ELT365 · Day 157 — Blocking vocabulary: what stops comprehension

Idea — Blocking vocabulary is a word or phrase so unfamiliar it stops comprehension of the whole text — not just a nuance, but a key meaning that collapses without it.

Example — In a text about immigration law, ‘asylum seeker’ is probably blocking. ‘Paperwork’ is not — learners can infer or skip it. Teach the blocker; let the rest emerge.

Try — Select a text. Highlight every unknown word. Now ask: if a B1 learner skipped each one, would meaning collapse? Only those that answer yes are true blockers.

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