How do you know what your English vocabulary is? Vocabulary: how many words you need to know

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, an educated person, a 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 live in an English-speaking country, then it will be almost impossible for him to bring his stock up to the treasured 8,000-10,000 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 the 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 lexicon 3000-4000 words, then you can easily read the English press or various thematic materials. A vocabulary base of 8000 languages ​​guarantees Fluency English language. 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 studied 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 Outdated and rarely used words were removed from there.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 ​​is known 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 completely complete the test, there is another page where you indicate age, gender, how many years you have been studying English and others. 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. Test control is one of the most popular forms of knowledge testing in English. Undeniable advantages tests - the speed and ease of assessing knowledge, as well as the mandatory presence 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 approximate quantity 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 of English idioms containing the name of color is trained. 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 site 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 the 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 site 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 site 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.

a) interesting b) interested c) bored

6. Hey! Let's...a cake!

a) do b) make c) mix

7. New York is older…London.

a) then a) of c) than

8. If the weather is bad, we can….

a) have a picnic a) go for a walk c) watch a DVD

9. Let’s go to the… and buy some stamps.

a) library b) post office c) police office

10. How about having lunch?

a) I'll have some pizza and a cake. b) That sounds great! c) I can help you.

Keys to the test:

b	c	a	a	b	b	c	c	b	b

And finally, remember that objective can only be called comprehensive assessment of knowledge.

The well-known Ellochka from the novel “12 Chairs” easily got by with thirty words of Russian, but, apparently, she never achieved much success in life. How many words do we need to know in English in order to communicate in everyday life? professional themes? According to researchers, about 40 words are 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. As for professional terms, they usually do not cause difficulties, because in most cases they are 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 valuable papers 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

Type in the search 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 diverse, so for greater confidence you can learn several mini-dialogues in 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 information technologies paper dictionaries are no longer popular, and even schoolchildren readily use their online versions. Starting from the Pre-Intermediate level, it is recommended to use the so-called “English-English dictionaries”, that is, not to translate unfamiliar words, but to look for their definitions in English. In addition, dictionaries can provide you with a supply of synonyms, antonyms and idioms that include a 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 EnglishDom family

There are many tests that determine vocabulary, I will tell you about one of the most adequate ones, which does not overestimate or underestimate indicators. It is the best way to test your English vocabulary. In general, a native English speaker knows from 17 to 35 thousand words, depending on the level of education and age. For English learners, 8 thousand words is an excellent indicator indicating an advanced level. As a native speaker, you are unlikely to ever speak unless you have studied the language since birth, that is, unless you are bilingual. But you can be content with less.

There is a good American-Brazilian research project Test your vocab, which studies vocabulary statistics of English speakers and language learners. The test is quite simple - there are two pages of words, from which you need to mark those that you know for sure. Mark a word if you know at least one of its meanings, but you know it for sure. If you are not sure of the translation or have just heard the word, but do not remember the exact translation, then do not mark it. The test is 10% accurate and it really works.

On the third page you can enter your data for statistics, but you can skip this step.

The most important words are on the first page; if you accidentally mark too many, the result will be inflated. Nobody checks honesty, determine the margin for yourself.

How many words do you need to know

There is active (words used) and passive (words understood) vocabulary. To speak, you don't need many words. But what's the point of talking if you don't understand your interlocutor? So passive vocabulary is more important.

• Knowledge 2000 the most common words gives understanding 90% speech. But in reality 90% – this is not enough to understand. Imagine that every 10th word is unfamiliar - you will feel like a sheep. Even every 20th incomprehensible word will not give you complete freedom of communication.
• Knowledge 6000 a thousand words will make it clear 98% speech.
• To understand films and TV series, you need to know 7-8 thousand words – this level is above average, with approximately AT 2.

How to find out your level by vocabulary

• 1.3 thousand words (level A1) – First level, you can introduce yourself.
• 2,5 thousands words (level A2) - exchange in simple phrases in everyday situations.
• 4 thousand words (level B1) – average level. You can communicate in most situations when traveling in an English-speaking country.
• 7 thousand words (level B2) – speak quickly and freely, you can constantly communicate without difficulty for both parties.
• 11 thousand words (level C1) - advanced level. Speak freely at a fast pace. Use the language at work and study.
• 17 thousand words (level C2) – You understand almost any word or expression. The level of a native speaker begins at 17 thousand.

How to improve your vocabulary

It is known that words are best remembered in context, since just a bare word from the dictionary is quickly forgotten. Now there are dictionaries that allow you to memorize a word along with the passage in which it appears. For example, this allows you to remember words in context. That is, you will have a dictionary consisting of titles and video fragments of videos from Lingvaleo, phrases from Lingvaleo texts. Moreover, the dictionary is compiled not only on the basis of Lingvaleo training materials, but you can translate any texts on the Internet (a phrase from an Internet text will also be added to the dictionary). To do this, you need to install the Lingvaleo browser extension. The vocabulary for all materials is common. The only problem is that you can add 10 words per day for free. But I don't think it's possible to learn more with daily use. That is, a small number of words per day can be compensated by studying regularly.