---
title: "Vocabulary"
description: "26 topics in English, in the order they build on each other."
canonical: https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/areas/vocabulary
source: https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/areas/vocabulary.md
retrieved: 2026-10-19
---

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# Vocabulary

26 topics in English, in the order they build on each other.

Page: https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/areas/vocabulary

- [Discussing and Questioning New Words](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/discussing-and-questioning-new-words-mt_6-MYToNZ39): Ask and answer questions about unknown words in texts; discuss word meanings and link new vocabulary to words already known
- [Using New Vocabulary](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/using-new-vocabulary-mt_NP101Zl-4g): Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, being read to, and responding to texts in own speech and writing
- [Word Parts as Clues](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/word-parts-as-clues-mt_aw0PldeT_L): Use knowledge of common inflections and affixes (-ed, -s, un-, -er) as clues to the meaning of unknown words; understand how the prefix un- changes meaning
- [Root Words & Inflections](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/root-words-and-inflections-mt_UEe3MC5RZc): Identify frequently occurring root words and their inflectional forms (e.g., look/looks/looked/looking), using affixes as clues to word meaning and understanding how suffixes create nouns and adjectives
- [Word Families and Root Words](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/word-families-and-root-words-mt_p1imGSFgJT): Explore word families based on common root words, understanding how words are related in form and meaning through shared roots, prefixes and suffixes (e.g., solve → solution, solver, dissolve, insoluble)
- [Sorting & Categorising Words](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/sorting-and-categorising-words-mt_oL9s_bufDp): Sort common objects and words into categories to understand how concepts relate; demonstrate understanding of opposites (antonyms) for common verbs and adjectives
- [Shades of Meaning](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/shades-of-meaning-mt_VLu59hpQ4T): Distinguish shades of meaning among verbs describing similar actions and among adjectives differing in intensity; make real-life connections between words and their use
- [Defining Words](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/defining-words-mt_f_dMmvzxwo): Define words by category and by one or more key attributes (e.g., 'a duck is a bird that swims'), making real-life connections between words and their use
- [Literal vs Figurative Language](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/literal-vs-figurative-language-mt_SUOhjmRqv9): Distinguish literal from nonliteral (figurative) language in context and interpret common idioms and phrases
- [Antonyms & Synonyms](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/antonyms-and-synonyms-mt_E5YbLvMgLL): Demonstrate understanding of words by relating them to their antonyms (opposites) and synonyms (words with similar meanings), using synonym and antonym relationships to refine vocabulary and improve precision in writing
- [Domain Vocabulary Across Subject Areas](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/domain-vocabulary-across-subject-areas-mt_WzOyJFKDIu): Acquire and use accurately academic and domain-specific vocabulary relevant to grade-level topics, including words that signal precise meaning in informational texts across subject areas
- [Greek and Latin Roots for Word Meaning](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/greek-and-latin-roots-for-word-meaning-mt_x_Lg4RASVU): Use knowledge of Greek and Latin affixes (prefixes and suffixes) and roots as clues to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words, building a bank of common roots and their meanings
- [Idioms & Proverbs](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/idioms-and-proverbs-mt_IoGOSAQ8bz): Recognise and interpret common idioms (break the ice, hit the nail on the head), adages (actions speak louder than words), and proverbs (a stitch in time saves nine), understanding their figurative meanings and when to use them
- [Similes & Metaphors](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/similes-and-metaphors-mt_hJW7hVflm3): Understand and identify similes (comparisons using like or as) and metaphors (direct comparisons stating something is something else) in texts, explaining how each creates imagery and conveys meaning
- [Using a Thesaurus to Choose Words](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/using-a-thesaurus-to-choose-words-mt_saW7PxtPxw): Use a thesaurus to find synonyms and extend vocabulary choices, selecting the most appropriate word based on context, connotation, and register
- [Vocabulary Strategies](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/vocabulary-strategies-mt_WZnwITSWr8): Determine the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases using a flexible range of strategies, including context clues, Greek and Latin affixes and roots, reference materials, and verification of inferred meaning
- [Formal and Informal English](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/formal-and-informal-english-mt_86DyHo9zO3): Recognise and compare formal and informal uses of English, understanding that language choices vary based on audience, purpose and context
- [Choosing Formal Vocabulary](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/choosing-formal-vocabulary-mt_h3vmvQW5Wa): Distinguish between formal and informal vocabulary, selecting words appropriate for formal speech and writing such as 'discover' instead of 'find out' and 'request' instead of 'ask for'
- [Dialects & Registers](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/dialects-and-registers-mt_1ro8W1cZYn): Compare and contrast the varieties of English used in stories, dramas, or poems, including dialects and registers, understanding how language varies by region, context, and purpose
- [Academic Vocabulary](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/academic-vocabulary-mt_OLwNsTI6C7): Acquire and use accurately a broad range of general academic vocabulary and domain-specific words, drawing new vocabulary from reading and listening and deploying it consciously in writing and speech to achieve particular effects
- [Advanced Figurative Language](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/advanced-figurative-language-mt_MlmIrLb_7x): Understand and interpret figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meaning (including allusion, irony, pun, oxymoron, and extended metaphor), and distinguish between connotation and denotation when analysing or choosing words
- [Patterns of Language and Semantic Fields](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/patterns-of-language-and-semantic-fields-mt_p1Wzl_KM7p): Track a run of related words across a passage as one deliberate pattern, and say what the pattern builds that no single word would. Where a writer breaks their own pattern is often the point.
- [How Language Varies: Register, Dialect, and Sociolect](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/how-language-varies-register-dialect-and-sociolect-mt_SJ9T1azPop): Describe how English varies with situation, region and social group. These influences can overlap. Use language features and context to support an interpretation, and state what the evidence cannot establish.
- [Language Change Over Time](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/language-change-over-time-mt_o8mC_j0E2J): Investigate changes in English vocabulary, meanings, spelling and grammar using dated evidence. Compare texts and word histories, consider social and linguistic causes, and distinguish a supported estimate from an exact date.
- [Attitudes to Language Change](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/attitudes-to-language-change-mt_IJ9Tv9T3Ua): Weigh the familiar claim that English is getting worse against what the evidence shows, and separate a judgement about language from a judgement about the people using it.
- [Language and Power in Public Discourse](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/language-and-power-in-public-discourse-mt_nOBe8ExZx-): Who gets to name things, and what the naming does. Political and institutional language distributes blame, hides an agent behind a passive, and turns contested choices into settled facts, all with ordinary grammar.