What can you say about vocabulary? A rich vocabulary is the key to success

The fact that the language's dictionary contains approximately 300 thousand words is only of theoretical interest for a beginner learning this language. Perhaps the main principle for the reasonable organization of your studies, especially at the initial stage, is the economy of words. You need to learn to memorize as few words as possible, but do it as best as possible.

Let us emphasize that our approach is directly opposite to the guiding principle of “suggestopedia”, with its emphasis on the abundance of words presented to the student. As you know, in accordance with its canons, a beginner needs to be literally “showered with words.” It is best to give him or her 200 new words every day.

Is there any doubt that any normal person will forget all those numerous words with which he was “showered” using this, so to speak, method - and most likely very soon, in just a few days.

Don't chase too much

It will be much better if at the end of a certain stage of study you know 500 or 1000 words very well than 3000 - but poorly. Don’t let yourself be led into a dead end by teachers who will assure you that you need to first learn a certain number of words in order to “get into the swing of things.” Only you yourself can and must decide whether the vocabulary you have mastered is sufficient for your goals and interests.

Language learning experience shows that about 400 well-chosen words can cover up to 90 percent of the vocabulary you need for everyday communication purposes. In order to read, you will need more words, but many of them are only passive. Therefore, with knowledge of 1500 words, you can already understand fairly meaningful texts.

It is better to master the words that are most necessary and important to you than to constantly rush to learn new ones. “He who pursues too much risks missing everything,” says a Swedish proverb. “If you chase two hares, you won’t catch either,” the Russian proverb answers.

Vocabulary in oral speech

Very roughly speaking, about 40 well-chosen, high-frequency words will cover about 50% of word usage in everyday speech in any language;

200 words will cover about 80%;
300 words - approximately 85%;
400 words will cover about 90%;
Well, 800-1000 words are about 95% of what would need to be said or heard in the most ordinary situation.

Thus, the right vocabulary helps you understand quite a lot with very little effort spent on cramming.

Example: if a total of 1000 words are spoken in an everyday conversation, then 500 of them, that is, 50%, will be covered by the 40 most common high-frequency words.

We emphasize that these percentages, of course, are not the result of exact calculations. They simply give the most general idea of how many words it will take to feel confident when entering into a simple dialogue with a native speaker. In any case, there is no doubt that by correctly choosing from 400 to 800 words and remembering them well, you can feel confident in a simple conversation, since they will cover almost 100% of those words that you cannot do without. Of course, under other, less favorable conditions, 400 words will cover only 80% of what you need to know - instead of 90 or 100%.

Reading vocabulary

When reading, having correctly chosen and well remembered about 80 of the most common, most frequent words, you will understand about 50% of a simple text;

200 words will cover approximately 60%;
300 words - 65%;
400 words - 70%;
800 words - approximately 80%;
1500 - 2000 words - about 90%;
3000 - 4000 - 95%;
and 8,000 words will cover almost 99 percent of the written text.

Example: if you have a text in front of you with a volume of approximately 10 thousand words (this is approximately 40 printed pages), then, having learned the most necessary 400 words in advance, you will understand about 7000 words that are used in this text.

Let us note again that the figures we give are only indicative. Depending on various additional conditions, 50 words will cover up to 50 percent of the written text, but in other cases you will need to learn at least 150 words to get the same result.

Vocabulary: from 400 to 100,000 words

400 - 500 words - active vocabulary for language proficiency at a basic (threshold) level.
800 - 1000 words - active vocabulary in order to explain yourself; or passive reading vocabulary at a basic level.
1500 - 2000 words - active vocabulary, which is quite enough to ensure everyday communication throughout the day; or passive vocabulary sufficient for confident reading.
3000 - 4000 words - in general, enough for almost fluent reading of newspapers or literature in the specialty.
About 8,000 words - provide complete communication for the average European. There is practically no need to know more words in order to communicate freely both orally and in writing, as well as read literature of any kind.
10,000-20,000 words - the active vocabulary of an educated European (in their native language).
50,000-100,000 words - the passive vocabulary of an educated European (in their native language).

It should be noted that vocabulary alone does not ensure free communication. At the same time, having mastered 1,500 correctly chosen words, with some additional training, you will be able to communicate almost freely.

As for professional terms, they usually do not present any particular difficulties, since in most cases this is an international vocabulary that is quite easy to master.

When you already know about 1500 words, you can start reading at a fairly decent level. With passive knowledge of 3,000 to 4,000 words, you will be fluent in reading literature in your specialty, at least in those areas where you are confident. In conclusion, we note that, according to calculations carried out by linguists based on a number of languages, the average educated European actively uses about 20,000 words (and half of them are quite rare). In this case, the passive vocabulary is at least 50,000 words. But all this concerns the native language.

Basic vocabulary

In the pedagogical literature you can find the terminological combination “basic vocabulary”. From my point of view, at the maximum level the vocabulary is about 8000 words. It seems to me that it is hardly necessary to learn more words, except perhaps for some special purposes. Eight thousand words will be enough for full communication in any conditions.

When starting to learn a language, it would be wise to make do with shorter lists. Here are three levels that I have found in practice to provide a good guide for a beginner:

level A("basic vocabulary"):

400-500 words. They are enough to cover approximately 90% of all word usage in everyday oral communication or about 70% of simple written text;

level B(“minimum vocabulary”, “mini-level”):

800-1000 words. They are enough to cover approximately 95% of all word usage in everyday oral communication or about 80-85% of written text;

level B("average vocabulary", "medium level"):

1500-2000 words. They are enough to cover approximately 95-100% of all word usage in everyday oral communication or about 90% of written text.

An example of a good dictionary of basic vocabulary can be considered the dictionary published by E. Klett in Stuttgart, 1971, under the title "Grundwortschatz Deutsch" ("Basic vocabulary of the German language"). It contains 2,000 of the most essential words in each of a selected six languages: German, English, French, Spanish, Italian and Russian.

Eric W. Gunnemark, Swedish polyglot

- this is not a myth. At the time when I was at school, I didn’t know why we needed such subjects as Russian literature. I was not interested in the classic books of Pushnikin, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky and other Russian classics. To the same extent, such subjects as philosophy, rhetoric, and the Tatar language were incomprehensible to me (I live in Tatarstan). And only when you become an adult do you understand that such things as a rich vocabulary are very important for achieving success in life and play, if not the role of the main factor in victories, but this is another contribution of your parents to your future competitiveness. When we become adults, we are willing to pay a lot of money to learn what we were taught in school for free.

Lexicon Shakespeare according to philologists it was 12 thousand words. In order to communicate more or less fluently in English, you need to know and understand about 1000 words in the lexicon and know some set expressions and constructions. But this vocabulary will clearly not be enough to express yourself freely and have a rich speech.

You need to improve your vocabulary

To express your thoughts well, you need to have a serious vocabulary. Many experts agree on this. It often happens that a successful person performs well in business, but at a business meeting he cannot speak even a few words. How to improve your vocabulary? There are different ways. Many people advise reading more diverse literature, and thereby you indirectly improve your vocabulary, literacy and the quality of your oral speech.

By the way , know a lot of interesting words and speak beautifully- this is not the same thing. Your vocabulary should be supplemented by a broad outlook and knowledge, beautiful speech, and expressiveness. Here it is worth paying attention to such a thing as rhetoric. They teach you to speak beautifully. Try listening to other people, and also try speaking in public yourself. The quality of your speech will improve very quickly.

Having a rich vocabulary - you will become a stronger negotiator. This is a real business skill that exploits philology for capitalist purposes. You really will easier, when you finally learn to string together at least a few words, and not speak in broken sentences.

Ways to improve your vocabulary

3. Read the specialized and fiction, as well as popular science books. It wouldn't hurt to study something from the non-fiction series.

Inset: non fiction - nonfiction is a special genre of documentary literature, where the presentation is based on real events. Documentary prose. The amount of fiction in this genre is small and is only needed to give more vividness to the presentation. The style of presentation is journalistic. The story is told from the words of eyewitnesses, based on real documents. Documentary prose also reveals the subjective view of the author, which may not coincide with the generally accepted point of view.

4. Watch cultural St. Petersburg authors on YouTube. In general, it is true that in cities like St. Petersburg human capital is more developed, and therefore speech is more developed. I watch Konstantin Zarutsky, a famous car video blogger, and it turns out that familiar words can be used in very interesting formats. I recommend.

5. Each new word - type it into Google and look, what does it mean. This will help in vocabulary development. For example, I just learned what nonfiction is and became the owner of a slightly richer speech.

6. They say that you can improve your vocabulary by writing your articles or by listening audiobooks. Useful for those who have a long commute to work. The player is in your ears. I think that going to graduate school, starting to write a dissertation, or at least studying for several years at a good university will greatly expand your vocabulary.

7. Learning foreign languages also greatly expands your ability to speak beautifully, for example, using borrowings.

8. Use new phrases, words and sayings in speech. It is useful to study poetry.

Bottom line rich vocabulary is of great importance for a person and his success. This is an indicator of the intellectual and social level of your personality and your professionalism.

Job source: Solution 3640. Unified State Exam 2017. Russian language. I.P. Tsybulko. 36 options.

Task 5. One of the sentences below uses the highlighted word incorrectly. Correct the lexical error by choosing a paronym for the highlighted word. Write down the chosen word.

Only a few years later the scientist managed to PRESENT convincing facts to the scientific community confirming his discovery.

After completing the mandatory program, the gymnast took the STARTING position.

A rich VOCABULARY is an indicator of a person’s intellectual development.

The first MENTION of Smolensk in written sources dates back to 863.

The dancer was dressed in a bright shirt, silk trousers and patent leather boots.

Solution.

Let's determine the lexical meaning (meaning) of the highlighted words.

Only a few years later the scientist managed to PRESENT (show, demonstrate) convincing facts confirming his discovery to the scientific community.

After completing the mandatory program, the gymnast took the ORIGINAL (starting) position.

The first MENTION (words relating to someone, said not specifically, but in passing) about Smolensk in written sources dates back to 863.

The dancer was dressed in a bright shirt, silk trousers and LACQUER (varnished) boots.

Let's find the word that is used incorrectly.

A rich VOCABULARY (oral) reserve is an indicator of a person’s intellectual development.

Let's remember the paronym word.

Dictionary - pertaining to a dictionary or the work of making dictionaries.

Examination. Remember the paronyms for all the highlighted words in the task. When substituting these paronyms, did the sentences lose their meaning? If yes, then the answer is correct.

Only a few years later the scientist managed to PROVIDE (give the opportunity to use or own something) the scientific community with convincing facts confirming his discovery.

After completing the mandatory program, the gymnast took the OUT (document flow term) position.

« Lexicon William Shakespeare, according to researchers, is 12,000 words. The vocabulary of a black man from the cannibal tribe “Mumbo-Yumbo” is 300 words. Ellochka Shchukina easily and freely made do with thirty...”

Do you lack words to properly express your thoughts? If you are faced with the question “?”, this article will be useful to you.

In the modern world, beautiful and rich speech speaks of culture and good education. Rich Russian vocabulary indicates the level of intellectual development of a person. Society perceives a person with a rich vocabulary as an intelligent and creative person. People with a rich vocabulary get jobs faster, move up the career ladder more successfully, and are generally listened to more often and more attentively. The more human vocabulary, the higher the likelihood that he will succeed in life.

The following recommendations will help you expand your Russian vocabulary:

Methods, methods and techniques for increasing vocabulary

Think about which of the banal, hackneyed, hackneyed words and expressions you are used to using every day in standard communication situations. Write them down on a piece of paper. Have you recorded it? Now take an explanatory dictionary or a dictionary of synonyms from the shelf. Find these words that already hurt your ears and that you are tired of hearing every day. Study the long list of alternatives and say each of these words out loud. Which one reflects your personality? Which one is right for you personally? Try each one out as you try on a suit and see which ones you find comfortable and cozy. Pick a few of these words and practice saying them out loud until they become a natural part of your vocabulary;
Communication is basic source of replenishment of a person's vocabulary.During a conversation, each participant replenishes his vocabulary from the arsenal of his interlocutor, and word exchange occurs between them. Talk to friends, acquaintances, and family as much as possible. Use new words in your vocabulary; knowledge of a word is nothing without its use;
Read, reading books is useful. Start with those authors who are more understandable and close to your interests. Gradually add literature that is more complex. The text where there are interesting words and expressions that you want to remember and use in the future, re-read it out loud (by reading to ourselves, we also expand our vocabulary, but not so quickly, because in this way we only see the words; when reading aloud, we In addition to this, we also hear them and, most importantly, we pronounce them, so we remember them better);
When you notice a new word, don't just look at its definition in the dictionary. Pay attention to the turn of speech in which this word is used, try to replace it with the appropriate synonym for yourself. Try to rhyme, come up with as many suitable phrases as possible. The more you know about a word, the faster you will learn to use it, without complicating your memory. This will immediately affect the beauty and personality of your speech;
Write. Rewrite other people's articles and your favorite literary works, following the example of Demosthenes, who rewrote Thucydides' History eight times in a row.
Crosswords are not just entertainment, but also a way vocabulary development. Use this opportunity on the road, on vacation. Choose crosswords from well-known publications or those that have a good reputation;
For those who spend a lot of time on the road, driving or have absolutely no free time to use books and dictionaries, there is a unique opportunity develop your speech and increase your vocabulary using audiobooks. This method will also be acceptable for an audience that perceives better by ear. In any case, while away the time in traffic jams reading good literature is much more useful and effective for your development.

Ways to remember new words

A lot has been said and written about how to increase your vocabulary. Most educated people think about this regularly, even if their activities are not directly related to rhetoric or oratory. The Russian language, rich and beautiful, allows people who speak it to express their thoughts expressively, elegantly and variedly. Good command of your native language is a serious advantage in work, relationships, and in any communications with others.

How to replenish your vocabulary, what methods and activities will be most effective? Let's try to figure it out.

Varieties of vocabulary

When we think about how to expand our vocabulary, it is important to understand that first of all we are talking about increasing our active vocabulary.

Active vocabulary is the words that you and I use in everyday life, communicating with friends, family, and colleagues. We pronounce them easily and naturally, they are firmly embedded in spoken and written language. It doesn't take much effort for us to find the right word.

Passive vocabulary is words whose meaning is generally clear and known to us, but we practically do not use them. Perhaps this is inappropriate in our social circle, or there are some other reasons. Then, in order to remember a word, we have to make some effort.

External vocabulary is highly specialized terms whose meaning we do not fully know. Usually these are words that are used in a professional environment, among a small circle of people.

As a rule, most people have a very limited active vocabulary: it’s good if a hundredth of the total volume is used in speech. Therefore, when the question arises of how to replenish your vocabulary, this means that you first need to replenish your stock of constantly used words.

Learning to speak again

What do we do when we share our experiences with friends or call customer support and cannot find a suitable name or accurately describe our emotions or sensations?

But we agreed that we would think about how to improve our vocabulary, right? Then we begin to develop awareness:

The recipe is actually quite simple: to learn to speak beautifully, you need to... talk. This is true. Learn to speak in direct communication. Tell stories, plots of books or films, news or impressions. Try to use new words that you have not used before. Include them in your life consciously.

Write letters

Writing can also help solve the problem of how to increase the number of words used. Write letters. Write on forums or social networks. Try writing articles or essays. Keep a diary.

Carefully select words and figures of speech, look for synonyms - practice and more practice are important in this matter.

Give a speech

Public speaking and responsible conversations help to enrich speech very well. Make a sketch on paper in advance. Train, look for different options that most accurately and fully reflect your point of view. If you have to speak in front of a large audience, make the speech bright and rich rather than dull and unemotional.

Learn poetry

Learn poems by heart, retell texts. It is important not just to tell the text, but to do it as close as possible to the author’s style, paying attention to new words and phraseological units. Tell it emotionally, with expression, then new words will be easier to remember.

Constantly expand your active and passive vocabulary: both are important. Listen to audio books, solve crosswords, watch useful educational programs and communicate with educated, developed people.
To better remember a new word or turn of phrase, create a vivid image and visualize it inside yourself. Words are remembered well in conjunction with others, in sentences, and not by themselves.
Write down your favorite quotes and expressions. Use them in your speech. The main thing is that it is appropriate.
Do not use slang words and obscenities: approach the issue creatively, look for colorful, bright replacements.
Don't fill your short-term memory with useless information.
Learn a foreign language. Any. Oddly enough, this allows you to simultaneously replenish the active and passive vocabulary of your native language too.

How to activate a passive set of words

Our passive vocabulary is constantly growing. This mainly happens in two cases: while we listen and when we read. So its filling begins in childhood. Purposefully learning words in this case does not make much sense: they will remain passive.

Choose synonyms for words

The selection of synonyms helps to activate the passive stock very well. There is a whole series of interesting games where some phenomenon or object needs to be described in words, excluding the use of familiar and frequently used words from the list. You can arrange such games in a friendly company or practice alone.

It is useful to make lists of synonyms. For example, a dictionary of feelings. Write down all the feelings you know in a column and try to write as many synonyms for them next to them as possible. Of course, it is important not only to write them, but also to use them in your speaking and writing.

Make up stories

Another useful and entertaining exercise: writing a story using only nouns. Or verbs. Or - the most difficult thing - adjectives. Remember? "Night. Street. Flashlight. Pharmacy". How can I continue?

Here are other options: compose a story where words begin with each letter of the alphabet in order. Or all words begin with only one letter. It is important that the story be connected.