Collocation – Encouraging Learning Independence Renata Zainotte ELT Consultant Cengage Learning

HEAVY BAG HEAVY SUNSHINE STRONG WIND STRONG CAR POWERFUL CAR HEAVY RAIN HEAVY BAG HEAVY SUNSHINE STRONG WIND STRONG CAR POWERFUL CAR BLOND HAIR BLOND JACKET

STRONG WIND  STRONG CAR × POWERFUL CAR  BLOND HAIR  BLOND JACKET × HEAVY RAIN  HEAVY BAG  HEAVY SUNSHINE × STRONG WIND  STRONG CAR × POWERFUL CAR  BLOND HAIR  BLOND JACKET ×

What is collocation? Collocation is not only about how likely it is that two words will occur next to each other, or very near each other. This is also about what the most likely combination of words are; it is about probabilities.

It’s not enough to know thousands of words It’s not enough to know thousands of words. We also have to know how they go together. Native speakers know more than just single words – they also know how the words combine into collocations and longer phrases or chunks.

….Communicative competence is not a matter of knowing rules for the composition of sentences... It is much more a matter of knowing a stock of partially pre-assembled patterns, formulaic frameworks, and a kit of rules, so to speak, and being able to apply the rules to make whatever adjustments are necessary according to contextual demands. Communicative competence in this view is essentially a matter of adaptation, and rules are not generative but regulative and subservient. (Widdowson 1989: 135)

...(Communicative competence) ( is not a matter of knowing) (rules for) (the composition of) sentences... (It is much more a matter of knowing) (a stock of) partially pre-assembled patterns, formulaic frameworks, and (a kit of) rules, (so to speak), and (being able to) (apply the rules) to (make (whatever adjustments) are necessary) (according to) contextual demands. (Communicative competence) (in this view) (is essentially a matter of) adaptation, and (rules) are not (generative) but (regulative) and subservient. (Widdowson 1989: 135)

The beginning of the teacher’s role 1. Encourage learners to make the best use of language which they meet outside the classroom. 2. Encourage learners to take responsibility for their own learning. 3. Use part of the time in class to give learners independence.

Independence? Teachers need to equip their students with skills to enable them to develop their knowledge of collocations independently of the teacher.

Learners often do indeed over-rely on translation to L1 Learners often do indeed over-rely on translation to L1. They create phrases and sentences word-by-word, choosing correct words, but not thinking whether the words collocate or not.

Learners create language bottom-up Learners create language bottom-up. On the other hand, native speakers are expert users because they have stored thousands of ready-made collocations, working top-down.

One reason for bottom-up production may be the way learners are taught; if the vocabulary lesson is always focusing on single words and if language is taught with an over-emphasis on grammar, students may see production as a question of filling empty grammatical slots.

Learning collocations depends on the language level of learners, the extent to which they are exposed to collocations, how aware they are of them, how much practice they are given in using them, and so on.

Examine the content of your “texts” and try to anticipate and highlight groups of words – collocations – which you think your students will not expect to find together. For example, your students might associate heavy furniture easily. On the contrary, heavy seas / heavy smoker might not be as easy as the first collocation.

It is very much a case of seeing more than you used to in a text, My questions are: * What do students naturally associate? * What co-occurrences will students not expect to find together? It is very much a case of seeing more than you used to in a text,

One simple way of finding out which words our students do not expect to find together is through the mis-collocations they make in their production of language. Keep a record of these mis-collocations so that you can bring them into the classroom at appropriate times to improve and extent vocabulary teaching. You’ll see that GRAMMAR + VOCABULARY doesn’t necessarily mean COMMUNICATION.

One immediate implication for teachers is that they should re-examine their coursebooks for collocations, adding exercises which focus explicitly on context and which draw the students’ attention to significant collocations.

The direct / deductive way of teaching collocations means actually using the term “collocation” in the classroom, explaining what it means and giving examples, then going on to various activities and exercises.

In an indirect / inductive approach, learners practice putting words into pairs through various simple activities, after which the teacher can explain what was behind the activities.

Which definition of collocation is correct? Collocation is a relationship between words based on their word-class. Collocation is a relationship between words based on a system of rules for combining words. Collocation is a relationship between words based on how likely it is that two words will occur together. Collocation is a relationship between words based on how close two words are to each other in a text.

Which definition of collocation is correct? Collocation is a relationship between words based on their word-class. Collocation is a relationship between words based on a system of rules for combining words. Collocation is a relationship between words based on how likely it is that two words will occur together. Collocation is a relationship between words based on how close two words are to each other in a text.

Write the opposite of the words in bold: I prefer dark colors. She has dark hair. I hate strong coffee. There was a strong smell of gas. I prefer ________ colors. She has ________ hair. I hate ________ coffee. There was a ________ smell of gas.

Write the opposite of the words in bold: I prefer dark colors. She has dark hair. I hate strong coffee. There was a strong smell of gas. I prefer light colors. She has fair hair. I hate weak coffee. There was a faint smell of gas.

Read (A) and (B) and decide which is an example of a deductive approach to teaching collocation and which is an example of an inductive approach. The teacher explains how words combine to form collocations and gives one or two examples. He then asks the students to find examples of collocations in a text. The students then do a collocation gap-fill exercise. In a class of 12 students, the teacher gives out cards, six with adjectives on, and six with nouns. Each student with an adjective card has to find a student with a noun card that fits that adjective.

Read (A) and (B) and decide which is an example of a deductive approach to teaching collocation and which is an example of an inductive approach. The teacher explains how words combine to form collocations and gives one or two examples. He then asks the students to find examples of collocations in a text. The students then do a collocation gap-fill exercise. D In a class of 12 students, the teacher gives out cards, six with adjectives on, and six with nouns. Each student with an adjective card has to find a student with a noun card that fits that adjective. I