In this article Paul Nation responds to Thomas Cobb's "Numbers or Numerology? A Response to Nation (2014) and McQuillan (2016)" (EJ1117024). Nation begins by clarifying his own position on vocabulary learning and goes on to highlight points made in Cobb's article with which he is in agreement, while drawing from his 2014 article,…

Ideally, one's talk segues into ways the precision of crafted phrases or stylized sentences amplifies messages, sharpens concerns, or frames praise. People pursue how words and their selective combinations illuminate and illustrate, persuade and perplex. For many, this intricate puzzle with language is a frolic, simple wordplay. In this article,…

Stating that teachers are often confused by the terms "homonym" and "homophone," this paper maintains that the difficulty can be eased by determining how words can be classified in terms of structure, meaning, or sound. It then presents a word nomenclature model that draws upon the differentiation between these groups of words…

Components of word analysis and synthesis that are important for vocabulary development instruction are word structure and morphemes. Morpheme study includes bases, prefixes, suffixes, epenthetic elements, and affixation processes. Word structure includes capitalization, abbreviations, contractions, number, possessives, and affixed words.…

From showing readers the longest words in common usage (22 letters--counterrevolutionaries, deinstitutionalization), to providing readers with a list of words in which all 5 vowels must appear in alphabetical order (abstemious, facetious), to discovering the name in an American phone book where the most letters of the alphabet are used without…

Explains how antonymy (opposition) can offer another approach to vocabulary development in a classroom situation. (HOD)

Lists 334 words that three frequently used word lists have in common. Of these, 137 are phonically consistent and can be taught using phonics while 197 should be taught by sight-word techniques. (TJ)

Offers a definition for "prefix," contrasts the definition with those found in several reading series, discusses the pedagogical relevance of this definition with reference to problems found in these reading series, and indicates reasons for reevaluating conclusions drawn from previous research on the teaching of word analysis skills. (Author/TJ)

Discusses how young minds come to understandings about how words work, what conditions are necessary for these realizations, and how teachers can help. Discusses instruction that hinders, allows, or helps students' progress. (RS)

Reviews numerous meaning-based vocabulary methods that use comparing, contrasting, making analogies, or developing examples of concepts and relates them to the adult basic education setting. (JOW)

Discusses what children know--and don't know they know--about the linguistic concept of the word, with implications for teaching. (DD)

This paper offers a rationale for integrating phonics with reading instruction for students with reading disabilities. It then suggests that direct teaching of sounds be provided by constructing "soundsheets" with rows of sound/letter combinations taken directly from the text the child will read after practicing the sounds. (JDD)

How can classroom spelling programs be structured and organized to fit current approaches to language? Ten major considerations can be identified: (1) spelling is a skill of writing; (2) spelling is best learned as a component of writing, and not as a result of studying isolated skills; (3) not all children will pick up spelling as a result of…

A recent study of neologisms has restated the prominent position of the lexicon from a linguistic point of view. From the perspective of language teachers, it is evident that an adequate vocabulary plays a crucial role in the ability to communicate in a foreign language. The fact that the lexicon is a major component of a language has caused the…

Vocabulary words frequently used in the media and popular literature can be taught by using a modified foreign language laboratory method whereby the students are introduced to the words aurally. First the students are read a concocted paragraph that incorporates the new vocabulary. This is followed by repetition in which the paragraph or dialogue…