[09:23, 29/04/2026] Jahvane: The aim of this book is to provide students in the primary stages with the essential minimum of vocabulary skills required for practical purposes.

It does so by means of exercises involving synonyms, homonyms, homophones, homographs, antonyms, prefixes, suffixes, root words, idioms, proverbs and similes. Spelling exercises are also included as there is a direct link with spelling and vocabulary instructions. Thorough and comprehensive practice is provided and it is hoped that the completion of these exercises will help to impress the words on the memory.

Vocabulary is the knowledge of words and word meanings. Vocabulary knowledge is not something that one can ever master as it is something that expands and deepens over a lifetime.
Research evidence supports the fact that there are more words to be learned than can ever be taught. Most vocabulary is acquired incidentally through indirect exposure to words. Students can acquire vocabulary incidentally by engaging in rich oral-language experience at home and in school, listening to books, stories, passages or even conversations read out aloud to them and widely reading on their own. Extensive reading gives students repeated exposure to words and it is also the means by which students see vocabulary in context.

In order to assist students, the following components of any vocabulary programme are suggested:

* Use instructional read aloud events.
* Provide direct instruction in the meaning of cluster of words and individual words.
* Systematically teach students the meanings of prefixes, suffixes and root words.
* Link spelling instruction to reading and vocabulary instruction.
* Teach the effective and efficient uses of the dictionary.
* Teach and encourage the application of a word learning strategy.
* Create a keen awareness of and interest in language and words.

Direct instruction in vocabulary impacts positively in the success of a student. A limited vocabulary can prevent a student from comprehending what is taught and even present a greater difficulty in reading and understanding the written word in textbooks. The acquisition of vocabulary skills can arrest this problem.
[09:26, 29/04/2026] Jahvane: PREFACE TO THE TWENTY-FOURTH EDITION
My prediction that the students concerned would find this publication of Rama Brothers to be very useful to them from the examination point of view has proved to be perfectly correct. In fact, it has turned out to be an outstanding publication which has enhanced their reputation as publishers and mine as an annotator.
I am very glad that the need for another edition of this book has arisen; and I hope that students of the future will find it as useful as those of the preceding year found it. I offer to the buyers of this book my best wishes; and I hope also that the publishers will continue to maintain the quality and excellence of their publications in the future.

New Delhi
December, 2018

RAJINDER PAUL