Overview of Active Vocabulary and Passive Vocabulary in English

English vocabulary is essential knowledge if you want to master all aspects of English exams. Therefore, in this article, PREP will provide Preppies with an overview of Active Vocabulary and Passive Vocabulary. Let's refer to the following article!
 

I. Concept and Differentiation of Active Vocabulary and Passive Vocabulary

Depending on the learner's ability to use vocabulary, vocabulary can be divided into two groups: active vocabulary and passive vocabulary.

Active Vocabulary refers to words that learners understand and use proficiently and regularly in speaking and writing skills. It is an important knowledge component in the IELTS English exam.

During the process of using English or any new language, the learner's active and passive vocabulary can continuously change because learners constantly learn new words and may forget less frequently used ones.

During the process of using English or any new language, the learner's active and passive vocabulary can continuously change because learners constantly learn new words and may forget less frequently used ones. Depending on the learner's ability to use vocabulary, it can be divided into two groups: active vocabulary and passive vocabulary.

II. Some Ways to Transform Passive Vocabulary into Active Vocabulary

1. Enhance Selective Language Acquisition 

To effectively acquire vocabulary, learners should selectively learn vocabulary by choosing to study common vocabulary topics that will be most frequently applied. For example, if you are studying economics in university, actively learning vocabulary related to Economics, Finance, and Business will be beneficial for studying, researching, and using them more frequently.

There are various ways to learn vocabulary, but a traditional yet highly effective method is note-taking and application. Learners can use notebooks or flashcards to record words, their meanings, and example usage, and consistently review them to avoid forgetting. Reviewing vocabulary is most effective when learners apply the words in writing and/or speaking tasks related to the corresponding topics.

In addition, learning vocabulary through social channels such as YouTube, Facebook, or reading news on websites like BBC or CNN is also an effective way to acquire vocabulary and learn how to apply them in the appropriate life and social contexts. This is a useful method to transform Passive Vocabulary into Active Vocabulary.

2. Associate with Everyday Contexts to Enhance Vocabulary Retention 

One way to remember and apply vocabulary is to associate them with their usage contexts. For example, take the phrase "plastic surgery," which is often associated with images of improving one's appearance through facial or body modifications. By remembering the applied images of this phrase, learners can easily recall and accurately use it.

An advantage of learning vocabulary through contextual associations is that it helps eliminate the thinking process of translating between English and your native language. When learners think in terms of images, they will continue to generate more English words instead of translating them into their mother tongue.

Associating vocabulary with contexts or familiar images helps learners make easy associations. This makes the transformation from Passive Vocabulary to Active Vocabulary highly convenient.

• For example, the word "meticulous" means "very careful and with great attention to every detail." Learners can imagine a scene where their mother, who is a neat and tidy person, asks them to clean the kitchen shelves and organize utensils meticulously:
• "My mom is a neat person. She always asks me to clean the kitchen shelves and organize utensils meticulously." By associating the word with the context, learners can easily remember the word "meticulous."

3. Regularly Repeat Vocabulary Learning

Vocabulary learning is ineffective if learners do not have the habit of regularly reviewing or reusing the words, leading to gradual forgetting and eventually not knowing the words anymore.

Learners need to reinforce vocabulary repetition through various English learning methods such as using flashcards, writing sticky notes around their study area, regularly writing short paragraphs (diary/reflection notes are also good choices), or practicing self-talk by using the vocabulary and finding ways to link the words to appropriate contexts to remember them.

Enhancing language input and imagining usage contexts alone are not enough to transform passive vocabulary into active vocabulary. When a word is learned but not frequently used, the memory of that word is not reinforced in the brain. As a result, learners cannot recall the word without stimulating factors such as hearing or seeing the word, or worse, completely forgetting it.

IELTS test results show that learners often have higher scores in Reading and Listening compared to Writing and Speaking, and the reason is that their passive vocabulary is usually higher than their active vocabulary. Therefore, learners need to encourage and motivate themselves to learn vocabulary with the aim of not only memorizing and understanding but also successfully applying the words.

Therefore, it is important to regularly repeat vocabulary learning to easily transform passive vocabulary into active vocabulary.

This article provides detailed insight into Active Vocabulary and Passive Vocabulary. These are an overview and some easy ways to transform passive vocabulary into active vocabulary. PREP wishes you to enhance your vocabulary as much as possible to apply for exams such as IELTS or the National High School Graduation Exam.