Different types of exercises that ESL teachers can use to help students reinforce English vocabulary

Readers, especially ESL teachers will be provided with plenty of various types of exercises that help check and reinforce their students’ knowledge of English words.

1. Word – Expression of meaning Match

In this type of vocabulary exercise, ESL teachers can design 2 columns. The first column contains the list of words, and the second one includes the expressions that give the meanings of words in the first column. What students need to do here is to read carefully all words in the first column and expressions of meaning in the second one so as to match suitable pairs of word and its meaning.

2. Word – picture Match

Teacher draws a box with containing various English words. Under the box are various pictures that denote the meaning of words in the box. Students’ task is to select the most appropriate word in the box to put under each separate picture in accordance with their similar meaning.

Teacher can also design a word-picture matching exercises like the following image:

3. Fill in the blanks with appropriate words in the box

A list of words is given in a box. And several separate sentences with blanks are put besides or under that box. It is a must for student to choose the best word in the box to fill in each suitable blank in each sentence.

4. Give the meanings

This is the simplest type of vocabulary exercises that can be used to check and improve students’ vocabulary. Teachers can make a list of English words, and then require students to give the meaning of those words in their native language. In contrast, a list of words in the native language of students is given, and what students need to complete is to give the proportional English words of them in term of the same meanings.

For example:

a. INTERESTING > thú vị 

b. OPTIMISTIC > lạc quan

c. CHALLENGE > thách thức

d. OPPORTUNITY > cơ hội

e. DREAM > mơ ước

5. Synonyms and antonyms

Students are given a list of words, and simultaneously, they are required to give the words that have similar meanings (synonyms) or contrastive meanings (antonyms) with the words given.

This type of vocabulary exercises is sometimes considered as a quite difficult one for students, but it is promised to expand students’ fortune of English new words. Simply, if students can do well this type of exercises, they will double their vocabulary because they can remember pairs of words, not single one.

5. Word Formation

Teacher may provide students with some words at the form of nouns, and students are asked to give the adjectives or adverbs of those words.

This exercise helps students learn different forms of each word such as noun, verb, adverb, adjective, etc; therefore, students can remember more words that share the same meanings but have different functions and usages.

6. Complete Dialogue

A box of words is put after the suggestion of the exercise. And this box of words is followed with an incomplete dialogue, conversation or even text or passage. Students are expected to read the dialogue, conversation, text or passage and choose the correct words in the box to fill in the missing place.

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To read more about various types of English vocabulary exercises, readers can click at this link:

http://www.grammarbank.com/english-vocabulary-exercises.htmlTo read more about various types of English vocabulary exercises, readers can click at this link:

By ELTiCenter