English Vocabulary

English has a wide vocabulary and it is a very flexible language. There are many different ways of making a statement. But words that are very similar in meaning have fine shades of difference and a student needs to be alive to these differences. By using his dictionary, and above all by reading, a student can increase his sensitivity to these shades of difference and improve his ability to express his own meanings exactly.

Professor Raleigh once stated: "There are no synonyms, and the same statement can never be repeated in a changed form of words." This is perhaps too absolute, but it is not easy to disapprove. Even a slight alteration in the wording of a statement can subtly shift the meaning. The change in words is a change in style, and the effect on the reader is quite different. It is perhaps easier to be a good craftsman with wood and nails than a good craftsman with words, but all of us can increase our skill and sensitivity with a little effort and patience. In this way we shall not only improve our writing, but also our reading.

Above all we should try to cultivate an interest in words. The study of words, of their origins and shifting meanings, can tell us a great deal about human life and thought. English offers a fascinating variety of words for many activities and interests.

The foreign student of English may be discouraged and dismayed when he learns that there are over 400 000 words in the English language, without counting slang. But let him take courage. More than half of these words are dead. Even Shakespeare used a vocabulary of only some 20 000 words. The average Englishman today probably has a vocabulary range of from 12 000 to 13 000 words. It is good to make your vocabulary as complete as you can, but a great deal can be said and written with a vocabulary of no more than 10 000 words. The important thing is to have a good control and command over the words you do know. Better know two words exactly than three vaguely. A good carpenter is not distinguished by the number of his tools, but by the craftsmanship with which he uses them. So a good writer is not measured by the extent of his vocabulary, but by his skill in finding the word that will hit the nail cleanly on the head.