Writers 
VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT
The only way a student can increase his stock of words is for him to be willing to seek knowledge at all times. Developing interest in reading about specific and general subjects is the only way by which he can encounter new words through new experiences. To make the student’s reading relevant to his work, he must cultivate certain interests that can enable him to relate all subjects in the University to his own interests through noting their relation to life and human endeavours. There are ways in which the Sciences, the Arts, and even Engineering are related. A student who seeks knowledge in these areas is likely to encounter more new words and absorb them through the methods set out above.It is wrong for students to study dictionaries in isolation or artificially. Words in dictionaries should be studied through the students’ normal desire to acquire knowledge. Words immersed in knowledge or naturally associated with some kind of knowledge are more fascinating to the student because they are part of concepts, processes and relationships. An introduction to a subject like Biology is more likely to expose students to new words through concepts and illustrations than any artificial foray into a dictionary.
Recognition Vocabulary
This consists of words that a student can recognize or guess fairly accurately at their meanings when reading a passage or listening to lectures. Wide reading necessitated by interest and the desire to have a broad based knowledge of what goes on in the world, exposes the student to the words that he can make part of his recognition vocabulary. A word, however, does not become part of the stock until a student has learnt its meanings from a dictionary or made intelligent guesses at the meanings. In all cases where the meaning is guessed at from the context, it is advisable that reference must be made to the dictionary for confirmation. The words that make up the recognition vocabulary are “passive” in some ways because they are not used quite often by the student. They are in reserve and recalled only when they help him understand a passage or when they are recognized in texts.
Active Vocabulary
This is the stock of words which a student actually uses when he speaks or writes. A frequent encounter with or use of words makes them part of the active vocabulary. In most cases words pass from the recognition to the active vocabulary if situations arise that cause the student to use the words quite often. Sometimes words also pass from active to passive use if the conditions that compel their use become rare. In most cases a student’s active vocabulary is just about a quarter of his passive one. It is therefore safe to say that it is only when a word has become part of a student’s active stock that it can be said that he really knows it.
The dictionary is the student’s treasure house of words. It should be his constant companion if he wants to increase the stock of words he knows and can use. The acquisition of new words must be associated with or derived from the acquisition of knowledge in order to make it meaningful and interesting. Any artificial reading of the dictionary for “impressive words” should be discouraged.