Helping advanced
students increase their
vocabulary store
Roy Norris
“We now recognise that much of our ‘vocabulary’
consists of prefabricated chunks of different
kinds. The single most important kind of chunk is
collocation.
If native speakers store large amounts of
language in chunks, what strategies should
language teachers adopt if they are to help
learners build mental lexicons which are
similarly phrasal?”
Michael Lewis
Teaching collocation
A Bottom-up approach
B Top-down approach
Affixation: nouns
Form abstract nouns from the following words.
1 achieve
achievement
.
2 survive
___________________
3 please
___________________
4 aware
___________________
5 offend
___________________
6 urgent
___________________
7 satisfy
___________________
8 responsible ___________________
9 adapt
___________________
10 accurate ___________________
Affixation: nouns
Form abstract nouns from the following words.
1 achieve
achievement
.
2 survive
survival
.
3 please
(dis)pleasure
.
4 aware
(un)awareness .
5 offend
offence
.
6 urgent
urgency
.
7 satisfy
(dis)satisfaction .
8 responsible
(ir)responsibility .
9 adapt
adaptation
.
10 accurate
(in)accuracy
.
Affixation: nouns
Complete each gap with the correct noun form of the
word in capitals.
1 He ran the marathon in 2 hours 20 minutes. What an
_____ !
ACHIEVE
2 I was amazed at her _____. She went 20 days without
food.
SURVIVE
3 I enjoyed the funfair. I had a lot of _____there. PLEASE
4 I didn’t know she was pregnant. I had no _____ of that.
AWARE
Affixation: nouns
Complete each gap with the correct noun form of a
word from the box. You may need to use a negative or
plural form of the noun.
accurate
adapt
aware
offend
responsible urgent
please
satisfy
achieve
survive
1 It was a remarkable _______ , and the record stood for
many years.
2 Rainforest destruction is threatening the _______ of
many endangered species.
3 It gives me great _______ to announce the winner of
this prestigious award.
4 The campaign is intended to raise _______ of a number
of environmental issues.
accurate
adapt
aware
offend
responsible
please
urgent
satisfy
achieve
survive
5 The law makes it a criminal _______ to publish insulting
remarks about the President.
6 Food and medical aid are to be sent to the affected area
as a matter of _______.
7 I am writing to express my _______ with the poor
service I received recently at your bank.
8 The successful applicant will be required to carry out a
wide range of _______.
9 Gregory Peck starred in the film _______ of Harper
Lee’s novel ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’.
10 Part of the editor’s job is to correct any factual ______
which appear in the manuscript.
Hits on Google
Resultados 1 - 10 de aproximadamente 859.000
de "remarkable achievement".
Resultados 1 - 10 de aproximadamente 69.600
de "threatening the survival of".
Resultados 1 - 10 de aproximadamente 539.000
de "gives me great pleasure to ".
Resultados 1 - 10 de aproximadamente 5.020
de "correct factual inaccuracies".
Resultados 1 - 10 de aproximadamente 10.500
de "makes it a criminal offence to".
Adjective collocates of offence
criminal
arrestable
serious
bookable
sexual
alleged
lesser
minor
firearm
terrorist
imprisonable punishable
drug
further
trivial
indictable
aggravated
motoring
non-fatal
drink-driving
driving
suspected
Affixation: nouns
Complete each gap with the correct noun form of the
word in capitals.
1 He ran the marathon in 2 hours 20 minutes. What an
_____ !
ACHIEVE
2 I was amazed at her _____. She went 20 days without
food.
SURVIVE
3 I enjoyed the funfair. I had a lot of _____there. PLEASE
4 I didn’t know she was pregnant. I had no _____ of that.
AWARE
Resultados 1 - 10 de aproximadamente
586 de "had a lot of pleasure".
I’ve had a lot of pleasure working with
Ottawa immigrants.
I had a lot of pleasure, reading this
book.
I had a lot of pleasure in being
successful.
I’ve had a lot of pleasure being
involved.
Student vocabulary record
Noun affixation
a remarkable achievement
threaten the survival of endangered species
It gives me great pleasure to announce
raise awareness of a number of issues
The law makes it a criminal offence to
send medical supplies as a matter of urgency
I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with
carry out a wide range of responsibilities
the film adaptation of a book
correct factual inaccuracies
Exercise design
The sentences should be:

Authentic

Meaningful

Informative
The language in them should be:

Recordable

Memorable

Reusable
Adjective affixes
Adjective affixes
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
an imaginary friend
an unforgettable experience
potentially harmful side-effects
feel powerless to do anything about it
found a receptive audience among
a totally unexpected outcome
an infectious laugh
an introductory paragraph
facial expressions
the rising cost of
Adjective affixes
Hits on Google
Resultados 1 - 10 de aproximadamente 993.000
de "imaginary friend".
Resultados 1 - 10 de aproximadamente
1.150.000 de "unforgettable experience".
Resultados 1 - 10 de aproximadamente 42.200
de "potentially harmful side effects".
Resultados 1 - 10 de aproximadamente 94.000
de "powerless to do anything about".
Three-part
phrasal verbs
Three-part phrasal verbs
Match the phrasal verbs with the definitions
come in for
sign up for go in for
come up against
crack down on
put up with
put down to
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
enter a competition
start dealing with sbdy or sthg more strictly
attribute to
join a course or organization
receive criticism, blame or unpleasant comments
have to deal with something difficult or unpleasant
accept unpleasant behaviour or an annoying situation
without complaining even though you do not like it
Source: Macmillan Phrasal Verbs Plus
Three-part phrasal verbs
1 Not surprisingly, the government has come in for
criticism over its handling of the crisis.
2 No more tinned food – I’m going to sign up for
a cookery course!
3 When I was about eleven or twelve I went in for
a competition and won a trip to Paris.
4 Their plans to build a house in Spain came up against
a few problems and they had to abandon the idea.
Three-part phrasal verbs
5 The new legislation is designed to crack down on
juvenile crime and delinquency.
6 They had to move – they just couldn’t put up with
the constant noise of the motorway.
7 It really is so expensive – they’re getting away with
daylight robbery!
8 A self-made man, Relf puts his success down to
hard work and persistence.
Adjectives formed with
particles
Adjectives formed with particles
 an
uphill struggle
 out-of-town superstores
 an out-of-the-way place
 indoor or outdoor activities
 an outspoken critic
 a sit-down meal
 an off-the-peg suit
 online banking services
overnight
Google
“an overnight” success sensation
stay
visit
trip
train
Macmillan English Dictionary
[only before noun]
1 working, travelling or happening during the night: an overnight stay:
the overnight train/flight/ferry [my bold]
2 happening after a very short time: an overnight success
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
No entry for overnight, though it does appear as a collocate of success
and others.
www.sketchengine.co.uk
stay 40
accommodation 38
rain 20
train 11
bag 35
success 13
stop 19
lead 8 (golf)
uphill
Google
Uphill on its own does not yield very much. With the verb ‘to be’
however, we get the information we are looking for. Here are the four
most frequent collocates.
“is an uphill” struggle
battle
task
climb
Macmillan English Dictionary
1 towards the top of the slope or a hill: a steep uphill climb
2 difficult to do or achieve: uphill battle/struggle/task etc
The Opposition face an uphill struggle to win back voters.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
No entry for uphill, though it does appear as a collocate of battle,
struggle etc
www.sketchengine.co.uk
struggle 58
battle 24
task 25
slope 7
work 7
Vocabulary records
Students should develop an efficient personal system for
recording the new vocabulary they learn. They should
record as much detail as possible, including information
about complementation and collocations of the words
learned.
CAE Handbook
Vocabulary records
uphill
adj /phonemes/ [stress on first syllable]
[translation]
Example from exercise: Is learning an uphill struggle for you or a
relatively easy task?
1 towards the top of the slope or a hill: a steep uphill climb
2 difficult to do or achieve: The Opposition face an uphill struggle to win
back voters.
+ noun: struggle
battle
task
adv /phonemes/ [stress on second syllable]
The road leads uphill towards the church.
climb
Alternative ways
to express meaning
CAE Speaking Part 3
Talk to each other about why these skills might be
important in our lives, and then decide which three you
consider to be the most important to teach young people.
Talk to each other about how useful the technology is to
these people, and then decide which piece of technology
might have the greatest impact on their lives.
Talk to each other about what you might read in each
chapter of the book, and then decide which two chapters
would be the most interesting.
Paraphrasing
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
I cried
I nearly cried
I laughed
I got angry
It surprised me
It frightened me
It made me happy
It depressed me
CAE Transformations
I nearly cried when I heard the news.
close
I ______________ when I heard the news.
The arrival of spring makes me feel happy and
want to sing.
puts
The arrival of spring _________________ and
makes me want to sing.
Paraphrasing: adapting coursebook exercises
Comparisons
1 The most irritating thing in the world is having to wait for someone
who’s late.
2 The food in my country is very different from that in the rest of the
world.
3 The political parties in my country are all very similar to each other.
4
…….
5 My country’s national football team is just as good as most others.
6 Our English teacher looks remarkably similar to a famous TV
personality.
Paraphrasing: adapting coursebook exercises
Student record
There’s nothing more irritating than having
to wait for someone who’s late.
=
The most irritating thing in the world is
having to wait for someone who’s late.
B Top-down approach
Paraphrasing: using a coursebook text
7 we shared an enthusiasm for
we were both keen on
8 developing a fresh set of social networks
making new friends
Preparing for the
Use of English Papers
Students need a thorough grounding in the grammatical system of
English and a good knowledge of vocabulary, appropriate to the
level. As well as studying these things overtly in particular
‘language input’ lessons in the classroom, students will benefit from
an integrated course in which skills work plays an important part.
In particular, students need to read as much as possible to maximise
exposure to a wide range of vocabulary in different contexts, and to
acquire a feel for the grammar of the language, enabling them to
see how structure and form can be manipulated accurately.
Bulletin 8 Use of English
Cambridge ESOL
Noticing vocabulary
For the first time in my life I have been dumped by a
friend. I should have seen it coming: the phone calls not
returned, the excuses about “not feeling very sociable
right now”, the e-mails that languished unreplied in the
ether. Yet the letter suggesting that the time had come
for us to move on still came as a shock.
It didn’t seem to fit in with our modern ideal of friendship.
As growing numbers of us live alone, friends are
becoming more important. They are our families of
choice, we’re told, taking on the roles of parent, spouse,
sibling — and best friend.
Noticing vocabulary
For the first time in my life I have been dumped by a
friend. I should have seen it coming: the phone calls not
returned, the excuses about “not feeling very sociable
right now”, the e-mails that languished unreplied in the
ether. Yet the letter suggesting that the time had come
for us to move on still came as a shock.
It didn’t seem to fit in with our modern ideal of friendship.
As growing numbers of us live alone, friends are
becoming more important. They are our families of
choice, we’re told, taking on the roles of parent, spouse,
sibling — and best friend.
Noticing vocabulary
For the first time in my life I have been dumped by a
friend. I should have seen it coming: the phone calls
not returned, the excuses about “not feeling very
sociable right now”, the e-mails that languished unreplied
in the ether. Yet the letter suggesting that the time had
come for us to move on still came as a shock.
It didn’t seem to fit in with our modern ideal of friendship.
As growing numbers of us live alone, friends are
becoming more important. They are our families of
choice, we’re told, taking on the roles of parent,
spouse, sibling — and best friend.
Vocabulary record
End of a Friendship (Straightforward p81)
return a phone call:
= devolver una llamada
“I should have seen it coming: the phone calls not returned, the
excuses about not feeling very sociable right now …”
“the time had come for us to move on”
= It was time for us to make a change (in our lives)
“the letter came as a shock”
= the letter gave me an unpleasant surprise
“growing numbers of us live alone”
= more and more of us live alone
Noticing vocabulary
• Nouns: then associated verbs &
adjectives etc
• Each student decides which vocabulary
he or she wants to record.
• Where possible, students should record
language in the form in which they find it.
• 6 to 8 items per text is probably enough.
• Familiar words in unfamiliar surroundings
Noticing vocabulary
For the first time in my life I have been dumped by a
friend. I should have seen it coming: the phone calls
not returned, the excuses about “not feeling very
sociable right now”, the e-mails that languished unreplied
in the ether. Yet the letter suggesting that the time had
come for us to move on still came as a shock.
It didn’t seem to fit in with our modern ideal of friendship.
As growing numbers of us live alone, friends are
becoming more important. They are our families of
choice, we’re told, taking on the roles of parent,
spouse, sibling — and best friend.
The Fast Track to Burnout
Lily Tan left university with an MBA distinction and was quickly
snapped up by a major retail chain. In just five years she achieved a
senior management position and after receiving news of the
promotion she was elated. ‘I rang round just about everyone I could
think of,’ she laughs. ‘But the next day I felt nothing. I had no
inclination to get out of bed and face the constant pressure.’ Despite
her sudden disillusionment, she continued to persevere and was the
brains behind a new strategy. ‘Everyone seemed to be in favour of it
at the planning stage,’ she says. But during the implementation
stage, unforeseen problems arose and eventually the strategy was
abandoned. Lily’s next performance appraisal gave her a really low
rating, which she found devastating. The whole experience was
quite traumatizing and I was too emotionally immature to deal with
it.’ It wasn’t long before Lily left and set up her own recruitment
company, which is now flourishing. She still regrets her discovery
that there is no such thing as team spirit when one of the members
makes a mistake.
The Fast Track to Burnout
Lily Tan left university with an MBA distinction and was quickly
snapped up by a major retail chain. In just five years she achieved a
senior management position and after receiving news of the
promotion she was elated. ‘I rang round just about everyone I could
think of,’ she laughs. ‘But the next day I felt nothing. I had no
inclination to get out of bed and face the constant pressure.’
Despite her sudden disillusionment, she continued to persevere and
was the brains behind a new strategy. ‘Everyone seemed to be in
favour of it at the planning stage,’ she says. But during the
implementation stage, unforeseen problems arose and eventually
the strategy was abandoned. Lily’s next performance appraisal
gave her a really low rating, which she found devastating. The
whole experience was quite traumatizing and I was too emotionally
immature to deal with it.’ It wasn’t long before Lily left and set up her
own recruitment company, which is now flourishing. She still regrets
her discovery that there is no such thing as team spirit when one of
the members makes a mistake.
The Fast Track to Burnout
Lily Tan left university with an MBA distinction and was quickly
snapped up by a major retail chain. In just five years she
achieved a senior management position and after receiving
news of the promotion she was elated. ‘I rang round just about
everyone I could think of,’ she laughs. ‘But the next day I felt
nothing. I had no inclination to get out of bed and face the
constant pressure.’ Despite her sudden disillusionment, she
continued to persevere and was the brains behind a new
strategy. ‘Everyone seemed to be in favour of it at the planning
stage,’ she says. But during the implementation stage, unforeseen
problems arose and eventually the strategy was abandoned. Lily’s
next performance appraisal gave her a really low rating, which
she found devastating. The whole experience was quite traumatizing
and I was too emotionally immature to deal with it.’ It wasn’t long
before Lily left and set up her own recruitment company, which is
now flourishing. She still regrets her discovery that there is no such
thing as team spirit when one of the members makes a mistake.
Reading programme
Extract from (new) CAE Handbook p. 9 Reading
It is helpful to introduce a programme of reading at home. As part of
the weekly homework assignments, an idea might be to introduce a
reading scheme which involves the students in providing verbal or
written reviews on the texts they have read. These could include:
unabridged short stories or novels, newspaper and magazine
articles, leaflets, non-fiction etc. Where possible, your students
should be encouraged to follow up on their hobbies and interests by
reading magazines or looking on the internet for articles in English
about sport, computers, fashion etc. Research in these areas could
also lead to a series of short class talks or articles for a class
project. A class or school magazine may also encourage interest in
reading.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/russia
• Reopening of Bolshoi theatre put back to 2011
• My face-to-face encounter with the 'drunk'
Aeroflot pilot
• Concert raises questions about Putin's alleged
love for Abba
• It's -24C in Russia – but life goes on
• Putin painting fetches £750,000 in charity
auction
• Who are the Russians in 'Londonograd'?
• Nasa alert as Russian and US satellites crash in
space
Activities & texts taken from:
Really Useful Words
Some nouns do not have much meaning, so
they nearly always have an adjective with them.
In some ways they are more like part of the
grammar of English than its vocabulary. If you
want to use nouns like this naturally, you
need to know lots of adjective collocates.
Almost any noun headword which has a very
long entry in a collocation dictionary is suitable
for this activity, such as:
Really Useful Words
account, action, answer, approach, argument,
behaviour, change, circumstances, condition,
consequences, decision, difference, discussion,
effect, feature, idea, information, interest, issue,
manner, method, move, performance, plan,
policy, position, problem, programme, project,
question, reason, relationship, result, scheme,
situation, solution, state, story, style, system,
theme, theory, use, view, vision, way, work.
Michael Lewis
Teaching Collocation
CAE Speaking Part 3
• Talk to each other about how competition affects these
areas of our lives, and then decide in which one
competition can have a positive, and in which a negative
effect.
• Talk to each other about these situations, saying what
effect the speed of life has on people today, and then
decide in which situation speed is the most desirable.
• Talk to each other about the effect each of these events
has had on the world we live in, and then decide which
one has had the greatest influence on people’s lives.
There are other means, as well, for signalling the
evolving argument of a text. One is through the use of
nominalization. There are key words, such as way,
problem, answer, situation, process, and so on, that
can either encapsulate what has gone before or set up
expectations as to what is to come.
Each parent passes on certain characteristics to its
offspring. This process is called heredity. Heredity
works in an amazing way.
Process encapsulates the entire proposition expressed
in the first sentence.
Way .. signals that some kind of description will follow.
Scott Thornbury
Beyond the sentence (Macmillan)
Really Useful words
1.
The television is a/an _________ method of obtaining
information, so I always buy a newspaper to get news.
2.
She found herself in a/an _________ position; money
was tight and she could only afford to send one of her
children to school.
3.
We only anticipated _________ problems so we
decided to go ahead with the plan.
4.
It was a/an _________ idea, and I, for one, would not
be supporting it.
5.
Buying land near the proposed site for the shopping
complex was a/an _________ move and he made
millions on the resale.
Effect
• A positive effect: beneficial, the desired,
soothing
• A negative effect: adverse, catastrophic,
damaging, detrimental harmful
• A big effect: dramatic, far-reaching, important,
lasting, noticeable, significant
• A small effect: limited, minimal
Activities & texts taken from: