Collins ELT
Are Print Primary Dictionaries Still Relevant for Young Learners?
Today’s language learning environment offers a wealth of information for all ages and levels of learner, with everything available online at the cl...
CEFR Labels: Do Words Have Levels?
Since the CEFR was first published in 2001, a number of projects have sought to attach CEFR level labels to words to help teachers and syllabus designers align their vocabulary syllabus with the CEFR criteria. The new edition of the COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, and its online version, shows CEFR labels at entries for key vocabulary. But can we really say that words have levels? What are the benefits of labelling vocabulary in this way and what caveats do we need to bear in mind?
Understanding academic grammar
For students new to dealing with academic texts in English, they can seem daunting; full of long words and long complex sentences. Are academics just trying to show off how clever they are and confuse their poor readers? Well, maybe just a little bit sometimes, but most of the time, there are good reasons for the grammatical choices made by academic writers. Understanding the reasons for those choices can help students of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) make more informed choices in their own writing.
Tense vs aspect
Tense and aspect are often labelled as the same thing. It’s not uncommon to see the present progressive referred to as ‘the present progressive tense’ or will have + past participle referred to as ‘the future perfect tense’, for example. However, tense and aspect are not the same thing.
Grammar and register
This article has been written by Julie Moore, who is an ELT materials developer and lexicographer.
Our last post focused on the difference between ...
Who am I? A bio-mini-quiz to inspire your students
Are you looking for original ways to get your students to read? Here are 8 ‘Who am I?’ questions revealing interesting life-facts about some of the Amazing People featured in Collins Amazing People ELT Readers series. Can you guess who the people are?