Vocabulary | Business Correspondence and Reporting (Old Scheme) - CA Foundation PDF Download

 Page 1


Learners will be able to- 
1. Provide students with skills and opportunities to learn words independently. 
2. To teach students the meaning of specic words. 
3. Nurture a love and appreciation of words and their use. 
4. To help students build word power and vocabulary for better communication. 
w Learn the meaning of new vocabulary words.
w Use the new words learnt while speaking and writing. 
w Understand words in a variety of contexts from a variety of roots (Greek, Latin, etc).
w Determine word meaning by analyzing the textual content.
w Use their knowledge of a word’s roots to determine its meaning.
3
CHAPTER
VOCABULARY
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
  INTRODUCTION
The term ‘vocabulary’ is dened as ‘the body of words used in a particular language’. It is also called 
‘wordstock’ , ‘lexicon’ , and ‘lexis’ . Vocabulary consists of the words we understand when we hear or read them 
and words we speak or write. However, it is ‘more than words’; it is a measure of all that a person has learnt, 
experienced or felt. Vocabulary knowledge requires not only knowledge of word meaning, but it requires 
the usage of words in the appropriate context and in a natural way.
Vocabulary is developed with age, and serves as a fundamental tool for communication and acquiring 
knowledge. We build vocabulary by picking up words that we read or hear and through direct instruction 
from teachers or other professionals. The more words we know, the more we will be able to understand 
what we hear and read. In turn, the better we will be able to say what we want to while speaking or writing. 
Therefore, it can be said that learning vocabulary is an important part of learning language. 
Why is a rich vocabulary important? 
Vocabulary knowledge is the heart of a language comprehension and use.  
A good vocabulary helps us understand what other people are saying and what we are reading. 
Unfamiliar words become holes in the text, preventing us from completely understanding what we have 
GOALS
Page 2


Learners will be able to- 
1. Provide students with skills and opportunities to learn words independently. 
2. To teach students the meaning of specic words. 
3. Nurture a love and appreciation of words and their use. 
4. To help students build word power and vocabulary for better communication. 
w Learn the meaning of new vocabulary words.
w Use the new words learnt while speaking and writing. 
w Understand words in a variety of contexts from a variety of roots (Greek, Latin, etc).
w Determine word meaning by analyzing the textual content.
w Use their knowledge of a word’s roots to determine its meaning.
3
CHAPTER
VOCABULARY
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
  INTRODUCTION
The term ‘vocabulary’ is dened as ‘the body of words used in a particular language’. It is also called 
‘wordstock’ , ‘lexicon’ , and ‘lexis’ . Vocabulary consists of the words we understand when we hear or read them 
and words we speak or write. However, it is ‘more than words’; it is a measure of all that a person has learnt, 
experienced or felt. Vocabulary knowledge requires not only knowledge of word meaning, but it requires 
the usage of words in the appropriate context and in a natural way.
Vocabulary is developed with age, and serves as a fundamental tool for communication and acquiring 
knowledge. We build vocabulary by picking up words that we read or hear and through direct instruction 
from teachers or other professionals. The more words we know, the more we will be able to understand 
what we hear and read. In turn, the better we will be able to say what we want to while speaking or writing. 
Therefore, it can be said that learning vocabulary is an important part of learning language. 
Why is a rich vocabulary important? 
Vocabulary knowledge is the heart of a language comprehension and use.  
A good vocabulary helps us understand what other people are saying and what we are reading. 
Unfamiliar words become holes in the text, preventing us from completely understanding what we have 
GOALS
3.2
BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE AND REPORTING
read. To comprehend a text successfully we need to have sucient word knowledge. A writer’s message can 
only be understood if the meaning of most of the words used in a text is known by the reader.  So, having a 
large amount of vocabulary knowledge is essential to language comprehension. 
It gives us the ability to articulate clearly what we mean. Vocabulary helps us with language production. 
The more words we know the more precisely we can express the exact meaning we want to. Therefore, we 
have to overcome the lack of vocabulary knowledge in order to communicate eectively. 
Vocabulary knowledge boosts our ability to grasp ideas and think more logically. The greater number of 
words we know, the more we can interpret ideas from others, and express our own ideas.
Having a rich vocabulary helps us communicate in a more engaging way. Relying on one or two words 
to describe an idea will be repetitive and not as persuasive, as relying on a vocabulary of 10-15 similarly 
descriptive terms.
It helps us make a good impression on others. How articulate we are constitutes a big part of the impression 
we make on others.
Which Words to Learn
As we grow older we come across thousands of words. However, not all words have equal importance in our 
lives. Then, how do we decide which words to learn? Since vocabulary knowledge is not something that can 
be fully mastered, we must concentrate on learning words that are of more use to us than others. Here are 
some suggestions: 
•	 Words	that	are	important	to	the	subjects	we	are	studying.
•	 Words	that	we	read	or	hear	repeatedly.	
•	 Words	we	know	we	will	want	to	use	regularly.
Based on this we can say that there are three types of vocabulary words that we need to learn - basic 
vocabulary, high frequency / multiple meaning vocabulary, and subject related vocabulary.  A word’s 
frequency of use, complexity, and meaning determines which type it will fall into.  
Those with mature vocabularies and age-appropriate literacy skills understand and use words from all three 
categories.
Types of Vocabulary
The term ‘vocabulary’ has a wide range of meanings and thus is can be divided in many dierent ways. Word 
knowledge is often divided into the following four types: listening, speaking, reading and writing. 
1.  Listening Vocabulary - This type of vocabulary refers to the words we hear and comprehend. Most 
adults can identify and comprehend almost 50000 words. 
2.  Speaking Vocabulary -  This type of vocabulary refers to the words we speak. We use barely 10000 
words for communication.  The number of words used during speaking is far less than listening. The 
reason behind this is the level of comfort in usage. 
3.  Reading Vocabulary - Reading vocabulary refers to the words we recognise when we read any text. If a 
person is a reader then this type of vocabulary happens to be the second largest vocabulary. Needless 
to say, vocabulary grows with reading. 
4 .  Writing Vocabulary - This type of vocabulary represents those words which we use while writing to 
express ourselves. Our writing vocabulary is intensely aected by the words we can spell. 
Page 3


Learners will be able to- 
1. Provide students with skills and opportunities to learn words independently. 
2. To teach students the meaning of specic words. 
3. Nurture a love and appreciation of words and their use. 
4. To help students build word power and vocabulary for better communication. 
w Learn the meaning of new vocabulary words.
w Use the new words learnt while speaking and writing. 
w Understand words in a variety of contexts from a variety of roots (Greek, Latin, etc).
w Determine word meaning by analyzing the textual content.
w Use their knowledge of a word’s roots to determine its meaning.
3
CHAPTER
VOCABULARY
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
  INTRODUCTION
The term ‘vocabulary’ is dened as ‘the body of words used in a particular language’. It is also called 
‘wordstock’ , ‘lexicon’ , and ‘lexis’ . Vocabulary consists of the words we understand when we hear or read them 
and words we speak or write. However, it is ‘more than words’; it is a measure of all that a person has learnt, 
experienced or felt. Vocabulary knowledge requires not only knowledge of word meaning, but it requires 
the usage of words in the appropriate context and in a natural way.
Vocabulary is developed with age, and serves as a fundamental tool for communication and acquiring 
knowledge. We build vocabulary by picking up words that we read or hear and through direct instruction 
from teachers or other professionals. The more words we know, the more we will be able to understand 
what we hear and read. In turn, the better we will be able to say what we want to while speaking or writing. 
Therefore, it can be said that learning vocabulary is an important part of learning language. 
Why is a rich vocabulary important? 
Vocabulary knowledge is the heart of a language comprehension and use.  
A good vocabulary helps us understand what other people are saying and what we are reading. 
Unfamiliar words become holes in the text, preventing us from completely understanding what we have 
GOALS
3.2
BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE AND REPORTING
read. To comprehend a text successfully we need to have sucient word knowledge. A writer’s message can 
only be understood if the meaning of most of the words used in a text is known by the reader.  So, having a 
large amount of vocabulary knowledge is essential to language comprehension. 
It gives us the ability to articulate clearly what we mean. Vocabulary helps us with language production. 
The more words we know the more precisely we can express the exact meaning we want to. Therefore, we 
have to overcome the lack of vocabulary knowledge in order to communicate eectively. 
Vocabulary knowledge boosts our ability to grasp ideas and think more logically. The greater number of 
words we know, the more we can interpret ideas from others, and express our own ideas.
Having a rich vocabulary helps us communicate in a more engaging way. Relying on one or two words 
to describe an idea will be repetitive and not as persuasive, as relying on a vocabulary of 10-15 similarly 
descriptive terms.
It helps us make a good impression on others. How articulate we are constitutes a big part of the impression 
we make on others.
Which Words to Learn
As we grow older we come across thousands of words. However, not all words have equal importance in our 
lives. Then, how do we decide which words to learn? Since vocabulary knowledge is not something that can 
be fully mastered, we must concentrate on learning words that are of more use to us than others. Here are 
some suggestions: 
•	 Words	that	are	important	to	the	subjects	we	are	studying.
•	 Words	that	we	read	or	hear	repeatedly.	
•	 Words	we	know	we	will	want	to	use	regularly.
Based on this we can say that there are three types of vocabulary words that we need to learn - basic 
vocabulary, high frequency / multiple meaning vocabulary, and subject related vocabulary.  A word’s 
frequency of use, complexity, and meaning determines which type it will fall into.  
Those with mature vocabularies and age-appropriate literacy skills understand and use words from all three 
categories.
Types of Vocabulary
The term ‘vocabulary’ has a wide range of meanings and thus is can be divided in many dierent ways. Word 
knowledge is often divided into the following four types: listening, speaking, reading and writing. 
1.  Listening Vocabulary - This type of vocabulary refers to the words we hear and comprehend. Most 
adults can identify and comprehend almost 50000 words. 
2.  Speaking Vocabulary -  This type of vocabulary refers to the words we speak. We use barely 10000 
words for communication.  The number of words used during speaking is far less than listening. The 
reason behind this is the level of comfort in usage. 
3.  Reading Vocabulary - Reading vocabulary refers to the words we recognise when we read any text. If a 
person is a reader then this type of vocabulary happens to be the second largest vocabulary. Needless 
to say, vocabulary grows with reading. 
4 .  Writing Vocabulary - This type of vocabulary represents those words which we use while writing to 
express ourselves. Our writing vocabulary is intensely aected by the words we can spell. 
3.3
VOCABULARY
These types of vocabulary can further be categorized in two ways. The rst is expressive and receptive 
vocabulary. And the second is oral (or meaning) and written (or literate) vocabulary.  
Depending on how we ‘use’ or ‘understand’ vocabulary, we can categorize word knowledge into expressive 
or receptive vocabulary. The words that we use for ‘speaking’ and ‘writing’ are termed expressive vocabulary 
as these are vocabularies that we use to express our thoughts and feelings.  The words that we need to know 
to understand what we read or listen to are termed as receptive vocabulary and refers to listening and 
reading vocabularies. 
Alternatively, vocabulary can be divided into oral vocabulary and written vocabulary. Speaking and 
listening vocabularies constitute oral vocabulary and reading and writing vocabularies constitute written 
vocabulary. 
Oral  
Vocabulary
Receptive  
Vocabulary 
Expressive  
Vocabulary
Written  
Vocabulary 
Listening Speaking 
Reading Writing
It has been noted that our receptive vocabulary is normally larger than our expressive vocabulary. For 
Example: a child who cannot speak, write or sign can follow quite a number of instructions given in language 
which he or she is used to. 
Eective Ways to Build Vocabulary
Building vocabulary is a powerful way to enhance your life and career. It can be pleasurable and protable 
investment of both your time and eort. If you spend a few minutes a day on a regular basis to study words 
or to attempt vocabulary building exercises, there will surely be a rapid enhancement in your vocabulary 
skills. This in turn will help improve your communication skills.  
Needless to say that you already have an extensive vocabulary, and that with each passing day more words 
will be added to it whether you work on it or not.  However, you need to work consistently and with dedication 
if you desire to enhance the speed of your learning. There are no short cuts or magical ways to improve your 
vocabulary; but the larger your vocabulary bank, the easier it will become for you to make associations and 
links between new words and the vocabulary you already possess; making it easier to remember the word 
and its meaning. Thus, as your vocabulary grows, so will the pace of your learning. 
As you try to learn new words, it will benet you if you are aware of the kinds of vocabulary you will encounter. 
Generally speaking, you will encounter the following types:
Page 4


Learners will be able to- 
1. Provide students with skills and opportunities to learn words independently. 
2. To teach students the meaning of specic words. 
3. Nurture a love and appreciation of words and their use. 
4. To help students build word power and vocabulary for better communication. 
w Learn the meaning of new vocabulary words.
w Use the new words learnt while speaking and writing. 
w Understand words in a variety of contexts from a variety of roots (Greek, Latin, etc).
w Determine word meaning by analyzing the textual content.
w Use their knowledge of a word’s roots to determine its meaning.
3
CHAPTER
VOCABULARY
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
  INTRODUCTION
The term ‘vocabulary’ is dened as ‘the body of words used in a particular language’. It is also called 
‘wordstock’ , ‘lexicon’ , and ‘lexis’ . Vocabulary consists of the words we understand when we hear or read them 
and words we speak or write. However, it is ‘more than words’; it is a measure of all that a person has learnt, 
experienced or felt. Vocabulary knowledge requires not only knowledge of word meaning, but it requires 
the usage of words in the appropriate context and in a natural way.
Vocabulary is developed with age, and serves as a fundamental tool for communication and acquiring 
knowledge. We build vocabulary by picking up words that we read or hear and through direct instruction 
from teachers or other professionals. The more words we know, the more we will be able to understand 
what we hear and read. In turn, the better we will be able to say what we want to while speaking or writing. 
Therefore, it can be said that learning vocabulary is an important part of learning language. 
Why is a rich vocabulary important? 
Vocabulary knowledge is the heart of a language comprehension and use.  
A good vocabulary helps us understand what other people are saying and what we are reading. 
Unfamiliar words become holes in the text, preventing us from completely understanding what we have 
GOALS
3.2
BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE AND REPORTING
read. To comprehend a text successfully we need to have sucient word knowledge. A writer’s message can 
only be understood if the meaning of most of the words used in a text is known by the reader.  So, having a 
large amount of vocabulary knowledge is essential to language comprehension. 
It gives us the ability to articulate clearly what we mean. Vocabulary helps us with language production. 
The more words we know the more precisely we can express the exact meaning we want to. Therefore, we 
have to overcome the lack of vocabulary knowledge in order to communicate eectively. 
Vocabulary knowledge boosts our ability to grasp ideas and think more logically. The greater number of 
words we know, the more we can interpret ideas from others, and express our own ideas.
Having a rich vocabulary helps us communicate in a more engaging way. Relying on one or two words 
to describe an idea will be repetitive and not as persuasive, as relying on a vocabulary of 10-15 similarly 
descriptive terms.
It helps us make a good impression on others. How articulate we are constitutes a big part of the impression 
we make on others.
Which Words to Learn
As we grow older we come across thousands of words. However, not all words have equal importance in our 
lives. Then, how do we decide which words to learn? Since vocabulary knowledge is not something that can 
be fully mastered, we must concentrate on learning words that are of more use to us than others. Here are 
some suggestions: 
•	 Words	that	are	important	to	the	subjects	we	are	studying.
•	 Words	that	we	read	or	hear	repeatedly.	
•	 Words	we	know	we	will	want	to	use	regularly.
Based on this we can say that there are three types of vocabulary words that we need to learn - basic 
vocabulary, high frequency / multiple meaning vocabulary, and subject related vocabulary.  A word’s 
frequency of use, complexity, and meaning determines which type it will fall into.  
Those with mature vocabularies and age-appropriate literacy skills understand and use words from all three 
categories.
Types of Vocabulary
The term ‘vocabulary’ has a wide range of meanings and thus is can be divided in many dierent ways. Word 
knowledge is often divided into the following four types: listening, speaking, reading and writing. 
1.  Listening Vocabulary - This type of vocabulary refers to the words we hear and comprehend. Most 
adults can identify and comprehend almost 50000 words. 
2.  Speaking Vocabulary -  This type of vocabulary refers to the words we speak. We use barely 10000 
words for communication.  The number of words used during speaking is far less than listening. The 
reason behind this is the level of comfort in usage. 
3.  Reading Vocabulary - Reading vocabulary refers to the words we recognise when we read any text. If a 
person is a reader then this type of vocabulary happens to be the second largest vocabulary. Needless 
to say, vocabulary grows with reading. 
4 .  Writing Vocabulary - This type of vocabulary represents those words which we use while writing to 
express ourselves. Our writing vocabulary is intensely aected by the words we can spell. 
3.3
VOCABULARY
These types of vocabulary can further be categorized in two ways. The rst is expressive and receptive 
vocabulary. And the second is oral (or meaning) and written (or literate) vocabulary.  
Depending on how we ‘use’ or ‘understand’ vocabulary, we can categorize word knowledge into expressive 
or receptive vocabulary. The words that we use for ‘speaking’ and ‘writing’ are termed expressive vocabulary 
as these are vocabularies that we use to express our thoughts and feelings.  The words that we need to know 
to understand what we read or listen to are termed as receptive vocabulary and refers to listening and 
reading vocabularies. 
Alternatively, vocabulary can be divided into oral vocabulary and written vocabulary. Speaking and 
listening vocabularies constitute oral vocabulary and reading and writing vocabularies constitute written 
vocabulary. 
Oral  
Vocabulary
Receptive  
Vocabulary 
Expressive  
Vocabulary
Written  
Vocabulary 
Listening Speaking 
Reading Writing
It has been noted that our receptive vocabulary is normally larger than our expressive vocabulary. For 
Example: a child who cannot speak, write or sign can follow quite a number of instructions given in language 
which he or she is used to. 
Eective Ways to Build Vocabulary
Building vocabulary is a powerful way to enhance your life and career. It can be pleasurable and protable 
investment of both your time and eort. If you spend a few minutes a day on a regular basis to study words 
or to attempt vocabulary building exercises, there will surely be a rapid enhancement in your vocabulary 
skills. This in turn will help improve your communication skills.  
Needless to say that you already have an extensive vocabulary, and that with each passing day more words 
will be added to it whether you work on it or not.  However, you need to work consistently and with dedication 
if you desire to enhance the speed of your learning. There are no short cuts or magical ways to improve your 
vocabulary; but the larger your vocabulary bank, the easier it will become for you to make associations and 
links between new words and the vocabulary you already possess; making it easier to remember the word 
and its meaning. Thus, as your vocabulary grows, so will the pace of your learning. 
As you try to learn new words, it will benet you if you are aware of the kinds of vocabulary you will encounter. 
Generally speaking, you will encounter the following types:
3.4
BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE AND REPORTING
1. Synonyms:  words that have similar meanings
2. Foreign Words:  words that have been borrowed from other languages
3. Connotations:  words that invoke an idea or a feeling when read or heard 
4. Antonyms:  words that mean the opposite of other words 
5. Collocations: words that are used together or form xed relationships
6. Idioms: a group of words that have a meaning dierent from their literal meaning  
7. Phrasal Verbs: multi- word verbs 
Here are some points to remember in your quest to boast of a better vocabulary: 
•	 Be aware of words. Do not avoid words that are foreign or new to you. Instead examine them closely. 
Even before you look up the meaning of the word, you should attempt to deduce its meaning from the 
context. Later, you may also check the dictionary meaning of the word to verify whether your deduction 
was correct. Do not be afraid if it slows down your reading initially; eventually, due to your improved 
understanding and vocabulary, it will speed up your learning of other words.   
•	 Read voraciously. Choose books, articles, etc. of your interest and read regularly. Reading is crucial 
for vocabulary enhancement since it helps in nding most of the words that are important for 
comprehension and expression and must be learnt. 
•	 Use a dictionary. The dictionary is an important tool for one who desires to improve vocabulary. 
Whenever you consult a dictionary, you should circle the word you are looking up. You must also 
examine the entire entry about the word.  This is because the word may have more than one meaning. 
Reading all the meanings will help in understanding how to use the word in dierent ways.
•	 Maintain a journal. If you note down all the new words you encounter, you can refer to the list later, 
study the words and slowly include these words in your active vocabulary.  .  
•	 Use new words. The more you use these words in your writing and conversations, the sooner they will 
become a part of your active vocabulary. 
•	 Engage in conversations. Simply engaging in conversations with other people can help you learn and 
discover new words. 
•	 Study new words regularly. Vocabulary building is a simple process. It involves the reviewing of words 
regularly until they are xed in one’s memory. The best way to do this is by xing a specic amount of 
time in our daily schedule for vocabulary study. During this time, you can study new words i.e. look 
up their meanings, nd their synonyms, or even nd their root words. You must also set a goal for the 
number of words you want to learn everyday.  
•	 Go back to the roots. One of the most powerful tools for learning new words and for deciphering their 
meaning is studying their Latin and Greek  roots. Latin and Greek elements (prexes, roots and suxes) 
are a signicant part of the English language and a great tool for learning new words.
•	 Attempt word puzzles and play word games. If you wish to expand your vocabulary, then playing 
board games and attempting word puzzles is will help you achieve your goals. Apart from improving 
your critical thinking skills, they also strengthen your word knowledge. 
Page 5


Learners will be able to- 
1. Provide students with skills and opportunities to learn words independently. 
2. To teach students the meaning of specic words. 
3. Nurture a love and appreciation of words and their use. 
4. To help students build word power and vocabulary for better communication. 
w Learn the meaning of new vocabulary words.
w Use the new words learnt while speaking and writing. 
w Understand words in a variety of contexts from a variety of roots (Greek, Latin, etc).
w Determine word meaning by analyzing the textual content.
w Use their knowledge of a word’s roots to determine its meaning.
3
CHAPTER
VOCABULARY
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
  INTRODUCTION
The term ‘vocabulary’ is dened as ‘the body of words used in a particular language’. It is also called 
‘wordstock’ , ‘lexicon’ , and ‘lexis’ . Vocabulary consists of the words we understand when we hear or read them 
and words we speak or write. However, it is ‘more than words’; it is a measure of all that a person has learnt, 
experienced or felt. Vocabulary knowledge requires not only knowledge of word meaning, but it requires 
the usage of words in the appropriate context and in a natural way.
Vocabulary is developed with age, and serves as a fundamental tool for communication and acquiring 
knowledge. We build vocabulary by picking up words that we read or hear and through direct instruction 
from teachers or other professionals. The more words we know, the more we will be able to understand 
what we hear and read. In turn, the better we will be able to say what we want to while speaking or writing. 
Therefore, it can be said that learning vocabulary is an important part of learning language. 
Why is a rich vocabulary important? 
Vocabulary knowledge is the heart of a language comprehension and use.  
A good vocabulary helps us understand what other people are saying and what we are reading. 
Unfamiliar words become holes in the text, preventing us from completely understanding what we have 
GOALS
3.2
BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE AND REPORTING
read. To comprehend a text successfully we need to have sucient word knowledge. A writer’s message can 
only be understood if the meaning of most of the words used in a text is known by the reader.  So, having a 
large amount of vocabulary knowledge is essential to language comprehension. 
It gives us the ability to articulate clearly what we mean. Vocabulary helps us with language production. 
The more words we know the more precisely we can express the exact meaning we want to. Therefore, we 
have to overcome the lack of vocabulary knowledge in order to communicate eectively. 
Vocabulary knowledge boosts our ability to grasp ideas and think more logically. The greater number of 
words we know, the more we can interpret ideas from others, and express our own ideas.
Having a rich vocabulary helps us communicate in a more engaging way. Relying on one or two words 
to describe an idea will be repetitive and not as persuasive, as relying on a vocabulary of 10-15 similarly 
descriptive terms.
It helps us make a good impression on others. How articulate we are constitutes a big part of the impression 
we make on others.
Which Words to Learn
As we grow older we come across thousands of words. However, not all words have equal importance in our 
lives. Then, how do we decide which words to learn? Since vocabulary knowledge is not something that can 
be fully mastered, we must concentrate on learning words that are of more use to us than others. Here are 
some suggestions: 
•	 Words	that	are	important	to	the	subjects	we	are	studying.
•	 Words	that	we	read	or	hear	repeatedly.	
•	 Words	we	know	we	will	want	to	use	regularly.
Based on this we can say that there are three types of vocabulary words that we need to learn - basic 
vocabulary, high frequency / multiple meaning vocabulary, and subject related vocabulary.  A word’s 
frequency of use, complexity, and meaning determines which type it will fall into.  
Those with mature vocabularies and age-appropriate literacy skills understand and use words from all three 
categories.
Types of Vocabulary
The term ‘vocabulary’ has a wide range of meanings and thus is can be divided in many dierent ways. Word 
knowledge is often divided into the following four types: listening, speaking, reading and writing. 
1.  Listening Vocabulary - This type of vocabulary refers to the words we hear and comprehend. Most 
adults can identify and comprehend almost 50000 words. 
2.  Speaking Vocabulary -  This type of vocabulary refers to the words we speak. We use barely 10000 
words for communication.  The number of words used during speaking is far less than listening. The 
reason behind this is the level of comfort in usage. 
3.  Reading Vocabulary - Reading vocabulary refers to the words we recognise when we read any text. If a 
person is a reader then this type of vocabulary happens to be the second largest vocabulary. Needless 
to say, vocabulary grows with reading. 
4 .  Writing Vocabulary - This type of vocabulary represents those words which we use while writing to 
express ourselves. Our writing vocabulary is intensely aected by the words we can spell. 
3.3
VOCABULARY
These types of vocabulary can further be categorized in two ways. The rst is expressive and receptive 
vocabulary. And the second is oral (or meaning) and written (or literate) vocabulary.  
Depending on how we ‘use’ or ‘understand’ vocabulary, we can categorize word knowledge into expressive 
or receptive vocabulary. The words that we use for ‘speaking’ and ‘writing’ are termed expressive vocabulary 
as these are vocabularies that we use to express our thoughts and feelings.  The words that we need to know 
to understand what we read or listen to are termed as receptive vocabulary and refers to listening and 
reading vocabularies. 
Alternatively, vocabulary can be divided into oral vocabulary and written vocabulary. Speaking and 
listening vocabularies constitute oral vocabulary and reading and writing vocabularies constitute written 
vocabulary. 
Oral  
Vocabulary
Receptive  
Vocabulary 
Expressive  
Vocabulary
Written  
Vocabulary 
Listening Speaking 
Reading Writing
It has been noted that our receptive vocabulary is normally larger than our expressive vocabulary. For 
Example: a child who cannot speak, write or sign can follow quite a number of instructions given in language 
which he or she is used to. 
Eective Ways to Build Vocabulary
Building vocabulary is a powerful way to enhance your life and career. It can be pleasurable and protable 
investment of both your time and eort. If you spend a few minutes a day on a regular basis to study words 
or to attempt vocabulary building exercises, there will surely be a rapid enhancement in your vocabulary 
skills. This in turn will help improve your communication skills.  
Needless to say that you already have an extensive vocabulary, and that with each passing day more words 
will be added to it whether you work on it or not.  However, you need to work consistently and with dedication 
if you desire to enhance the speed of your learning. There are no short cuts or magical ways to improve your 
vocabulary; but the larger your vocabulary bank, the easier it will become for you to make associations and 
links between new words and the vocabulary you already possess; making it easier to remember the word 
and its meaning. Thus, as your vocabulary grows, so will the pace of your learning. 
As you try to learn new words, it will benet you if you are aware of the kinds of vocabulary you will encounter. 
Generally speaking, you will encounter the following types:
3.4
BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE AND REPORTING
1. Synonyms:  words that have similar meanings
2. Foreign Words:  words that have been borrowed from other languages
3. Connotations:  words that invoke an idea or a feeling when read or heard 
4. Antonyms:  words that mean the opposite of other words 
5. Collocations: words that are used together or form xed relationships
6. Idioms: a group of words that have a meaning dierent from their literal meaning  
7. Phrasal Verbs: multi- word verbs 
Here are some points to remember in your quest to boast of a better vocabulary: 
•	 Be aware of words. Do not avoid words that are foreign or new to you. Instead examine them closely. 
Even before you look up the meaning of the word, you should attempt to deduce its meaning from the 
context. Later, you may also check the dictionary meaning of the word to verify whether your deduction 
was correct. Do not be afraid if it slows down your reading initially; eventually, due to your improved 
understanding and vocabulary, it will speed up your learning of other words.   
•	 Read voraciously. Choose books, articles, etc. of your interest and read regularly. Reading is crucial 
for vocabulary enhancement since it helps in nding most of the words that are important for 
comprehension and expression and must be learnt. 
•	 Use a dictionary. The dictionary is an important tool for one who desires to improve vocabulary. 
Whenever you consult a dictionary, you should circle the word you are looking up. You must also 
examine the entire entry about the word.  This is because the word may have more than one meaning. 
Reading all the meanings will help in understanding how to use the word in dierent ways.
•	 Maintain a journal. If you note down all the new words you encounter, you can refer to the list later, 
study the words and slowly include these words in your active vocabulary.  .  
•	 Use new words. The more you use these words in your writing and conversations, the sooner they will 
become a part of your active vocabulary. 
•	 Engage in conversations. Simply engaging in conversations with other people can help you learn and 
discover new words. 
•	 Study new words regularly. Vocabulary building is a simple process. It involves the reviewing of words 
regularly until they are xed in one’s memory. The best way to do this is by xing a specic amount of 
time in our daily schedule for vocabulary study. During this time, you can study new words i.e. look 
up their meanings, nd their synonyms, or even nd their root words. You must also set a goal for the 
number of words you want to learn everyday.  
•	 Go back to the roots. One of the most powerful tools for learning new words and for deciphering their 
meaning is studying their Latin and Greek  roots. Latin and Greek elements (prexes, roots and suxes) 
are a signicant part of the English language and a great tool for learning new words.
•	 Attempt word puzzles and play word games. If you wish to expand your vocabulary, then playing 
board games and attempting word puzzles is will help you achieve your goals. Apart from improving 
your critical thinking skills, they also strengthen your word knowledge. 
3.5
VOCABULARY
 CONNOTATIONS
Connotation is dened as ‘the suggesting of a meaning by a word apart from the thing it explicitly names or 
describes’ . The strict, dictionary denition of a word is called its “denotation,” and the feelings or emotions 
associated with it are described as its “connotations”. Example: Both ‘fat’ and ‘chubby’ have a common 
denotation. Both words mean ‘being overweight’ , however, most people would rather be chubby, because 
“chubby” has more positive connotations and less negative connotations than “fat” does.
Let us examine another example – home and house. Both words have a common denotation- a building / 
place meant for human habitation. However, the word ‘home’ connotes warmth, family, love and aection, 
whereas the word ‘house’ connotes only a structure of cement and concrete meant for inhabitation.  
Importance of connotation
Connotation gives us an indication of the emotions or associations that surround a word. A word’s 
connotations can be either positive or negative and will depend on the context in which it is used, and to 
some degree, on the reader or hearer. Therefore understanding a word’s literal and suggestive meaning is 
of extreme importance to every speaker and writer. On some occasions, you may want to use a word that 
carries a negative connotation on purpose. However, there are times you want to ensure that you do not 
mistakenly use a word that carries a misleading connotation.   
It is of utmost importance that we choose our words with care. The choice of words can change the meaning 
of the sentence signicantly. For example: Describing a woman who is thin as “scrawny” carries a negative 
connotation; whereas describing her as “slender” carries a positive connotation.  
Let us examine connotations a little more closely by studying the groups of words given below:
Group Word Tone/Undertone Meaning /Connotation 
1 Verbose Negative Containing more words than necessary
Eloquent Positive Vividly or movingly expressive 
2 Stench Negative A bad odour or scent 
Aroma Positive A pleasant or savoury smell
3 Cheap Negative A person who hates to spend money.
Thrifty Positive A person who is very careful with money.
4 Young Neutral A person who is of a young age.
Youthful Positive A person who  may not be young, but has all the good 
qualities of youth.
Childish Negative A person who behaves like a child in a negative way.
5 Proud Neutral To have self respect 
Condent Positive To believe in your own abilities 
Conceited Negative To be too proud of your abilities. To view yourself too 
highly.
6 Headstrong Negative Willful and determined; not easily restrained: impatient 
when given advice or suggestions 
Determined Positive Possessing or displaying a rm resolve. 
7 Scrawny Negative Exceptionally thin and meager in body or size. 
Slender Positive Gracefully thin or slight.