Unit 4
Methods for Teaching EFL: Systems
Teaching Vocabulary
Index
Scheme
3
Key Ideas
4
4.1. Vocabulary: methodological considerations
4
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4.2. Lexis: English varieties, American / British
English, formal / informal language
10
4.3. Scaffolding vocabulary learning strategies:
Activities, tasks and resources in the TEFL classroom
16
In Depth
21
Test
25
Prefixes
Suffixes
Reduplicative
Clippings
Conversion
Acronyms
Word-formation
Compound words
Borrowings (from
German, French, etc.)
Cognates (identical words
in English and Spanish)
Vocabulary considerations
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Varieties
Idiolects
Dialects
Black English
Idioms
Hyperboles
Clichés
-
Ellipsis.
Abbreviations.
Active voice.
-
Slang words
-
Informal
language:
-
Informal
language:
Features
Formal/informal
language
Lexis: English varieties, formal/informal language
Teaching vocabulary
Scheme
Methods for Teaching EFL: Systems
Unit 4. Scheme
3
Key Ideas
4.1. Vocabulary: methodological considerations
Considering that English language has hundreds of thousands of words, teaching
English vocabulary is a very interesting project. An average native English speaker
uses only about five thousand words in everyday speech. Students will not need to
use every word they learn; they will only need to recognize some of them. It is
essential to select what to teach to your students in particular, based on frequency
and usefulness according to their needs. Then, the next steps are to consider what
students need to learn about the items and, after, how you can teach those.
First, teachers should make sure that students understand the different elements:
Nouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions and the different
functions they carry out in the sentences. Added to this, English phonemes (as we
will see in units 6 and 7) are very problematic because there is not a direct relation
between spelling and pronunciation. As a response to this, teachers should drill
words with pronunciation problems and highlight stresses. At the same time, words
should be presented first in a written format to clarify pronunciation.
Sometimes English presents an unpredictable grammar pattern as man / men
(irregular plural), information (uncountable noun) or when verbs are followed by
specific prepositions (depend on). Added to this, one word can have different
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connotations, e.g. bachelor is a neutral and positive word and spinster has a negative
meaning.
Words can also be attached to different registers: Formal, informal o neutral e.g.
spectacles, glasses and specs and related to others as with the synonyms, antonyms,
polysemy, compounding, clipping and blending. Related to word formation affixes
(prefixes and suffixes) add a specific meaning to the base of the word.
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Unit 4. Key ideas
4
We will now describe different ways to introduce vocabulary in the classroom:
Cognate
These words have a high similarity in two languages so it eases their spelling and
sometimes pronunciation. We will find some correspondence between English and
Spanish due to the influence of a romance language: French during the XI century.
In the following chart, we can see identical cognates between English and Spanish:
English
Spanish
Accident
Accidente
Action
Acción
Active
Activo
Actual
Actual
Affection
Afecto
Architecture
Arquitectura
Art
Arte
Cabin
Cabina
Carton
Cartón
Chocolate
Chocolate
Deffect
Defecto
Table 1. Identical cognates English and Spanish. Retrieved from:
https://es.slideshare.net/solarteburbano/complete-list-englishspanish-cognates
Borrowings
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Throughout its history, English language has adopted a vast number of words from
other languages, mainly from German and French.
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Unit 4. Key ideas
5
From French
From German
From Yiddish
Croissant
Klutz (clumsy person)
Ballet
Spiel (play)
From Spanish
Cafe (in English it is applied to
an informal restaurant)
Entrepreneur (a person who
Kindergarden
starts a company)
Delicatessen
Faux pas (make a social
Fest (any kind of
Guerrilla
mistake)
celebration)
Macho
Hors d’oeuvre (small
Waltz (a type of
Patio
appetizers)
dance)
Plaza
Rendezvous (a place where
Rucksack (like
Piñata
people plan to meet)
backpack)
Siesta
Table 2. Borrowings from other languages.
When students advance in the learning process, they will continue to create their
own words. One technique is identifying the words that derive from other words to
activate their prior knowledge. We can also introduce word-formation from given
words like:
Compound words

Derived from nouns:
Popcorn
Sunbathe

Derived from adjectives:
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Reality
Peaceful
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Unit 4. Key ideas
6
Word formation
Prefixes and suffixes are of great help for this process of word formation. Due to
Germanic influence many prefixes and suffixes can be found in English to change the
grammar category of the word, add negation or a feminine form.
Suffixes

Add negation:
• Un: unhappy
• Im: impossible
• A/An: amoral, asexual
• Dis: disorganize
• Ir: irresponsible
• Il: illegal
• In: incomplete

Add reversive meaning:
• De: defrost
• Dis: disobey
• Un: undo

Add degree or size:
• Hyper: hyperactive
• Out: outgoing
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• Under: underground
• Over: overweight

Add time or place:
• Post: postwar
• Pre: Pre-school
• Ex: Ex–president
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Unit 4. Key ideas
7
• Sub: subway
We will now analyze different types of suffixes. Those which combine with noun
bases are called denominal nouns. They can add a specific meaning about the
gender, size…



-eer: skilled in something, e.g. engineer.
-ess: feminine, waitress.
-er: which has a dominant feature, teenager.
Deverbal nouns occur when the suffixes combine with the verb bases to produce
abstract nouns as in the examples below:



-age: “action of” coverage.
-al “result of” refusal.
-ation: “the process of state of” organization.
The most frequent suffixes that can be found in English are adjective suffixes.
Denominal suffixes have the function of forming adjectives from nouns.




-ed: “having” Green-eyed.
-ful: “providing” useful.
-less: “without” careless.
-ly: “having the qualities of” friendly.
Conversion
Another derivational process where an item is transformed into another word class
without adding an affix is conversion.
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
Conversion to noun:
To desire - desire.
To love - love.
To cover - cover.
To answer - answer.
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Unit 4. Key ideas
8

Conversion to verb:
Bottle - to bottle.
Skin - to skin.
Ship - to ship.
Mail - to mail.

Conversion to noun: When the noun occurs both in the predicative and in the
attributive position.
A brick house- The house is made of brick.
Other word formation processes are:
Reduplicatives
When one or two constituents are identical, or almost the same, they are repeated
for emphasis.
Sometimes the difference between the two constituents are the initial consonants:
Criss cross
Others imitate sounds:
Bow-wow (of a dog)
Suggest alternating movements:
Flip flop
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Abbreviations
There are three types of abbreviations in English:

Clipping: Words are normally shortened to make one syllable.
Exam for examination
Flu for influenza
Phone for telephone
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Unit 4. Key ideas
9

Acronyms: New words are created from initial letters. There are two types of
acronyms:
Pronounced as sequences of letters also known as alphabetisms, e.g. UFO
(Unidentified Flying Object), UN (United Nations).
Pronounced as a word radar (radio detecting and ranging).

Blendings: Compounds are made by blending one word with another.
Smog = smoke + fog
Heliport = helicopter + airport
Criteria to select the vocabulary taught in class

Students’ needs should be taken into account as they advance in the learning
process regarding their level, age, motivation, interest and hobbies.

Items introduced in the classroom should be frequently used otherwise students
will not be able to put them into practice in day-to-day conversation.

Similarities between the words of both languages as cognates.

Work more on productive than on receptive skills through repetition, engaging
and motivating tasks.
4.2. Lexis: English varieties, American / British
English, formal / informal language
It is often thought that a singular noun “Spanish”, “French” or “English” refers to
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single undivided whole but in fact languages exist as a collection of forms coexisting,
also known as varieties. There are varieties of one and the same language as British
and American English are varieties of English. Independently of the number of
varieties the number will reflect the speakers who use it and how they are
geographically spread. In the past, people lived in the same community ignoring there
Methods for Teaching EFL: Systems
Unit 4. Key ideas
10
could be other varieties of the language but currently when British travel to the U.S.
they find a gap between the English they were taught and the English they find.
In the following table we can see different words used in American English and British
English:
American English
British English
Account
Bill
Airplane
Aeroplane
Apartment
Flat
Bill
Banknote
Cab
Taxi
Can
Tin
Candy
Sweets
Closet
Wardrobe
Downtown
Center
Drugstore
Chemist
Elevator
Lift
Fall
Autumn
Freeway
Motorway
Garbage
Rubbish
Gas
Petrol
Pants
Trousers
Purse
Handbag
Railroad
Railway
Rest room
Toilet
Sales clerk
Shop assistant
Vacation
Holiday
Zero
Nought
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Table 3. American Vs British English.
We can also find different spellings between both varieties as in the examples below:
Methods for Teaching EFL: Systems
Unit 4. Key ideas
11
American English
British English
Analyze
Analyse
Center
Centre
Color
Colour
Defense
Defence
Traveler
Traveller
Table 4. American Vs British English.
In addition, some grammatical features vary depending on the dialect, as in the
following cases:
She just went out (AE) = She has just gone out (BE)
Hello, is this your brother? (AE) = Hello, is that your brother? (BE)
Do you have a car? (AE) = Have you got a car? (BE)
We now analyze the reasons why there are different varieties of a language:

Language is a form of human social behavior therefore different communities
display differences of behavior.

There is a great variety of speakers of that language so it will vary enormously in
the extent of their vocabulary.
One group of varieties is known as dialects, which are a subdivision of a language
used by a group of speakers. The most common shared feature is a regional one:
People who live in the same place tend to speak alike. As a subdivision, we find
situational dialects where language is used for that particular occasion. As a third
category we find idiolects, which are shared by large numbers of people but have no
features in common. This is sometimes related to the register as the use of slang,
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euphemisms or a matter of personal preference.
Black English has been spoken in the United States for more than 100 years and has
been labeled as a dialect because it has identifiable grammar and vocabulary features
also linked to a particular accent. Black English is a distinctive of Afro-American
culture reflecting the reality of the slaves escaping from bondage in the south. This
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Unit 4. Key ideas
12
dialect has become the major cultural possession for the entire black community
being the mother tongue of millions of Americans. We will now see some features of
Black English:

Phonological simplification. Consonant clusters are simplified, dropping the final
consonant as in the following examples, dess instead of desk or massa instead of
master.

Aspectual distinction. African American English distinguishes between an
immediate perfective (I done go= I have gone) and a remote perfective aspect (I
been go= I had gone).

Elimination of redundancy. This is clearly found in verbs: the third person of the
present simple tense is eliminated, e.g. he like for he likes. The same happens in
the past tense where the –ed ending is generally omitted.

Multiple negation. It is a feature of old English and it refers to two or more
negative particles are used to emphasize negation. E.g. He don’t know nothing.
We will now quote the view of a well-known African American novelist Toni
Morrison. “The language, only the language… it is the thing that black people love
so much; the saying of words, holding them on the tongue, experimenting with
them, playing with them. It’s a love, a passion. Its function is like a preacher’s: to
make you stand out of your seat, make you lose yourself and ear yourself. The
worst of all possible things that could happen is to lose that language.”
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The mastery of the language is also reflected in the use of different registers
depending on the situation. Informal language is more likely to happen when we
speak and we are in a familiar environment whereas formal language is more
frequent in a written context. The majority of times neither formal nor informal
registers are used but a standard so words are not attached to a particular situation.
The difference between formal and informal registers depends mainly on the
situation and the level of formality required.
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Unit 4. Key ideas
13
We can identify the informal register because it accomplish some of these features:

Use of abbreviations.

Ellipsis.

The use of the first person.

Shorter sentences.
In the following examples we can see the differences between formal and informal
language.
Formal language
Informal language
They have been working all day.
Many different dishes were
They’ve been working all day.
ordered for the guests. (Passive
We ordered many different dishes for
voice)
the guests. (Active voice)
It is known that people who work
Everybody knows that people who work
hard are more stressed.
hard are more stressed.
The man whom I spoke to
The man I spoke to yesterday was really
yesterday was really kind.
kind.
Table 5. Examples of formal and informal language.
We will now see some examples of words that vary between both registers.
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Formal language
Informal language
In addition
And
Ask
Request
Anyone
Anybody
However
But
Finish
End
Increase
Go up
Obtain
Get
Reserve
Book
Request
Need
Receive
Get
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Unit 4. Key ideas
14
Contact
Get in touch with
Purchase
Buy
Call
Ring up
In the end
Finally
Preserve
Keep
Table 6. Informal and formal words.
Other examples of informal language are:

Use of abbreviations.

Slang words.

Idioms.

Hyperboles.

Clichés.
Slang is a common way to speak or write in a particular area or region. Some
examples of slang are:
OMG: Oh My God
Ok/ Okay
Cool
Awesome
Idioms are phrases that cannot be literally translated but, if mastered, they will enrich
your English vocabulary. We will now see some of the most common idioms in English
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and their meaning.
This costs an arm and a leg. (Very expensive)
A piece of cake. (Referring to something really easy)
I am feeling under the weather. (Not feeling very well.)
To hit the nail on the head. (Describe exactly what is causing the problem of a
situation.)
You can’t judge the book by its cover. (Not judging a person just for the
appearance.)
Once in a blue moon. (Something that happens unfrequently.)
Speak of the devil. (This refers to the person you were just talking about.)
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Unit 4. Key ideas
15
Hyperboles are used when we want to exaggerate what we mean or emphasize a
point. They can either improve or worsen a situation but cannot be translated
literally. We will now see some examples:
He runs as fast as the wind.
This suitcase weighs a ton.
I am so hungry I could eat a horse.
This is definitely the worst day of my life.
He is my guardian angel.
His brain is as big as a pea.
To finish, clichés are very commonly used expressions that speakers are unaware of
using them. They are often idioms, a figurative phrase that has an implied meaning
rather than literal. Some common clichés are:
Let’s face it.
To be honest. (This is one of the most commonly used expressions in English.)
Every cloud has a silver lining. (Expressing that everything bad has something
positive.)
A matter of time.
All is well that ends well.
Play your cards right.
Better late than never.
4.3. Scaffolding vocabulary learning strategies:
Activities, tasks and resources in the TEFL
classroom
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The following lesson plan is for secondary students or adults with an intermediate
plus level of English to learn new words through word formation.
Activity 1: This activity focuses on oral skills through the interaction between the
teacher and the students (Estimated time: 10 min.)
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Unit 4. Key ideas
16
The teacher gives students a list of words and they have to guess the family tree
they belong to.
Fearful
Festive
Joyous
Sympathetic
Students should guess they belong to Pleasant and unpleasant feelings.
Activity 2: Academy. This activity is useful to improve writing and grammar skills.
(Estimated time: 15 min.) Retrieved from:
https://www.usingenglish.com/files/pdf/word-formation-list-dictation-game.pdf
Make variations on the words below, e.g. other parts of speech. Each must be
one word (not compound nouns, etc. split into two words) and be at least
slightly different from the words given. Even small changes are fine.
Assist
Attend
Certify
Doctor
Enter
Activity 3: Do a dictation and ask students to find the greatest number of suffixes.
The pair who finds more suffixes is the winner. This activity will foster listening,
writing and pair work. (Estimated time: 15 min.)
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Dictation
My best friend was feeling sick so she had to take antibiotics some days after
she had a supplementary medicine because she was not recovering. One month
after she was still at home so she was a bit antisocial and she had to take
antidepressants. All the friends were really considerate, compassionate and
supportive. With this great help she quickly recovered.
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Unit 4. Key ideas
17
The teacher will write on the board:
Suffixes
Prefixes
1234-
And the students will fill the columns with the greatest amount of words.
Activity 4: See two dialogues where formal and informal language is used
respectively. This activity will help them to foster reading, vocabulary and speaking.
Retrieved from: http://www.manythings.org/elllo/57.html
The Anniversary
Jessica: So Ashley, what are you going to do this summer?
Ashley: I am really excited. This summer I'm going to my grandparents' 50th wedding
anniversary. We are having a huge party and I'm really excited. My entire family is
going to be there. They're renting a house in Lake Tahoe, which is where my mom
grew up, and where my grandparents spent the majority of their life together. We'll
be there for a week, on the lake, boating, jet skiing, that whole thing, and then this
Saturday we're having a party with people I've never even met. Everyone's gonna be
there. I'm really excited.
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Jessica: Oh, that's wonderful. So how many of your family member will be there?
Ashley: Oh, gosh, I have no idea. Every time I speak to my mother I hear somebody
new who has been invited and somebody else is going to be there. I'm really excited.
It's going to be a lot of fun. My grandparents are crazy. They actually got engaged a
month after they met, and February, the shortest month of the year. My grandfather
told my grandmother he loved her a week after they met, and then he proposed and
Methods for Teaching EFL: Systems
Unit 4. Key ideas
18
then he was in service so he went away until August. They didn't see each other until
they got married. Yeah, my grandmother says, "If any of you kids do this, we'll kill
you. I can't believe 50 years later they're still together.
Hotel reservation
-Good evening, may I speak to the hotel manager please?
-Speaking, how can I help you?
-Hello, I would like to book two rooms for four nights from next Monday please.
-No problem, would you like double beds or single beds?
-Singles are fine, thank you. Is breakfast included in the price?
-Yes, it is. That will be £100 altogether. How would you like to pay?
-I will pay when we arrive.
-Many thanks for your help.
-No problem.
-See you next week.
-Goodbye. Goodbye!
Retrieved from:
http://xtec.gencat.cat/web/.content/alfresco/d/d/workspace/SpacesStore/0076/b5
33b1b4-58ad-49da-9cd92db30a7464dc/material_escolalafalguera_oral_angles_1213.pdf
In both cases, the students will have to guess which on is the formal dialogue and
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which one is the informal one.
Then the teacher will ask them to write down formal and informal features from the
dialogue and put examples of every register. If the level of the students is higher you
can ask them to adapt both dialogues to a standard register.
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Unit 4. Key ideas
19
To finish, a small box, i.e. a shoebox, can be used as a vocabulary box. You will also
need some small blank pieces of paper. At the end of every lesson either the teacher
or the students should write words related to that topic on the blank pieces of paper.
If students have a higher level, they could even write a definition.
For example, “something that you use to water the plants and flowers.” Every week,
to revise and consolidate vocabulary, you could ask students to pick up words from
the box at random and give a definition. Once students know all the words from the
cards you can ask them to guess in groups or pairs whether it is a noun, an adjective,
a verb… To make it more active, especially at early stages, the teacher can place the
different cards according to their grammar category in every corner and the team
who gets first to that specific grammar category is the winner. This will make the
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activity more challenging and fun.
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Unit 4. Key ideas
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In Depth
Cognates Spanish vs English
Spanish Cognates. Official website. http://spanishcognates.org/
This website is very useful to see all the cognates from Spanish into English in
alphabetic order. Through this tool students will see the spelling and pronunciation
of both words and how many English words they already know through their mother
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tongue.
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Unit 4. In Depth
21
African-American Vernacular English: Language, Dialect or stigmatized English?
Polyglot Conference. (2016, August 12). African-American Vernacular English: Language,
Dialect
or
stigmatized
English?
[Archive
file].
Retrieved
from:
https://youtu.be/btSxzfB_98M
This resource is very useful for teachers, administrators, exam creators and students
to understand the linguistic policy set by the CEFR: the competences, language use
and user, task and their role of language teaching, linguistic diversification, the
curriculum and assessment.
Language, Dialect and Register in a Sociolinguistic Perspective
Budiarsa, M. (2015). Language, Dialect and Register in a Sociolinguistic Perspective.
Retorika:
Jurnal
Ilmu
Bahasa
1(2),
379-387.
Retrieved
from:
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http://ejournal.warmadewa.ac.id/index.php/jret/article/view/42/42
This resource is very useful for teachers to understand from a sociolinguistic
perspective the importance of teaching the difference between registers, dialects
and language and how we can teach them in a useful way.
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Unit 4. In Depth
22
Bibliography
Brewster, J., Ellis, G. and Girard, D. (2002). The Primary English Teacher’s Guide (New
Edition). Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.
Cameron, L. (2001). Teaching Languages to Young Learners. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
Council of Europe. (2001). Common European framework of references for languages:
learning, teaching, assessment. Strasbourg: Language Policy Unit. Retrieved from:
https://rm.coe.int/16802fc1bf
Fisher, R. (2005). Teaching Children to Learn. Cheltenham: Stanley Thornes.
Gardner, D. & Miller, L. (1999). Establishing self-access. From theory to practice.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Holec, H. (1988). Autonomy and self-directed learning: Present fields of application.
Strasbourg: Council of Europe.
Lightbown, P. and Spada, N. (2006) How Languages are Learned, (3rd. ed.). Oxford:
Oxford University Press.
Maybin, J., Mercer, N. and Stierer, B. (1992). Scaffolding learning in the classroom. In
K. Norman (Ed.), Thinking voices: The work of the National Oracy Project (pp. 186–
© Universidad Internacional de La Rioja (UNIR)
195). Sevenoaks, Kent: Hodder & Stoughton.
Nunan, D. (2000). Language Teaching Methodology. Oxford: Phoenix.
Wood, D., Bruner, J. and Ross, G. (1976). The role of tutoring in problem solving.
Journal of Child Psychology and Child Psychiatry, 17, 89−100.
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Unit 4. In Depth
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Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological
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processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
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Unit 4. In Depth
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Test
1. The sentence “My brother is stronger than iron”:
A. Hyperbole.
B. Slang expression.
C. Idiom.
2. The following words easy dizzy are:
A. Idioms.
B. Reduplicatives.
C. Modisms.
3. The sentence “She is the neighbour, whom I taught English to for a whole year”
would be part of a………………………register.
A. Neutral.
B. Informal.
C. Formal.
4. The word Awesome is:
A. Slang.
B. Clipping.
C. Hyperbole.
5. The sentence “He don’t know nothing” is a:
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A. Informal register of Standard English.
B. Variety of English called Black English.
C. None of the previous answers is correct.
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Unit 4. Test
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6. The word NGO that stands for Non-Governmental Organization is:
A. An alphabetism.
B. Blending.
C. An abbreviation.
7. Analyze has this spelling in:
A. British English.
B. American English.
C. None of the previous answers is correct.
8. The word heliport is a:
A. Blending.
B. Acronym.
C. Slang.
9. The word bottle is a conversion from a verb into a noun. This statement is:
A. True.
B. False.
10. Many words in English come from the following languages:
A. French, German, Portuguese and Polish.
B. French, German, Yiddish and Spanish.
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C. French, German, Italian, Yiddish and Spanish.
Methods for Teaching EFL: Systems
Unit 4. Test
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