Lexical exploitation of texts Submitted by TE Editor on 14 September, 2006 - 13 00 !

eadin" and listenin" texts are often used in t#e ELT classroom to practise recepti$e s%ills and & or as t#e introduction to a topic or lan"ua"e point' (o)e$er, aut#entic and near-aut#entic texts are an excellent source of collocations and ot#er lexical c#un%s, and it is )ort# spendin" a little extra time on a text to dra) learners* attention to t#ese'

+#y dra) attention to lexical c#un%s, Exploitin" readin" and listenin" texts for lexical c#un%s
o o

Listenin" !eadin"

!ecyclin" collocations -onclusion

+#y dra) attention to lexical c#un%s, .n adult nati$e-spea%er #as #undreds of t#ousands of pre-constructed c#un%s at #is disposal' Students need to be trained to record and learn c#un%s, rat#er t#an /ust indi$idual )ords, to en#ance t#eir fluency and produce more natural-soundin" lan"ua"e' 0f learners understand a c#un% in context, t#ey may not 'notice' it' 1or example, most intermediate students )ould understand t#e collocation *mo$e #ouse* from its constituent parts, but $ery fe) at t#is le$el )ould produce it' 2y dra)in" learners* attention to c#un%s, )e can #elp t#em use t#e )ords t#ey already %no) more accurately and to express a )ider ran"e of ideas' T#is can be /ust as useful as learnin" *ne) )ords*, if not more so3 Exploitin" readin" and listenin" texts for lexical c#un%s T#e follo)in" acti$ities can be used after exploitin" a text for meanin", for example, after learners ans)er compre#ension 4uestions or do a matc#in" exercise based on t#e text' Listenin"

5i$e learners t#e tapescript )it# some %ey collocations blan%ed out' T#ey listen a"ain and complete t#e spaces' Listenin" texts can also be used to pro$ide a model for pronunciation, for example, t#e stress pattern of c#un%s' .s% learners to identify t#e stress and drill t#e )#ole c#un%' Son"s are a useful lexical resource' 2efore listenin", "i$e learners t#e )ords of a son" )it# some collocations blan%ed out' .s% t#em to )or% in pairs to predict #o) many

)ords #a$e been blan%ed out from eac# space' T#ey t#en listen for t#e exact )ords' 0f t#ere are any patterns in t#e son" 6for example, a number of second conditional sentences7, learners can be as%ed to identify t#ese sentences, and )rite more sentences usin" t#e same structure )#ic# fit t#e t#eme of t#e son"'

!eadin" 68'2' T#ese acti$ities could also be used )it# tapescripts of courseboo% listenin"s7

9repare a table )#ic# includes #alf or part of some of t#e multi-)ord items in a text' Learners t#en scan t#e text to complete t#e table )it# t#e ot#er #alf of t#e collocations' S#ort texts can be used to prepare for and practise readin" aloud' 9auses normally come at t#e end of a c#un%, )#ile content )ords are stressed' 0f learners mar% pauses and stressed )ords, t#is )ill impro$e t#eir readin" aloud, as )ell as #elpin" t#em to 'notice' c#un%s' !eadin" acti$ities can also be used for consciousness-raisin"' .fter ans)erin" compre#ension 4uestions, learners are as%ed to put t#e ori"inal text a)ay, and are "i$en a ne) $ersion )it# some of t#e %ey collocations blan%ed out' +or%in" in pairs, t#ey #a$e to reconstruct t#e collocations, before c#ec%in" )it# t#e ori"inal'

!ecyclin" collocations Learners are unli%ely to remember c#un%s after seein" t#em /ust once, so it )ill be necessary to recycle t#em in subse4uent classes' :ost traditional $ocabulary-recyclin" acti$ities can be adapted for use )it# multi-)ord items, but #ere are a fe) ideas

5i$e learners discussion 4uestions includin" t#e c#un%s' 9ersonalisation can ma%e t#e lan"ua"e more memorable' 9elmanism, i'e' t#e memory "ame )#ere learners #a$e to find matc#in" #al$es of collocations from cards placed face-do)n on t#e table' T#ey turn o$er t)o cards, and %eep t#em if t#ey "o to"et#er' 9repare a list of collocations recently seen in class' ;i$ide t#e class into teams of 3-4 students, and "i$e eac# team a piece of paper' +rite a collocation from t#e list on t#e board' T#e first team to )rite a correct sentence includin" t#at collocation "ets a point' -ontinue until you*$e ex#austed t#e list, or until one team reac#es a specified number of points' . fe) minutes before t#e end of a class, as% learners )or%in" indi$idually to )rite do)n all t#e ne) collocations & c#un%s t#ey*$e seen in t#at class' T#ey can t#en compare to"et#er, or if t#ere*s enou"# time, "i$e definitions for t#eir partner to "uess t#e c#un%s'

T#is could also be done at t#e be"innin" of a class to recycle lan"ua"e from t#e pre$ious class'

-onclusion 0t is important to be a)are t#at t#is %ind of de$elopment ta%es time and you and your students )on*t see instant results' (o)e$er, in t#e lon"er term, )or%in" in t#is )ay can not only increase your students* $ocabulary, and t#e de"ree of accuracy )it# )#ic# t#ey use it, but it can also de$elop t#eir abilities to *notice* patterns in lan"ua"e and so become more autonomous learners' 1urt#er readin" -oe, 8orman 'Vocabulary must be learnt, not taught' :ET <ol 6 8o3 =uly 1>>? Ellis, 8ic% - 'Vocabulary acquisition: word structure, collocation, word-class, and meaning' in Sc#mitt and :c-art#y 5ou"#, -#erry 'Words and words: helping learners to help themselves with collocations' :ET <ol@ 8o1 =an 1>>6 (ill, =immie 'Collocational competence' ET9 .pril 1>>> 0ssue 11 (unt, !o"er 'The Iron, the Which and the Wardrobe' 0( =ournal 0ssue 8o2 8o$ 1>>6 Le)is, :ic#ael and (ill, =immie ractical Techniques !or "anguage Teaching 6LT9 1>A@7 Le)is, :ic#ael The "e#ical $pproach 6LT9 1>>37 Le)is, :ic#ael Implementing the "e#ical $pproach 6LT9 1>>?7 Le)is, :ic#ael Teaching Collocation 6LT9 20007 Le)is, :or"an '%etting a good e#ample' ET9 0ssue 22 =an 2002 :oon, !osamund 'Vocabulary connections: multi-word items in &nglish' in Sc#mitt and :c-art#y 8e)ton, =onat#an ''ptions !or vocabulary learning through communication tas(s' ELT =ournal <ol@@&1 =an 2001 !ead, =o#n $ssessing Vocabulary 6-B9 20007 Sc#mitt, 8orbert and :c-art#y, :ic#ael 6eds7 Vocabulary: )escription, $cquisition and edagogy 6-B9 1>>?7 SC%men, .nita = 'Current trends in teaching second language vocabulary' in Sc#mitt and :c-art#y T#ornbury, Scott '*e!ormulation and reconstruction: tas(s that promote noticing' ELT =ournal <ol@1 Dctober 1>>? T#ornbury, Scott 'The "e#ical $pproach: a +ourney without maps,' :ET <ol? 8o4 Dct 1>>A T#ornbury, Scott -ow to Teach Vocabulary 6Lon"man 20027 -at#erine :orley, Teac#er, Teac#er trainer, :exico