Intermediate level Korean EFL Learners' Knowledge of Different Meanings of English Basic Words

This paper was an examination of how much knowledge Korean EFL students had of basic English words. Thirty-two Korean university EFL students took a completion test, which required them to fill the blank with 10 target words - busy, cheap, difficult, hard, heavy, poor, rich, rough, shy, and slow. The test revealed that the students had a grossly limited understanding of the target words. Their inadequate knowledge of such basic words also manifested itself when asked to write all the meanings of each target word they knew. Fifteen students were interviewed to find out why they failed to use such basic words in the test. Interviews showed that the students have tended to make light of basic words on the mistaken assumption that they knew enough about those words. The students also reported that they have had little exposure to English words in a variety of different contexts outside the classroom, which would contribute little to forming a well-rounded concept of word meanings. The findings of this study suggest that the students need to realize that knowing a word means knowing many of the different meanings of the word; knowing basic words adequately is a huge part of vocabulary knowledge.