Teaching Vocabulary —
From Words to Lexical Chunks
Teaching Vocabulary —
From Words to Lexical Chunks
“Vocabulary isn’t words. It’s lexical chunks, collocations, and multi-word units that native speakers use automatically. Here’s how to teach it for real fluency.”
Words vs. Chunks
Traditional vocabulary teaching focuses on single words. But native speakers think in lexical chunks — pre-fabricated phrases that convey meaning efficiently.
TES Lexical Chunk Analyzer
Task: Type a sentence. The tool highlights the lexical chunks.
“Lexical chunks account for 70% of fluent speech. Teaching single words produces learners who sound ‘unnatural’ because they string words together rather than using pre-fabricated phrases.”
TES tip: Always teach vocabulary in context and chunks.
Lexical Chunks — The Building Blocks of Fluency
Lexical chunks are multi-word units that native speakers use automatically:
┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ COMMON LEXICAL CHUNKS │
│ │
│ ┌─────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────┐ │
│ │ Social │ │ Time │ │ Discourse │ │
│ │ (e.g., "How │ │ (e.g., "in a │ │ (e.g., "by │ │
│ │ are you?") │ │ minute") │ │ the way") │ │
│ └─────────────────┘ └─────────────────┘ └─────────────────┘ │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Key insight: Chunks like “How are you?” or “in a minute” are stored as single units in the brain.
TES Chunk Builder
Task: Drag words to build a lexical chunk. Then check your answer.
Drag words here to build the chunk.
“Lexical chunks improve fluency by 40% and comprehension by 30%.”
TES tip: Use color-coding to highlight chunks in texts.
Collocations — Word Partners
Collocations are words that frequently co-occur:
┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ COLLOCATION TYPES │
│ │
│ ┌─────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────┐ │
│ │ Verb + Noun │ │ Adj + Noun │ │ Prep + Noun │ │
│ │ (e.g., "make a │ │ (e.g., "strong │ │ (e.g., "by │ │
│ │ decision") │ │ coffee") │ │ the way") │ │
│ └─────────────────┘ └─────────────────┘ └─────────────────┘ │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Key insight: Collocations like “make a decision” sound natural; “do a decision” doesn’t.
TES Collocation Mapper
Task: Match the verbs to their common noun partners.
Verbs
Nouns
Drag verbs here to match.
“Collocations account for 70% of fluent speech. Teaching them explicitly reduces ‘non-native’ errors by 50%.”
TES tip: Use gap-fill exercises with common collocations.
Practice — 10-Minute TES Tasks
Find 5 lexical chunks in this text. Then use them in sentences.
“In my opinion, the best way to learn a language is to practice every day. It’s important to make mistakes and learn from them. I always try to find time to study, even if I’m busy.”
Lexical chunks:
- “In my opinion”
- “make mistakes”
- “find time”
- “even if”
- “learn from them”
Sentences:
- “In my opinion, summer is the best season.”
- “It’s okay to make mistakes when learning.”
- “I need to find time to exercise.”
- “I’ll go even if it rains.”
- “We learn from them every day.”
Complete the sentences with the correct collocations.
- I need to ___ a decision. (make/do/take)
- She ___ a strong coffee every morning. (drinks/haves/eats)
- Can you ___ me a favor? (make/do/give)
- He ___ a mistake on the test. (made/did/had)
- Let’s ___ a break. (have/make/take)
- make
- drinks
- do
- made
- take
Build 3 sentences using these chunks:
Resources — Cambridge/Oxford/British Council
Lexical Approach Research
Cambridge’s collection of research on the lexical approach, including studies on chunking and collocations.
cambridge.org/core/books/lexical-approach British Council · FreeTeaching Lexical Chunks
British Council’s guide to teaching vocabulary through chunks, with activity ideas and lesson plans.
teachingenglish.org.uk/vocabulary/chunks Oxford · Word ListsLexical Chunk Lists
Oxford’s list of common lexical chunks by level, with examples and usage notes.
oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/wordlistsVocabulary isn’t words—it’s chunks.
The most effective vocabulary teaching:
- Focuses on chunks (not single words)
- Uses collocation maps (not word lists)
- Prioritizes real use (not memorization)
Your Monday challenge: Take one vocabulary activity and redesign it to focus on lexical chunks. Even small changes—like highlighting chunks in texts—can transform learning.
Teaching Speaking — Fluency Builders and Games
“Fluency isn’t perfection. It’s speed, smoothness, and confidence. Learn to build it with games and tasks.”