Grammar …is just a word
@BrunoLeys
[email protected]
Who am I? • Bruno Leys • teacher trainer at
Bruges, Belgium
• coursebook writer • in-service trainer 2
“I’ve been waiting” Bryan Adams – Heaven Nick Cave - Are You The One That I've Been Waiting For? Incognito - I’ve Been Waiting Anastacia - Left Outside Alone Foreigner - Waiting For A Girl Like You Matthew Sweet - I’ve Been Waiting Donny Montell - I’ve Been Waiting for this Night Little Steven - I’ve Been Waiting David Bowie - I've Been Waiting For You
present perfect continuous = B1 (CEFR)
Awareness-raising What did the waiting feel like in the songs? - something unimportant, irrelevant - something which is stressed and which felt like a long time
BNC spoken: “I’ve been –ING” 1 I 'VE BEEN DOING
54
11 I 'VE BEEN TAKING
2 I 'VE BEEN TRYING
41
13
3 I 'VE BEEN WORKING
24
12 I 'VE BEEN SITTING
4 I 'VE BEEN LOOKING
19
12
5 I 'VE BEEN GOING
18
13 I 'VE BEEN USING
6 I 'VE BEEN THINKING
17
11
7 I 'VE BEEN TALKING
16
8 I 'VE BEEN WAITING
16
15 I 'VE BEEN HAVING
9 I 'VE BEEN GETTING
15
8
10 I 'VE BEEN SAYING
14
16 I 'VE BEEN WATCHING
14 I 'VE BEEN COMING
9
Focussing on meaning and context Choose three of the following phrases and give a context where you can imagine I've been thinking … I've been looking … I've been doing … I've been trying … I've been si8ng …
I've been coming … I've been watching … I've been meaning … I've been talking … I've been wai9ng …
Lexical practice
Collocations
Lexical Teaching
016 2 r e m m u S 1993
2005
Lexical Priming – Hoey (IATEFL 2014)
“We have proof that words are closely linked to each other in the listener’s mind, and that words that are closely linked can be recognised more quickly (and presumably used more quickly).”
Hoey (IATEFL 2014) The Lexical Priming claims As we have more and more encounters with the word, syllable, or word combination, we come to identify • the word or words that characteristically accompany it (its collocations), • the grammatical patterns with which it is associated (its colligations), • the meanings with which it is associated (its semantic associations), • and the pragmatics with which it is associated (its
What the corpora tell us “I was going to say” (#12 CANCODE 5 word clusters) O‘Keeffe, A., M. McCarthy and R. Carter (2007)
At which level do we teach this form? = B1/2 (CEFR)
“I’d like”
New Inspira9on 1 (2011) New Headway Elementary (2006)
Passive simple passives = B1 (CEFR) all forms = B2 (CEFR)
Biber et al. (1999)
“Passives account for only c. 2% of all verbs in conversa9on.”
Frequency: passive verbs
Biber et al. (1999)
Frequent passive structures (conversation) • “be bothered” (over 40 times/million words) over 20 times/million words: • involved • meant • allowed • finished • left • stuck Biber et al. (1999)
Passives: traditional approach
headingforenglish.blogspot.be
Passives: traditional approach
English Grammar in Use (2012)
Why teach lexically? • Communication is not just a procedure or formula. • Similar useless transformation is often used for: -
reported speech relative clauses conditionals modals …
• Such “so-called alternatives” are rarely
Lexical practice
Contextual practice
was born
Irregular verb lists
Irregular verbs (wordcount.org) fled #5,725
knelt #10,703
blew #5,815
wept #10,951
rode #6,553
swam #12,474 (swum #39,739)
dug #6,641
stung #13,917
crept #8,239
shrank #18,322 (shrunk
tore #8763 (torn #5,923)
#18,943)
hid #9,094
forbade #20,778
sprang #9,436 (sprung #13,738)
stank #29,866 (stunk #79,367)
spat #10,700
forgave #29,978 (forgiven #10,646)
Milton (2010)
Irregular verbs
(wordcount.org)
(dictionary.cambridge.org)
BUT! • sought #1,895 (CALD: B2-level) • drew #2,012 (drawn #1,372) (CALD: A1 level) • dealt #2,810 (CALD B2-level) • swung #4,660 (CALD B2-level)
“sought”
•
Alternative venues are being sought for other arts events.
•
It is the world's most expensive and fastest production car and is hugely sought after.
“drew”
•
A few minutes later a car drew up.
•
He drew up a long list of recommendations
•
He drew attention to the high levels of unemployment.
•
He drew back the curtains.
•
She drew back in alarm.
“dealt”
•
He's dealt with that quite adequately.
•
It can be dealt with internally.
Irregular verbs #10 was (#37 were #40 been) #26 had #59 could #99 made #100 got #131 come (also inf. – came #178) #148 put (=all forms) #172 found #175 went (gone #482) #179 left (also direction)
#200 given (also noun, adj., preposition – gave #401) #214 took (taken #236) #225 seen (saw #327 also tool) #228 told #237 done (did #70 also aux.) #303 felt (also cloth) #311 held #335 let (=all forms) #336 knew (known #341) #375 began (but begun #2377) #406 read (=all forms) #284 become (also inf. – became #413)
Irregular verbs #418 run (also inf.+noun – ran #1177) #461 brought #467 heard #485 lost (also adj.) #550 cut (=all forms) #624 led (also noun) #638 paid #653 shown (showed #947) #693 kept
#695 met #713 sent #717 written (write #930 wrote #1033) #738 stood (stand #914 stands #2720) #769 built #820 sat #844 spent #844 won (win #962) #893 meant
Irregular verbs: traditional approach MyGrammarLab
Irregular verbs: traditional approach
MyGrammarLab
Lexical practice
Other grammar items … • relative clauses: who/that/which • simple negatives: to do + infinitive • gerund & infinitive • …
If you take my word for it … • Focus on meaning, instead of form. • Use realistic examples in realistic contexts. • Find alternatives for “transformation” exercises. Language is not a procedure or formula. • Recycle and help learners notice returning
Thank you!
@BrunoLeys
[email protected] 