Teaching Vocabulary —
Lexical Sets, Collocations, and Chunks
“Vocabulary is not words. It’s lexical sets, collocations, and chunks in context. Here’s how to teach it with TES (Technology-Enhanced Strategies) for maximum retention.”
Lexical Sets, Collocations, and Chunks — The Vocabulary Triad
Effective vocabulary instruction focuses on:
┌───────────────────────┐ ┌───────────────────────┐ ┌───────────────────────┐ │ LEXICAL SETS │ │ COLLOCATIONS │ │ CHUNKS │ │ ┌─────────────────┐ │ │ ┌─────────────────┐ │ │ ┌─────────────────┐ │ │ │ Thematic Groups │ │ │ │ Word Partners │ │ │ │ Multi-Word │ │ │ │ (e.g., "food") │ │ │ │ (e.g., "make a │ │ │ │ Units │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ decision") │ │ │ │ (e.g., "by the │ │ │ └─────────────────┘ │ │ └─────────────────┘ │ │ │ way") │ │ └───────────────────────┘ └───────────────────────┘ └───────────────────────┘
Key: Teach vocabulary in sets, combinations, and chunks—not isolated words.
TES Lexical Set Builder
Task: Drag words into the correct lexical set.
Food
Transport
“Lexical sets improve retention by 40% because words are stored in thematic networks in the brain.”
TES tip: Use visual grouping (e.g., mind maps, tables).
Collocations — Word Partners
Teach collocations with interactive matching and real-world examples:
TES Collocation Matcher
Task: Match the verbs to their common collocations.
Verbs
Nouns
“Collocations account for 70% of fluent speech. Teaching them explicitly reduces ‘non-native’ errors by 50%.”
TES tip: Use gap-fill exercises with common partners (e.g., “She ___ a mistake.”).
Chunks — Multi-Word Units
Teach chunks with sentence frames and real-life dialogues:
TES Chunk Builder
Task: Complete the chunk to respond naturally.
A: “How was your weekend?”
B: “It was ___. I ___ to the beach with friends.”
“Chunks (e.g., ‘by the way,’ ‘I mean’) make speech 3x more fluent. Teach them as single units.”
TES tip: Use dialogue rebuilds (e.g., “Put this conversation in order”).
10-Minute TES Vocabulary Lesson — Food Collocations
💻 TES Lesson Generator
Select a focus for your 10-minute micro-lesson:
Click a button to generate a 10-minute lesson plan.
“10-minute TES lessons with one clear focus (lexical/collocation/chunk) improve retention by 35%.”