Graduate Student Classified English Word Lists

Summarizing the Substance of the Classified English Word Lists for Graduate Students

Teaching vocabulary is an important link for teaching in a foreign language. The student's large or small amount of vocabulary and the level of mastery of the vocabulary will directly effect learning and improving their language skill such as listening, speaking, reading, writing, translating, etc.

There are several problems reflected from graduate students when they are learning English vocabulary.

  1. The amount of vocabulary is not enough.
  2. They lay particular stress on science and technology, or special subjects; yet neglect the common core of English vocabulary.
  3. Their way of understanding and thinking of the meaning of words is narrow. For instance, a common polyseme (words with various meanings): they often have only a one-sided view. The students only understand the English vocabulary which relates to their subject or to their individual culture and history. Beyond that category, they don't understand the meaning of words.
  4. Mechanical memorization causes them to be unable to draw inferences about cases from one instance.
  5. Their productive vocabulary is very poor. Besides these problems, they often make simple mistakes in using the words, spelling, collocation and similar wrong usage.

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