This page brings together my books and practical resources developed from research and teaching in applied linguistics, second language acquisition, vocabulary learning, and language learning strategies. A central part of this work is the development of the Vocab-Backup Strategy (VBS), connecting research with practical approaches that teachers and learners can apply in language learning.
FEATURED BOOK · SECOND EDITION
Vocabulary: 5 Steps to Help Your Students Learn More Vocabulary
Vocabulary: 5 Steps to Help Your Students Learn More Vocabulary presents a practical five-step approach designed to help learners deal with unfamiliar words systematically and strengthen long-term vocabulary learning. The book connects research on vocabulary acquisition and language learning strategies with practical activities that teachers and students can use inside and outside the classroom.
The approach encourages learners to become more strategic and independent when encountering new vocabulary while providing teachers with a structured framework for supporting vocabulary development.
THE VBS FOUNDATION
Vocab-Backup Strategy
5 Sequential Self-Learning Steps to Boost Your Vocabulary Knowledge
The Vocab-Backup Strategy (VBS) grew from my work in vocabulary learning and second language acquisition. It organizes vocabulary learning into a sequence of steps intended to help learners move beyond short-term memorization and develop more effective habits for understanding, remembering, retrieving, and using new words.
The strategy emphasizes learner autonomy, purposeful engagement with vocabulary, contextual understanding, pronunciation, reference strategies, and repeated retrieval. It represents an important stage in the development of the approach that later informed my continuing research and practical work in vocabulary teaching and learning.
COMING SOON · FIRST ARABIC EDITION · 2026 / 1448
المفردات: 5 خطوات لمساعدة طلابك على تعلّم المزيد من مفردات اللغة الإنجليزية
الطبعة العربية الأولى — قريبًا
تقدّم الطبعة العربية استراتيجية Vocab-Backup Strategy (VBS) للمعلمين والطلاب والمتعلمين المستقلين، مع التركيز على خمس خطوات عملية تساعد على تعلّم المفردات الجديدة والاحتفاظ بها واستخدامها بصورة أكثر فاعلية.
تتضمن هذه الطبعة أنشطة وأدوات عملية موجّهة لمتعلمي اللغة الإنجليزية ومعلميها، مع الحفاظ على الأساس البحثي والتطبيقي للاستراتيجية.
تأليف وترجمة: د. عادل مرزوق هذيل الحربي
Arabic Edition — Coming Soon
Research into Practice
My books are grounded in a continuing interest in how second-language learners acquire, retain, and retrieve vocabulary. The Vocab-Backup Strategy developed through teaching, research, and sustained investigation of vocabulary learning strategies, with the broader aim of connecting academic research with practical language-learning decisions.
The central idea is straightforward: vocabulary learning becomes more effective when learners follow purposeful and sequential strategies rather than relying only on temporary memorization.
Who Are These Books For?
- English language teachers and instructors
- EFL and ESL learners
- University and college students
- Teacher trainers and language educators
- Independent language learners
- Readers interested in vocabulary acquisition and language learning strategies
About the Author
Dr. Adel M. Alharbi is Assistant Professor of Applied Linguistics at Taibah University in Madinah, Saudi Arabia. He holds a PhD in Applied Linguistics from the University of Memphis and an MA in Applied Linguistics from La Trobe University in Australia.
His academic interests include second language acquisition, vocabulary learning and teaching, language learning strategies, discourse analysis, corpus linguistics, and speech and gesture in second-language communication. Through ADLISM, he connects research, teaching, publications, books, and practical language-learning resources.
