1. SkeLL TO UNLOCK Use of English
Sharon Hartle
University of Verona

2. Meaning or Usage? Actually a bit of both… Lewis: Lexical Approach
Timmis: Lexical Dimension
Singleton: Lexical Iceberg

3. Exam Practice for B2 To need To advise To inform To succeed
Part One: cloze (lexical or grammatical)
Part Two: word formation (lexical)
Visitors are advised of the 8pm starting time of the film
FOUR VERBS
To need
To advise
To inform
To succeed

4. WELCOME TO SKELL https://skell.sketchengine.co.uk/run.cgi/skell
Sketch Engine’s English Language Learning Web Interface

5. Scaffolded approach to SkeLL
Although a good monolingual dictionary will help you with the meanings of words you also need to know how to use them with other words:
Type in the word “succeed” (Use small case letters because the programme is case sensitive. Click on the “word sketch tab”: which preposition is commonly used with succeed?

6. SkeLL Screenshot of succeed word sketch

7. Examples of “succeed in”

8. Advised + verb pattern
Type in “advised” and click on the “examples” tab. Which verb pattern do you notice following this verb

9. Well-informed + collocation
Type in “well-informed” and look at the “word sketch tab” can this only be used to refer to people or is it commonly used with something else as well?

10. DETAILED ANALYSIS OF COLLOCATIONS

11. Personalisation
Now explore this yourself: choose three words or expressions that you are not sure how to use and look them up in SkeLL.
Now share your findings with a partner
Create a “Do-It-Yourself” gap filler to test other people in the class.
1) Why is everyone always __________the doctors ?
Inculpating b) blaming
2) The classroom was full to _____________
Overflowing b) burning
3) Can drinking red wine help _________ cancer?
a) avoid b) prevent

12. Practice for Cloze and Word Formation
Students are 1) ________________ to arrive early for the test so that they will have time to be given all the 2) ______________ they will need. To 3) ____________ in passing this exam, candidates may find it 4) ______________ although not indispensable to study the practice tests available on the Language Centre site. This will give them an idea of the test structure and help them to feel more confident since they will then be able to make 5) _________ -informed decisions about what to do on the big day.
a) necessary b) informed c) suggested d) advised
a) success b) information c) advise d) instruction
a) take b) pass c) succeed d) win
a) unnecessary b) advisable c) needy d) inadvisable
a) mis b) badly c) well d) unsuccessful d) pre

13. Thank you
REFERENCES:
Lewis. M., (1993) The Lexical Approach; the state of ELT and the way forward. Hove, England Language Teaching Publications.
Singleton. D,. (1999) Exploring the second language mental lexicon, Cambridge, CUP.
Timmis. I., (2008) ‘The lexical approach is dead: Long live the lexical dimension!’. Modern English Teacher 17/3: 5-10