Chunks of Language Braz-Tesol

CHUNKS OF LANGUAGE
CHUNKS OF LANGUAGE
19 - 22 DE JULHO, 2010
São Paulo - SP
DENILSO DE LIMA
http://denilsodelima.blogspot.com
denilsolima@gmail.com
CHUNKS OF LANGUAGE
What are Chunks of Language?

Language?
A sequence of words which native speakers
recognize as the natural and better way of
expressing a particular idea.
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CHUNKS OF LANGUAGE
Are there chunks in

Portuguese??
Portuguese
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CHUNKS OF LANGUAGE
Chunks in Portuguese:
Portuguese:
em
01. É bom a gente ficar de olhos b........................ abertos para saber o que ele vai fazer.
trasado
02. Eu perdi o ônibus! Por isto cheguei a........................ ao trabalho.
om
03. Eu não quero falar c........................ ela novamente.
anhã
04. Acho bom você fazer isto amanhã de m........................ bem cedinho.
ensando
05. O que vocês estão p........................ em fazer agora?
rrumar
06. Já está mais do que na hora de você a........................ um emprego?
deia
07. Não faço a menor i........................ de como ele conseguiu fazer isto?
ntrar
08. Para quem não está conseguindo e........................ no site, segue o link corrigido.
ápida
09. Não cheguei a ler tudo não, só dei uma olhada r........................ e pronto.
petite
10. Esta conversa sobre comida abriu meu a......................... Vamos comer?
DENILSO DE LIMA
CHUNKS OF LANGUAGE
Chunks in Portuguese:
Portuguese:
01. Ela vive pegando no meu ...................... por causa desta história.
02. Já está mais do que na hora de você começar a fazer seu ...................... de meia.
03. O irmão dela é um tremendo ...................... no saco.
04. O filho dela é um ...................... frio e tanto. Tudo dá errado para ele!
05. Não podemos traduzir estas expressões ao ...................... da letra.
06. Quando ele ouviu a voz do pai dele, ele deu no ......................
07. Quando o rio é fundo demais algumas pessoas dizem que ele não dá ......................
08. Rodrigo levou um ...................... na bunda da namorada dele.
09. Mas que história mais sem ...................... nem cabeça.
10. Pode ir! Mas vá num ...................... e volte no outro!
DENILSO DE LIMA
CHUNKS OF LANGUAGE
Why learn and teach chunks?

The brain stores more sequences of words
than isolated words.
Because of chunks we’re able to speak and
write fluently.
Knowing lots of chunks also makes listening
and reading easier as well.
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CHUNKS OF LANGUAGE
institutionalised expressions
prepositional phrases
idioms
Kinds of Chunks
collocations
of Language
sentence heads
phrases or polywords
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CHUNKS OF LANGUAGE
How can we teach chunks?

Before teaching chunks we’d better learn
how to find them. Or... As we prefer to say:
NOTICE them.
DENILSO DE LIMA
CHUNKS OF LANGUAGE
How to notice chunks?

chunks?
Reading is by far the best way to notice
chunks of language. So, we have to help
learners to improve their skill of NOTICING
NOTICING.
DENILSO DE LIMA
CHUNKS OF LANGUAGE
Noticing chunks in dialogs:
dialogs:
Dad Hi, Carl. It’s me. How’s it going?
Carl Oh, hi, Dad. Everything’s great.
Dad So, are you studying for your exams?
Carl Oh, yeah. I’m working very hard this semester.
Dad Good. So what are you doing right now? Are you studying?
Carl Uh, Dad, right now I’m watching a baseball game.
Dad Baseball? ... Uh, who’s playing?
Carl The Yankess and the Red Sox.
Dad Really? Uh, Carl,... Let’s talk again in two hours.
Carl Ok, Dad. Enjoy the game!
Dad You too. But please try and study for your exams!
DENILSO DE LIMA
CHUNKS OF LANGUAGE
Noticing chunks in dialogs:
dialogs:
Dad Hi, Carl. It’s me. How’s it going?
Carl Oh, hi, Dad. Everything’s great.
Dad So, are you studying for your exams?
Carl Oh, yeah. I’m working very hard this semester.
Dad Good. So what are you doing right now? Are you studying?
Carl Uh, Dad, right now I’m watching a baseball game.
Dad Baseball? ... Uh, who’s playing?
Carl The Yankess and the Red Sox.
Dad Really? Uh, Carl,... Let’s talk again in two hours.
Carl Ok, Dad. Enjoy the game!
Dad You too. But please try and study for your exams!
DENILSO DE LIMA
CHUNKS OF LANGUAGE
Noticing chunks in texts:
texts:
I started my new job at the design company. I like it a

lot. I met Brad after work. He wants to go out for dinner
on Wednesday, but I already made dinner plans with
some people from work, and I really want to go. Anyway,
Brad never pays.
DENILSO DE LIMA
CHUNKS OF LANGUAGE
Noticing chunks in texts:
texts:
I started my new job at the design company. I like it a

lot. I met Brad after work. He wants to go out for dinner
on Wednesday, but I already made dinner plans with
some people from work, and I really want to go. Anyway,
Brad never pays.
DENILSO DE LIMA
CHUNKS OF LANGUAGE
How can learners remember chunks

chunks??
LEXICAL NOTEBOOK
Alphabetical Portuguese Full of

Order into English Examples
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CHUNKS OF LANGUAGE
Recording chunks:
chunks:
E aí, o que você está fazendo [...]?
now?
now?
So
So,, what are you doing right now?
now?
at this moment?
moment?
E aí, o que você vai fazer [...]?
tonight?
tonight?
So
So,, what are you doing tomorrow??
tomorrow
on the weekend?
DENILSO DE LIMA
CHUNKS OF LANGUAGE
Recording chunks:
chunks:
Chunks with Foot:
Foot:
put your foot down =

bater o pé
have a foot
in the door
put your best
= estar com
foot forward =
o pé na
esforçar-se ao
porta
máximo
put your foot in your

mouth = meter os pés
pelas mãos go on foot = ir à
pé
DENILSO DE LIMA
CHUNKS OF LANGUAGE
The Importance of Revisiting
Encourage your learners to look back

at the language they’ve recorded and
do something – perhaps anything –
with it.
DENILSO DE LIMA
CHUNKS OF LANGUAGE
Helpful Activities
Memorizing short dialogs

1. Choose a very short dialog from the coursebook. If you have it on CD, let
students listen to it;
2. Have a little conversation about the dialog. Hand out the transcript ;
3. Tell them they’ll have to memorize the whole dialog as homework;
4. In the next class, have students in pairs and they’ll have to recite the
whole dialog to their partner. Partners may give each other hints as
necessary
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CHUNKS OF LANGUAGE
Helpful Activities
What are those initials for?

1. Motivate students to record chunks of language during a period of time.
These chunks are chosen by the teacher;
2. Discuss them with students whenever possible. Ask them for examples
using that specific chunk.
3. After a couple of classes, say, 5 classes. Hand out copies of a worksheet

you prepared and ask students to complete the blanks. In the blanks you
have the initials of the chunks you want to revisit with them
DENILSO DE LIMA
CHUNKS OF LANGUAGE
Helpful Activities
Teach your Chunk
Ask students to teach the class a chunk from time to time. Doing so, you’ll be
motivating them to record, revisit and reactivate chunks. This helps them to
keep chunks alive in the brain.
DENILSO DE LIMA
CHUNKS OF LANGUAGE
Helpful Activities
Review Posters
Poster A – Chunks Being Learned:
Write only the initials of a chunk which students are having problems to
remember – b. t. w. / n. m. / w. a. y. g. t. d. t.? / t. y. v. m. / c. I a. y. a q.? / etc.
From time to time use this poster to reactivate a chunk. Give students some
hints so that they can remember what chunk is that. You can even use the
Portuguese equivalence to that chunk so as to help them remembering.
DENILSO DE LIMA
CHUNKS OF LANGUAGE
Helpful Activities
Review Posters
Poster B – Pretty Well Learned:
When most of the students can remember a chunk represented by initial on

Poster A, cross the initials out and write them on Poster B. Review the chunks
on Poster B once a week.
When Posters A or B are full, cover it with a blank one.
DENILSO DE LIMA
CHUNKS OF LANGUAGE
Helpful Activities
Lexical Bag or Lexical Box
Ask students to write a chunk they noticed in the lesson on a small piece of
paper.
Students place the paper in a bag or box. In the beginning of each lesson,
teacher picks 2 or 3 papers and asks students for example with the chunks. If
one student do not know what that chunk means, other will have the chance
to teach the chunk.
DENILSO DE LIMA
CHUNKS OF LANGUAGE
Thank you!
you!
Keep in touch:
touch:
email: denilsolima@gmail.com
blog: http://denilsodelima.blogspot.com
orkut profile: Denilso de Lima
Orkut community: Inglês na Ponta da Língua
twitter: www.twitter.com/denilsodelima
DENILSO DE LIMA

Chunks of Language Braz-Tesol

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CHUNKS OF LANGUAGE

What are Chunks of Language?

Are there chunks in

Why learn and teach chunks?

How can we teach chunks?

How to notice chunks?

I started my new job at the design company. I like it a

I started my new job at the design company. I like it a

How can learners remember chunks

Alphabetical Portuguese Full of

E aí, o que você vai fazer [...]?

put your foot down =

put your foot in your

The Importance of Revisiting

Encourage your learners to look back

Memorizing short dialogs

3. Tell them they’ll have to memorize the whole dialog as homework;

What are those initials for?

3. After a couple of classes, say, 5 classes. Hand out copies of a worksheet

Teach your Chunk

Poster A – Chunks Being Learned:

Poster B – Pretty Well Learned:

When most of the students can remember a chunk represented by initial on

When Posters A or B are full, cover it with a blank one.

Lexical Bag or Lexical Box

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