How to determine English vocabulary. How to test your vocabulary

Although the textbooks are aimed at working on expanding vocabulary, it must be said that this is only auxiliary material necessary for learning really useful words and phrases, phraseological units used in everyday life native speakers. After completing the lesson in the textbook, the most important thing begins - the introduction of new lexical units into your spoken and written speech.

For this we offer several options:

keeping a diary in English;
viewing and analysis of videos, films and TV series;
reading adapted and original literature;
oral communication in English, correspondence with native speakers.

Using the best tutorials English language to learn vocabulary, you will be able to progress in your learning much more effectively. It’s not for nothing that they say that it is a poor vocabulary that slows a person down and does not give him the opportunity to advance in learning English.
Learning materials designed to improve your vocabulary will help you master your vocabulary. lexical material, which will allow you to better perceive speech by ear. Of course, sometimes we extract from the rapid flow of speech individual words, but basically the problem lies in a very limited vocabulary.
Of course, by constantly working on increasing your vocabulary, it will become much easier for you to express your thoughts in English during communication.

Well, now, let’s start reviewing the best textbooks in our opinion, which will gradually help you develop your vocabulary. Perhaps, let's start with the best series of textbooks for those who strive to speak like a native speaker - English collocation in use.

Download the text of the book English Collocations in Use Intermediate in .pdf format via direct link (downloads: 7226) .

Download the text of the book English Collocations in Use Advanced in .pdf format via direct link (downloads: 3219) .

We have repeatedly emphasized that words must be taught in context, and this textbook is just what you need. Each textbook (depending on the level) contains the most common, so to speak, established phrases.

The textbooks are divided into levels and each contains 60 lessons. These materials are ideal for self-study to develop vocabulary. At the end of each textbook there are keys (answers) to exercises and various tasks.

Download the text of the book English Vocabulary in Use Elementary in .pdf format via direct link (downloads: 4510) .

Download the text of the book English Vocabulary in Use Pre-Intermediate and Intermediate in .pdf format via direct link (downloads: 4269) .

Download the text of the book English Vocabulary in Use Upper-Intermediate in .pdf format via direct link (downloads: 3588) .

Download the text of the book English Vocabulary in Use Advanced in .pdf format via direct link (downloads: 2801) .

These materials are suitable for both beginners and those who have been studying English for a long time, but without success.

Test Your Vocabulary textbook series.

The five books in this + Start series are units (lessons) that help you test your vocabulary knowledge by completing various tasks, solving crossword puzzles, and so on. While taking the tests, you will have the opportunity to significantly expand your vocabulary.

Download the text of the book Test Your Vocabulary Start in .pdf format via direct link (downloads: 2527) .

Download the text of the book Test Your Vocabulary 1 in .pdf format via direct link (downloads: 1854) .

Download the text of the book Test Your Vocabulary 2 in .pdf format via direct link (downloads: 1436) .

Download the text of the book Test Your Vocabulary 3 in .pdf format via direct link (downloads: 1460) .

Download the text of the book Test Your Vocabulary 4 in .pdf format via direct link (downloads: 1525) .

Download the text of the book Test Your Vocabulary 5 in .pdf format via direct link (downloads: 1458) .

Key Words for Fluency- an interesting series of manuals that will help expand your passive vocabulary. Each textbook contains 22 thematic lessons. For each word, the authors of the textbook selected about 10 words, in conjunction with which they are regularly used in real life. Learning basic collocations will help you learn to use English prepositions at the right time and in the right place.

Download the text of the book Key Words for Fluency Pre-Intermediate in .pdf format via direct link (downloads: 3295) .

Download the text of the book Key Words for Fluency Intermediate in .pdf format via direct link (downloads: 2260) .

Download the text of the book Key Words for Fluency Upper-Intermediate in .pdf format via direct link (downloads: 2173) .

4000 Essential English Words– a series of textbooks that is ideal for students with an elementary level of knowledge. With each book the words will become more complex. But the most important thing is that there are no archaisms or rarely used words here. 4000 is not an unfounded statement. Each textbook has 30 lessons, and in each of them, the compilers of the textbook offer 20 new words to English language learners. By completing all the textbooks in this series, you will have learned 3,600 thousand words, plus an additional 400 words from the appendices provided at the end of the textbook.

Download the text of the book 4000 Essential English Words 1 in .pdf format via a direct link (downloads: 3987) .

Download the text of the book 4000 Essential English Words 2 in .pdf format via a direct link (downloads: 1905) .

Download the text of the book 4000 Essential English Words 3 in .pdf format via a direct link (downloads: 1800) .

Download the text of the book 4000 Essential English Words 4 in .pdf format via a direct link (downloads: 1757) .

Download the text of the book 4000 Essential English Words 5 in .pdf format via a direct link (downloads: 1763) .

Download the text of the book 4000 Essential English Words 6 in .pdf format via a direct link (downloads: 1807) .

Among the teaching aids that deserve your attention, it is necessary to include a series of textbooks - English Vocabulary Organizer. You can also study on your own using these manuals. Although there are exercises here that involve oral dialogues with the teacher, this block of tasks can be completed independently. The manual is accompanied by a disk, which also contains various kinds exercises. The textbook itself contains texts with new words and exercises for better memorization.

Download the text of the book English Vocabulary Organizer with key in .pdf format via direct link (downloads: 2491) .

For all beginners who want to master English idiomatic expressions and phrasal verbs, we advise you to take a closer look at the textbooks in the series Can you believe it. Here you will find real stories with full explanations and exercises to reinforce the material.

Download the text of the book Can You Believe It? 1: Stories and Idioms from Real Life: 1 Book in .pdf format via direct link (downloads: 2933) .

Download the text of the book Can You Believe It? 2: Stories and Idioms from Real Life: 2 Book in .pdf format via direct link (downloads: 1801) .

Download the text of the book Can You Believe It? 3: Stories and Idioms from Real Life: 3 Book in .pdf format via direct link (downloads: 1689) .

Since beginners learning English may encounter basic misunderstandings while reading authentic textbooks, we decided to give them several examples of textbooks to expand their vocabulary, written in Russian.

1.Karavanova – 250 phrasal verbs.

IN textbook collected 250 of the most common English verbs. The textbook gives 5-7 main verbs and phrasal verbs with them. Then you need to perform many exercises to consolidate the acquired knowledge.

Download the text of the book 250 of the most common English phrasal verbs. Karavanova N.B. in .pdf format via direct link (downloads: 2023) .

2.Ilchenko. Phrasal verbs in English.

This manual can be called a completely complete textbook for both beginners and advanced students who are faced with the need to study phrasal verbs. The most important thing is that new phrasal verbs are given in context, which will help you use them correctly in everyday communication or writing essays. And it’s very difficult not to remember them. All information in the manual is divided into thematic blocks and contains the most necessary phrasal verbs for real life.

Download the text of the book Phrasal Verbs in English. Ilchenko V.V. in .pdf format via direct link (downloads: 1848) .

3.Christ's Nativity "Phrasal verbs in spoken English.

A good guide for students studying such a broad topic as phrasal verbs. But without knowledge of grammar, there is no point in studying this textbook.

Download the text of the book Phrasal Verbs in Spoken English. Christorozhdestvenskaya L.P. in .pdf format via direct link (downloads: 1466) .

4.Another series of textbooks in Russian by Litvinov “Steps to Success.”

Download the text of the book My First 1000 English words: memorization techniques in .pdf format via direct link

Views: 66,162 Title: Best textbooks English language to improve vocabulary

The language is quite difficult. Complex and big story Great Britain resulted in a very large number of words. The Oxford English Dictionary, famous in many circles, contains approximately 600,000 words and expressions. And if you add dialect and slang to this list, then the number of words will exceed 1 million. But don’t be afraid of this large quantity, because even native speakers do not know all English words. On average educated person, native speaker, knows 12,000-18,000 words. Well, the average UK resident knows 8,000-10,000 words.

How many words do you need to know?

If a person is not a native speaker and does not permanently reside in English speaking country, then it will be almost impossible for him to bring his reserve to the cherished 8000-10000 words. A good target is 4000-5000 words.

There is a standard and generally accepted gradation of language. If the number of words studied is in the region of 400-500 words, then the level of proficiency is considered basic. If your active vocabulary is in the range of 800-1000 words, then you can safely communicate on various everyday topics. If such a number refers more to a passive vocabulary, then you can safely read simple texts. The range of 1500-2000 words will allow you to communicate freely all day long. If your vocabulary is 3000-4000 words, then you can easily read the English press or various thematic materials. A vocabulary base of 8000 languages guarantees fluency in English. With so many words studied, you can freely read any literature or write texts in the language yourself. Those who have more than 8,000 words in their luggage are considered highly educated people learning English.

According to the standard vocabulary base is distributed as follows:
- beginner - 600 words;
- elementary - 1000 words;
- pre-Intermediate - 1500-2000 words;
- intermediate - 2000-3000 words;
- upper-intermediate - 3000-4000 words;
- advanced - 4000-8000 words;
- proficiency - more than 8000 words.

Thanks to this data, you can determine your level of language proficiency and set goals for yourself. But how many words have already been learned? No, you don't need to measure anything with a ruler to do this. Everything is much simpler. There is testing that can determine the number of words learned with an error rate of 10%.

To create this test, 7,000 words were taken from the dictionary. Outdated and rarely used words were removed from there. We also removed words whose meaning could be determined using ordinary logic. As a result, 2 small pages with words remained.

How to take the test?

The test must be taken with extreme honesty. On the first page there is a list of words in columns. If at least one of the possible values English word, then a check mark is placed next to it. The same columns with words appear on the second page. But here a selection of previously unknown words is already underway. By doing this, the program checks whether these words are really unknown. To fully complete the test, there is another page where you indicate your age, gender, how many years you have been studying English and other important questions. After specifying all the data, the completion button is pressed and the number of words in the test taker’s vocabulary appears on the screen.

Hi all! Each language contains a certain number of lexemes. The complete English vocabulary is about 300,000 words. Of course, such a figure will discourage a beginner from learning a foreign language. However, I hasten to reassure you that you will not need to learn all these lexemes, since even educated speakers have an arsenal of approximately 100,000 words. Today we will find out how many English words you need to know to speak English fluently. Minimum vocabulary There are methods of learning English in which students are forced to learn up to 200 words every day. For some, this approach is applicable, but for the majority, these numbers remain incomprehensible, and the learned words do not bring them closer to free communication with native speakers. In my opinion, the best organization of classes is, on the contrary, saving words, that is, remembering less, but more effectively.

You shouldn’t chase quantity, quality should be your prerogative. It is much better if you know 1000 words by heart than to know 3000-4000 lexemes poorly. Each teacher determines his own minimum required number of lexemes. But only you can decide how many words you need to know so that they are necessary and sufficient to achieve your goals.

Experience shows that a minimum vocabulary of 450 correctly selected lexemes can compensate for about 90% of the vocabulary arsenal required for fluent everyday communication in English. For a comfortable English reading, it will take a little more words, but passively. With knowledge of approximately 1600 lexemes, you will be able to navigate freely in literary and journalistic texts.

The famous teacher, polyglot and methodologist E. Gunnemark made calculations of the necessary vocabulary for the English language, dividing them into several categories.
Thus, he calculated that for oral speech it would be enough to learn from 40 to 1000 correctly selected, most frequent words:

40 lexemes will cover about 50% of everyday uses in communication
200 words will already raise this figure to 80%
300 lexical units will add a few more percentages - 85%
450 words is almost 90%
900-1000 - almost 98% of what you can say or hear in everyday conversation

I note that these indicators are not precise calculations, A general idea about how many units you need to remember in order to feel confident when communicating with native English speakers. E. Gunnemark The famous polyglot found out that for reading, you will need to select and learn about 80 - 8000 high-frequency words in order to understand ordinary simple text:

80 words will help you understand about 50% of the text
200 units - 60%
400 tokens - will cover about 70%
2000 words - approximately 90%
8000 lexical units will help you understand written or printed text 100%

Again, these are just indicative numbers. In some cases, you will be able to understand the text knowing only 45 words, while in others you will not have enough knowledge of even 1,000.

Why know 100,000 words?

You may ask, why are 100,000 words needed if only a few thousand are enough to communicate? On the one hand, you are right - this number of lexemes is quite enough for everyday conversations. BUT is the minimum vocabulary. If you want to become a full-fledged, educated member of society who will be able to hold a conversation on any topic that a native English speaker suggests, then you need to constantly increase your vocabulary. Rich vocabulary What does a rich vocabulary give:

350−700 words - enough for language proficiency at a threshold level
800−1200 lexemes - an active arsenal for communication or a passive arsenal for reading at a beginner level
1500−2500 units - confident reading or free communication on everyday topics
3000−7000 words - free reading specialized literature and press
8000−9000 lexemes - full oral and written communication, reading any kind of literature
10,000−40,000 words - active vocabulary of the native speaker
50,000−100,000 units - a passive arsenal of words for an educated English speaker

Thus, for you, as a foreigner, knowing 9,000 English words will be enough to confidently study, work and live among English speakers.

I will also note that knowledge of this vocabulary alone does not guarantee you free communication. To be able to speak foreign language, requires practice and constant training, knowledge basic knowledge English grammar and syntax.

As for international vocabulary and special terms, you should not have any particular difficulties here. Since it is enough to check these words once with the term in your native language and remember them.

Core Vocabulary Levels

IN pedagogical practice, teachers and linguists identify several levels of basic vocabulary that serve as a guide for the beginner. They significantly reduced the huge gradation by creating a list of three main levels:

Level A— basic vocabulary and phrases — 350 — 500 lexemes. This amount is quite enough to cover about 85-90% of all uses in daily oral conversation or about 70% of simple written text.
Level B- mini-level or minimum vocabulary and phrase stock - 900 -1000 units. This number is enough to cover approximately 95% of usage in everyday spoken conversation and approximately 85% of simple printed text.
Level C— media level or average vocabulary arsenal — 1200−2000 words. This amount is enough to compensate for almost 100% of the use of phrases in everyday oral communication or approximately 90% of literary text

According to this gradation, a beginner needs 2,000 words for everyday communication in English. Again, I note that everything is relative, and only you determine for yourself how many English words you need to know. But also overload yourself a large number There is no need for unnecessary information either.

The well-known Ellochka from the novel “12 Chairs” easily managed with thirty words of Russian, but, apparently, great success I never achieved it in my life. How many words do we need to know in English to communicate on everyday and professional topics? According to researchers, about 40 words are the minimum required for 50% understanding and speaking in everyday speech situations, 400 words should be enough for 90% of cases, and 1000 words will provide you with 95% successful communication. Native speakers use on average from 3,000 to 20,000 words, this depends on the level of education of each individual and the typical situations in which he has to communicate. Practice shows that for English learners it is enough to master 1500-2000 words to feel confident in a conversation. Regarding professional terms, then they usually do not cause difficulties, because in most cases this is international vocabulary. But the most important thing is to understand that words should not just be written down on beautiful cards and hung throughout the house, they should become your working tools. Let's see what steps will help you firmly grasp the necessary vocabulary, that is, the vocabulary.

1. Read carefully and draw conclusions

Whatever you read - fiction, market news securities or a gardening blog - pay attention to exactly how words are used and what combinations they make. Highlight, write down, copy what seems useful to you. For example, here is an excerpt from the article “How to Become an Early Riser” (by Steve Pavlina):

It seems there are two main schools of thought about sleep patterns. One is that you should go to bed and get up at the same times every day. It’s like having an alarm clock on both ends - you try to sleep the same hours each night. This seems practical for living in modern society. We need predictability in our schedules. And we need to ensure adequate rest.

How can we analyze what we read?

“It seems” - it seems, apparently. We just use it as an introductory word.
“This seems practical” - it seems practical. We understand that after “seems” an adjective is used, and now we can speak by analogy: “This seems interesting”, “This seems stupid”, “Your ideas seem nice”.
"Predictability" - predictability. If we know that “predict” means to predict and “ability” means ability, then we can calculate the meaning of this word.

2. Watch the video with and without subtitles

The same work can be done when watching your favorite movies, TV series and TV shows. If you use subtitles, it will be more convenient for you to write down the phrase you like; if not, then train your auditory perception, pause and repeat after the speaker. We can recommend an excellent resource that provides the opportunity to watch TV series in the original with super-useful subtitles: when you hover over a word, a Russian translation appears. Saves a lot of time and improves memorization.

3. Sing your favorite songs

We have already discussed how songs can help us learn English. Expanding vocabulary is one of the tasks where songs can be used especially successfully. It is always much easier to remember what you like and what is associated with positive emotions. On the Internet you can find a lot of sites with song lyrics, for example:

Listening to your favorite songs and singing along with the performers, you learn entire phrases easily and with pleasure.

4. Let's take cues from celebrities

Search for something like “Brad Pitt interview” or “chat show with celebrities” and you will get a lot of material for independent work. As you read or listen to excerpts from the interviews, you will likely notice that certain words are used more often. For example, “amazing” is a very popular adjective to express delight:

“You look amazing!”
“The film was amazing!”
"It was an amazing experience."

5. Mastering typical phrases for standard situations

If you love to travel, you will probably need a set of certain phrases and expressions that you may need at the airport, at customs, at a hotel, in a store, etc. As you know, such conversations are not particularly varied, so for greater confidence, you can learn several mini-dialogues on the necessary topics. Various Internet resources will help you with this, where audio recordings and texts are collected, as well as assignments for them. For example, you can start from this site

6. We study words by topic

It is much easier to remember new words that are related in meaning. If, for example, you are studying the topic "Food", you just need to learn the names of different products, ready meals, adjectives to describe them, etc. By discussing assignments with your teacher, you will be able to activate these words, i.e. transfer from a passive stock to a set of “working tools”. Studying will be more effective if you use different types memory: look at the pictures, listen to the pronunciation and repeat yourself. Use, for example, this resource, which will help you do all of the above and learn new words with ease.

7. Use dictionaries

In our age of information technology, paper dictionaries are no longer popular, and even schoolchildren readily use their online versions. Starting from Pre-Intermediate level It is recommended to use the so-called “English-English dictionaries”, that is, do not translate unfamiliar words, but look for their definitions in English. In addition, dictionaries can provide you with a supply of synonyms, antonyms and idioms, which include given word. According to Wikipedia, the following dictionaries are the most useful and reliable sources of information:

8. Play word games

Crosswords, gallows, Scrabble and other games can also help you enrich your speech because they help you remember the spelling of words you know in a fun way. Additionally, many word games can be played in fun company, combining business with pleasure: learning English with friendly communication. Tip for the curious: try playing Scrabble with an open dictionary.

9. We arm ourselves with devices and gadgets

It takes a long time to write words on cards, there is no time to make sentences, but we always have smartphones, iPhones and other devices at hand. When you have a free minute, you can start learning new words, and you don’t need to carry any pieces of paper, printouts, or textbooks with you. If you don’t know which application to choose, use advice from British Council experts.

10. Use it or lose it!

The most important thing in mastering vocabulary is to use it in your speech. Passive vocabulary is good for reading and listening, that is, for recognizing words. To speak and write, we need to learn to retrieve words from memory very quickly, and this can only be achieved with practice. According to researchers, for a word to become active in speech, it must be used in various contexts about 17 times. Therefore, before class, set yourself the task of speaking more than the teacher and be sure to use new words.

Big and friendly family EnglishDom

Test control is one of the most popular forms of testing knowledge of the English language. The undeniable advantages of tests are the speed and ease of assessing knowledge, as well as the mandatory availability of keys (correct answers) to them.

English vocabulary tests can be:

a) to determine the number of vocabulary units in your passive and active dictionary;

b) to determine the acquired vocabulary on any topic.

Here are some examples online tests.

Test http://testyourvocab.com/ allows you to determine your vocabulary. It consists of two mandatory parts: the first determines the knowledge of general vocabulary of the English language, the second - special. On average, the result of non-native English speakers ranges from 2,500 to 9,000 words, while the result of native speakers is 20,000-35,000 words.

Why know your vocabulary? The answer is very simple: each level of language proficiency corresponds to an approximate number of words that need to be learned. Yes, for the levelBeginner- This 500-600 words. In order for the language level to be close toElementary, the student needs to know about 1000 words.

Level	Word count
Beginner	500-600
Elementary	1000
Pre-Intermediate	1500-2000
Intermediate	2000-3000
Upper-Intermediate	3000-4000
Advanced	4000-8000
Proficiency	more than 8000

Test http://www.efl.ru/tests/formal2informal-1/ will show how well you speak spoken British English. What's happened 'comfy‘ and how to dress if you are invited to ‘barbie‘, you will find out by taking this fun test.

Next test http://www.efl.ru/tests/colours/ will help you better understand English colors and shades. In the first part, knowledge of the colors of the main palette is tested, in the second, attention is paid to shades of colors, in the third part, knowledge is trained English idioms containing the name of the color. Why is it bad to get ‘pinkslip', And what color is a lie? You will find all the answers in this test.

Test How strong is your vocabulary? from Merriam - Webster consists of only 10 questions, the content of which is constantly changing. The test checks synonymous vocabulary at an advanced level, but thanks to it you can significantly enrich your vocabulary.

Test MyVocabularySize It is distinguished primarily by its impressive size: it contains 140 questions. The test has a language selection option: when choosing Russian, you will need to select a translation of the word given in the context; when choosing English, you will find a synonymous phrase.

On the website Quizlet.com There are a huge number of vocabulary tests created by teachers from all over the world. Some of them are based on vocabulary from English textbooks, which you yourself probably study from. Other tests test knowledge of specialized vocabulary, which can also be useful for those who want to deepen their knowledge.

Some tips for those who want to increase their vocabulary

1. Read in the original! Will it be fiction, world news, culinary recipes or advertisements- not so important if you have acquired the habit of working with a dictionary while reading. Each new word is another step towards learning the English language.

2. Work with a monolingual dictionary! Not immediately, but gradually accustom yourself to abandon the usual “word-translation” scheme. Sometimes it can be difficult to explain a concept even in your native language. However, by working with a monolingual (written in one language) dictionary, you will have a better chance of understanding the meaning of many words.

3. Learn words in context! When maintaining your personal dictionary, write down not individual lexical units, but phrases and sentences. Thus, your language will quickly sparkle with new, lively phrases.

Where to practice vocabulary?

On the website LearnEnglishTeens There is an opportunity to practice words on a wide variety of topics. Each topic is presented at three language levels - from A 1 to B 1 – and is accompanied by five exercises.

On the website http://lengish.com/tests/vocabulary Exercises for training thematic vocabulary necessary in everyday life are also presented.

Resource Merriam -Webster offers not only dictionaries and tests, but also a huge number of exercises and games to improve your vocabulary.

Finally, we invite you to take our vocabulary test, based on vocabulary from New Headway Elementary.

1. If you… somebody, you take care of this person.

a) pay b) look after c) lose

2. My sister and I are very … and we phone each other every evening.

a) happy b) independent c) close

3. How many languages do you…?

a) speak b) say c) tell

4. This book is really… !

a) interesting b) interested c) bored

5. I’m… in reading books.