Lexis
In English language teaching, lexis refers to the words and word combinations that carry meaning in real communication. Understanding lexis goes beyond single vocabulary items to include collocations, fixed expressions, idioms, synonyms, antonyms, lexical sets, word families, and more. For ESL learners, mastering lexis means recognising both receptive and productive vocabulary, learning how meaning changes through context, affixation, or compounding, and building fluency by using language in natural chunks. This lesson explores these key concepts with clear explanations and classroom examples to support both teachers and learners preparing for the Cambridge TKT.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Define and explain lexis and different types of word meaning.
- Recognise how denotation, figurative meaning, and context shape vocabulary use.
- Identify and teach affixation, compounds, collocations, fixed expressions, and idioms.
- Understand synonyms, antonyms, lexical sets, word families, false friends, homophones, and homonyms in teaching.
- Apply effective strategies for teaching vocabulary in context.
- Support learners in developing both receptive and productive vocabulary.
- Integrate varieties of English into vocabulary lessons.
- Lexis
- Learning Outcomes
- What is Lexis?
- Types of Word Meaning
- Word Formation: Affixation and Compounds
- Chunks: Collocations, Fixed Expressions, and Idioms
- Relationships Between Words
- Vocabulary Learning in ESL
- Varieties of English
- Lexis: Summary
- Noel’s Questions and Answers Corner
- TKT Exam Practice Tasks: Lexis
- Reference Resources: Lexis
What is Lexis?
In language teaching, the term lexis refers to the vocabulary of a language, not only as individual words but also as groups of words that are often used together to express meaning. Unlike grammar, which governs the structure of sentences, lexis is about the actual building blocks we use to communicate ideas. It includes single words such as tree or run, but it also covers combinations of words such as phrasal verbs (get up, turn on), fixed expressions (first of all, by the way), collocations (make a decision, heavy rain), and even idioms (all’s well that ends well, under the weather).
Lexis vs Vocabulary
Many teachers use lexis and vocabulary interchangeably, but there is a subtle difference. Vocabulary often implies a list of words, while lexis emphasizes the way words combine and function as part of meaningful units. For example, the words strong and tea may be taught separately as vocabulary, but as lexis, learners need to know that strong tea is natural, while powerful tea sounds odd even though strong and powerful are synonyms.
Why is Lexis Important in ESL?
For learners of English as a second language, mastering lexis is crucial because:
- It helps them sound more natural and fluent.
- It reduces the need to translate word by word.
- It gives them ready-made chunks they can use in conversation.
- It develops both comprehension and production skills.
When learners know lexis in chunks, their speech flows more easily, and their listening comprehension improves because they recognise familiar word patterns.
ESL Classroom Example 1: Compounds
In a beginner ESL class, instead of teaching “book” and “shop” separately, the teacher introduces bookshop as a single lexical item. Learners see that the meaning of the compound is not simply “a book” plus “a shop” but rather a new word that means “a shop that sells books.”
The teacher sets up a role-play where one learner is a customer and the other is a shop assistant. The dialogue might be:
- Customer: “Excuse me, is there a bookshop near here?”
- Shop assistant: “Yes, there’s a bookshop on King Street.”
Through this practice, learners experience lexis as a unit of meaning, not just as separate vocabulary items.
ESL Classroom Example 2: Collocations
At pre-intermediate level, learners study collocations with make and do. Instead of learning these verbs in isolation, they learn common lexical chunks like make a mistake, make friends, do homework, do the shopping. The teacher gives learners a matching activity: half the class has verbs, the other half has nouns, and they must find their “collocation partner.”
This activity highlights how words naturally combine, reinforcing that lexis is about patterns, not just single terms.
ESL Classroom Example 3: Fixed Expressions
In an intermediate ESL class, the teacher introduces fixed expressions like to tell you the truth or at the end of the day. Learners are shown short dialogues where these phrases naturally occur. For example:
- To tell you the truth, I don’t really like football.
- At the end of the day, we all want the same thing.
Learners practise inserting these expressions into their own conversations, realising that they cannot change the words around or replace them without losing their naturalness.
ESL Classroom Example 4: Idioms
In an advanced ESL class, the teacher presents idioms such as once in a blue moon or under the weather. Learners match idioms with their meanings and then create short role-plays to use them. For example:
- I don’t usually eat fast food, maybe once in a blue moon.
- She didn’t come to class today because she’s under the weather.
This illustrates that lexis is not always transparent. Some lexical items require cultural understanding or metaphorical interpretation.
Types of Word Meaning
When teaching vocabulary, it is not enough to present a single dictionary definition. Words carry layers of meaning depending on how they are used. Learners need to understand not just what a word means but also how it functions in different contexts, expressions, and uses. Three key categories of meaning are denotation, figurative meaning, and contextual meaning.
Denotation
Denotation is the basic, dictionary meaning of a word. It describes the object, action, or idea that the word refers to. For example:
- Tree = a plant with a wooden trunk, branches, and leaves.
- Dog = a domesticated animal that barks.
- Book = a set of written or printed pages bound together.
Denotative meaning is usually the first meaning that learners acquire, especially at beginner levels.
Why is it important?
- It forms the foundation for vocabulary learning.
- It helps learners identify concrete items in their environment.
- It builds confidence when they can connect words with real-world referents.
ESL Classroom Applications:
- Guessing game: Teacher describes a denotative meaning (It is round, it is used in games, you can kick it), and learners guess ball.
- Picture description: Learners look at flashcards or slides of trees, dogs, and books, and describe them: This is a tree. The tree has green leaves.
- Labeling activities: Students label objects in the classroom (chair, board, window).
Connotation/ Figurative Meaning
Figurative meaning/connotative meaning occurs when words are used imaginatively, beyond their literal sense. Instead of describing the actual object, the word creates an image, association, or metaphor.
Examples:
- Family tree = a diagram showing family relationships, not a real tree.
- Time is money = time is valuable, not actual currency.
- Cold feet = feeling nervous, not having cold toes.
Why is it important?
- Figurative language is common in spoken and written English.
- It appears frequently in idioms, literature, and everyday speech.
- Understanding it improves learners’ listening and reading comprehension.
ESL Classroom Applications:
- Matching task: Learners are given idioms with their literal and figurative meanings. For example:
- cold feet → nervous before an event
- break the ice → make people feel comfortable in conversation
- Story context: Teacher tells a short story: Before the concert, Maria got cold feet and almost didn’t go on stage. Learners guess the meaning of cold feet.
- Drawing task: Students illustrate literal vs figurative meanings. For example, one draws a picture of money for time is money, another shows a clock to explain the metaphorical sense.
Contextual Meaning
Contextual meaning depends on the situation or sentence in which a word appears. A single word may have several meanings, but the intended one is clarified by its use.
Examples:
- Tall tree → physically high in measurement.
- Tall story → an exaggerated or unbelievable tale.
- Bright child → intelligent.
- Bright light → strong illumination.
Context guides learners in selecting the correct interpretation.
Why is it important?
- Many English words are polysemous (having multiple meanings).
- Context prevents misunderstandings in conversation and reading.
- It trains learners to infer meaning rather than rely only on dictionaries.
ESL Classroom Applications:
- Sentence comparison: Learners read pairs of sentences:
- The tall boy opened the door.
- That’s a tall order.
They discuss how tall means different things in each.
- Fill-in-the-blank: Students choose meanings based on context:
- She wore a bright dress to the party. (colorful)
- He is a bright student. (intelligent)
- Context clues game: Teacher reads a paragraph and asks learners to deduce the meaning of a word from surrounding sentences.
Word Formation: Affixation and Compounds
One of the most effective ways to expand learners’ vocabulary is by showing them how words are built. Instead of learning each word separately, students can recognise patterns in word formation. This makes it easier for them to guess meanings, build families of words, and increase both their receptive and productive vocabulary. Two of the most common processes are affixation and compounding.
Affixation
Affixation is the process of adding prefixes (before a base word) or suffixes (after a base word) to create new words. This not only changes meaning but sometimes also changes the word’s grammatical category.
Prefixes
A prefix is a group of letters added to the beginning of a word to alter its meaning.
Examples:
- happy → unhappy (negative)
- legal → illegal (opposite, “not”)
- possible → impossible (opposite, “not”)
- rewrite → write again (repetition)
Teaching point: Prefixes often carry consistent meanings (e.g., un-, dis-, im- for negation; re- for repetition), so teaching them helps learners guess unfamiliar words.
Suffixes
A suffix is a group of letters added to the end of a word. Suffixes may change the part of speech or create a related meaning.
Examples:
- teach → teacher (verb → noun, person who teaches)
- use → useful (verb → adjective)
- happy → happiness (adjective → noun, state of being happy)
- quick → quickly (adjective → adverb)
Teaching point: Suffixes are especially useful for building word families, which learners often encounter in exams, reading texts, and writing tasks.
Why is Affixation Important?
- It expands vocabulary quickly (learners can generate many words from one base).
- It builds awareness of word families (e.g., care → careful → carefully → careless → carelessness).
- It supports grammar and writing skills, since learners can form nouns, adjectives, and adverbs appropriately.
- It boosts learners’ confidence when they can “guess” meanings of new words by recognising familiar affixes.
Compounds
Compounds are words formed by joining two or more separate words to create a new meaning. The new word often has a meaning different from the sum of its parts.
Examples:
- book + shop = bookshop (a shop that sells books)
- tooth + paste = toothpaste (a substance for cleaning teeth)
- paper + clip = paperclip (a device for holding papers together)
- football, handbag, airport
Compounds can be:
- Closed compounds (joined into one word: notebook, airport)
- Hyphenated compounds (linked with a hyphen: mother-in-law, check-in)
- Open compounds (separate words but functioning as one: swimming pool, bus stop)
Why are Compounds Important?
- Many everyday words in English are compounds.
- Learners often encounter them in reading texts.
- They help students understand how English builds meaning economically.
- Teaching compounds avoids literal translation errors (e.g., toothpaste is not just “tooth + paste” in a direct sense, but a product for cleaning teeth).
Chunks: Collocations, Fixed Expressions, and Idioms
When teaching vocabulary, it is useful to move beyond single words and focus on chunks of language: groups of words that are often used together and remembered as a unit. Chunks help learners speak more fluently because they do not need to build every sentence word by word. Instead, they recall ready-made patterns that native speakers use naturally. Three of the most important types of chunks are collocations, fixed expressions, and idioms.
Collocations
Collocations are natural combinations of words that frequently occur together. They sound “right” to native speakers, even if the grammar does not explain why.
Examples:
- make a decision (not do a decision)
- heavy rain (not strong rain)
- depend on (not depend of)
- fast food (not quick food)
Collocations may be:
- Verb + noun (make a mistake, take a seat)
- Adjective + noun (strong coffee, heavy traffic)
- Noun + noun (bus stop, data analysis)
- Verb + preposition (depend on, focus on)
Why are Collocations Important?
- They make learners’ English more natural and fluent.
- They reduce errors caused by translating word-for-word.
- They support reading and listening comprehension since many texts rely on familiar collocations.
Fixed Expressions
Fixed expressions are phrases that do not change in form. The words are “fixed” in a particular order, and changing them makes the phrase incorrect or unnatural.
Examples:
- It’s up to you
- To tell you the truth
- By the way
- At the same time
- New-born baby
These are often used in everyday conversation and are important for fluency because they give learners ready-made ways to express common ideas.
Why are Fixed Expressions Important?
- They allow learners to speak naturally without pausing to create sentences from scratch.
- They help learners manage conversation (e.g., To be honest…, On the other hand…).
- They support writing by providing set phrases for structuring ideas (In conclusion, As a result).
Idioms
Idioms are fixed expressions whose meanings are not literal. The words together create a meaning that cannot be guessed from the individual words.
Examples:
- under the weather = feeling ill
- once in a blue moon = very rarely
- spill the beans = reveal a secret
- break the ice = make people feel relaxed in a new situation
Idioms are often culture-specific and may be difficult for learners, but they enrich their language and give them insight into how native speakers think metaphorically.
Why are Idioms Important?
- They are common in everyday speech, films, and media.
- They improve comprehension of authentic materials.
- They make learners’ spoken English sound more advanced and natural.
Relationships Between Words
Understanding how words relate to each other helps learners organise vocabulary in their minds. Instead of memorising words in isolation, they see patterns and connections, which makes remembering easier and using language more natural. These relationships include synonyms and antonyms, lexical sets, word families, false friends, and sound- or form-related words such as homophones and homonyms.
Synonyms and Antonyms
Synonyms and Antonyms
- Synonyms are words with the same or very similar meanings.
Example: big – large, fast – quick, happy – glad.
Note: Synonyms are rarely exact in every context. For instance, big mistake sounds natural, but large mistake is less common. - Antonyms are words with opposite meanings.
Example: hot – cold, tall – short, expensive – cheap.
Some antonyms are gradable (opposites on a scale, like hot – cold with warm in between) and others are complementary (absolute opposites, like alive – dead).
Why Synonyms and Antonyms Matter
- They are useful in paraphrasing, which is an important skill in writing and exams.
- They help learners expand vocabulary by linking new words to familiar ones.
- They support dictionary skills, since many learners use synonyms to guess meanings.
Lexical Sets
Lexical sets are groups of words related to the same topic or category.
Examples:
- Furniture: chair, table, sofa, bed
- Weather: rain, snow, sunshine, wind
- Kitchen: spoon, fridge, oven, kettle
Why Lexical Sets Matter
- They are practical for classroom tasks, as many coursebooks are organised thematically.
- They help learners organise vocabulary around themes.
- They encourage learners to make associations, which aids memory.
Word Families
Word families are groups of related words that come from the same base or root word, often formed by affixation.
Example:
- teach, teacher, teaching, unteachable, educational, educator
Why Word Families Matter
- They prepare learners for exams, where different word forms are often tested (e.g., changing decide to decision).
- They help learners see how one root can generate many related words.
- They build awareness of word formation, which improves reading comprehension and writing.
False Friends
False friends are words that look or sound similar in two languages but have different meanings.
Example:
- Spanish embarazada = pregnant, not embarrassed
- French librairie = bookshop, not library
Why False Friends Matter
- They are especially relevant in multilingual ESL classrooms where learners share first languages.
- They often cause misunderstandings for multilingual learners.
- Awareness prevents embarrassing mistakes.
Homophones and Homonyms
Homophones are words that sound the same but have different meanings and often different spellings.
Examples: know – no, flour – flower, sea – see, there – their – they’re.
Homonyms are words that are spelled and pronounced the same but have different meanings.
Examples: bank (river side) / bank (financial institution)
bat (animal) / bat (used in sports)
Why Homophones and Homonyms Matter
- They enrich learners’ awareness of how flexible English words can be.
- They can confuse learners in listening and writing.
- They highlight the importance of context in determining meaning.
Vocabulary Learning in ESL
Vocabulary is the foundation of language learning. Without enough vocabulary, learners struggle to express ideas, understand texts, and engage in real communication. However, learning vocabulary is not a one-time event—it is a gradual process of noticing, storing, and using words in meaningful ways. Teachers need to guide learners through this process by balancing different kinds of vocabulary knowledge, presenting words in context, and giving learners strategies for long-term retention. Four important aspects of vocabulary learning in the ESL classroom are: Receptive vs Productive Vocabulary, Teaching Vocabulary in Context, Chunk Learning, and Vocabulary Records.
Receptive vs Productive Vocabulary
What are they
Receptive vocabulary: The words learners can understand when they hear or read them, but may not be able to use themselves. For example, a student might understand the word exhausted when reading but only say tired when speaking.
Productive vocabulary: The words learners can both understand and actively use in speaking and writing.
Learners’ receptive vocabulary is always larger than their productive vocabulary. This is natural because it is easier to recognise words than to recall and use them accurately.
Why is this distinction important?
- Practice with targeted productive vocabulary develops fluency and confidence in communication.
- Teachers can set realistic goals, focusing on which words learners should recognise and which they should use.
- Exposure to a wide range of receptive vocabulary builds comprehension.
Teaching Vocabulary in Context
Teaching words in isolation often leads to shallow learning. Learners may memorise lists but forget quickly because they lack a meaningful connection. Context—a situation, a story, or a task—helps learners see how words function naturally.
Why context matters
- It provides clues about meaning, making vocabulary easier to guess.
- It shows learners how words are used grammatically and socially.
- It mirrors real-life use, making words more memorable.
Classroom Strategies
- Situational role-plays: Instead of teaching “clothes” as a list, the teacher brings a suitcase to class and role-plays packing for a trip: I’m packing my jeans, T-shirt, and jacket.
- Storytelling: Teacher tells a short story: Yesterday it rained heavily. I stayed inside and read a book. Learners identify and discuss vocabulary in context.
- Text-based learning: Learners read a dialogue about shopping. They underline words like cashier, receipt, discount and guess meanings before checking.
Example: For teaching kitchen vocabulary, learners watch a short video of someone cooking. They hear words like pan, stove, chop, boil in context, making them easier to remember than in a word list.
Chunk Learning
A chunk is a group of words remembered as a single unit of meaning. Chunks include collocations, fixed expressions, and sentence starters. Learners often remember chunks more easily than individual words, because chunks reflect how language is used naturally.
Examples:
- Have a good trip (fixed expression)
- I’d like to… (functional phrase for requests)
- How about…? (expression for making suggestions)
- make a decision, heavy rain (collocations)
Why chunk learning works
- It reduces cognitive load by giving learners ready-made building blocks.
- It helps learners speak more fluently and naturally.
- It improves listening comprehension since native speakers rely heavily on chunks.
Classroom Strategies
- Highlighting in texts: Teacher highlights chunks in a reading passage. Learners underline them and practise using them in short dialogues.
- Dialogue completion: Learners complete conversations using chunks. Example:
- A: I’m so tired today.
- B: How about taking a short break?
- Chunk substitution: Learners practise replacing part of a chunk: I’d like to order a coffee → I’d like to order a sandwich.
Example: During a travel lesson, the teacher highlights chunks like Can I have…?, How much is it?, Do you have…? Learners practise these in role-play conversations at an airport or hotel.
Vocabulary Records
A vocabulary record is a system where learners record new words and phrases, along with extra information such as meaning, pronunciation, collocations, and example sentences. Unlike simple word lists, vocabulary records encourage deeper learning.
Why keep vocabulary records?
- They help learners organise vocabulary for revision.
- They promote learner autonomy (students take control of their learning).
- They allow learners to add new knowledge over time (e.g., synonyms, collocations, idioms).
Classroom Strategies
- Teacher modelling: Teacher shows how to record a word. Example:
- Word: reliable
- Part of speech: adjective
- Meaning: can be trusted
- Collocation: a reliable friend
- Example sentence: She is very reliable. I can always count on her.
- Pronunciation: /rɪˈlaɪəbl/
- Weekly updates: Learners update their notebooks after each lesson with at least 5–10 new words.
- Peer sharing: In pairs, learners exchange vocabulary records and test each other.
- Digital records: Advanced learners may use apps (e.g., Quizlet, Anki) to store vocabulary electronically and review with flashcards.
Example: At the end of a unit on food, learners record words like spicy, flavour, ingredients. They note collocations such as spicy food, main ingredients, and write example sentences: The main ingredient in this curry is chicken.
Varieties of English
English is a global language with many regional varieties. While grammar and core vocabulary remain similar, differences in lexis (words and expressions) often appear depending on the country, region, or cultural setting. These differences are sometimes small, but they can affect how learners understand and use English in real-life situations.
Vocabulary Differences Across Varieties
The same object or concept may be called by different names in different varieties of English:
- British English (UK) vs American English (US):
- flat (UK) vs apartment (US)
- biscuit (UK) vs cookie (US)
- lift (UK) vs elevator (US)
- holiday (UK) vs vacation (US)
- Australian English:
- unit (similar to UK flat or US apartment)
- thongs (flip-flops in UK/US)
- ute (utility vehicle or pickup truck)
- Indian English:
- batchmate (classmate)
- prepone (move an appointment earlier, opposite of postpone)
- cousin-brother/sister (used instead of simply cousin)
- South African English:
- robot (traffic light)
- bakkie (pickup truck)
- braai (barbecue)
These variations show how English adapts to local cultures and environments.
Why Varieties of English Matter in ESL
Authentic exposure: Learners may encounter English from teachers, media, travel, or international business often influenced by different varieties.
Comprehension: Understanding regional vocabulary helps learners avoid confusion in real-world communication.
Identity: Learners may choose which variety they want to use (e.g., British, American, Australian) depending on their goals, but awareness of others is useful.
Cultural insight: Varieties often reflect cultural differences. For example, the American word cookie is linked to a cultural tradition of home-baking, while biscuit in British English refers to a wider range of sweet and savoury baked goods.
Lexis: Summary
- Lexis means vocabulary units, not just single words.
- Words have denotative, figurative, and contextual meanings.
- New words are built through affixation and compounding.
- Vocabulary often comes in chunks: collocations, fixed expressions, idioms.
- Relationships between words include synonyms, antonyms, lexical sets, word families, false friends, homophones, homonyms.
- Learners build receptive and productive vocabulary over time.
- Teaching should emphasise context, repetition, and varieties of English.
- Encourage vocabulary notebooks and highlight chunks for stronger memory.
Noel’s Questions and Answers Corner
What is the difference between vocabulary and lexis?
Vocabulary usually refers to single words, such as book, run, happy. Lexis, however, is a broader concept. It includes single words but also covers multi-word units (take off, give up), fixed expressions (to tell you the truth, at the end of the day), collocations (strong coffee, heavy rain), and idioms (under the weather, once in a blue moon). In other words, lexis is the way words naturally combine and function in communication. For ESL teaching, focusing on lexis gives learners tools to speak more fluently and naturally.
Should I teach words in isolation or in context?
Teaching words in isolation is sometimes useful for beginners, especially with concrete nouns (apple, chair, dog), but it has limitations. Learners often forget isolated words quickly or use them incorrectly. Teaching in context is far more effective, as it shows how words behave in real communication. For example, instead of simply teaching the word bank, a teacher can present it in two contexts: I put money in the bank vs We sat by the river bank. Context allows learners to notice collocations, meaning shifts, and register, which makes learning deeper and longer-lasting.
How do I deal with false friends in class?
False friends are words that look or sound similar across languages but mean different things (e.g., Spanish embarazada = pregnant, not embarrassed). To deal with them, teachers should:
- Raise awareness by giving clear examples of common false friends.
- Compare with L1: Encourage learners to check how the word functions in their own language.
- Use correction activities: Provide sentences with false friend mistakes and let learners correct them.
- Reinforce in context: Use stories or dialogues where the correct meaning is clear, helping students avoid future confusion.
What is the best way to help learners remember new words?
Learners remember vocabulary best when exposed to it repeatedly and in different contexts. Some of the most effective strategies are:
- Repetition: Revisiting the same word in varied activities over time.
- Contextual learning: Embedding words in stories, role-plays, or real-life situations.
- Chunk learning: Teaching collocations and phrases as single units (make a mistake, How about…?).
- Vocabulary records: Having learners keep notebooks or digital flashcards with meaning, pronunciation, collocations, and example sentences.
The key is to move words from receptive knowledge (recognition) to productive use (active speaking/writing).
Why is receptive vocabulary larger than productive vocabulary?
Learners always understand more words than they use. This is because recognition requires less effort than production. When reading or listening, learners can often guess meaning from context. But to use a word in speech or writing, they must recall it quickly, pronounce or spell it correctly, and apply grammar accurately which is a much harder task. Over time, with repeated exposure and practice, receptive vocabulary can gradually shift into productive use. Teachers should reassure learners that this gap is natural and encourage activities that push them gently into using more of what they already recognise.
TKT Exam Practice Tasks: Lexis
TKT Unit 1 Lexis:
Practice Task 1
Instructions:
For questions 1–7, match each classroom situation (1–7) with the vocabulary teaching focus (A–G). There is one correct answer for each.
Vocabulary Teaching Focus
A. Vocabulary records
B. Productive vocabulary
C. Receptive vocabulary
D. Chunk learning
E. Vocabulary in context
F. Teaching isolated words
G. Learning through fixed expressions
Classroom Situations
- A teacher asks students to role-play in a shop, encouraging them to use phrases like How much is this? and I’d like to buy….
- Learners listen to a story and identify the meaning of unfamiliar words through the surrounding text.
- Students read a text about travelling and underline chunks such as Have a good trip and How about…?
- The teacher reminds students that they probably understand many more words than they can actually use in speaking.
- Learners keep a notebook where they write meanings, collocations, and example sentences for new words.
- A teacher plays a recording filled with high-level words learners may not yet use but can recognise in listening.
- Students complete a conversation by inserting phrases like To tell you the truth or It’s up to you.
TKT Unit 1 Lexis:
Practice Task 2
Instructions:
For questions 1–7, match each strategy (1–7) with the learning outcome it uses(A–G). There is one correct answer for each.
Learning Outcomes
A. Learners see vocabulary used in context.
B. Learners strengthen digital and independent study habits.
C. Learners practise moving words from receptive to productive vocabulary.
D. Learners notice ready-made chunks and patterns of natural English.
E. Learners explore connotations and subtle differences in meaning.
F. Learners expand knowledge through affixation and word formation.
G. Learners personalise new vocabulary for stronger retention.
Strategies
- Learners highlight collocations and idioms while reading a short story.
- Students make word family trees with teach → teacher, teaching, unteachable.
- The teacher brings a suitcase to class and demonstrates packing clothes.
- Students create personal example sentences for words like reliable or spicy.
- Learners play a game of Taboo to practise describing words without saying them.
- Students compare the difference between slim and skinny in meaning and tone.
- Learners use Quizlet to store and revise new vocabulary weekly.
TKT Unit 1 Lexis: Practice Task 3
Instructions:
For questions 1–7, match each classroom situation (1–7) with the type of vocabulary learning focus (A–G). There is one correct answer for each.
Types of Vocabulary Learning Focus
A. Understanding words without actively producing them
B. Teacher awareness of the gap between knowledge and use
C. Using vocabulary items in extended writing tasks
D. Vocabulary learned mainly for recognition in reading or listening
E. Producing words spontaneously in oral practice
F. Practising vocabulary through interactive speaking activities
G. Expanding vocabulary lists without context
Classroom Situations
- Learners can recognise the meaning of exhausted when reading a story but only use tired in speaking.
- A teacher provides a reading passage full of unfamiliar but guessable words. Students underline them while reading.
- In a writing task, learners successfully use new words like reliable and affordable in their own sentences.
- The teacher tells students, “You probably know many more words in English than you actually use in conversation.”
- Learners play a guessing game where they must describe and use new vocabulary aloud to score points.
- Students listen to a recording with advanced terms such as accommodation and luggage. They understand them but do not use them in their speaking task.
- After a role-play at a restaurant, learners naturally produce phrases such as I’d like to order… and Can I have…? without prompting.
Reference Resources: Lexis
Textbooks
- Rules, Patterns and Words: Grammar and Lexis in English Language Teaching by Dave Willis
This book shows how lexical phrases, frames, and patterns connect grammar and lexis. It includes classroom tasks and explanations tying lexis to structure. Very useful for teachers who want to design lessons that integrate lexical learning with grammar. - Investigating Lexis: Vocabulary, Lexicography, and Corpus Research (edited volume)
- This collection of essays explores how research in lexicography, corpus linguistics, and vocabulary learning intersects.
- Good for bridging theory and classroom practice, especially for more advanced learners or teacher-researchers.
- The Lexical Approach by Michael Lewis
- A classic in applied linguistics advocating a shift of focus from grammar toward lexis, emphasizing the role of lexical chunks.
- Helps teachers rethink syllabus design in terms of lexical units rather than purely structural progression.
- Language Clarification and Practice: Teaching Grammar, Vocabulary, Lexis (various authors)
- Though not always a single book, many ELT lists cite Practical English Usage by Michael Swan in this category. It’s a reliable reference for meaning, usage, and common problems in vocabulary.
- Excellent as a go-to reference when designing lessons or resolving meaning/form concerns.
- Corpus Linguistics for English Teachers: Tools, Online Resources, and Classroom Activities by Eric Friginal
A practical guide showing how corpus tools can help teachers explore lexis, collocations, keyword analysis, and build data-driven vocabulary lessons.
Online Resources
- Sketch Engine
– A powerful corpus query tool that allows users to explore word sketches (typical collocations, usage patterns) and concordances in many languages. - Compleat Lexical Tutor (LexTutor Tools)
– A suite of tools for vocabulary profiling, concordancing, collocation discovery, and lexical richness measurement. (Listed in tools for lexis) - ENG HUB (Ready-to-use ESL materials)
– A repository of lesson plans, activities, games, and topic-based materials useful for all levels, often integrating vocabulary and lexical tasks. - Ellii (formerly ESL Library)
– Offers high-quality ESL lesson plans, many of which include vocabulary, idioms, collocations, and lexical tasks.
Previous Lesson: Grammar
Next Lesson: Phonology
Home: Module 1 Lesson Navigator
