Collins ELT

Are Print Primary Dictionaries Still Relevant for Young Learners?

by Harper Collins September 11, 2023

Today’s language learning environment offers a wealth of information for all ages and levels of learner, with everything available online at the cl...

Posted in CEFR, COBUILD, COBUILD Corpus, Dictionaries, ELT, Primary, Vocabulary

CEFR Labels: Do Words Have Levels?

by Harper Collins June 01, 2023

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?

Posted in CEFR, COBUILD, Comprehension, Confidence in English, ELT, English Grammar, English Language Teaching, Grammar

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Exploring new phrasal verbs: drilling down and dialling it up (part 2)

by Harper Collins May 12, 2022

This is the second in a series of two posts about the process of putting together the new edition of the COBUILD Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs, published together with a new edition of COBUILD Dictionary of Idioms.

In the last post, we considered various interpretations of the term ‘phrasal verb’ and examined how they are used in terms of grammar and register. We then looked at how we at Collins went about identifying both new phrasal verbs and new uses of existing ones.

Posted in COBUILD, ELT, English Grammar, English Language Teaching, Phrasal Verbs

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Exploring new phrasal verbs: drilling down and dialling it up (part 1)

by Harper Collins April 27, 2022

With new phrasal verbs continuing to proliferate in the English language, we at COBUILD surveyed a variety of news and other media sources to identify the most frequent new phrasal verbs for the Collins COBUILD Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.

Posted in COBUILD, COBUILD Corpus, ELT, English Grammar, English Language Teaching, Phrasal Verbs

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Work on Your Idioms: digging below the surface

by Harper Collins March 29, 2022

Idioms can be a really fun part of language learning with their colourful imagery and quirky cultural connections. However, they can also be a real challenge for learners. There are such a variety of idioms in English and many are impossible to decode on first meeting.

Posted in Confidence in English, ELT, English Grammar, English Language Teaching, General English, Idioms, Language Learning, Work on Your

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Work on Your Phrasal Verbs: focusing on contemporary usage

by Harper Collins March 02, 2022

Multi-word chunks of language, such as idioms and phrasal verbs, make up a large proportion of any written or spoken text, so they’re really key fo...

Posted in COBUILD, Confidence in English, ELT, English at work, English Grammar, English Language Teaching, Language Learning, Phrasal Verbs, Work on Your

Independent Learning - More than meets the eye

by Harper Collins February 02, 2022

There is no doubt that independent learning is a tricky topic for EFL teachers. This approach of independent learning, where students take control of their own work and organise and manage their studies, is promoted widely in UK universities as a way to enable students to unlock valuable skills such as self-awareness, self-motivation, and decision-making abilities. Skills which are undoubtedly valued in the workplace, especially in high-level jobs where autonomy, evaluation and quick incisive decision-making are great assets.

Posted in Confidence in English, ELT, English Language Teaching, General English, Language Learning, Speaking

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