ELT365 · D157 — Pre-teaching blocking vocabulary

Idea — Blocking vocabulary means words whose absence will stop comprehension entirely. Pre-teach only those — not every new word in the text.

Example — In a sports commentary, ‘offside’ may block a non-sports listener. ‘Enthusiastically’ probably will not — context carries the meaning.

Try — Go through your next text. Mark words that would genuinely prevent understanding. Pre-teach those. Leave the rest for learners to guess from context.

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