VOCABULARY AND WORD FINDING
11-19 years
WHAT IS VOCABULARY AND WORD FINDING?
Vocabulary is the brain’s “store” of words and their meanings.
Expressive vocabulary – the words the student uses.
Receptive vocabulary – the words the student understands. A student can have a word in
their receptive vocabulary, and understand it when it is used, but not be able to use that word
in their own sentences yet.
Word finding - is our ability to access the words from our vocabulary. This may be to either
understand the word or to use the word in a meaningful way.
Word finding difficulties – can be receptive and/or expressive. Receptive word finding
difficulties are when a student cannot access a word in their mental vocabulary to understand it
(despite understanding it at other times) Expressive word finding difficulties are when a student
cannot access a word in their mental vocabulary to say it, even though they may have used
the word without difficulty in the past. We all experience word finding difficulties when we feel
we have a word on ‘the tip of our tongue’ but some students experience this frequently.
WHY DO STUDENTS HAVE DIFFICULTIES WITH VOCABULARY AND WORD FINDING?
Children need to hear a word in a variety of situations in order for it to become part of their
vocabulary. Some children need more exposure to a word before it becomes part of their
receptive or expressive vocabulary. If a child has not been exposed to a wide range of words
as a young child, they may have a limited vocabulary. Students with specific language
impairments may also have more severe word finding difficulties.
HOW DO I KNOW IF A STUDENT HAS DIFFICULTIES WITH VOCABULARY AND WORD
FINDING?
If a student has difficulties with vocabulary they may exhibit one or more of the following
behaviours:
 Show signs of limited vocabulary development and take longer than their peers to learn
new words.
 Show signs of a lack of understanding of a particular subject or topic.
 Find it harder to recognise words and show a limited use of new vocabulary in relation to
their peers, both verbally and in written format.
 Use very simple words/repetitive use of words in their written work.
 Find it difficult to understand a passage of text that includes a range of written vocabulary.
 Be very slow to provide a response or give no answer at all.
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 Give an answer very quickly, but this response is usually wrong.
 Use non-specific nouns such as ‘thing / stuff’ or general verbs such as ‘make / do’.
 Say phrases such as ‘I don’t know what that is’ or ”What is that?”
If a student has difficulties with word finding they may exhibit one or more of the following
behaviours:
o A student with a receptive word finding difficulty (understanding) may fail to recognise
spoken words that you know they have been exposed to and have some knowledge in their
vocabulary.
 For example: If you ask a student to – “pass me the tripod”, students may display
uncertainty or error when selecting the object.
 This situation is likely to cause increased anxiety and may result in the student
showing a lack of interest within the classroom.
o Have difficulties retrieving the words from their vocabulary - either to understand or express
the word, or both.
o Difficulty saying new vocabulary and they may mix up sounds and/or syllables.
o Seek clarification of words (spoken or written) that you know is in their vocabulary.
o Be very slow to provide a response or give no answer at all.
o Give a word that is related by meaning (semantic – e.g. ‘hammer’ instead of ‘screwdriver’)
or sounds (phonemic – e.g. ‘knot’ instead of ‘knob’) or visual information (e.g. ‘snake’
instead of ‘rope.’)
o Give the correct answer minutes or even hours later.
o Talk around the target word, e.g. test tube = “It’s long, this and made of glass.”
o Use non-specific nouns such as ‘thing / stuff’ or general verbs such as ‘make / do.’
o Use gestures that indicate they are searching for the answer.
o Say phrases such as ‘I know it, but I can’t remember it.’
o Revise what they say or have long delays in the middle of their sentence.
Word finding difficulties may also affect a student’s writing skills:
 Their writing may show omission of words or they may substitute a target word for one
similar in meaning or sound.
 May be able to provide the correct answer when given the first sound of the word or when
given a range of alternative words from which to choose.
HOW DOES THIS IMPACT ON STUDENTS WITHIN THE SCHOOL SETTING?
The Secondary School curriculum increases the demands on students to acquire and recall
new vocabulary. This new vocabulary is mostly subject based. Some of these new words
may have alternative meanings depending on the context in which they are used.
e.g. : ‘solution’ has a different meaning in science vs problem solving.
All subjects require students to learn new words, with some subjects having higher
expectations, for example the three sciences. Other subjects also place emphasis on
vocabulary within a more social context where students are required to express their thoughts
and feelings in various different ways, for example, English Literature and English Language.
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