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An extensive vocabulary is a valuable asset and an important requirement for success in life. Your vocabulary plays an important role in determining how much you will succeed in life. You need to devote time towards learning vocabulary to fulfil your full potential in your career, as well as your social life.

Having a word in your vocabulary means, in general, knowing the word and its meaning. However, this is a very broad definition. In reality, there are different levels to knowing a word.

You might know a word well enough to understand its meaning when hearing or reading, but now well enough to use it in your conversation or writing. You might know a word well enough to understand its meaning, and you might use it sparingly in a particular context. You might be well-versed in the word, and can decipher its meaning instantly when you come across it, and are comfortable using it in your conversation and writing in different situations. ‘Being able to understand a word is known as receptive knowledge and is normally connected with listening and reading. If we are able to produce a word of our own accord when speaking or writing, then that is considered productive knowledge (passive/active are alternative terms),’ (Schmitt, N 2000, p. 4).

Words are the primary medium of exchanging information in this world. They play a vital role in communication. Consequently, a robust vocabulary enables you to communicate precisely and skillfully, and express your ideas clearly and thoroughly. It is no coincidence that people with better vocabulary and better communication skills enjoy more respect and better reception of their ideas and suggestions. Any time and effort invested in learning vocabulary is definitely worth the effort.

A good vocabulary definitely aids in better comprehension, both while you are listening and reading. The more the words you know, the more likely you are to understand the exact meaning of any communication you receive, and the better prepared you are to react to them. A good knowledge of words also helps you to peruse through books, magazines, and articles with considerable ease, and better appreciate the quality and structure of the language used. ‘In the areas of Reading and Language Arts, vocabulary instruction is critical to the improvement of comprehension and written expression. In the content areas, including Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies, vocabulary instruction is central to the development of new conceptual frameworks and the understanding of increasingly more sophisticated ideas. In short, vocabulary is directly related to knowledge acquisition,’ (Blachowicz, C L Z, Fisher, P J & Watts-Taffe, S 2005, p. 2).

Learning vocabulary also builds your confidence and your competence level; directly by  improving your comprehension and knowledge acquisition skills, and indirectly by the favourable manner in which your ideas and opinions will be considered by other people.

REFERENCES

Blachowicz, C L Z, Fisher, P J & Watts-Taffe, S 2005, Integrated Vocabulary Instruction, Learning Point Associates, Naperville, IL.

Schmitt, N 2000, Vocabulary in Language Teaching, Cambridge University Press, The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge.