, if that does not apply to you, I certainly recommend that you read the example sentences containing new words from dictionaries and other learning materials.

Quality is the first priority, however, quality alone cannot be enough. As quantity is also of vital importance, I wrote this sentence to remind myself and my students about the key components of effective vocabulary building and their order: “Learn the words that count, then count the words you’ve learned.”

In order to enrich your English vocabulary substantially, it is highly recommended that you read avidly and listen attentively. You should give your undivided attention to the words that are unfamiliar, write them down and make them familiar. The wider your vocabulary is, the better your language skills will be. Most importantly, you should never stop learning new words because there is no limit to vocabulary acquisition and expansion.

Make vocabulary learning your daily habit

The direct and profound impact of habits on our lives is undeniable. It is what we do every single day over the course of time that either makes us or breaks us. The power of habit has been captured simply yet profoundly in these wise words by Aristotle, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

Academic success is not an accident but the reflection of one’s accumulated knowledge. It is impossible to be proficient in English after a day, but it is possible if you learn on a daily basis. When it comes to vocabulary building, consistency matters. Those who learn new words on impulse cannot compare with those who learn consistently and habitually. As the saying goes, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” eating an apple a day brings you more benefits than eating nothing during the week and reserving all seven apples for Sunday.

It is strongly recommended that you make learning vocabulary a part of your daily routine. Choose a time during the day when you are most conscious, most energetic and consider that your “vocabulary building time”. I have been in the habit of learning at least ten words in the early morning without any intention of breaking that habit. For those whose vocabulary size is already enormous, you could learn more about the words you already know when you find most words familiar.

We cannot choose the kind of memory we were born with, but we can always decide what to store in that memory. With the right approach to vocabulary building, it is a mission possible to shape our memory the way we want it to be and have an enormous English vocabulary of great quality.

Expert Do Thuy Hang