Topic 1: Language ChunksRead the text.Collocations and Idioms

Topic 1: Language Chunks

Read the text.

Collocations and Idioms

Learning vocabulary involves learning many different things about a word. One of those things is which other words that word often goes with. Language chunks are groups of words that students learn as one unit.

Collocations are one type of language chunk. Collocations are words that appear together because of common usage. For example, the word make is commonly used with a decision or a difference, as in make a decision or make a difference. Collocations may differ from one variety of English to another. In British English, for example, people say at the weekend whereas in Standard American English, people say over the weekend or on the weekend. Teaching collocations for new words is as important as teaching definitions, pronunciation, or spelling.

Idioms

Idioms are also language chunks. Idioms are common expressions. The meaning of an idiom is different from the meaning of the individual words in the idiom. See the chart for some common idioms and their definitions.

Idiom Definition

to lend someone a hand to help someone

to be in hot water to be in trouble

all of a sudden suddenly, without warning

Knowing the individual words in each idiom will not help students learn the meaning of the idiom. Each idiom is a vocabulary item students must learn as a whole chunk.