Collins ELT

            
      An Insight into Corpus: Identifying New Words and Meanings
    
      Neologisms and the constant evolution of language fascinates dictionary editors and users alike. For lexicographers, the use of corpora is essential to the way in which new words are identified, monitored and recorded. Let’s start with a little...
    
        5 min
      
        27/09/2024
      
      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...
    
        6 min
      
        01/06/2023
      
      Exploring new phrasal verbs: drilling down and dialling it up (part 2)
    
      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...
    
        7 min
      
        12/05/2022
      
      Exploring new phrasal verbs: drilling down and dialling it up (part 1)
    
      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.
    
        5 min
      
        27/04/2022
      
      Work on Your Idioms: digging below the surface
    
      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...
    
        4 min
      
        29/03/2022
      
      Work on Your Phrasal Verbs: focusing on contemporary usage
    
      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 for learners to get to grips with. In the next two posts, I’ll be...
    
        4 min
      
        02/03/2022
      
      Independent Learning - More than meets the eye
    
      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...
    
        7 min
      
        02/02/2022
      
      Grammar or vocabulary? A blurry line
    
      This article has been written by Julie Moore, who is an ELT materials developer and lexicographer. Most language learning coursebooks include grammar activities and vocabulary activities. As teachers, we talk about ‘teaching grammar’ and ‘teaching vocabulary’. Grammar and vocabulary...
    
        6 min
      
        06/01/2022
      
      Collins Peapod Readers: Engaging young learners in online learning using readers
    
      Recently, I‘ve been looking at ways to support young learner engagement through the use of readers online. Readers can help you to reach out, motivate, connect with and stimulate your young learners and help them continue on their English language...
    
        4 min
      
        02/09/2021
      
      Collins Peapod Readers: Off to a budding start with Cambridge English Qualifications
    
      It seems to me that we often fall into the trap of viewing readers as an added extra in English language teaching, when in fact readers can offer so much more and be an integral part of a young learner’s...
    
        4 min
      
        02/09/2021
      
      A New Turn of Phrase
    
      When we think of language change, it tends to be new coinages that spring to mind (rewilding, deepfake, zoombombing), but in fact, a lot of new language is created by putting existing words together in new combinations, that’s especially true...
    
        3 min
      
        02/09/2021
      
      COBUILD English Usage 4th Edition: Changes in vocabulary and grammar
    
      In the second of our blog posts about the new edition of COBUILD English Usage, Penny Hands details some of the findings that came out of the team’s research into the ways in which new words and uses are created.
    
        5 min
      
        02/09/2021