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Area 1: Theory
Area 2: Methodology
Area 3: Systems
Area 4: Skills
Area 5: Resources
Area 6: Assessment
Mock examina몭ons
M1 Revision course Delta Module One Course
Paper 1: overview
Paper 2: overview
Prac몭ce for Paper 1
Prac몭ce for Paper 2
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The Delta index
Syllabus area 3
Language systems and
learners’ linguis몭c problems
This sec몭on of the syllabus covers these areas and you should
be able to:
Analyse the rela몭onship between language and society
Analyse the rela몭onship between genres and context
Iden몭fy and analyse lexical, gramma몭cal, func몭onal,
phonological and discoursal features of language in use
Iden몭fy linguis몭c problems experienced by learners with
regard to specific lexical, gramma몭cal, func몭onal,
phonological and discoursal features
Relate methodological choices in language systems
teaching to learners’ characteris몭cs and context
To be able to do this you need a knowledge of these areas. The following has links to many of the
guides on this site which cover the areas. You should follow those and then return to this page to
try some tests of your knowledge.
Language can be analysed from a variety of standpoints and those who teach it need to be able to
use all of them. Very briefly:
1. We can analyse language from the point of view of sociolinguis몭cs in which the focus is on
how language func몭ons in society to maintain social cohesion, support power, increase or
decrease social distance, be a dis몭nguishing mark of individual iden몭ty or a mark of
inclusion in a wider cultural iden몭ty and so on.
In the Module One examina몭on, this area is focused on by asking you to iden몭fy genre,
assess the effec몭veness of wri몭en work in terms of its effect on the reader and analyse the
communica몭ve purpose of materials.
2. We can analyse a language from the standpoint of what dis몭nguishes it from other
languages and where it sits in rela몭on to them. Is it, for example, closely related to other
languages or fundamentally different? We can use these data to help us an몭cipate and deal
with difficul몭es as well as understand how a learner's language background may assist or
hinder the process of learning English. This approach will also include, especially in the case
of English, the use of the language as an interna몭onal, culturally independent lingua franca.
In the examina몭on, this area encompasses issues to do with learner errors and their sources.
3. We can analyse language as a matrix of interlocking systems: grammar, lexis, phonology,
appropriacy etc. This allows us not only to decide what to teach but, to a large extent, how
to present language and language use in a way that is consistent and logical.
In the examina몭on, this area is covered by asking you to analyse a text wri몭en by a learner
and look for strengths and weaknesses and also in the ques몭on in which you are asked to
analyse a piece of well‐wri몭en authen몭c material.
This and the guides linked from this page are intended to help with all three.
Six important areas
There are six areas with which you should be familiar and it is impossible to judge which will be the
most important in the examina몭on paper you will get.
In most cases, a knowledge of all six areas will be important and you should look out for examples
in the examina몭on materials of each of them.
The following is very brief. Read on for more help and advice.
Discourse
refers to elements of the language longer than a single sentence or u몭erance.
A dialogue in which people are responding to each other's u몭erances is an example of
conversa몭onal discourse.
A text in which internal and external references are made to what precedes and what
follows is also an example of discourse.
In this area, the most important things you need to recognise and analyse are:
cohesion and coherence in spoken and wri몭en text (how longer stretches of language
are internally linked and comprehensible including the issue of the use of pro‐forms)
deixis (how we refer to events and people which are not here, not now and not the
speaker)
speaker)
conjunc몭on (how ideas are joined, whether coordinated or subordinated, and how
we signal the rela몭onships between clauses and sentences)
theme and rheme structures (how texts are ordered and how coherence is
maintained by the staging of informa몭on)
reported speech
Lexis
refers to the words in a language and is preferred over a more simple term such as
'vocabulary' because its applica몭on is wider than simply the words people use.
In this area, the most important things you need to recognise and analyse are:
word classes (all nine)
lexical rela몭onships (including issues of synonymy, antonymy, hyponymy, polysemy
and so on)
word forma몭on (including conversion and compounding)
colloca몭on and colliga몭on
Syntax
refers to the rules, principles and processes that lie behind the forma몭on of correctly formed
sentences and clauses.
In this area, the most important things you need to recognise and analyse are:
the elements of sentences (phrases and clauses)
cons몭tuents of clauses
nega몭ves
interroga몭ves
adverbials (adjuncts, disjuncts and conjuncts)
phrase modifica몭on
word order
coordina몭on and subordina몭on
Verbs and tenses
refers to a subset of syntax but, on this site and in most grammar references, takes a sec몭on
to itself because the verb and the verb phrase are of fundamental importance.
In this area, the most important things you need to recognise and analyse are:
tenses
aspects
clause structures
case
mul몭‐word verbs
passive and causa몭ve structures
verbal processes
Modality
is not just concerned with modal auxiliary verbs. It is the systems in a language which allow
speakers to express their inten몭ons, abili몭es and willingness and beliefs about whether
something is real, hypothe몭cal, desirable, true, possible or obligatory.
In this area, the most important things you need to recognise and analyse are:
the four main types of modality
epistemic
dynamic
deon몭c
alethic
modal auxiliary verbs: pure / central, semi‐ and marginal
other modal expressions: modal adjec몭ves, adverbs and nouns, mostly
mood and the subjunc몭ve
Phonology
not phone몭cs: you are only expected to be able to recognise and analyse the sounds of
not phone몭cs: you are only expected to be able to recognise and analyse the sounds of
English.
In this area, the most important areas are:
vowels
consonants
connected speech phenomena
transcrip몭on of sounds
The Delta syllabus does not explicitly require transcrip몭on skills but it is almost
impossible to refer sensibly to pronuncia몭on skills and teaching without some ability
to transcribe important phenomena.
That's rather a lot and the list is by no means complete.
How, then, do you decide what you need to study and what you can safely assume you already
know enough about?
Help is at hand.
Barrier tests
This is a very large area with many guides to various aspects of language systems. In par몭cular, the
areas on discourse, lexis, syntax, modality and verbs and tenses contain mul몭ple guides.
To help, what follows has links to barrier / diagnos몭c tests in each of five main areas. If you score
very well in any test, it means that this area is not a priority for you. On the other hand, ...
The test items will, if you get the answer wrong, link you directly to the guide or guides you should
be using to learn how the systems work. All those links open in new tabs so you can follow the
guide and then return to the test by simply closing the guide.
The tests themselves do not open in new windows or tabs so use the Go back bu몭on to return
to this page. At any 몭me, refreshing the page will remove all your answers and allow you to try
again.
The index pages open in a new tab so you just need to shut what you find from there to return to it.
Once you have accessed the guides to which you are directed, come back to this page and try the
tests again.
Addi몭onally, you can take a 25‐item general test of your grammar for Delta, the first link, which will
direct you to the guides you need in each area where you make a mistake. That page opens in an
new tab so simply shut it to return.
A quick course
This is an area which many people who have only the knowledge of grammar imparted to them on
an ini몭al training course, worry about.
If you have the 몭me, on this site you will find a 10‐unit course covering:
the elements of pronuncia몭on
word class
content and func몭on words
content and func몭on words
subjects and objects
tenses and aspects
modality
sentences, phrases, clauses
text structures
The course will provide you with the founda몭on you need to handle the demands of the
examina몭on.
Click here to open the index page of that course in a new tab.
That is par몭cular important if you do not do well in any of the barrier tests.
Diagnos몭c / barrier tests
The Delta 25‐item grammar barrier test
Discourse test the index of discourse guides
Lexis test the index of lexis guides
the index of syntax: phrases, and clauses and
Syntax test
sentences guides
Verbs and tenses test the index of verbs, tenses and aspects guides
Modality test the modality index
Missing from the list above is men몭on of phonology. This is because a barrier test is of less use:
you either can or can't transcribe the sounds of English accurately.
The link below is to the course in transcribing the sounds of English and that contains a variety of
tests of your skills in this area.
If you need a course in phonemic transcrip몭on
A course in phonemic transcrip몭on
click here:
Other areas of this part of the syllabus to which there are guides on this site include the following.
All the links open in a new tab.
a guide to how language varies depending on its purpose in the speech
Genre
community
Types of languages a guide to how languages differ in important aspects
a guide which considers varie몭es of English, their sources and the role
Variety
of English as an interna몭onal language
Syntax a guide to what it is and why we need to know about it
Verb types and clause
a guide to how clauses vary and are constructed in English
structures
a guide to how the learners' first language(s) may hinder or help the
Language transfer
acquisi몭on of another language
a guide to a cri몭cal area of differences between English and many other
Word order
languages
to help with the examina몭on ques몭on which focuses on learner
Error
produc몭on
Where next?
When you have taken the tests and worked through the recommended guide or guides, it's 몭me to
test your knowledge in these areas and then do some revision exercises.
test your knowledge in these areas and then do some revision exercises.
If you have followed the guides in the systems analysis sec몭ons, you'll have done lots of tests along
the way so there are only five to do at this 몭me.
The tests for this sec몭on focus on the slightly bigger picture and include only:
Learning styles
Style and Register
Suasion
Language variety, style and register
Culture and learning style
Here are the choices:
The 5 tests to check what you can remember. Do these first.
Revision course there is a sec몭on of the Delta Module One Revision Course for this area of the
index syllabus
Examina몭on apply the knowledge you have gained to prac몭sing for the examina몭on (new
prac몭ce tab)
course index exam prac몭ce
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