Practical ideas for teaching lexical chunks in a ... - ABCI 2012

Practical ideas for
teaching lexical chunks
in a communicative lesson

Practical ideas for teaching lexical
chunks in a communicative lesson
1. What are lexical chunks?
2. Lexical Approach principles
3. What is a communicative lesson?
4. Lexical Approach X Communicative Approach
5. Practical Ideas for teaching lexical chunks in a communicative lesson
6. Conclusion
7. References

Lexical Chunks
“Language consists not of traditional grammar and vocabulary but often of multiword
prefabricated chunks.” (LEWIS, 1997)
Different types of chunks
(THORNBURY, 2007)
• Collocations (widely travelled, rich and famous, set the table)
• Phrasal verbs (get up, log on, run out of)
• Idioms, catchphrases and sayings (get cold feet, as old as the hills, mind your
own business, takes one to know one)
• Sentence frames (Would you mind if...?, The thing is... )
• Social formulae (see you later, have a nice day, yours sincerely)
• Discourse markers (frankly speaking, on the other hand, I see your point)

Why are chunks so important?
“Fluency is the result of acquisition of a large store of these fixed and semi-fixed
pre-fabricated items which are available as the foundation for any linguistic
novelty or creativity.” (LEWIS, 1997)
“A number of researchers have noticed that a lot of early language learning takes
the form of chunks (such as this-is-mine, give-me and leave-me-alone). These are
acquired as single unanalysed units. The capacity to use these chunks in
conversational exchanges seems to be an important factor in developing fluency.”
(THORNBURY, 1997)

Lexical Approach
“Lexical approaches in language teaching seek to develop proposals for syllabus
design and language teaching founded on a view of language in which lexis
plays the central role.” (RICHARDS & RODGERS, 2001)

Lexical Approach Principles
“Language consists of grammaticalized lexis, not lexicalized grammar”.
(LEWIS, 1993)
Holistic nature of language: “no step-by-step linear syllabus can be remotely
adequate”. (LEWIS, 1993)
“Language material should be text and discourse, rather than sentencebased.”
(LEWIS, 1993)
Input: “Listening, listening and more listening.” (LEWIS, 1993)
Do you agree with such principles?
Which one(s) do you prefer?
“Students need to develop awareness of language to which they are
exposed.” (LEWIS, 1993)
“Accurate noticing of lexical chunks, grammatical or phonological patterns
all help convert input into intake.” (LEWIS, 1997)
“It is exposure to enough suitable input, not formal teaching, which is the key
to increasing the learner’s lexicon.” (LEWIS, 1997)

What is a communicative lesson?
“(CLT) An approach that aims to (a) make communicative
competence the goal of language teaching and (b) develop
procedures of the four language skills that acknowledge the
interdependence of language and communication.” (RICHARDS and
RODGERS, 2001)
“The Communicative Approach in language teaching starts from a
theory of language as communication. The goal of language
teaching is to develop what Hymes (1972) referred to as
‘communicative competence’.” (RICHARDS and RODGERS, 2001)

Grammatical
Competence
Discourse
Competence
Sociolinguistic
Competence
Strategic
Competence
Communicative
Competence
(CANALE & SWAIN, 1980)

Lexical Approach X CLT: True or False?
“Phrasebook-type learning with the aquisition of syntax is ultimately
impoverished: all chunks but no pineapple.” (THORNBURY, 1998)
“The Lexical Approach is more concerned than some communicative
methods with output.” (THORNBURY, 1998)
FALSE
FALSE
“There are as yet no sets of procedures to exemplify such an approach (LA) to
language learning.” (HARMER, 2007)
“The LA is not an approach, not in the strict sense, since it lacks a coherent
theory of learning and its theory of language is not fully enough elaborated to
allow for ready implementation in terms of syllabus specification.”
(THORNBURY, 1998)
“Activities in CLT typically involves students in a real or realistic
communication, where the successful achievement of the communicative
task they are performing is not as important as the accuracy of their language
use.” (HARMER, 2007)
TRUE
TRUE
FALSE

“A focus on particles aims to sensitise learners to share meanings of a
group such as carry on, drive on, hang on, go on and come on.”
(THORNBURY, 2007)
Practical Ideas
(Grammatical Competence)
•Teaching phrasal verbs: Focus on particles

I gotta a feelin'
That tonight's gonna be a
Good night
Tonight's the night
Let's live it up
I got my money
Let's spend it up
Go out and smash it
Like Oh My God
Jump off that sofa
Let's get get off
I know that we'll have a ball
If we get down and go out
And just loose it all
I feel stressed out
I wanna let it go
Let's go way out spaced out
And loosing all control
Fill up my cup
Mazal tov
Look at her dancing
Just take it off
Let's paint the town
We'll shut it down
Let's burn the roof
And then we'll do it again
Let's do it, And do it
Let's live it up, And do it
Let's do it 'cuz
I gotta a feelin'
That tonight's gonna be a
good night
Tonight's the night
Let's live it up
I got my money
Let's spend it up
Go out and smash it
Like Oh My God
Jump off that sofa
Let's get get off
Fill up my cup (Drink)
Mazal tov (Le chaim)
Look at her dancing (Move it)
Just take it off
Let's paint the town
We'll shut it down
Let's burn the roof
And then we'll do it again
I gotta a feeling (Black eyed peas)
Let's do it, And do it
Let's live it up, And do it
Here we come, Here we go
We gotta rock
Easy come, Easy go
Now we on top
Feel the shot
Body rock
Rock it don't stop
Round and round
Up and down
Around the clock
Monday, Tuesday
Wednesday and Thursday
Friday, Saturday
Saturday and Sunday
Get with us
You know what we say
Party every day
What’s the meaning of
the particles in bold?

Live it up
Spend it up
Fill up my cup
Go out
Way out
Spaced out
Stressed out
Jump off
Get off
Take it off
Can you think of other
examples?
To exhaustion or depletion
Completely/ entirely; Used as an
intensifier of the action of a verb
No longer on, attached, or
connected
“Away”
I drank it up in a gulp.
My secretary will see you out.
The supplies have run out.
I'm off now, see you tomorrow.

•Teaching Collocations
puzzlemaker.com
Across
5. Let's go way out spaced out and losing all ________
6. If we get ________ and go out
Down
1. I feel ________ out
2. Rock it, don't stop, round and round, up and down ________ the clock
3. I wanna ________ it go
4. I know that we'll have a ________

HAVE GET LOSE
√ a nap
√ a shot
√ a clue
√ a word
√ alone
√ sth be
√ live
√ down
√ rid
√ lost
√ away
√ over
√ guilty
√ like
√ cold
√ great
√ faith
√ one’s
around lose get feel have let
patience
√ interest
√ one’s job
LET FEEL AROUND
√ one’s neck
√ the world
√ the table
√ the corner

• Teaching Collocations
Practical Ideas
(Grammatical Competence)
Follow-up Activity
1. When was the last time you had a ball?
2. How often do you get down and ‘lose control’?
3. Is it easy for you to let things go?
4. In which situations do you feel stressed out?
5. How often do you work/ study around the clock?

Practical Ideas
(Grammatical Competence)
•Practice of grammar structures
When teaching tenses such as “Will” (or “Present Continuous”) for the future,
focus on their use in a series of ‘archetypical utterances’, such as (HARMER,
2007):
I’ll give you a ring, I’ll be in touch, I’ll see what I can do, I’ll be back in a
minute.
I’m seeing the doctor tomorrow morning, I’m meeting my friends on Saturday
night, I’m flying to London next week, I’m staying in a five-star hotel.

•Practice of grammar structures
“We need the report for next Monday, tops.”
I’ll see what I can do.
“Don’t forget to tell me whether you’re coming or not.”
I’ll give you a ring.
“Hold on a second, ...”
I’ll be back in a minute.
“We’ll miss you.”
I’ll be in touch.
Practical Ideas
(Grammatical Competence)
I’ll give you a ring I’ll be in touch
I’ll see what I can do I’ll be back in a minute.

•Practice of grammar structures
Find someone who...
1. Is seeing the doctor in the next two weeks.
2. Is meeting their friends on Saturday night.
3. Is traveling this month.
4. Is having people round for dinner this week.
5. Is working late tomorrow.
Ask follow-up questions...
Practical Ideas
(Grammatical Competence)
(“when are you going?”, “where are you staying?”, “why?”, “are you flying?”, etc)

I was wondering if I could see you for a moment.
Can I have a word?
I’m afraid I’m a bit tied up just now.
Practical Ideas
(Grammatical Competence)
•Pronunciation – linking sounds/ intonation
Polite Interruptions
Backchaining

•Dictogloss
Practical Ideas
(Discourse Competence)
Dictogloss is a dictation activity where learners are required to reconstruct a short
text by listening and noting down key words, which are then used as a base for
reconstruction.

Reconstruct the text!
Practical Ideas
(Discourse Competence)
A dictogloss is similar to a dictation, but instead of _____ _____ what
they hear _____ _____ _____, students listen to the whole passage, then
work in groups or pairs to reconstruct the text. Students then compare
their reconstruction to the original text and discuss differences. A
dictogloss _____ _____ ____ teens and adults and is useful for noticing
lexis in general. It allows for _____ students’ _____ of language patterns,
_____ _____ meaning and form and fosters autonomy and listening skills.

Practical Ideas
(Discourse Competence)
As a follow-up, you can ask students to discuss some reflective questions, such as:
1. Were you able to remember only the message or the whole expressions?
2. Which strategies did you use to do the activity?
3. Are you able to recall some of the expressions?
4. Do you think you can use them in different contexts?
“By encouraging learners to observe and analyse language for themselves we are
reinforcing their natural tendency and ability to make sense of language and to
systematize it. We are encouraging learners to learn for themselves.”
(WILLIS & WILLIS, 1998)

Practical Ideas
(Strategic Competence)
• Meaningful and personalized drilling
Discussion Language > Giving opinions
TEACH CHUNKS
“One argument in favor of teaching chunks is that ...”
(it helps students become more fluent).”
NOTICE LANGUAGE PATTERNS
“One argument in favor of __________ is that ...”
EXPOSE STUDENTS TO AUTHENTIC MATERIAL
“One argument in favor of __________ is that ...”

ALL I’M SAYING IS THAT ...
Practical Ideas
(Strategic Competence)
•Meaningful and personalized drilling
“Language consists of grammaticalized lexis, not lexicalized grammar”.
FAIR ENOUGH, BUT I STILL THINK THAT ...
“So you think there shouldn’t be a linear syllabus.”

Practical Ideas
(Strategic Competence)
•Meaningful and personalized drilling
“The LA is not an approach, not in the strict sense, since it lacks a coherent
theory of learning and its theory of language is not fully enough elaborated
to allow for ready implementation in terms of syllabus specification.”
THAT’S AN INTERESTING POINT
I’VE NEVER REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT THAT
IT’S HARD TO SAY

Practical Ideas
(Strategic Competence)
Agreeing Disagreeing
I see what you mean. Oh, I wouldn’t say that.
I suppose that’s true. I don’t know about that.
That’s a good point. Well, I’m still not convinced.

• Register
Practical Ideas
(Sociolinguistic Competence)
Which of the following letters is
formal/ informal? Why?

•Register > Dictation
FORMAL
Dear Laura
Best regards
Yours sincerely
Practical Ideas
(Sociolinguistic Competence)
INFORMAL QUITE INFOMAL
See you
Hello Laura
Love
Hi Laura
Take care
Bye for now
Yours
Best wishes
Dear Laura

Practical Ideas
(Sociolinguistic Competence)
•Register > Making invitations and arrangements
Mark these expressions formal (F) or informal (I):
1. I’m writing you to invite you to go to the cinema.
2. Would you like to go to the cinema with me?
3. I’m afraid I’m busy tomorrow.
4. Unfortunately, I am busy tomorrow.
5. Would it be convenient to meet on Friday evening?
6. What about meeting outside Pizza World?
7. I’d love to see the film.
8. I would very much like to see the film.
9. That would be wonderful.
10. That sounds great.
11. I look forward to seeing you on Friday.
12. See you on Friday.

Students write an invitation using the chunks just seen. Then, they swap their
invites and write a reply to each other.
Practical Ideas
(Sociolinguistic Competence)
•Register > Making invitations and arrangements > Follow-up activity
If time allows, give students the opportunity to do some peer correction and
even rewrite their texts.
“The quantity of encounters with the items is a critical factor. (...) learners
need exposure, and plenty of it, rather than rules.” (THORNBURY, 2007)
“The more decisions the learner makes about a word, the greater the
depth of processing.” (THORNBURY, 2007)

•Register
Practical Ideas
(Sociolinguistic Competence)
Watch a snippet from “The Big Bang Theory” with no sound.
What happens in the scene? Is it a formal or informal situation?
Watch the video again, with sound. Answer the following questions:
1. Why is Howard late?
Because he’s working on a project.
2. How do Sheldon and Missy know each other?
They are twin siblings.
3. Accoding to Missy, why does Sheldon think she is isn’t funny?
Because he thinks she has no sense of humour.
4. Why doesn’t Rajesh say his name?
Because he’s shy.

The Big Bang Theory
Season 1, episode 15
S: Hello.
L: Oh, hey buddy!
S: Buddyyyyyyy...
H: Sorry I’m late, I’m working on a project that may take me up on the next space
shuttle...
S: How can you be late, I wasn’t expecting you at all.
H: Nobody ever expects me, sometimes you just look and BAM! – Howard Wollowitz.
M: Hey.
L: Sheldon, are you gonna introduce us... ?
S: Oh, alright...this is Missy. Missy this is Leonard and Rajesh and you’ve already met Howard.
M: It’s nice to meet you.
L: Me too. You smell awesome.
H: Yep.
L: So, how do you two...know each other?
M: Oh, he once spent 9 months with my legs wrapped around his head...
L: Ahn, excuse me... ?
S: She’s my twin sister, she thinks she’s funny, but frankly I’ve never been able to see it.
M: It’s because you have no measurable sense of humor, Shelly.
S: How exactly would one measure a sense of humour? A humourmometer?
H: Well, I think you’re delightfully droll. Or as the French say, Très Drôle.
M: Okay, so let me see if I got this. Leonard, Howard and… I’m sorry what was your name again?
S: Rajesh.

The Big Bang Theory
Season 1, episode 15
S: Hello.
L: Oh, hey buddy!
S: Buddyyyyyyy...
H: Sorry I’m late, I’m working on a project that may take me up on the next space
shuttle...
S: How can you be late, I wasn’t expecting you at all.
H: Nobody ever expects me, sometimes you just look and BAM! – Howard Wollowitz.
M: Hey.
L: Sheldon, are you gonna introduce us... ?
S: Oh, alright...this is Missy. Missy this is Leonard and Rajesh and you’ve already met Howard.
M: It’s nice to meet you.
L: Me too. You smell awesome.
H: Yep.
L: So, how do you two...know each other?
M: Oh, he once spent 9 months with my legs wrapped around his head...
L: Ahn, excuse me... ?
S: She’s my twin sister, she thinks she’s funny, but frankly I’ve never been able to see it.
M: It’s because you have no measurable sense of humor, Shelly.
S: How exactly would one measure a sense of humour? A humourmometer?
H: Well, I think you’re delightfully droll. Or as the French say, Très Drôle.
M: Okay, so let me see if I got this. Leonard, Howard and… I’m sorry what was your name again?
S: Rajesh.

• Role-play
In groups of four, role-play the situation, using the clues below as a guide:
Hey buddy
I’m sorry, I’m late
This is...
It’s nice to meet you
How do you two know each other?
You have no sense of humor
Let me see if I got this
I’m sorry, what was your name again?
Practical Ideas
(Discourse Competence)

‘Holistic nature of language’
(LEWIS, 1993)
Integration and Interaction
Sociolinguistic competence (greeting in informal situations)
Grammatical competence (lexical items, pronunciation, intonation)
Strategic competence (how to check information)
Discourse competence (reformulation of a dialogue)

Last, but not least...
• When correcting students’ oral or written production, remember to
reformulate some utterances, in order to help them sound more natural.
Finish End up
Arrive Show up
Whatever Never mind
Wait Hold on
Discover Find out

Last, but not least...
• Ask students to keep a ‘lexical book’, where they are going
to record the new chunks.
• The chunks should be organized around themes;
• and contextualized in sentences/ examples.

• Fluency
• Accuracy
Conclusion
• Autonomy (consciousness raising)
• Improved language skills, specially listening
• Integration

Reminders
• Become more aware of phrase and collocations yourself
• Make your students aware of phrases and collocations
• Keep an eye on usefulness and be aware of overloading students
• Feed in phrases on a ‘little but often’ basis.
• Introduce phrases in context, but drill them as short chunks
• Point out patterns in phrases
• Ask students to keep written records of phrases/ chunks
• Reinforce, recycle and use the phrases
• Expose students’ to authentic material

In trios, list 3 things that you
either learned or would like to
highlight from this session.

References
HARMER, Jeremy. 2007. The practice of English language teaching. Pearson Longman.
LEWIS, Michael. 1993. The Lexical Approach. Language Teaching Publications.
LEWIS, Michael. 1997. Implementing the Lexical Approach. Language Teaching Publications.
RICHARDS; RODGERS. 2001. Approaches and methods in language teaching. CUP.
THORNBURY, Scott. 2008. How to teach speaking. Pearson Longman.
THORNBURY, Scott. 1998. The Lexical Approach: a journey without maps? In: MET, vol 7, no 4.
THORNBURY, Scott. 2007. How to teach vocabulary. Pearson Longman.
WILLIS & WILLIS. 1998. Challenge and change in language teaching. Macmillan Heinemann.

Thank you!
Vania Ricarte Lucas
vanricarte@hotmail.com