12 2008 N UMBER 3 | E NGLISH T EACHING F ORUM Keith S. Folse — Six Vocabulary Activities for the English Language Classroom— T o improve their second lan- guage proficiency, English language learners (ELLs) need a solid knowledge of vocabu- lary. While a basic level of vocabulary will allow learners to communicate some ideas to a certain degree, better communication—whether in speak- ing/listening or writing/reading—can be accomplished when learners have acquired more vocabulary. At times, not knowing a spe- cific word can severely limit com- munication; however, in many cases a lexical lapse can actually stop com- munication completely. Our second language learners certainly recognize that insufficient vocabulary is one of their biggest frustrations (Green and Meara 1995; James 1996), but just how important is vocabulary really? What our learners have been say- ing all along—that they need more vocabulary—is more than a hunch; it is a fact. As a result, teachers need to know what kinds of classroom activi- ties they can use to help their students gain new vocabulary. The purpose of this article is to present some impor- tant aspects of vocabulary learning and introduce teachers to six practical vocabulary activities. The five types of words and vocabulary learning— It is important to define what we mean by second language vocabulary. When we talk about vocabulary, we usually mean words, but what is a word? Most people think of words as single units, such as cat, dozen, or reluctant. However, these single words are merely one part of the vocabulary load that our students face. In fact, a “word” can be one of five types, namely (1) a single word, (2) a set phrase, (3) a variable phrase, (4) a phrasal verb, or (5) an idiom. Type 1: Single words— This classification includes the bulk of the vocabulary of any lan- guage. To be sure, there are thousands of single words that learners must know. Schmitt (2000), for example, notes that second language students need approximately 2,000 words to maintain conversations, 3,000 word families to read authentic texts, and as