Tag: Cambridge exams
Teaching Lexical Chunks
“A Lexical Chunk is a unit of language which is made up of two or more words.
Here are a few examples of lexical chunks :
Good morning.
Nice to see you!
What’s the time?
Other lexical chunks can include phrasal verbs, idioms, collocations and so on.
Lexical chunks are the common coinage of English. They’re the bread and butter, the everyday and the mundane. They’re the reliable standards around which we can hang poetic and emotive language.
How will you save the drop ?
Watch the following video :
Vocabulary to learn after watching the video :
- A severe drought
- Stop a leaking faucet
- A serious problem
- I did what I could
- This is our world and we should try to make it better for everyone
- It’s imperative that we do these things
Learn Vocabulary in Chunks and not in isolation
I’d like to share an interesting article I read on the site New Indian Express
written by
Learn Vocabulary in Chunks and not in Isolation
In traditional classrooms, the focus has always been on teaching words in isolation. As a result, learners know the meanings of many words but they do not know how to use the words appropriately in context. Of late, enhancing learners’ knowledge of chunks of language is emphasised.
What are chunks? Chunks are groups of words or fixed expressions. When we speak or write, we use a lot of phrases, such as by the way, for example, as a result, on the other hand, a kind of, a lot of, at the moment, I mean, you know, at the end of the day, etc. These groups of words or phrases are called chunks of language. Why should learners be taught words in chunks? Research has proved that those who learn vocabulary in chunks learn a language better than those who learn words in isolation. Learners retain vocabulary better when they learn chunks.
Michael Lewis, known for advocating the lexical approach to language teaching, says that native speakers of any language have memorised hundreds of chunks to produce fluent and accurate speech. It is important to expose learners to real communication or authentic speech exchanges in order to help them develop their communication skills.
Knowledge of individual words is essential but what is more important and useful is the knowledge of how to use the words in appropriate contexts. Take the word ‘take’ for example. This word has over a hundred different meanings though the basic meaning is ‘to move something or somebody from one place to another’.
When ‘take’ collocates with different nouns, the meaning of ‘take’ in each ‘take+noun’ collocation is different. Look at these examples: take a bus, take a minute, take a test, take advice, take steps, take offense, take pity, take cover, take heart, take the axe to. Here are the meanings of some of the above ‘take’ collocations:
• take offence: to feel upset because of something someone has said or done
• take pity: to show sympathy for someone because they are in a bad situation
• take the axe to something: to make drastic cuts, particularly in workforce
In the English language there are many phrases and idioms in which the word ‘all’ is part of them. Here are some of the set phrases with ‘all’ and their meanings:
• all balled up: stuck or confused…
• all day long: during the length of the entire day…
• all set: ready: prepared
• all shot to hell: broken; damaged
• all skin and bones: too thin
Chunks appear in many ways: as collocations and idioms, in set phrases (good luck, all the best) and in ‘discourse markers’ (‘as far as I know, by the way).
Source : New Indian Express – Education
Are you a Freeskier?
Watch the following video :
Vocabulary to learn after watching the video :
I believe in my heart
The support network I have
I’m not a Ski racer I’m a Freeskier
This is my dream. This is what I want to do
And I’m not going to be fully satisfied until I give an honest effort to it
We ended up in a different valley
That ski experience is amazing
You kind of meet up with these people throughout the year
You just hear these legendary stories
We go through the trees..
I have not seen the sun very much this year and I’m not complaining cause..
It has been an insanely amazing year, best, best skiing year of my life
Are you a Trail Hunter?
Watch the following video :
Vocabulary to learn after watching the video :
A Trail Hunter
People just want to share their trail, share the spots they’ve been to
You ride the wave when you get on the road
For years I’ve been hearing rumors about the trail in the Pacific North West
It’s really only a border crossing away
People are telling you, you’ve got to go here man, check this out, it’s so cool
Road trip freedom
Is this real life
That is pure glory
Wild Horses in Iceland
Watch the following video :
Vocabulary to learn after watching the video :
It’s very interesting to stay out here in Norway and feel how the horse is relaxed and has enough to eat
The freedom, mountains, how much they can move, that is why they become this special character
We drive them to the mountains and we leave them for the summer
We allow them to be totally free
In the fall, the owners collect them; they go to the highlands and take them back
It’s one of the best weekends of the year
I’ve been riding more than half my life
To breed horses in the future
Our horses go together
Riding a good horse in perfect conditions, you really can’t describe with words, the freedom of that moment and the perfection and the feelings you have
An Ice Climber
Professional climber and one of National Geographic’s Adventurers of the Year, Will Gadd, took ice climbing to new heights by being the first person ever to ascend the frozen sections of the world’s largest flowing waterfall, Niagara Falls.
Watch the following video :
Vocabulary to learn after watching the video :
This is Niagara Falls
It’s the largest waterfall in the world
A second ripping off the edge
It’s real
This is the first time in history that anybody has had a permit to go ice climbing there
Temperatures will continue to drop
I haven’t fallen off in 30 years of ice climbing
I’d like to get one more day where I don’t fall off
I’ll be honest I’ve got butterflies (in my stomach)
It’s never going to freeze totally
There is a lot of water flying around here, it builds up and then it breaks
There was no guarantee that this would work
I’m an ice climber, you know that is what I do, I travel all over the world and climb frozen waterfalls
I just climbed the absolute biggest burliest coolest waterfall in the whole world Niagara Falls
The iPad Magician
Watch the following video :
Vocabulary to learn after watching the video :
He can make a spider crawl out of his screen
Make an iPad fly like a balloon
Has “ wowed” crowds around the world
I love doing tricks
I can bring it out of the screen
I can easily change it
It’s different from traditional magic
Digital illusions
He has already mastered some classic magic skills, like slide of hand
He works with a Software Developer, to plan his tricks in minute detail
The art of digital magic
His career took off in 2002 when he was named German Magic Champion
I set myself a goal
I was travelling around America with a friend
Our car kept breaking down
I wanted to be on TV with millions of people watching my tricks
Has been posting videos on YouTube, they have been viewed my millions of people
He is known as the iPad Wizard on Social Media Sites
Weird and wonderful new tricks
Even in the digital age people are still fascinated by the power of magic
Another iPad Magic Trick (fastest selfie ever)
Video:
Incredible Hospitality – The island of Crete, Greece
Watch the following video :
Crete (Greek: Κρήτη, Kríti [‘kriti]; Ancient Greek: Κρήτη, Krḗtē) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, and the fifth-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Crete and a number of surrounding islands and islets constitute the region of Crete (Greek:Περιφέρεια Κρήτης), one of the 13 top-level administrative units of Greece. The capital and the largest city is Heraklion. As of 2011, the region had a population of 623,065.
Crete forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece, while retaining its own local cultural traits (such as its own poetry and music). It was once the center of the Minoan civilization (c. 2700–1420 BC), which is currently regarded as the earliest recorded civilization in Europe.
Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crete
Vocabulary in Chunks 
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