An ELT Glossary A (a-ag)

Question 1

✅Abstract nouns

Answer 1

➡️ Definition: Refers to an intangible concept, state, or quality that cannot be physically touched or seen.

➡️ Example: Happiness, thought, information, progress.

Question 2

✅The Acculturation Model

Answer 2

➡️ Definition: The Acculturation Model suggests that successful second language acquisition depends on the learner’s social integration with the target language (TL) group, influenced by factors like the desire to communicate and attitude towards the TL group.

➡️ Example:
A migrant who integrates socially with TL speakers daily is more likely to acquire the language than someone who remains within their own language community.

Question 3

✅Achievement test

Answer 3

➡️ Definition: This test is given at the end of a course to assess whether learners have successfully learnt the material taught.

➡️ Example: Many coursebooks include an “end of course” test designed to evaluate students’ learning based on the course content.

Question 4

✅Second Language Acquisition (SLA)

Answer 4

➡️ Definition: Second Language Acquisition (SLA) is the process of developing proficiency in a language other than one’s mother tongue, either through formal learning or natural exposure.

➡️ Example: A student learns grammar rules in a classroom but acquires fluency by speaking with native speakers outside of class.

Question 5

✅Acquisition vs learning (second language acquisition)

Acquisition is…, while learning is…

Answer 5

➡️ Definition:____ is an unconscious process of developing language ability through natural exposure, while ____ is the conscious study of language rules, often through formal instruction.

➡️ Example:
Acquisition: A child picks up correct grammar by listening to native speakers.
Learning: A student studies grammar rules in a classroom.

Question 6

✅The Acquisition/Learning Hypothesis

Answer 6

➡️ Definition: One of Krashen’s five hypotheses, which states that acquisition (subconscious, through exposure) and learning (conscious, through formal study) are separate processes. Only acquired language is used fluently and spontaneously, while learning does not impact acquisition.

➡️ Example 1: A learner knows grammar rules (learning) but struggles to use them naturally in conversation (acquisition).
➡️ Example 2: A child in a TL environment acquires language through exposure, while an adult in a classroom is learning the TL.

Question 7

✅Active Voice

Answer 7

➡️ Definition: A grammatical structure where the subject performs the action described by the verb, with the agent (doer) in the subject position and the patient (receiver) as the object.

➡️ Example: She wrote a letter.

Question 8

✅Addition

Answer 8

➡️ Definition: A discourse relationship where two or more propositions are linked as being similar or adding to each other.

➡️ Example: I enjoy hiking. In addition, I love camping.

Question 9

✅Adjacency pairs

Answer 9

➡️ Definition: An adjacency pair is a sequence of two related utterances by two speakers, where the second utterance is a predictable or required response to the first.

➡️ Example:

Speaker 1: “How are you?”
Speaker 2: “I’m fine, thanks.”

Question 10

✅Adjectival Nouns

Answer 10

➡️ Definition: Adjectives that function as nouns to refer to abstract qualities or groups of people. They are typically preceded by “the” and can be singular or plural.

➡️ Example: The unemployed need more support. (Refers to a group of people; plural.)

Question 11

✅Adjectives

Answer 11

➡️ Definition: Words that describe nouns or pronouns, referring to things, people, states, actions, or qualities.

➡️ Examples: large, Italian, cold, surprising, occasional

Question 12

✅Functions of Adjectives

Answer 12

➡️ Definition: Adjectives can serve different grammatical roles in sentences, such as:
1) Premodify nouns: Appearing before a noun to describe it.
2) Act as subject complement: Describing the subject after a linking verb.
3) Act as object complement: Describing the object after a verb.
➡️ Examples:
Premodify nouns: It was an interesting lecture.
Subject complement: He looked ill.
Object complement: She found the place expensive.

Question 13

✅Attributive adjectives

Answer 13

➡️ Definition: Adjectives that premodify nouns (come before the noun).

➡️ Example:
She has a large house.

Question 14

✅Predicative adjectives

Answer 14

➡️ Definition: Adjectives that function as complements, appearing after linking verbs or in object complement structures.

➡️ Example 1: The exam seemed easy. (After a linking verb)
➡️ Example 2: She found the exam easy. (As an object complement)

Question 15

✅What are Adjectives with Restricted Use?

Answer 15

Most adjectives can be used in both positions:

Attributive (before the noun)
Predicative (after a copulative (linking verb)
However, some adjectives have restricted use and can only appear in one position:

Attributive Only = Can only appear before the noun. -The idea was mere. (❌ incorrect)

Predicative Only = Can only appear after a verb like be, seem, feel, etc. - An afraid man. (❌ incorrect)

Question 16

✅Adverbials

Answer 16

➡️ Definition: Adverbials are words, phrases, or clauses that modify a verb, adjective, or another adverb. They can be classified into three types:

Adjuncts: Provide additional information about time, place, manner, etc.
Disjuncts: Express the speaker’s attitude or comment on the sentence as a whole.
Conjuncts: Link sentences or clauses together, showing relationships like contrast or addition.
➡️ Examples:

Adjunct: She arrived early. (Time modifier)
Disjunct: Frankly, I don’t care. (Speaker’s attitude)
Conjunct: I wanted to go to the park; however, it was raining. (Links ideas)

Question 17

✅ Adverbials - Adjuncts

Answer 17

➡️ Definition: Adverbials that are integrated into the clause and provide information about manner, time, place, or reason.

➡️ Example:
He walked slowly out of the room.

Question 18

✅ Adverbials - Disjuncts

Answer 18

➡️ Definition: Adverbials that express the speaker or writer’s attitude to the proposition in the clause.

➡️ Example: Unfortunately, we were too late.

Question 19

✅ Adverbials - Conjuncts

Answer 19

➡️ Definition: Adverbials that show the logical relationship between clauses or sentences, such as cause, contrast, or addition.
➡️ Example:
It was pouring with rain. However, he insisted on going out.

1. We missed the bus. As a result, we were half an hour late.
   2. It was pouring with rain. However, he insisted on going out.
   3. I don’t want to go. Besides, I’m busy that day.

Question 20

✅ Adverb

Answer 20

➡️ Definition: An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, adjective, another adverb, or an entire sentence. Adverbs often answer questions like how, when, where, or to what extent.

➡️ Examples:

Modifying a verb: He spoke slowly. (How did he speak?)
Modifying an adjective: She was really tired. (To what extent was she tired?)
Modifying another adverb: He spoke really slowly. (To what extent did he speak slowly?)
Modifying a sentence: Frankly, I expected him to fail. (What is the speaker’s attitude?)
➡️ Types of Adverbs:

Manner: slowly, fast, clockwise
Place: here, there, locally
Frequency: often, never, sometimes
Time: today, now, then
Intensifying: really, quite, incredibly
Sentence Adverbs: frankly, hopefully, interestingly
Connectives: however, consequently, moreover
➡️ Syntactic Groups:
Adverbs can function as adjuncts, disjuncts, or conjuncts.

Example: He spoke slowly (adjunct).
Example: However, he insisted on going out (conjunct).

Question 21

✅ Adverbial Clause

Answer 21

➡️ Definition: An adverbial clause is a dependent clause that functions as an adverb, modifying a verb, adjective, or another adverb. It provides information about how, when, where, why, to what extent, or under what condition something happens.

➡️ Examples:

Time: After we finished, we went home. (When did we go home?)
Reason: We left early because it started raining. (Why did we leave early?)
Condition: If you study hard, you will pass. (Under what condition will you pass?)
Purpose: She worked late to finish the project. (Why did she work late?)

Question 22

✅ Adverb Particle

Answer 22

➡️ Definition: An adverb that is part of a phrasal verb, modifying its meaning. It can occur in both intransitive and transitive phrasal verbs.

➡️ Examples:

Intransitive: The plane took off.
Transitive (separable): She turned off the light / She turned the light off.

Question 23

✅ The Affective Filter Hypothesis

Answer 23

➡️ Definition: The Affective Filter Hypothesis, part of Krashen’s Monitor Model, suggests that emotional and psychological states affect language acquisition. A high affective filter (negative emotions) blocks input, while a low affective filter (positive emotions) facilitates learning.

➡️ Example: A learner who feels anxious in class may struggle to acquire language because their affective filter is raised.

Question 24

✅ Affective Variables

Answer 24

➡️ Definition: Psychological factors related to learners’ emotions and attitudes (e.g., motivation, anxiety, self-esteem) that influence language learning. These variables can impact learning either positively or negatively.

➡️ Example 1:
A learner made to feel embarrassed by a teacher’s correction may avoid participating in class due to low self-esteem, hindering learning.

➡️ Example 2:
A learner who feels valued and experiences regular success will be motivated to engage more actively in the learning process.

Question 25

✅ Affixation

Answer 25

➡️ Definition: Affixation is a morphological process where an affix (a bound morpheme) is added to the stem of a word (a free morpheme), modifying its meaning and/or changing its word class.

➡️ Examples:

“un-“ as in unhappy: The affix “un-“ changes the meaning of “happy” (positive) to “unhappy” (negative).
“-ly” as in quickly: The affix “-ly” changes the word class of “quick” (adjective) to “quickly” (adverb).

Question 26

Def:___ opportunities that arise _____

✅ Affordances

Answer 26

➡️ Definition: Learning opportunities that arise naturally during a lesson, often unplanned, from student-student or teacher-student communication.

➡️ Examples:

Error focus: During pair work learners make repeated pronunciation error. The teacher addresses it in the follow-up with repetition and drills.

Lexical collocation: In a warm-up about weekend activities, a learner says, “I played badminton.” The teacher seizes the moment to focus on verbs for sports (e.g., do yoga, play tennis, go running).

Lexical chunk: A learner accurately uses a complex lexical chunk that others might not know. The teacher highlights it, checks comprehension, and practices it with the class.

Unexpected query: During text comprehension, a learner asks about an unanticipated word. The teacher explains its meaning and provides contextual examples.

Question 27

✅Affricates

Answer 27

➡️ Definition: An affricate is a consonant sound made by combining a plosive and a fricative at the same place in the mouth.

➡️ Example:
The English affricates are /ʧ/ and /ʤ/.

Question 28

✅ Agent

Answer 28

➡️ Definition: The agent is the person or thing that performs the action of the verb.

➡️ Example:

Active voice: “The police arrested the man.”
Agent: The police (subject, performing the action).

Question 29

✅ Accent

Answer 29

➡️ Definition: The way a speaker pronounces a language, influenced by factors like geography, social background, or first language (L1).

➡️ Example:
A speaker from Liverpool may describe the accent of someone from Newcastle as “strong,” while perceiving their own Liverpool accent as “neutral.”

Question 30

✅ Accommodation

Answer 30

➡️ Definition: Accommodation is the process by which speakers adjust their speech to match their interlocutors, improving understanding or building social connection.

➡️ Example:

Accent: A British footballer adopts a French accent to be understood by a French audience.

Question 31

✅ Accuracy

Answer 31

➡️ Definition: Accuracy is the extent to which a speaker’s or writer’s language conforms to the norms of their discourse community, including lexical, grammatical, and phonological choices. These norms vary depending on context and the variety of English used.

➡️ Example:
Saying “We was lucky” may be accurate within the norms of a football blog community but would be considered inaccurate in formal academic English.

Question 32

✅ Age (of Onset)

Answer 32

➡️ Definition: The age at which a learner begins learning a second language. While younger learners often excel in immersion settings, the benefits of an early start in classroom contexts with limited exposure are less conclusive.

➡️ Example:
A child in Spain starting English at age 6 with one hour of lessons per week may not achieve better outcomes than a teenager starting at age 13 with more intensive instruction.

Question 33

✅Adverbial Phrasal Verbs (check in a book to make sure correct)

Answer 33

➡️ Definition: A phrasal verb consists of a verb and a particle (which can be an adverb or a preposition). When the particle is an adverb, it’s called an adverbial phrasal verb. These verbs often change the meaning of the main verb, and the particle does not introduce an object.

➡️ Examples:

Wake up: (The particle “up” modifies the verb “wake” and indicates the completion of the action.)
Give up: (The particle “up” modifies “give” and means to quit.)
Turn off: (The particle “off” modifies “turn” and means to deactivate.)
Prepositional Phrasal Verbs
➡️ Definition: These are phrasal verbs where the particle is a preposition, and the particle must be followed by an object. The meaning of the phrasal verb cannot be fully understood by simply analyzing the individual parts of the verb and preposition.

➡️ Examples:

Look after: (The particle “after” is a preposition and requires an object: “She looks after the children.”)
Run into: (The particle “into” is a preposition and requires an object: “I ran into an old friend.”)
Key Difference:
Adverbial Phrasal Verbs: The particle is an adverb, and it typically modifies the verb. The verb and particle can often be separated by the object (if there is one).
Prepositional Phrasal Verbs: The particle is a preposition, and it always requires an object. The verb and preposition cannot be separated.