Mosayeb Aryayifar - Islamic Azad University, Najafabad Branch, Najafabad, Iran

This study aimed to provide a better understanding of Iranian male and female upper intermediate students’ use of communication strategies (CSs)for defining abstract words in writing. To this end, 34 upper intermediate students (17 males and 17 females) were selected out of 29 male and 36 femaleEnglish students of Azad and State university in Yasuj, Iran. Then a list of abstract words was given to them to define them in English. Then, the participantsCSs used were analyzed. The results revealed that synonymy was used more than the other strategies by males and females for defining abstract words, italso showed no significant difference between males and females in term of selecting CSs for abstract words. The findings add new information to L2 researchon CSs, and they pedagogically have implications for EFL teachers, students and educational system.

communication strategies, communication, abstract words, EFL learners