ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the vocabulary and multi-word expressions (MWEs) needed to use the language communicatively. It addresses a number of questions: How much vocabulary is needed for spoken language comprehension? What are MWEs and why are they important in communicative vocabulary teaching and learning? The chapter discusses four strands by focusing on a range of activities that can be used in the context of communicative vocabulary teaching and learning. The strands are meaning-focused input, meaning-focused output, language-focused learning, and fluency development. The chapter observes the most frequent MWEs in spoken English comprise a variety of phrases: speech routines, discourse markers, verbs, collocations, lexical bundles, and so on. It shows how teachers can design and use activities to aid vocabulary learning. The chapter covers a range of activities that can be used as part of a four-strand approach to communicative vocabulary teaching and learning, both in and outside the classroom.
