Using CorpusBased References to Guide Editing and Revision in L2 Writing

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Using Corpus-Based References to Guide Editing
and Revision in L2 Writing

• Jan Frodesen
• frodesen_at_linguistics.ucsb.edu
• TESOL 2007
• Seattle, Washington

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Benefits of Using Corpus-based References (CBRs)

• CBRs offer authentic text examples from a variety
  of genres.
• CBRs integrate grammar and vocabulary learning by
  presenting
• common patterns (e.g., collocations, chunks).
• CBRs promote inductive learning through noticing
  and discovery.
• Writers can compare patterns of language use in
  their own texts to patterns produced by native
  speakers.
• In developing materials, instructors can discover
  patterns
• they are not aware of or may not have thought of
  otherwise!

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Challenges of Using CBRs for L2 Writing
Instruction

• Authentic examples may be too complex.
• Data shown may not be pedagogically relevant.
• Students can get overwhelmed by raw data (e.g.,
  long concordance strings with insufficient
  context).
• Some available exercises based on CBRs either too
  complex or too simple for levels of your
  students.
• Available exercises may not be directly related
  to your students writing tasks or needs.
• Creating materials can be time-consuming for
  teachers.

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Addressing Challenges

• In general Guide students use of CBRs through
  tutorials, exercises and/or adaptation of data.
• Specific Steps
• Identify common error patterns (grammatical,
  lexical, lexico-grammatical) in academic writing
  for your student population in general or a
  class.
• Respond to questions your students raise about
  grammar or vocabulary as they work on drafts.

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Addressing Challenges, cont.

• Consider what areas of grammar and vocabulary are
  best explored by students through CBRs (e.g.,
  article usage, prepositions in phrases commonly
  used for academic writing, word forms,
  adjective-noun collocations, syntactic structures
  after reporting verbs)
• Consider which kind of CBR (dictionary,
  collocations dictionary, concordancer) might be
  most appropriate

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Example 1 Adapting an Exercise

• Source Subject-verb agreement exercise in Tim
  Johns Virtual DDL Library
• Steps
• Select examples that are most relevant
• meaningful for your students
• Delete surrounding text for focus
• Rewrite directions as needed

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Adapted Exercise Concordancer SV Agreement

• Find the singular head noun in each of the
  following text examples and circle it. The first
  has been done as an example.
• 1) An eight man team of scientists is to make a
  lengthy tour
• 2) In a few rings one of the carbons is replaced
  by an atom of oxygen
• 3) The choice of species in tree plantings is
  also important.
• 4) The total number of people who will benefit
  from such drugs is unknown
• 5) the amount of energy an animal creates is
  independent of body mass
• Examples 1,2, 5, 10, 17 selected and adapted
  from exercise on Tim Johns website
  http//www.eisu.bham.ac.uk/johnstf/mum_ag.htm
• Note Could also select and leave strings in
  original form for visual effect of is verbs
  running vertically down the page

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Example 2 Adapting a Concordance String

• Grammar Focus most of NP
• (common error problem)
• Source Concordance strings from
• Compleat Lexical Tutor
• Adaptation Select examples to show
• most of the NP reduce context as
• appropriate

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Adapted Concordance Examples Most of the
noun phrase

• As expected, most of the activity was found
• most of the actors are unknowns.
• they could have found most of the answers
• It spread to most of the audience
• It is hard not to lay most of the blame for their
  failures on the pope.
• Most of the data used are from
• Most of the emphasis has been placed on a wild
  party
• Most of the impact energy is spent in crushing
• most of the information now available about the
  radio emission
• most of the other prizes, once offered to
  Pittsburgh

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Sample Questions for most of the NPs examples

• What word directly follows most of in each of the
  examples?
• What are the head nouns in the most of phrases?
  List them.
• Which head nouns are count nouns?
• Which head nouns are noncount nouns?

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Addressing Challenges, cont.

• Identify kinds of writing activities for which
  CBRs are useful for revision or editing
• Addressing frequent problems in vocabulary or
  grammatical structures identified in
  content-based
• writing tasks
• Revising student-written brief summaries
  (compiled)
• Revising students paraphrases of source material
  (compiled examples of same source sentences)
• Addressing error patterns in e-mail message
  assignments
• (e.g., Request to professor for appointment I
  am appreciate it if you)

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Example of Content-Based FocusAttitudes about
Civil vs. Uncivil Behavior

• Grammar/vocabulary focus Use of behave and
  behavior in describing uncivil behavior
• Draft Problems Misuse of word forms lacking
  appropriate or varied adjectives or adverbs to
  modify behave or behavior inappropriate
  prepositions in prepositional phrases modifying
  behave and behavior
• CBR Sources
• Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of
  English,
• CANDLE Project TANGO concordancer

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Behave Behavior Collocations Questions for
Oxford Collocations Dictionary Entries(OHT)

• 1.What are five adjectives that could be used to
  describe inappropriate behavior? (undesirable,
  problem, aggressive, disruptive, violent, among
  others)
• 2. Of these words, choose one that would fit a
  context describing uncivil behavior in your
  draft.
• 3. What are five adverbs that could be used to
  describe people behaving badly in a situation?
  (disgracefully, outrageously, improperly,
  unreasonably, stupidly, among others)
• 4. Again, find a context in your draft in which
  you could use one of these adverbs.
• 5. What verbs describe the effects that others
  can have on behavior? (control, alter, change,
  influence, modify)

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Behave in NP modifiers

• Questions to guide TANGO text examples
• Behave in NP
• 1. What nouns follow behave in? List them.
• (way, manner, fashion)
• 2. Are these nouns count or noncount nouns?
• How do you know? (a, this)
• 3. What adjectives are used to describe these
  nouns?
• (proper, ridiculous, perilous and
  ridiculous)
• 4. What words from the Oxford Collocations
  dictionary could substitute for the adjectives in
  1, 3?

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Behave in NP modifiers, cont.

• Behave in such
• 1. Look at Instances 1, 2, and 19. What
  structure pattern do you see? (in such a way
  that)
• 2. Look again at your draft about uncivil
  behavior on
• college campuses. Write a sentence using in
  such a
• way/manner that to describe a student or
• students behavior that was mentioned in one
  of your
• sources.

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Writing Contexts Revising Paraphrases

• Context In a graduate writing class, students
  are reading selected paraphrases they have
  written. For one, the instructor suggests that a
  verb other than use might be better before
  knowledge in a paraphrase of get knowledge.
• CBR Source TANGO Concordancer,
• CANDLE Project

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Conclusions

• Corpus-based references can be rich resources for
  L2 composition materials development.
• As materials writers, we can help to bridge the
  gap between theory and research in applying
  research findings to the classroom.
• We need to find balance between frequency,
  difficulty and pedagogical relevance in
  selecting materials (Meunier, 2002).
• Most students need help in accessing and using
  CBRs Select, adapt for students levels and
  needs,
• Corpus-based materials should complement but not
  replace other writing class activities
• Materials writing can be time-consuming! Needed
  More sharing of corpus-based exercises and ideas
  for different levels/purposes?

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References

• Bahns, J. (1993). Should we teach EFL students
  collocations? System 21.2, 101-114.
• Bernadini, S. (2004). Corpora in the classroom
  An overview and some reflections on future
  developments. In J. Sinclair (Ed.), How to Use
  Corpora in Language Teaching (pp. 15-36).
  Amsterdam John Benjamins.
• Braun, S. (2005). From pedagogically relevant
  corpora to authentic language learning contents.
  ReCALL 17 (1), 47-64.
• Chan, T. Liou, H.C. (2005). Effects of
  web-based concordancing instruction on EFL
  students learning of verb-noun collocations.
  Computer Assisted Language Learning 18.3,
  231-250.
• Hadley, G. (2002). An introduction to data-driven
  learning. RELC Journal 33, 99-122.

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References, 2

• Johns, T. (1994). From printout to handout
  Grammar and vocabulary teaching in the context of
  Data-Driven Learning. In T. Odlin (Ed.),
  Perspectives on Pedagogical Grammar (pp.
  293-313). Cambridge and New York Cambridge
  University Press.
• Kaur, J. Hegelheimer, V. (2005). ESL students
  use of concordance in the transfer of academic
  word knowledge An exploratory study. Computer
  Assisted Language Learning, 18.4, 287-310.
• Lee, C.H, Lin, S.Y. Liou, H.C. (2006). Learning
  product and process of how English learners as
  researchers actually produce with scaffolds of
  three web-based reference tools Research with
  mixed methods. Proceedings of 2006 Intl
  Conference and Workshop on TESFL and Applied
  Linguistics (pp. 204-212). Tapei Crane.
• Liou, H.C. et al. (2006) Corpora processing and
  computational scaffolding for an innovative
  web-based English learning environment The
  CANDLE project. CALICO Journal 24.1.

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References, 3

• Meunier, F. (2002). The pedagogical value of
  native and learner corpora in EFL grammar
  teaching. In S. Granger, H. Hung and S.
  Petch-Tyson (Eds.,) Computer Learner Corpora,
  Second Language Acquisition and Foreign Language
  Teaching (pp. 119-141). Amsterdam John
  Benjamins Publishing.
• Nesselhauf, N. (2003). The use of collocations by
  advanced learners of English and some
  implications for teaching. Applied Linguistics
  24.2, 223-242.
• Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of
  English (2002). Oxford and New York Oxford
  University Press.
• Websites
• Tom Cobbs Compleat Lexical Tutor
  http//132.208.224.13
• Corpora for Digital Learning of English (CANDLE)
  http//candle.fl.nthu.edu.tw/newcandle/Home_C.asp
  
• Tim Johns homepage http//bham.ac.uk/johnstf/ho
  mepage.htm