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PF฀ Introduction The Importanc e o f Vocabular y Teaching an d Learnin g One o f th e mos t difficul t challenge s fo r languag e learner s i s t o lear n th e meanings an d us e o f the words they need t o master i f they are t o be abl e t o understand and communicate in a second or foreign language . While grammar is also important, words are th e building blocks to communication . Beginners can often mak e themselves understood with basic content words (such a s nouns an d verbs) an d gestures , even thoug h th e grammatica l rule s are lacking . A two-year-old ca n loo k jealously a t her new-bor n bab y sister i n her mother's arms, point to the baby's bed and shout 'Baby — cot!' and clearl y make her point, without using any grammatical niceties such as 'Please Mum, put th e ne w baby down an d giv e me a cuddle.' In a similar vein, ar e visitors t o a foreign countr y mor e likel y to carr y a dictionary/phrase boo k or a grammar book? Which is more likely to provid e a quic k solution when strugglin g t o convey a basic meaning ? This doe s no t mean , however , tha t gramma r i s a n insignifican t par t o f language learning. Knowing the meanings of words in a text allows the reade r to hav e a genera l ide a o f wha t a passag e i s about , bu t knowledg e o f th e grammatical structur e coul d b e th e ke y t o understandin g th e nuance s an d subtleties, following a n argumen t an d appreciatin g th e style. Who Shoul d Rea d Thi s Book ? This book is intended for all those who would like to know more about English vocabulary teaching , whether the y are traine e teachers , takin g postgraduat e courses in teaching English as a second or foreign language , or simply looking for ne w ideas. 2฀HARS H฀WORDS !฀ENGLIS H฀WORD S฀FO R฀CHINES E฀LEARNER S฀ It i s also written particularl y wit h th e Chines e learne r i n min d an d wil l focus closel y on th e kind s o f error s frequentl y mad e b y students whos e firs t language is Cantonese or Putonghua. The main theory and practice, however, are applicabl e t o all students regardles s o f their mothe r tongue . This boo k doe s no t se t ou t t o be a n all-encompassin g researc h stud y o f everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know abou t vocabulary. Several excellent works have alread y bee n writte n wit h th e researc h postgraduat e studen t i n mind . This one is written for a more general audience who will appreciate some basic theoretical framewor k o n whic h t o han g simpl e an d effectiv e vocabular y teaching an d learnin g technique s an d strategies . Background t o th e Teachin g o f Englis h Vocabular y A language cours e needs to have a balanced coverag e of the four mai n skills: reading, writing , listenin g an d speaking . Vocabulary teachin g i s an essentia l component of all four o f these and so learners need to have the opportunitie s to develo p thei r vocabular y receptivel y throug h listenin g an d readin g fo r meaning. For thi s they need t o be aware of the pronunciation o f words use d in isolation and in context. They need t o be given the opportunity to practise what they have learned through speaking and writing, by using their vocabulary productively in a variety of situations. Lastly, learners need t o develop fluenc y in thei r us e an d understandin g o f word s b y becomin g confiden t an d competent i n al l four skills . English Vocabulary Teaching i n Hong Kon g Government statistics show that approximately 98% of the population of Hong...

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