由张华编著的本书全面地介绍了词汇学的基本概念、英语词汇的历史发展、词根词缀的构成、词汇意义、词汇意义的关系变化以及词义在语境中的作用。
本书修订版一方面加强了词根和词缀部分的练习数量和难度以帮助学习者提高英语构词能力和词义理解能力,另一方面着重强调词汇意义与语境的关系,因为只有通过语篇尤其是大量真实语料的阅读才可以掌握词义。每章后配有相当数量的练习,可以有效地帮助学生了解词义在语篇中的关联,克服词汇理解在语篇阅读中的瓶颈,在阅读理解中寻找解决词汇问题的方法。

chapter 1 lexicology and basic concepts of words and vocabulary 1.1 the definition of english lexicology 1.1.1 the domains of english lexicology 1.1.2 methods of study of lexicology 1.2 the definition of word 1.3 the definition of vocabulary 1.4 classification of words 1.4.1 full word and form word 1.4.2 popular word and learned word 1.4.3 abstract word and concrete word 1.4.4 transparent word and opaque word 1.4.5 polysemic word and monosemic word 1.4.6 native word and loan word exerciseschapter 2 the development of the english vocabulary 2.1 the world languages 2.2 language classifications 2.2.1 morphological classification 2.2.2 structural classification 2.3 the indo-european language family 2.4 the historical overview of english vocabulary 2.4.1 old english (450鈥斺€?150) 2.4.2 middle english (1150鈥斺€?500) 2.4.3 modern english (1500鈥斺€攗p to now) 2.5 three main sources of new words of the present-day englishvocabulary 2.5.1 the rapid development of modern science and te