How we use vocabulary
There are four types of vocabulary usage: listening, speaking, reading, and writing:
(1) Listening - recognizing/understanding words in the process of listening.
(2) Speaking - using words in speech.
(3) Reading - understanding words in the process of reading.
(4) Writing - using words in writing.
How we acquire vocabulary
There are three basic vocabulary acquisition levels.
I. Unknown/new word. You do not know the word, you never saw it written, and you never heard of it.
II. Passive word:
1) you heard the word in the past, but you are not sure about its meaning now;
2) you can recognize/understand the meaning of the word only when you read it;
3) you cannot spell the word, but you can pronounce it;
4) you can write/spell the word correctly but cannot pronounce it correctly;
5) you heard the word (or saw written down); however, you cannot use the word in speech;
6) you can recognize the word only when it is pronounced by someone. However, you cannot spell it correctly.
III. Active word: you can use the word fluently and correctly in all situations, in its written and spoken form.
