Learning chunks of natural language saves ‘processing time’. Learners don’t have to build a sentence from grammatical beginnings to help them sound more natural. For example the question ‘How are you?’ does not need to be broken down grammatically for learners to use it.
This is how the linguist David Wilkins sums up the importance of vocabulary learning: ‘Without grammar very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed’.
But what can help learners acquire new vocabulary?
Making use of popular activities such as:
1. Find Someone Who….This is a standard activity which can be adapted to focus on different lexical structures when teaching the word get. For example:
-
- wants to get
- is getting together with friends the day after tomorrow.
- got out of bed on the wrong side today.
- has got to be at work early tomorrow.
2. Songs….Songs are a rich source of lexical items, particularly commonly used semi-fixed expressions. When gapping song lyrics for use as a listening exercise, gap lyrics to get students to focus on useful lexical chunks rather than individual words. An example below:
‘I Will’ by The Beatles
Who [knows how long] I’ve loved you
[You know I] love you still
[Will I wait] a lonely lifetime
If [you want me too],I will
3. Lexical chunk Hot Seat…….This is a lexical version of a popular vocabulary game. The game uses two chairs which are placed in front of the board and facing away from it (allow some space between the board and the chairs and some space between the chairs). The students are divided into two teams which assemble in front of each chair. Then one student from each team sits in the chair. They will have their backs to the board but all other students can see the board. The teacher then writes a word on the board and each team gives their teammate in the “hot seat” clues so they can guess the word, without saying the word itself.
4. Papers on walls………….This is a fun text-based activity which gets students out of their seats and raises awareness of lexical structures. You will need to decide on at least three categories of lexical structures you want your students to find in a text. For example, you could have them find different types of collocations (e.g., Noun + Noun, Adjective + Noun, Adverb + Verb, Verb + Noun, etc.). Each category is written on the top of a sheet of paper and the papers are posted around the classroom. Students work in teams, usually of two or three, and compete against other teams in an attempt to add the most items to the sheets.
Language is not learnt by learning individual sounds and structures and then combining them, but by an increasing ability to break down wholes into parts. Once the learners can learn the lexical chunk and use it in the right context, they are well on the way to building up their vocabulary bank. For example: [It is amazing how] time flies when you’re having fun
