Introduction The English Vocabulary Profile is an online vocabulary resource for teachers, teacher trainers, examination boards, materials writers and syllabus designers, which is available for free via the English Profile website. As chief research editor on this project for the past five years, I would like to share some of its richness with you here. The English Vocabulary Profile follows a ‘Can do’ rationale, focusing on what learners actually know rather than prescribing what they should know, and is reinforced by up-to-date corpus evidence, drawn from the 50-million word Cambridge Learner Corpus and the 1.2-billion word Cambridge English Corpus. We have also consulted many other sources, including classroom materials, and asked teachers around the world, and academics, to comment on our findings during a year of validation and trialling. This is a community resource, and we’re keen to get feedback from teachers, so please submit your thoughts if you sign up to the site. How the English Vocabulary Profile supports teaching and learning The English Vocabulary Profile offers extensive information about the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) levels of words, phrases, phrasal verbs and idioms, from A1 to C2, along with dictionary and learner examples. There are currently around 7,000 headwords, consisting of 15,000 individual meanings and phrases. This level of detail is very helpful, as many common
English words have multiple meanings and it is sometimes hard to decide on which ones to prioritise in the classroom. Take this example … One of the longest entries in the English Vocabulary Profile is for take and the core results, amounting to more than 100 matches, are given below. Take is one of the most useful verbs for learners; its core meanings reflect many different aspects of daily life – CARRY, TRAVEL, DIRECTIONS, HEALTH, etc – and it also features in many common phrases and collocations, spanning all levels of learner ability. From A1, learners know take a picture, and by A2 they can express the informal Take care! Useful phrases like take part and take place are added at B1, while at B2 more complex phrases and collocations are known – take advantage of something, take it for granted, etc. Our research shows that more phrases are acquired at the higher levels, along with idioms, such as take something on board at C1 and take the plunge at C2. Then there are the phrasal verbs formed with take – we have recorded 23 of these from A2 to C2, which are displayed in alphabetical order at the end of the verb entry. Even here there are level differences according to meaning. For example, A2 learners know take off in the sense of FLY and REMOVE, but the meaning of SUCCEED, as in a career or sales taking off, is only acquired at B2. The English Vocabulary Profile allows you to focus on a single word in this way, or to find a set of useful words at the same CEFR level. It has a powerful advanced search facility, enabling different filters to be applied in combination, from selecting a single category – words, phrases, phrasal verbs or idioms – to defining a topic, limiting to a single part of speech, or focusing on a grammar pattern, aspect of usage or affix. Take a look at the core results for take and think about how you can use this information in your teaching. Some sample exercises follow.
Making sense of words – the English Vocabulary Profile
Core results of the entry for take • take verb CARRY A1A1 • take verb GO WITH SOMEONE A1A1 • take a picture/photo(graph) A1A1 • take verb TRAVEL A2A2 • take verb NEEDS TIME A2A2 • Take care! A2A2 • take verb DIRECTIONS A2A2 • take verb HEALTH A2A2 • take an exam A2A2 • take verb GET HOLD B1B1 • take verb WITHOUT PERMISSION B1 B1 • take verb ACCEPT B1 B1 • take verb PERFORM ACTION B1 B1 • take care of sb/sth B1 B1 • take verb WRITE B1 B1 • take verb STUDY B1 B1 • take part B1 B1 • take place B1 B1 • take a break/rest, etc. B B11 • take advantage of sth B1 B1 • take it/things easy B1 B1 • take verb CLOTHES B1 B1 • take milk/sugar, etc. B2B2 • take verb REMOVE NUMBER B B22 • take verb GRAMMAR B2 B2 • can't take sth B2 B2 • take sth/sb seriously B2 B2 • take pleasure/pride/an interest, etc. B2 B2 • take account of sth B2 B2 • take into account sth B2 B2 • take advantage of sb/sth B2 B2 • take your breath away B2 B2 • take charge B2 B2 • take control B2 B2 • take a deep breath B2 B2 • take sb's word for it B2 B2 • take sb/sth for granted B B22 • take it for granted B2 B2 • take the/this opportunity to do sth B2 B2 • take sb's place B2 B2
Making sense of words – the English Vocabulary Profile
• take effect C1 B2 • take your time C1C1 • take it from me C1 C1 • take care of sth/doing sth C1 C1 • take sth on board C1 C1 • take the initiative C1 C1 • take issue (with sb/sth) C1 C1 • take the liberty of doing sth C1 C1 • take note (of sth) C1 C1 • take sth personally C1 C1 • take sb's word for it C1 C1 • take verb UNDERSTAND CC2 • take sth as it comes C2 C2 • take verb MEASURE C2 C2 • I take it (that) C2 C2 • take verb NEED A QUALITY C2 C2 • not take kindly to sth C2 C2 • take the law into your own hands C2 C2 • take exception to sth C2 C2 • take sth to heart C2 C2 • take the plunge C2 C2 • take shape C2 C2 • take stock (of sth) C2 C2 • take its toll C2 C2 • take a turn for the better/worse C2 C2 • take after sb B2 B2 • take sb around/round (sth/swh) B2 B2 • take away sth or take sth away FOOD B1 B1 • take away sth or take sth away NUMBERS B1 B1 • take away sth or take sth away REMOVE B2 B2 • take back sth or take sth back B1 B1 • take down sth or take sth down B2 B2 • take in sth or take sth in C2 C2 • be taken in B2 B2 • take off sth or take sth off REMOVE A2 A2 • take off sth or take sth off NOT WORK B2 B2 • take off FLY A2 A2 • take off SUCCEED B2 B2 • take on sb or take sb on B2 B2 • take on sth or take sth on C1 B2 • take out sb or take sb out B1 B1 • take out sth or take sth out REMOVE B1 B1
Making sense of words – the English Vocabulary Profile
• take out sth or take sth out MONEY B2 B2 • take over (sth) or take (sth) over B2 B2 • take over C2 C2 • take to sb/sth C1 C1 • take up sth or take sth up FILL B2 B2 • take up sth or take sth up START B1 B1 • your take on sth C2 C2 • give and take C2 C2 Some exercises using the entry for take Phrasal verb quiz 1 What might take off? Give another example. A a business B a walk C a coat 2 Who do you take after? Explain why. A my mother B my grandfather C someone else 3 Where could you have something painful taken out – and what would it be? A at the cinema B at school C at the dentist Phrase building Make phrases with these verbs. Some nouns can go with more than one verb.
give keep reach take wait
Making sense of words – the English Vocabulary Profile
…………… a party …………… a break …………… a call …………… a conclusion …………… an exam …………… a promise …………… a bus …………… a shower …………… a moment
Which verb have you used the most? Understanding idioms
Complete the text using an idiom with take and one of these nouns. board breath eyes heart plunge way I’d wanted to move to a place of my own for ages but living with my parents was so easy. Not only that, the apartments I could afford were really tiny. But eventually I found one that I loved as soon as I walked through the door. So, I ………………………… and went for it. I moved in the same day. Can you make idioms with take using the other nouns? Answers Quiz
1 A - Other things that take off include a career, a film, a new product
2 (Possible answer) C – My dad, who has a forehead like mine and the same sense of humour
3 C – A tooth
Phrases give a party take a break take / give (someone) a call reach a conclusion take an exam
Making sense of words – the English Vocabulary Profile
keep a promise take a bus take a shower take / wait a moment Idioms took the plunge Other idioms: Take something on board Take your breath away Can’t take your eyes off someone/something Take something to heart Take the easy way out Note: it is worth searching the internet for song lyrics featuring idioms. For example, the British band You Me at Six (YM@6) have a song Take your breath away, as does the American country singer George Strait. Annette Capel will be presenting webinars for Cambridge English Teacher on English Vocabulary Profile on September 12th and 26th. Please register to attend these webinars on our Events page, or watch the recordings afterwards in our Resources section.
