An ELT Glossary A (Af -Az)

Question 1

✅ Aims

Answer 1

➡️ Definition: Aims are the intended learning outcomes of a lesson, guiding teaching.

➡️ Example:
In a lesson on the past simple, the teacher aims for students to talk about their weekend activities.

Question 2

✅ Approach

Answer 2

➡️ Definition: a set of principles about language and language learning that guide teaching practices. It provides the theoretical foundation for teaching but does not prescribe specific methods or procedures.

➡️ Example:
The Communicative Approach focuses on real-life communication and interaction in the classroom, guiding teachers to present language in context but allowing for flexibility in methods, such as role-plays or task-based learning.

Question 3

✅ Articles

Answer 3

Definite, Indefinite, and Zero Articles
➡️ Definition: are used in English to indicate whether a noun refers to something specific (definite) or non-specific (indefinite), or when no article is needed at all (zero article).

• Definite article (“the”) refers to something known or shared by both speaker and listener.
• Indefinite article (“a/an”) introduces something new or unspecified, used with singular countable nouns.
• Zero article is used with plural or uncountable nouns when no article is needed.

➡️ Example:

Definite: “The tiger bit me!” (a specific, known tiger)
Indefinite: “A tiger will bite if provoked.” (any one tiger, not specified)
Zero Article: “Tigers hunt by night.” (all tigers, in general

Question 4

✅ Progressive Aspect

Answer 4

➡️ Definition: The progressive aspect indicates that an action or event is ongoing, temporary, or incomplete at a specific time. It is formed with the verb to be and the present participle (-ing form) of the main verb. This aspect reflects the speaker’s view of the action as dynamic or relevant to the context.

➡️ Examples:

Present Progressive: “She is reading a book.” (Action ongoing now)

Question 5

✅ Attention

Answer 5

➡️ Definition: Attention is the mental focus that learners direct towards language input, allowing them to notice, process, and retain essential information. It plays a key role in transferring input into long-term memory and is influenced by internal motivations and external distractions.

➡️ Example:
If a student is fully engaged in a discussion, their attention helps them internalize new vocabulary. However, a student distracted by their phone may struggle to retain the material due to divided attention

Question 6

✅ Authenticity

Answer 6

➡️ Definition: Authenticity refers to using language and teaching methods that mirror real-world communication, helping learners engage with the language in ways similar to its actual use outside the classroom.

➡️ Example:
Instead of asking “Do you understand?”, a teacher might have students simulate a real-world task, such as explaining a topic or describing a process to a peer.

Question 7

✅ Automaticity

Answer 7

➡️ Definition: Automaticity is the ability to use language fluently and effortlessly, relying on memorised routines and chunks to communicate in real-time.

➡️ Example:
When asked about their daily routine, a learner can instantly respond with memorised structures like “I wake up at 7, have breakfast, and go to work,” without pausing to construct each sentence.

Question 8

✅ Autonomy (Teacher)

Answer 8

➡️ Definition: Teacher autonomy is the ability of teachers to make independent decisions about their teaching methods, materials, and professional development, fostering innovation and adaptability in the classroom.

➡️ Example:
A teacher may start using a coursebook to structure lessons early in their career, but as they gain experience, they may begin experimenting with learner-centred activities and adapting materials to meet students’ needs, increasing their autonomy in the classroom.

Question 9

✅ Learner Autonomy

Answer 9

➡️ Definition: Learner autonomy is the ability of students to take responsibility for their own learning by making informed decisions about what, how, and when they learn, while developing the skills for independent study. It is fostered through activities that encourage self-reflection, progress monitoring, goal-setting, and decision-making.

➡️ Example:
In a language class, learners might be encouraged to assess their progress by reflecting on their work and setting future learning goals.

Question 10

✅Allomorph

Answer 10

➡️ Definition: a variant of a morpheme.

➡️ Example: un-, in-, il-, im-, ir- are all allomorphs of the negative prefix.

Question 11

✅ Allophone

Answer 11

➡️ Definition: An allophone is a variant of a phoneme that does not change the meaning of a word. Allophones are context-dependent and may vary across different linguistic environments or dialects.

➡️ Example:
The phoneme /p/ is aspirated in “pin” [pʰɪn] but not in “spin” [spɪn]. Both are variants of the same phoneme /p/ but pronounced differently in different contexts, without altering the word’s meaning.

Question 12

✅ Articulation (Place of Articulation)

Answer 12

➡️ Definition: is how speech sounds are formed, involving the movement of parts of the vocal tract (lips, tongue, teeth, etc.) to produce sounds.

➡️ Example:
The sound /p/ in “pat” is produced by pressing both lips together (this is the place of articulation) and then releasing the air (this is part of the manner of articulation).

Question 13

Articulation (Place of Articulation)

Answer 13

➡️ Definition: Place of articulation refers to the specific location in the mouth where the speech sound is formed, such as the lips, teeth, or palate. It is one of the three key descriptors used to describe consonants, alongside manner of articulation and voicing.

➡️ Example:
The sound /t/ in “top” is produced at the alveolar ridge (the area just behind the upper teeth), making it an alveolar sound.

Question 14

Articulation (Manner of Articulation)

Answer 14

➡️ Definition: Manner of articulation refers to how the airflow is modified or restricted during the production of a consonant sound. It is one of the three key descriptors used to describe consonants, alongside place and manner of Articulation.

➡️ Example:
The sound /p/ in “pat” is a plosive, where the airflow is completely blocked and then released.

Question 15

Articulation ( Voicing)

Answer 15

➡️ Definition: Voicing refers to whether the vocal cords vibrate when producing a consonant sound. It is one of the three key descriptors used to describe consonants, alongside manner of articulation and voicing

➡️ Example:
The sound /b/ in “bat” is voiced (vocal cords vibrate), while /p/ in “pat” is voiceless (no vibration).

Question 16

✅ Alveolar Consonants

Answer 16

➡️ Definition: Alveolar consonants are sounds that are produced by raising the tongue to the alveolar ridge (the bony ridge just behind the upper teeth).

➡️ Example:
The sounds /t/ and /d/ in words like “top” and “dog” are alveolar consonants because they are produced with the tongue against the alveolar ridge.

Question 17

✅ Alveolar Flap (or tap)
sound.

Answer 17

➡️ Definition: An alveolar flap is a sound produced by quickly tapping the alveolar ridge with the tongue, often replacing the /t/ sound in American English. It sounds similar to a voiced plosive, like /d/, but with a lighter, quicker contact.

➡️ Example:
In American English, “butter” is often pronounced with an alveolar flap as [ˈbʌɾɚ] instead of a plosive /t/.

Question 18

✅ Amplifiers

Answer 18

➡️ Definition: Amplifiers are a type of intensifier that increase the degree or strength of the adjective or verb they modify, emphasising how much or how strongly something is.

➡️ Example:
In ‘She is totally committed to the project’, the amplifier ‘totally’ strengthens the adjective ‘committed,’ emphasising the degree of commitment.

Question 19

Anacoluthon

Answer 19

Anacoluthon
➡️ Definition: Anacoluthon is when a speaker begins a sentence with one grammatical structure but then shifts to another, often seen in spontaneous speech. It can also appear in written texts to imitate spoken discourse or due to errors.

➡️ Example:
“We didn’t want to… couldn’t really go immediately.”

Question 20

✅ Anaphoric Reference

Answer 20

➡️ Definition: A word or phrase that refers back to something mentioned earlier in the text, helping to avoid repetition.

➡️ Example:
“I bought a new car yesterday. It was a real bargain.” (“It” refers back to “a new car.”)

Question 21

✅ Antonyms

Answer 21

➡️ Definition: Antonyms are words with opposite meanings.

➡️ Example:

“hot” and “cold” (gradable opposites)

Question 22

✅ A-Priori Syllabus

Answer 22

➡️ Definition: a course syllabus that is designed before teaching begins, with fixed goals, materials, and activities.
➡️ Example:
A coursebook-driven class with a pre-planned set of grammar and vocabulary topics follows an A-Priori syllabus.

Question 23

✅A-Posteriori Syllabus

Answer 23

➡️ Definition: a course syllabus that develops during the course based on learners’ needs, progress, and input.
➡️ Example:
A Dogme class, where the teacher adapts the lesson plan according to the students’ interests and questions, follows an A-Posteriori syllabus.

Question 24

✅ Apposition / Appositive

Answer 24

➡️ Definition: Occurs when two language structures (often noun phrases with modifiers) are placed next to each other, both referring to the same person, thing, or concept. The second noun phrase, called the appositive, provides additional information or clarification about the first.

➡️ Example:
“My brother, the engineer, loves to design bridges.”
Here, “the engineer” is in apposition to “my brother,” providing further information.

Question 25

✅ Appropriacy

Answer 25

➡️ Definition: is the use of language in such a way as to reflect the relationship between speaker/writer and listener/reader, to suit the cultural context, to follow genre conventions and generally to meet listeners’ or readers’ expectations.

➡️ Example:Saying Shut the door, can you? to a friend is more appropriate than I should appreciate it greatly if you could be so kind as to close the door.

Question 26

✅Approximants / Semi vowels

Answer 26

➡️ Definition: Approximants are speech sounds produced by bringing parts of the mouth closer together than in vowels (where the airflow is unimpeded), but not as close as in consonants (where airflow is fully obstructed). They involve some narrowing of the vocal tract, but do not completely block airflow. Approximants function as consonants in words.

➡️ Example:
The /j/ sound in “yet” is an approximant. It could be replaced with another consonant (like “bet”, “set”, or “met”), but not with a vowel.

Question 27

✅ Articulators

Answer 27

Articulators
➡️ Definition: Articulators are the parts of the mouth and vocal tract involved in producing speech sounds. They move in various ways to modify airflow, creating different speech sounds (phonemes).

➡️ Example:
Lips are used for sounds like /p/, /b/, and /m/** (labial sounds).

Question 28

✅ Approximative system/Interlanguage

Answer 28

➡️ Definition: Interlanguage is the transitional stage in language learning where a learner’s language reflects a mix of their native language and the target language, showing partial but not full fluency.

➡️ Example:
A Spanish speaker learning English might say, “I have 25 years” instead of “I am 25 years old”, reflecting the influence of their first language.

Question 29

✅ Aspect

Answer 29

➡️ Definition: Aspect is a feature of the verb system that shows how an event is viewed in terms of its duration, completion, or ongoing nature. In English, aspect is expressed through auxiliary verbs like do, be, and have.

➡️ Examples:

Simple aspect: “John always exaggerates.” (The event is seen as a whole or a habitual action.)
Progressive aspect: “I was feeling ill yesterday.” (The action was ongoing and temporary.)
Perfect aspect: “David has crashed the car.” (The action happened before the present moment and has relevance now.)
Perfect + Progressive: “I’ve been expecting Anne to call for three days.” (Ongoing action with a completion point in the past.)

Question 30

✅ Aspiration

Answer 30

➡️ Definition: Aspiration refers to the burst of air that follows certain voiceless consonant sounds, particularly /p/, /t/, and /k/. In English, aspiration does not change the meaning of the word, but it distinguishes sounds in words like /p/ in “pin” versus /p/ in “spin.”

➡️ Examples:

Aspirated /p/: “pin” [pʰɪn] (with a burst of air)
Non-aspirated /p/: “spin” [spɪn] (without a burst of air)

Question 31

✅ Assertive and Non-Assertive Meaning

Answer 31

Assertive and Non-Assertive Meaning
➡️ Definition: Assertive meaning refers to statements that express something as true, factual, or definite, while non-assertive meaning involves uncertainty or lack of definiteness in a statement.

➡️ Examples:

Assertive: “John is here.” (The speaker asserts that John is definitely here.)
Non-assertive: “I doubt if John is here.” (The speaker expresses uncertainty about John being here.)

Question 32

✅ Assimilation

Answer 32

➡️ Definition: The way that, in connected speech, a speech sound changes quality and becomes more like another sound which precedes or follows it so that the two sounds become easier to pronounce together.

➡️ Example:
In “ten pin bowling,” the /n/ sound changes to /m/ to match the bilabial articulation of the following /p/ sound: /ˈtɛmbɪn ˈbəʊlɪŋ/.

Question 33

Simplified Texts

Answer 33

➡️ Definition: are texts that have been adapted to a learner’s language level, often by simplifying vocabulary and grammar while preserving the original meaning.

➡️ Example:
“A simplified version of ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ for pre-intermediate learners.”

Question 34

Authentic texts

Answer 34

➡️ Definition:real-world materials not designed for language learning. Examples include newspaper articles, travel brochures, and TV shows.
➡️ Example: ‘A news article from The Guardian on climate change used to practice reading comprehension’.

Question 35

Lexically Enhanced Texts

Answer 35

Lexically Enhanced Texts
➡️ Definition: Lexically enhanced texts are designed to include lexical chunks, such as collocations and expressions. These texts help learners internalise common language patterns and improve fluency.

➡️ Example:
“A business English textbook with articles that feature common business collocations like ‘make a decision,’ ‘take a break,’ etc.”

Question 36

✅ Auxiliary Verbs

Answer 36

➡️ Definition:
Auxiliary verbs are verbs that cannot stand alone in a sentence but must be used with a main verb to form a verb phrase. There are two types of auxiliary verbs in English: primary auxiliaries (be, have, do) and secondary auxiliaries (modal verbs like can, could, will, would, etc.). They help to express tense, aspect, mood, and voice, but have no independent meaning outside their use with a main verb.

➡️ Example:

Primary auxiliaries:

Be for progressive aspect: “I am reading a book.”
Have for perfect aspect: “She has finished her work.”
Do for negation: “I do not understand.”
Modal auxiliaries:

Can for ability: “She can swim.”
Must for obligation: “You must finish this by tomorrow.”

Question 37

✅ Avoidance Strategies

Answer 37

➡️ Definition: Avoidance strategies are techniques used by learners to bypass linguistic difficulties when they lack knowledge of a word, structure, or concept. These strategies involve simplifying expressions or omitting difficult parts to avoid potential errors or misunderstandings.

➡️ Example:
Instead of using the complex structure “I’d have gone if I’d known,” a learner might say “I didn’t know, so I didn’t go,” to avoid the third conditional.