Teaching and Learning of Idiomatic Expressions and Multi-word Verbs of English in The Context of Sudan

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Question five ‘b’ :paraphrasing/rewritings: The testing technique used in this part of question 5 is paraphrasing/rewriting of a text. A passage (one paragraph text) is given and the test-taker has to re-write it, incorporating a change of expressions but preserving the basic meaning. This test type focuses on the same aspect as transformation (change of grammatical structures/patterns) but is likely to reflect more through knowledge of the target items, since it involves paraphrasing the entire meaning of a passage rather than transforming a particular item. It is, however, more difficult to compose, and the marking may be more subjective. In short, this question entails a paraphrase of a short passage, of course, after understanding the text (comprehension) there follows production.

The main objective of this task is to test the learners’ ability to rewrite the passage in their own words. In particular, it assesses the subjects’ ability to comprehend informal idiomatic language and produce an equivalent version retaining the essential meaning of the input test. This short text consists of 10 connected sentences which are made up of combinations of IEX/MWV. The correct rewriting of the whole passage receives 5 marks. As an illustration of this question let’s take the first 3 sentences:

‘One day Bill was really down in the dumps. His friends seemed to be sitting pretty. They were not beating down doors to find ways to get movie money……’

6.7.3. The Post-Test: Analysis and Discussion of the students’ performance:

The test was administered on the 3^rd year students of the Faculty of Education. University of Khartoum and the Faculty of Arts, Elneelain University on 15.04.1999. The content of the post-test was written, typed and printed out on sheets. Then it was explained to the subjects how they should answer each question of the test.

The subjects’ response were collected and marked by the researcher himself. Since it is an objective test (with the exception of question 5.b) the correction was made on the basis of the already prepared answer keys.

The scores obtained by the students are provided in appendix 8 of this study. The presentation and the tabulation of the subjects’ performance in this test: numbers of correct/wrong answers and their total percentages will be given in the subsequent pages under the following main categories: verbal, nominal, adjectival and adverbial. The reader is reminded that since the post-test has the same format as the pre-test (discussed in Chapter 5). We followed the same method of analysis, tabulation and presentation used therein.

Question One

a. passage completion

In this part of question one, the students were asked to complete a passage by choosing the suitable multi-word verbs) from a list of 20 verbal combinations. Ten marks were allotted for this sub-test ( ½ mark for every correct completion). The students’ scores in this sub-question will be given in appendix 8. In what follows the subjects’ performance (number of correct/wrong answers and their total percentages) will be shown.

TABLE – 84

PT: Q.1.a. TESTED MWV, NO. OF CORRECT/WRONG ANSWERS AND PERCENTAGE

Sl. No.	Items	No. of correct answers	%	No. of wrong answers	%
1	Got up	100		00
2	Washed up	70		30
3	Set out	87		13
4	Pick up	86		14
5	Burn down	100		00
6	Ring up	100		00
7	Switch off	98		02
8	Get in	75		25
9	Locked up	100		00
10	Break in	76		24
11	Rang up	100		00
12	See to	89		11
13	Held on	100		00
14	Got in	90		10
15	Switched off	98		02
16	Got out	90		10
17	Passing around	55		45
18	Pulled up	46		56
19	Get away with	85		15
20	Put – up	99		01
Total		1744	87.2%	256	12.8%

Table 84 shows the tested items, the number of correct/wrong answers and percentages.

Let’s take up these items in turn, in some details:

Item 1. ‘got up’

The first blank in this passage requires the correct answer got up. All the testees answered this item correctly.

Item 2. ‘washed up’

The second blank in the text should be filled with the MWV washed up. 70% of the subjects succeeded in answering this item. However, those who failed to select the suitable answer (30%) opted for wrong choices as locked up and switched off which do not suit the context.

Item 3. ‘set out’

In this item, the adequate MWV was chosen correctly by 87% of the students. The rest (13%) selected wrongly the option: got out.

Item 4. ‘pick up’

Gap 4, in this question, needs the right answer pick up. 86% of the candidates succeeded in selecting the correct answer while the rest (14%) chose inappropriate verbal constructions such as get away with and put up.

Item 5. ‘burn down’

The suitable MWV to match blank 5 is burn down which was chosen by all the 100 students.

Item 6. ‘ring up’

Here, all the students opted for the right MWV ring up.

Item 7. ‘switch off’

Almost all the students (98%) succeeded in choosing the correct verbal combination switch off while the remaining (2%) selected see to which is unsuitable for the given context since it does not match the intended meaning.

Item 8. ‘get in’

75% of the testees opted for the correct verbal construction get in while the rest (25%) went for the plausible distractor break in.

Item 9. ‘locked up’

All the test-takers selected the correct verbal combination.

Item 10. ‘break in’

The space should be filled with the MWV break in which was done successfully by a considerable proportion of the learners (76%). The remaining (24%) chose, instead of the suitable answer, the plausible option get in.

Item 11. ‘rang up’

The required MWV in this blank is rang up. All the learners discovered the intended verbal construction.

Item 12. ‘see to’

89% of the subjects went for the adequate verbal construction to fill the blank. The rest (11%) opted wrongly for set out and pick up.

Item 13. ‘held on’

All the test-takers selected the correct MWV held on which fits the given blank.

Item 14. ‘got in’

90% of the testees chose the correct answer for the relevant space. The remaining (10%) selected the unsuitable MWV get in and break in.

Item 15. ‘switched off’

This item has appeared before in this test (item 7 of this question) but in the present tense. However, 98% of the informants filled the blank correctly with the suitable MWV while only 2% opted for the wrong options: switch off (1%) and locked up (1%).

Item 16. ‘got out’

90% of the candidates selected the suitable MWV got out whereas for the remaining (10%) they either chose incorrect answers such as pulled up or left the blank unfilled.

Item 17. ‘passing around’

The subjects’ performance in this item is low, compared to the other items in this task. Only 55% of the testees were able to choose passing around, as right answer to match the given space, while a considerable proportion (45%) either selected inappropriate verbal combinations such as got out or left the space empty i.e. not providing any MWV.

Item 18. ‘pulled up’

Less than half of the subjects (46%) answered this item correctly while more than half of them (54%) failed to identify the suitable MWV. This relative failure could be attributed to either the non-familiarity of the students with the given verbal construction or the paucity of the context.

Item 19. ‘get away with’

This MWV was chosen successfully by 85% of the learners while the rest (15%) either selected wrong options such as pick up, put up or left the blank unfilled.

Item 20. ‘put _____ up’

Almost all the test-takers got this item right. The form of the verbal construction (i.e. the division of the 2 parts of the MWV by a dash) as well as richness of the context might have helped the students to arrive at the correct answer.

Summary for Q.1.a

From Table 84 and the discussion which follows, we can conclude that the subjects’ performance on the passage completion task is satisfactory. The testees succeeded in selecting the suitable MWV (literal or non-literal verbal combinations) to fill the given blanks in the text. The statistics below shows the students’ general performance in this question.

Total number of possible answers = 2000

Total number of correct answers and percentage = 1744 (87.2%)

Total number of wrong answers and percentage = 256 (12.8%)

Compared to the equivalent sub-question in the pre-test:

Total number of possible answers = 2000

Total number of correct answers and percentage = 743 (37.15%)

Total number of wrong answers and percentage = 1257 (62.85%)

Thus, we can conclude that the students made considerable progress regarding multi-word verbal constructions after the introduction of the ETC.

Question 1.b

Transformation

In this part of question 1, the testees were asked to transform 10 sentences: 5 into passive and 5 into nominalized forms (derived-noun forms0.

10 marks were devoted to this task: One mark for each correct answer. (see appendix 8 for the students’ scores in this question).

1.b.I passive transformation

The testees were asked to transform 5 sentences into passive forms. Table 85 below, exhibits the tested items, the number of correct/wrong answers and the total percentages.

TABLE – 85

POT: Q.1.b.I PASSIVIZATION: TESTED ITEMS, NO. OF CORRECT/WRONG ANSWERS AND PERCENTAGE

Sl. No.	Sentences	No. of correct answers	%	No. of wrong answers	%
1	The police have cleared all our characters	98		02
2	George had spilled the beans	91		09
3	The state should foot the bill	51		49
4	The boss caught Steve napping	90		10
5	We need to make more room on TV schedules for serious drama	90		10
Total		420	84%	80	16%

In the following paragraphs we will discuss the subjects’ performance in this sub-question in some details.

Item 1. The police have cleared all our characters.

All our characters have been cleared by the police.

This sentence admits passivization: there is a transitive verb + an object and the whole expression is semi-transparent (less idiomatic). 98% of the testees succeeded in transforming the sentence correctly.

Item 2. George spilled the beans

Possible transform:

The beans had been spilled by George.

Here, the underlying meaning ‘reveal a secret’ admits passivization. Thus, 91% of the test-takers succeeded in changing the provided sentence into passive.

Item 3. The state should foot the bill (impossible)

Though the surface structure of this sentence is S + V + O, the sentence could not be transformed into the passive form. The reason is that the expression is highly idiomatic. Only 51% of the subjects provided the correct response saying that the given sentence does not accept passivization. The remaining (49%) changed it into the unacceptable:

*The bill should be footed by the state.

Item 4. The boss caught Steve napping.

Possible transform:

Steve was caught napping by the boss.

90% of the students answered this item correctly providing the adequate transformation.

The 10% either failed to make the necessary change or wrote not possible.

Item 5. we need to make more room on TV schedules for serious drama.

Possible transform:

More room needs to be made on TV schedules for serious drama.

90% of the learners made the transform successfully. The rest (10%) failed in replying correctly to this item. This could be as a result of the fact the sentence is long which made the identification of the object a complicated task for the testees.

Summary for Q.1.b.I

The students’ performance presented and discussed in this sub-section revealed that the learners made a considerable improvement in their ability to change IEX/MWV from active to passive forms. In the pre-test the students’ performance in the same task is as follows:

Total number of possible answers = 500

Total number of correct answers and percentage = 135 (27%)

Total number of wrong answers and percentage = 365 (73%)

In the post-test, it is as below:

Total number of possible answers = 500

Total number of correct answers and percentage = 420 (84%)

Total number of wrong answers and percentage = 80 (16%)

1.b.II Nominalized transformation: derived-noun forms

In this sub-question, the students were asked to transform the underlined MWV into nominalized forms (derived-noun forms). The items tested, here, are:

Stepped up, mixed up, cleaned up, walked out and flew past.

TABLE – 86

POT: Q.1.b.II NOMINALIZATION: TESTED ITEMS, NO. OF CORRECT/

WRONG ANSWERS AND PERCENTAGE

Sl. No.	Sentences	No. of correct answers	%	No. of wrong answers	%
1	His promotion has stepped up their social status.	97		03
2	They have mixed up the exam papers.	99		01
3	She cleaned out the place thoroughly.	98		02
4	Building workers walked out.	98		02
5	A group of jet fighters flew past.	48		52
Total		440	88%	60	12%

Table 86 presents the tested items, the number of correct/wrong answers and percentages.

The students’ responses are analyzed and described below in detail.

Item 1. His promotion has stepped up their social status.

Possible Transform:

There is a step-up in their social status.

97% of the subjects succeeded in changing the underlined MWV into nominalized form while only 3% failed to carry out this task.

Item 2. They have mixed up the exam papers.

Possible Transform:

There has been a mix-up with the exam papers.

Almost all the learners (99%) transformed the given verbal combination into the suitable derived-noun form.

Item 3. She cleaned out the place thoroughly.

Possible Transform:

She gave the place a thorough clean-out.

Item 4. Building workers walked out.

Possible Transform:

Item 5. A group of jet fighters flew past.

Possible Transform:

A group of get fighters did/staged a flypast. Or

This item is different from the other four items in this sub-question in the sense that the sought derived-noun form should be written as one word (flypast) while for the rest, the nominalized forms are not fully joined. There are linked using hyphen(s). However, only 48% of the candidates managed to supply the correct form. The 52% of the testees did not succeed in responding correctly to this item. This considerable number of the subjects (who failed to carry out this task successfully) might be attributed to the orthography of the form on focus or to the fact that the some of the testees thought that the transformation is not applicable and they wrote not possible.

Summary for Q.1.b.II

In the pre-test the students’ performance in the similar task could be summarized statistically as below:

Total number of possible answers = 500

Total number of correct answers and percentage = 85 (17%)

Total number of wrong answers and percentage = 415 (83%)

In this test (the post-test) it is as follows:

Total number of possible answers = 500

Total number of correct answers and percentage = 440 (88%)

Total number of wrong answers and percentage = 60 (12%)

You can see that nominalized forms are useful. Many verbal combinations could be transformed into noun forms and knowing how and when to use the derived-noun forms correctly increase the ability to communicate effectively. The subjects acquired this ability as the statistics above indicate.

Question Two : Substitution / Matching

The test-takers were required to give the meaning of 40 idiomatic expressions/multi-word verbs, in the given spaces, by choosing the suitable definitions/synonyms from a list of 40.

20 marks were devoted to this question (½ for each correct substitution). The students’ scores in this question will be given in appendix 8. However, in this task the subjects’ performance (numbers and percentages of correct/wrong answers) is tabulated following the grammatical categories below:

verbal, nominal, adjectival and adverbial.

TABLE – 87

POT: Q.2 VERBAL IDIOMS: TESTED ITEMS, NO. OF CORRECT/WRONG ANSWERS AND PERCENTAGE

Sl. No.	Items	No. of correct answers	%	No. of wrong answers	%
1	I thought John and Mary were happy, but they recently got a divorce; how did it come out?	100		00
2	If you want to get ahead in life, you have to work hard and save your money.	91		09
3	At first the students in my class were too noisy, but eventually they settled down to work.	90		10
4	When I graduate from college, I’d like to go into nursing and health services as a full-time career.	81		19
5	I was very surprised when I ran across Joe, an old friend I had forgotten, in the supermarket.	88		12
6	He tried to change my mind for over an hour, but I stuck to my own opinion.	98		02
7	Some people go in for sports like football, while other people go in for hobbies like reading.	80		20
8	You can look up to a teacher who really wants to help you and always does his or her best.	100		00
9	Her social schedule was very busy, and she liked to be in on every party or activity.	80		20
10	Sometimes a business will give away free samples of their product so that people cal learn about it.	100		00
11	The tour organization called off the trip because so few people showed up at the first orientation meeting.	80		20
12	It was too dark to make out the letters on the sign far ahead.	90		10
13	Tom’s parents were taking off a week for a trip, so he went to the airport to see them off.	100		00
14	Now I can’t go to parties every night like I used to because my job and family really tie me down.	95		05
15	Before we talk over the plan with the president, kick it around for a while with your assistants whenever you have some time.	75		25
16	The support of other scientists lends strength to the scientist’s new theory.	90		10
17	I put freedom above money because, without freedom, money doesn’t mean anything.	90		10
18	The teacher found fault with the student because he didn’t do his homework and often slept in class.	84		16
19	Most people think that marriage is important, but happy bachelors would laugh and make light of it.	100		00
20	You shouldn’t doubt him when he claims that he’s telling the truth; take him at his word.	100		00
21	After the criminal told al the details of his crime, the police were able to lay the crime to rest and file it away.	75		25
22	He wanted to go into the matter more deeply so he asked to talk it over with me next week.	75		25
23	Since the manager knew nothing about the proposed project his secretary filled him in on the important facts.	100		00
24	I have no authority to approve your plan; you’ll have to take it up with the president before you proceed	75		25
Total		2137	89.04%	263	10.96%

Table 87 shows the tested items/sentences, the number of correct/wrong answers and their percentages.

In what follows we shall discuss the verbal combinations in this section in turn.

Item 1. ‘come about’

This verbal combination consists of intransitive verb + particle which has the meaning ‘to happen’. All the testees succeeded in matching this verbal construction with the required ‘synonym’ from the given list.

Item 2. ‘get ahead’

The tested MWV, here, is intransitive verbal (verb + particle) meaning ‘to make progress’ in the given context. 91% of the subjects selected the required definition. The rest (9%) opted for to make important.

Item 3. ‘settle(d) down’

The MWV, in this item, contains intransitive verb + preposition, having the meaning ‘to become calm’. The majority of the testees (90%) succeeded in selecting the corresponding definition.

Item 4. ‘go into’

The verbal construction, in this sentence, if formed intransitive verb + preposition. 81% of the learners selected the correct synonym ‘to examine’.

Item 5. ‘ran across’

In the sentence ‘I was very surprised when I ran across Joe,…’ the suitable definition is ‘to meet sb unexpectedly’. 88% of the test-takers answered this item correctly.

Item 6. ‘stuck to’

98% of the subjects were able to choose the correct answer (to never change) which matches the MWV ‘stuck to’ in the provided context.

Item 7. ‘go in for’

This 3-word verb meaning ‘to be interested in’ in this item was answered correctly by 80% of the testees whereas for the remaining (20%) they confused it with the meanings of go into (= examine) and be in on (= to participate in).

Item 8. ‘look up to’

The MWV in the sentence ‘you can look up to a teacher who really wants to help you and always does his or he best’ suit the synonym ‘to respect’. All the 100 subjects opted for the correct answer.

Item 9. ‘be in on’

The verbal combination (v + particle + preposition) ‘be in on’ has the meaning ‘to participate in’ in the given text. 80% of the subjects selected the correct synonym while the rest (20%) chose wrongly ‘to examine’ and ‘to be interested in’.

Item 10. ‘give away’

The multi-word lexical item ‘give away’ has the meaning ‘to distribute freely’ in the given sentence. All the test-takers selected the adequate reply.

Item 11. ‘called off’

The meaning of this verbal combination in the given utterance is ‘to cancel’. 80% of the learners selected the appropriate synonym whereas for the remaining (20%) they chose ‘to limit / restrict’ and ‘to become calm’.

Item 12. ‘make out’

The MWV, here, has the meaning ‘to distinguish’ which was gone for by 90% of the candidates. The rest (10%) failed to supply the correct synonym.

Item 13. ‘see sb off’

This MWV owns the meaning ‘to say goodbye’ in the given context. All the testees were able to choose the correct response.

Item 14. ‘tie down’

Here, the verbal combination has the sense ‘to limit or restrict’. 95% of the subjects answered this item correctly while the remaining (5%) do not know the intended meaning.

Item 15. ‘kick….around’

In this item, the MWV owns the meaning ‘to discuss informally with’. 75% of the students answered this element adequately. As for the rest (25%) they went for wrong options such as ‘to consider unimportant’, ‘to criticize’ and ‘to discuss with’.

Item 16. ‘Lends….to’

The sense of the multi-word lexical unit in this sentence is : ‘to make (sth) important’ which was opted for correctly by 90% of the test-takers. The remaining (10%) failed to see the intended meaning.

Item 17. ‘put….above’

The intended meaning of this verbal combination, in the given text, is ‘to regard as more important than’ which was chosen successfully by 90% of the subjects. The rest (10%) failed to select the required answer.

Item 18. ‘found fault with’

This is special kind of a verbal combination, since it has a fixed noun (fault) which forms a part of the larger construction. The noun in this MWV functions as ‘subject’. In this item, 84% selected the relevant definition ‘to criticize’.

Item 19. ‘make light of’

Again, this is a particular type of verbal combination (it has the word ‘light’ as fixed component). The intended meaning of the MWV, in this item, ‘to consider unimportant’ was arrived at by all the test –takers.

Item 20. ‘Take sb at his word’

Like the previous verbal constructions in sentences 18 and 19, this construction has the noun ‘word’ as part of it having the meaning ‘to believe’. This MWV is different from the previous ones in that the added/fixed noun functions as a prepositional object while in those constructions it is a ‘subject’.

Item 21. ‘lay….to rest’

In this combination there is one special noun ‘rest’ in the noun phrase following the preposition. The meaning of this complex idiom is to resolve, to remove doubt about. 75% of the testees answered this item correctly.

Item 22. ‘talk (it) over with’

This 3-word verbal construction has the meaning to discuss with. 75% of the test-takers arrived at the correct reply while the rest (25%) failed to see the intended meaning. They selected the unsuitable synonym to consult.

Item 23. ‘filled (sb) in on’

The verbal construction is formed, here, from verb + particle + preposition. It owns the meaning to inform about, to give current information about. All the subjects got this item right.

Item 24. ‘take….up with’

This MWV has the meaning to consult, to raise a subject with (usually a person of higher authority). 75% of the learners answered this element successfully while the suitable meaning escaped the remaining (25%). The 25% chose wrongly the synonym to discuss with.

Summary for 2.a.: the verbal construction section

In section 2.a of the pre-test, in this study, the general performance of the subjects is as follows:

Total number of possible answers = 2400

Total number of correct answers and percentage = 699 (27.96%)

Total number of wrong answers and percentage = 1801 (72.04%)

In the same section of the present test (the post-test) the students’ performance could be summarized as below:

Total number of possible answers = 2400

Total number of correct answers and percentage = 2137 (89.04%)

Total number of wrong answers and percentage = 263 (10.96%)

From the comparison of the above statistics, we can deduce that the subjects’ problems/difficulties, in substituting synonyms/definitions for verbal constructions, have been minimized in the post-test (after explicitly taught course).

· Nominal Idioms

TABLE – 88

POT: Q.2 NOMINAL IDIOMS: TESTED ITEMS, NO. OF CORRECT/WRONG

ANSWERS AND PERCENTAGE

Sl. No.	Sentences	No. of correct answers	%	No. of wrong answers	%
25	The volunteer was so dedicated to the politician that he put his heart and soul into all his work	94		06
26	Before going on vacation, Joe had quite a few odds and ends to take care of, like loan payments and various errands.	81		19
27	Although the super-visors and managers received salary increases, the rank and file didn’t.	88		12
28	If the couple believes in give and take, they can solve most of their disagreements.	100		00
29	I had a close call when a big truck nearly hit me as I was crossing the street.	100		00
30	My friend thinks he’s a big shot because he has some responsi- bilities in the city mayor’s office.	100		00
31	Because Mr. Smith knows the ins and outs of plumbing, he’s an old hand at it.	100		00
32	I’m afraid that there’s no way we can fix your old car; you’d better get rid of it because it’s a lost cause.	100		00
Total		763	95.38%	37	4.62%

Table 88 indicates the tested items/sentences, in the nominal idioms’ section, the number of correct/wrong answers and their percentages.

The IEX in this section are formed from ‘noun and noun’. Let’s take up the tested items in this part in turn.

Item 25. ‘heart and soul’

94% of the subjects selected the correct synonym ‘one’s entire energy’ from the given list.

Item 26. ‘odds and ends’

The synonym which suits the given context is ‘different tasks’. 81% of the students selected the right answer. As for the (19%), they failed to distinguish the correct reply leaving the space unfilled or providing wrong choices.

Item 27. ‘rank and file’

The nominal idiom, here corresponds to the synonym ‘common workers’. It was chosen correctly by 88% of the testees.

Item 28. ‘give and take’

The IEX in this item means ‘co-operation’. All the test-takers responded successfully to this question.

Item 29. ‘close all’

The corresponding synonym to this nominal is ‘narrow escape’ which was matched correctly by all the testees.

Item 30. ‘big shot’

The equivalent to this expression is ‘an important person’ which was opted for successfully by all the testees.

Item 31. ‘old hand’

The suitable synonym to this nominal idiom is ‘experienced workers’ which was selected by all the candidates.

Item 32. ‘lost cause’

All the test-takers matched this IEX with its equivalent ‘hopeless situation’.

Summary for 2.b.: nominal category

A recapitulation of the students’ performance, in the parallel task to the present one, in this test, shows the following:

Total number of possible answers = 600

Total number of correct answers and percentage = 411 (68.50%)

Total number of wrong answers and percentage = 189 (31.50%)

For the post-test the summary is as follows:

Total number of possible answers = 800

Total number of correct answers and percentage = 763 (95.38%)

Total number of wrong answers and percentage = 37 (4.62%)

From the above comparison, we observe that the students’ performance, in the nominal category, has been improved to a large extent.

· Adjectival Idioms (Items 33 – 38)

TABLE – 89

POT: Q.2 ADJECTIVAL IDIOMS: TESTED ITEMS, NO. OF CORRECT/WRONG

ANSWERS AND PERCENTAGE

Sl. No.	Sentences	No. of correct answers	%	No. of wrong answers	%
33	In the difficult court case, the judge’s decision was fair and square for both sides.	93		07
34	It takes me a long time to save enough money for a nice vacation, so such trips are few and far between for me.	100		00
35	The maid took a long time to make the dirty kitchen spick-and-span	100		00
36	The politician’s speech was surprisingly short and sweet; it only lasted ten minutes.	100		00
37	I don’t believe in telling white lies, so I had a man-to-man talk with Joe about our problem.	93		07
38	After the handsome student became a football star, he became very stuck-up and wouldn’t have small talk with any of his old friends.	100		00
Total		586	97.67%	14	2.33%

Table 89 summarizes the items tested in the adjectival idiom category, the number(s) of correct/wrong answers and their percentages.

Let us take up each of these items in turn.

Item 33. ‘fair and square’

93% of the testees matched successfully this adjectival construction with its suitable synonym ‘honest’ while the rest (7%) failed to select the necessary IEX.

Item 34. ‘few and far between’

This IEX owns the meaning ‘rare’. All the testees succeeded in replying correctly to this item.

Item 35. ‘spick-and-span’

The equivalent synonym to this IEX is ‘very clean’ which was got right by all the test-takers.

Item 36. ‘short and sweet’

Its meaning ‘brief’ was seen by all the candidates.

Item 37. ‘a man-to-man’

93% of the subjects succeeded in matching this IEX with its synonym ‘sincere’. The rest (7%) selected the plausible distractor (honest).

Item 38. ‘stuck up’

The sought meaning of this adjectival element is ‘selfish’ which was opted for by all the testees.

Summary for 2.c.: The Adjectival category

In the same section of the pre-test the subjects’ performance is as below:

Total number of possible answers = 600

Total number of correct answers and percentage = 204 (34%)

Total number of wrong answers and percentage = 396 (66%)

In the post-test the statistics shows thefollowing:

Total number of possible answers = 600

Total number of correct answers and percentage = 586 (97.67%)

Total number of wrong answers and percentage = 14 (2.33%)

The statistics above provide an evidence of the students’ gains in this category after the explicit instruction.

· Adverbial Idioms

TABLE – 90

POT: Q.2 ADVERBIAL IDIOMS: TESTED ITEMS, NO. OF CORRECT/WRONG

ANSWERS AND PERCENTAGE

Sl. No.	Sentences	No. of correct answers	%	No. of wrong answers	%
39	Some people are able to quit all at once and never consider the idea of smoking again.	100		00
40	Although people would like to live forever, everyone has to die sooner or later.	100		00
Total		200	100%	00	0%

Table 90 provides the items tested in the adverbial idiom unit, the number of correct/wrong answers and their percentages.

Item 39. ‘all at once’

All the respondents succeeded in selecting the right answer from the given list ‘suddenly’.

Item 40. ‘sooner or later’

This adverbial IEX is an instance of a very frequent lexical unit. Its meaning ‘eventually’ arrived at by all the test-takers.

Summary for 2.d.: The Adverbial category

In the pre-test, the students’ performance in this unit could be summarized as follows:

Total number of possible answers = 300

Total number of correct answers and percentage = 101 (33.67%)

Total number of wrong answers and percentage = 199 (66.33%)

In the present test (the post-test) it is as indicated below:

Total number of possible answers = 300

Total number of correct answers and percentage = 200 (100%)

Total number of wrong answers and percentage = 00 (0%)

Summary for Question Two:

The general performance of the subjects in question 2 of the pre-test is as below:

Total number of possible answers = 4000

Total number of correct answers and percentage = 1415 (35.38%)

Total number of wrong answers and percentage = 2585 (64.62%)

In the same section of the post-test it is as follows:

Total number of possible answers = 4000

Total number of correct answers and percentage = 3684 (92.10%)

Total number of wrong answers and percentage = 316 (7.90%)

A quick look at the numbers and percentages above revealed that the learners made quick progress towards the mastery of IEX/MWV.

Question Three: Errors Identification / Recognition

In this question, 40 sentences were provided and the testees had to indicate which (sentences) are correct and which are not. 20 marks are allotted to this task (each correct answer is given ½ mark). The students’ scores, in this question, will be provided in appendix 8. In making this sub-test, no attempt was made to penalize the wrong guessing. However, the multiplicity of the items as well as the arrangement of the tested items (in pair(s), set(s)….) intended to reduce the possibility of the chance factor.

The problems /difficulties dealt with, in this question, focused on the following:

· adverb(s) position in relation to objects, particles/prepositions;

· particles/prepositions place(s) in relation to object nouns, object pronouns etc.

· form and order of IEX (i.e. singular/plural and the internal arrangement of the constituents of the IEX).

In the coming pages, we will provide/present the students’ performance (numbers and percentages of correct/wrong answers) encompassing the following categories: verbal, nominal, adjectival and adverbial.

· Verbal Idioms

TABLE – 91

POT: Q.3 VERBAL IDIOMS: TESTED ITEMS, NO. OF CORRECT/WRONG

ANSWERS AND PERCENTAGE

Sl. No.	Sentences	No. of correct answers	%	No. of wrong answers	%
1	The company fell through its plan	100			00
2	The company’s plan fell through	100			00
3	The chairman early showed up.	93			07
4	The chairman showed up early	93			07
5	Because she is my friend, I believe in her	100			00
6	Because she is my friend, I believe in	100			00
7	I greatly look forward to my vacation	100			00
8	I look greatly forward to my vacation	100			00
9	I look forward greatly to my vacation	86			14
10	I look forward to greatly my vacation	100			00
11	We were having a conversation but he broke in	100			00
12	He broke in on our conversation	100			00
13	The lawyer stuck it to	100			00
14	The lawyer stuck to it	100			00
15	The student found out the answer quickly	90			10
16	The student found the answer out quickly	90			10
17	The student quickly found out the answer	92			08
18	The student found quickly out the answer	92			08
19	The student found out it quickly	100			00
20	The student found it out quickly	100			00
21	Tom took unfair advantage of his friend	100			00
22	Tom took unfair disadvantage of his friend	100			00
23	I got out many ideas of the conference	92			08
24	I got many ideas out of the conference	97			03
25	How many students make up this class?	100			00
26	What is the make-up of this class?	100			00
Total		2525	97.12%	75	2.88%

Table 91 encompasses the tested sentences/items in the verbal idioms section, the number of correct/wrong answers and their percentages.

Verbal Idioms (Items 1 – 26)

Item 1. *The company fell through its plan.

This sentence is incorrect. The verbal construction fell through was followed by an object which is not possible for intransitive forms. All the testees succeeded in seeing the incorrectness of this sentence.

Item 2. ‘The company’s plan fell through’.

It is correct since this MWV does not take an object. As an item 1 above, all the test-takers saw the difference between the intransitive and transitive verbal construction and answered this item correctly.

Item 3. *’The Chairman early showed up’.

This sentence is incorrect. The adverb of time early should be placed after the verbal construction not before. 93% of the testees answered this item successfully.

Item 4. ‘The Chairman showed up early’.

Most adverbs (including time adverbs such as early) could be placed after the verbal combination (end position) thus this item is correct. 95% of the candidates responding by saying the given sentence is correct.

Item 5. ‘Because she is my friend, I believe in her’.

The combination, here, is intransitive verb + preposition. The sentence is correct since the pronoun (her) is sued after the preposition t form a prepositional phrase. All the tetees answered this item correctly.

Item 6. *’Because she is my friend, I believe in’.

The utterance is not correct. The preposition should be followed by NP (noun phrase) and together they form a prepositional phrase. All the test-takers succeeded in recognizing the incorrectness of the given sentence.

Item 7. ‘I greatly look forward to my vacation’.

The verbal combination consists of three words: verb + particle + preposition. the rule says that an adverb can be placed between a particle and a preposition, or before a verb if the adverb ends in __ly. Therefore, the above sentence is correct. The 100 subjects arrived at the right reply.

Item 8. * ‘I look greatly forward to my vacation’.

This sentence is incorrect: incorrect position of the adverb. An adverb should not be placed between a verb and particle. They are connected in grammar. All the candidates discovered that the given sentence is erroneous.

Item 9. ‘I look forward greatly to my vacation’.

The rules show that the verb, the preposition and the particle are all connected in meaning but that, in grammar, the particle is connected to the verb and the preposition to the NP. Thus, an adverb can be placed between the particle and preposition. The 100 subjects in this study applied the rule successfully identifying the accuracy of the given sentence.

Item 10. *’I look forward to greatly my vacation’.

An adverb should not be placed between a preposition and the noun phrase (NP): both are connected in grammar. All the learners discovered the unacceptability of the given utterance.

Item 11. ‘We were having a conversation but he broke in’.

This is correct realization of intransitive verb + particle. Several intransitive verbal idioms can change form and meaning ‘to break in’ in this sentence means ‘to interrupt’. All the test-takers arrived at the right answer, mentioning the correctness of the sentence.

Item 12. ‘He broke in on our conversation’.

After adding the preposition ‘on’ to the verb + particle it remains the same in item 11 above. However, both sentences 11 and 12 are correct forms. All the candidates answered these items correctly.

Item 13. *’The lawyer stuck it to’.

In the verbal idiom ‘stuck to’, to is a preposition. The general rule for pronouns is that they always followed prepositions. Accordingly, sentence 13 is not correct since the preposition is put after the pronoun. This item was got correct by all the 100 subjects.

Item 14. ‘The lawyer stuck to it’.

By the same rule, in item 13 above, this sentence is correct: the preposition comes before the pronoun. All the testees arrived at the correct reply.

Item 15. ‘The student found out the answer quickly’.

The verbal combination is formed, here, from a verb and (what is known as) an immovable particle. That is, the particle has a fixed position. It comes before the object. The verbal combination is inseparable. Therefore, the present sentence is correct: correct position of the particle, before the object. 90% of the subjects arrived the right answer.

Item 16. *’The student found the answer out quickly’.

This item is incorrect. The particle comes after the object whereas it should be before the object. 90% of the testees discovered the deviation of this utterance.

Item 17. ‘The student quickly found out the answer’

This is correct sentence. The particle is not separated from the verb. It is also correct adverb position: before the verbal construction. 92% of the test-takers answered this item correctly.

Item 18. * ‘The student found quickly out he answer’.

This is incorrect sentence. It is wrong adverb position. Adverb should not come between the verb and particle. 92% of the students identified the inaccuracy of the sentence.

Item 19. *The student found out it quickly’.

This sentence is wrong. It is incorrect position. Pronouns should not come after the particle. All the testees recognized the incorrectness of the sentence.

Item 20. ‘The student found it out quickly’.

This is a correct form. The pronoun comes before the particle. All the 100 learners arrived at the correct reply.

Item 21. ‘Tom took unfair advantage of his friend’.

The verbal construction took….of can only occur with one special object (here, advantage). The noun form in the object cannot change in any way. Therefore, this sentence is correct. All the candidates answered this item successful.

Item 22. * ‘Tom took unfair advantage of his friend’.

According to the rule cited in item 21 above, the present item is not correct. We cannot substitute ‘disadvantage’ for ‘advantage’. All the testees recognized the deviation of the provided utterance.

Item 23. * ‘I got out many ideas of the conference’.

This verbal construction is made of verb + particle + preposition. An object will follow the verb and a noun phrase will follow the preposition. Thus, in this sentence, many ideas should come immediately after the verb got. The sentence is incorrect since the normal position of an object is before the particle. 92% of the students got this item correct.

Item 24. ‘I got many ideas out of the conference’.

By the same rule mentioned in item 23 above, this sentence is correct. The object may immediately follow the verb 97% of the testees answered this item correctly.

Item 25. ‘How many students make up this class?’

The given sentence is correct. The MWV make up, which is composed of verb + particle, is used in an interrogative sentence. All the students got this item correct.

Item 26. ‘What is the make-up of this class?’

Many verbal combinations can be used in a nominalized form. Most forms combine without using a hyphen (-), but some do. In the present case, the hyphenated form is used. This derived-noun form is correct. All the 100 learners in this tudy succeeded in answering this item correctly.

Summary for Section 3.a

In the pre-test, the subjects performed, in the verbal unit of question 3, as indicated below:

Total number of possible answers = 2700

Total number of correct answers and percentage = 1310 (48.52%)

Total number of wrong answers and percentage = 1390 (51.48%)

In this test, the students’ performance, in the verbal section of question 3, could be summarized statistically as follows:

Total number of possible answers = 2600

Total number of correct answers and percentage = 2525 (97.12%)

Total number of wrong answers and percentage = 75 (2.88%)

Comparing the subjects’ performance inn the verbal part, in the two tests, we observed that some improvement, in the subjects’ distinction between correct/wrong sentences, took place.

TABLE – 92

POT: Q.3 NOMINAL IDIOMS: TESTED ITEMS, NO. OF CORRECT/WRONG ANSWERS AND PERCENTAGE

Sl. No.	Sentences	No. of correct answers	%	No. of wrong answers	%
27	Before going on vacation, I accomplished an odd end.	86		14
28	Before going on vacation, I accomplished some odds and ends.	97		03
29	These people are my fleshes and bloods	90		10
Total		273	91%	27	09%

Table 92 displays the tested sentences/items, in the nominal idioms category, the number of correct/wrong answers and their percentages.

Nominalized Idioms (Items 27 – 29)

Item 27. *Before going on vacation, I accomplished an odd and end.

The general rule is that the singular forms can never be made plural and, likewise, that the plural forms cannot be made singular. Thus, sentence 27 is not correct. 86% of the students saw the incorrectness of the singular form in the given context.

Item 28. Before going on vacation, I accomplished some odds and ends.

By the same rule (cited in item 27 above) the present IEX is correct. 97% of the test-takers responded successfully to this item.

Item 29. These people are my fleshes and bloods.

Originally, the given IEX is used in singular form. Accordingly, the present sentence is not correct. 90% of the testees saw the inappropriateness of the plural form in this IEX.

Summary for the nominal idiom section

If we returned back to the pre-test we found that the students’ performance as follows:

Total number of possible answers = 600

Total number of correct answers and percentage = 265 (44.17%)

Total number of wrong answers and percentage = 335 (55.83%)

In the present category, the students’ performance could be summarized below:

Total number of possible answers = 300

Total number of correct answers and percentage = 273 (91%)

Total number of wrong answers and percentage = 27 (9%)

The above statistics demonstrate development in the students’ ability to cope with nominal idioms at the post-test phase.

TABLE – 93

POT: Q3: ADJECTIVAL IDIOMS: TESTED ITEMS, NO. OF CORRECT/WRONG ANSWERS AND PERCENTAGE

Sl. No.	Sentences	No. of correct answers	%	No. of wrong answers	%
30	The judge’s decision was quite fair and square	100		00
31	The judge’s decision was quite fair or square	100		00
32	The hotel’s kitchen was very span-and-spick	88		12
33	The hotel’s kitchen was very spick-and-span	96		04
34	Jill is quite level-headed	93		07
35	Jill has a level head	100		00
Total		577	96.17%	23	3.83%

Table 93 embodies the examined elements/items in the adjectival idioms’ unit, the number of correct/wrong answers and their percentages.

· Adjectival Idioms (Items 30 – 35)

Item 30. ‘The judge’s decision was quite fair and square’.

With this IEX the pair of forms can only be joined by the conjunction and. All the 100 subjects discovered the correctness of the given sentence.

Item 31. ‘The judge’s decision was quite fair or square’.

This sentence is not correct due to the wrong use of the conjunction: ‘or’ instead of ‘and’. All the testees recognized the incorrectness of the IEX.

Item 32. * ‘The hotel’s kitchen was very span-and-spick’.

The order of the adjectives forming the IEX is not correct. Therefore, the sentence is wrong. The order of the adjectival forms is fixed; the two words (spick/span) cannot change position in any way. 88% of the test-takers arrived at the correct answer to this item.

Item 33. ‘The hotel’s kitchen was very spick-and-span’.

This is a correct position of the words composing the IEX. 95% of the learners got this question right.

Item 34. ‘Jill is quite level-headed’.

This is correct order of the parts forming the adjectival form (compound form).

Note the incorrect order: *Jill is quite headed-level.

93% of the candidates answered this item successfully.

Item 35. ‘Jill has a level head’.

As well as the correct form in item 34, which is compound form (hyphenated (-)), this IEX consists of ‘adjective + noun’ combination. It is an alternative version of the sentence in item 34 above. All the testees responded correctly to this question.

Summary for the Adjectival Category

In this section, of question three in the pre-test, the students’ performance is as below:

Total number of possible answers = 500

Total number of correct answers and percentage = 351 (70.20%)

Total number of wrong answers and percentage = 149 (29.80%)

In this test (POT), the students’ performance is as follows:

Total number of possible answers = 600

Total number of correct answers and percentage = 577 (96.17%))

Total number of wrong answers and percentage = 23 (3.83%)

The numbers and percentages, presented above, provided a clear indication of a considerable progress in the subjects’ mastery over the adjectival idioms category in terms of distinguishing between the correct forms and the erroneous ones.

TABLE – 94

POT: Q3: ADVERBIAL IDIOMS: TESTED ITEMS, NO. OF CORRECT/WRONG ANSWERS AND PERCENTAGE

Sl. No.	Sentences	No. of correct answers	%	No. of wrong answers	%
36	Jim looked high and low for the book	97		03
37	Jim looked for the book high and low	100		00
38	I like to go now and again to the beach	75		25
39	I like to go to the beach now and again	100		00
40	Now and again I like to go to the beach	100		00
Total		472	94.40%	28	5.60%

Table 94 includes the tested items/sentences in the adverbial idioms’ part, the number of correct/wrong answers and their percentages.

* Adverbial Idioms (Items 36 – 40)

Item 36. ‘Jim looked high and low for the book’.

Though the adverbial idiom, here, is composed of more than one word, it is possible to place it in the middle as exception to the rule which says that: ‘adverbial idiom is almost never placed anywhere in the middle of a single sentence, the normal positions are either at the beginning or at the end of a sentence or clause’. 97% of the learners answered this question correctly.

Item 37. ‘Jim looked for the book high and low’.

By the above rule, item 37 is correct. All the test-takers arrived at the correct to this question.

Item 38. ‘I like to go now and again to the beach’.

Because the adverbial idiom is made of more than one word, it is almost never placed anywhere in the middle of a single sentence. Thus, this sentences is incorrect . 75% of the subjects saw the incorrectness of this sentence.

Item 39. ‘I like to go to the beach now and again’.

The rile says that the normal positions are either at the beginning or at the end of sentence or clause. Therefore, item 39 is correct. All the testees answered this item correctly.

Item 40. ‘Now and again I like to go to the beach’.

By the same rule in 39 above, the position of the adverbial construction is correct. The 100 students succeeded in responding positively to the given sentence.

Summer for the Adverbial Idioms Section

Before making this summary and conclusion let us recap the students’ performance in the equivalent section of this question in the PRT.

Total number of possible answers = 200

Total number of correct answers and percentage = 19 (9.5%)

Total number of wrong answers and percentage = 181(90.5%)

In the present test (POT), the students’ performance is as follows:

Total number of possible answers = 500

Total number of correct answers and percentage = 472 (94.4%)

Total number of wrong answers and percentage = 28 (5.6%)

Comparing the students’ results in the adverbial idioms category of the parallel questions in the 2 tests, we conclude that the subjects performed more better in the post-test: in the POT they got 94.4% correct answers while in the PRT they obtained 9.5%.

Summary for Question Three

This sub-test aimed at knowing the student’s ability in identifying/recognizing the correct IEX/MWV from wrong ones on the basis of the grammatical and semantic rules which govern the knowledge and use of these two multi-word lexical items. The problems/difficulties examined in this question are:

· Adverb position in relation to the verb and object.

· Particle(s)/preposition(s) place with regard to the verb.

· Particle/preposition distinction and its influence on the grammar of MWV (e.g. pronouns’ position)

· The fixation of the form (single/plural; comparative/superlative etc.) and the order (the arrangement of the components within IEX).

The problems/difficulties of these multi-word lexical items (IEX/MWV) were examined under the following categories: verbal, nominal, adjectival and adverbial.

Statistically, the students’ performance in this question could be summarized as below:

Total number of possible answers = 4000

Total number of correct answers and percentage = 3847 (96.18%)

Total number of wrong answers and percentage = 153(3.82%)

The students’ performance in question three of the pre-test is as follows:

Total number of possible answers = 4000

Total number of correct answers and percentage = 1945 (48.63%)

Total number of wrong answers and percentage = 2055 (51.37%)

It is clear from the above comparison that the subjects of this study made significant progress in their ability to identify/recognize the correct sentences from wrong ones. The percentage of the correct answers stepped up from 48.63% in the PRT to 96.18% in the POT.

Question Four: Multiple-Choice

In this sub-test, the subjects were required to choose the IEX/MWV which has the best meaning in a given context, by drawing a circle round the better of the correct answer. 40 items were provided with 4 options against each item. 20 marks were devoted to this question. ½ mark for every correct choice. The students’ marks in this task will be provided in appendix 8. As in question of the present test no attempt was made to penalize the wrong guessing. However, the multiplicity of the tested items as well as the number of the options against each of them are meant to reduce this chance factor.

The students’ performance (number of correct/wrong answers and percentages) will be given in the following pages covering the units below: verbal, nominal, adjectival and adverbial.

TABLE – 95

POT: Q.4 VERBAL IDIOMS: TESTED ITEMS, NO. OF CORRECT/WRONG

ANSWERS AND PERCENTAGE

Sl. No.	Sentences	No. of correct answers	%	No. of wrong answers	%
1	If you weren’t so careless, your typewriter wouldn’t…. a-break down b-come about c-break in d-break out	100		00
2	When Mary finally……….. we were able to leave immediately. a-got around b-came about c-showed up d-came in	98		02
3	If you have any questions while I’m talking, feel free to………. a-look on b-come up c-break-in d-break out	100		00
4	What a surprise it was to ………. Joe after so many years. a-run across b-show up c-run over d-show in	100		00
5	He went back to work after he had …………………….. a-gone without b-fallen thro’ c-died down d-show in	100		00
6	Small streams can ………. Rivers when winter snow melts. a-part with b-turn into c-go without d-fall through	95		05
7	You really cough too much; you should ………smoking a-part with b-go in for c-cut down on d-try for	94		06
8	If you stick to your promise, you’ll undoubtedly…… it. a-live up to b-fall through c-come to d-come on	100		00
9	The thief had to ……… the police because they were all around him. a-work up to b-run across c-look out for d-live up to	90		10
10	When the noise ………., I began to speak. a-broke in b-died down c-went without d-broke out	100		00
11	The teacher is reading his lecture too quickly so I can’t ……….. his ideas. a-catch on b-hold up c-point out d-keep up with	90		10
12	There’s too much noise here for me to study. I can’t …..it a-go through b-think over c-point out d-put up with	100		00
13	If you put off your work, you can’t ….………it…….. a-kick….around b-carry…out c-point…..out d-tie.…down	100		00
14	A serious illness will always …..someone….in bed. a-keep…up b-got ahead c-carry...out d-tie….down	98		02
15	When the noise died down, the professor…the next subject of discussion with the students. a-filled in b-got ahead c-took up d-took in	98		02
16	Colour-blind people ……… green….blue a-tell….apart b-confuse..with c-put .. above d-devote…to	100		00
17	He looks familiar; who does he …….? a-confuse with b-take after c-give off d-give up	100		00
18	This book carefully……….. the subject of poverty in the Third World. a-goes into b-touches on c-turns to d-engages in	96		04
19	If the problem is serious…it; don’t ignore it. a-put above b-take a stand on c-take advantage of d-make light of	100		00
20	How did such a bad mistake ….? a-bring about b-give up c-fall through d-come about	100		00
21	Your support for me would …. Truth …. My claim in court a-put...above b-bring…up c-lend…to d-bring…about	96		04
22	He carried out his tasks very well, I think everyone should …… him for his fine effort. a-go in for b-look up to c-get thro’ to d-look up for	100		00
23	Why is it hard for me to…… this difficult book? a-make sense of b-lose track of c-keep up of d-take advantage of	100		00
24	He’s ignorant of our plans; let’s ….. him …. Them. a-turn…over to b-leave ….. to c-fill….in on d-leave….up to	100		00
Total		2355	98.13%	45	1.87%

Table 95 tells us about the items tested in the verbal idioms section, the number of correct/wrong answers and their percentages.

· Verbal Idioms (Items 1 – 24)

Item 1. ‘If you weren’t so careless, your typewriter wouldn’t….’

In this item the correct answer is ‘a… break down’ among the 4 given options. All the subjects opted for the right answer.

Item 2. ‘When Mary finally……….. we were able to leave immediately’.

The blank, here, should be filled by c. showed up. 98% of the learners selected the correct rely. The remaining (2%) chose the option came in which does not fit the context.

Item 3. ‘If you have any questions, while I’m talking, feel free to……….’

The correct verbal combination in this sentence is break in which was chosen by all the testees.

Item 4. ‘What a surprise it was to ………. Joe after so many years’.

The verbal construction which fits this blank is run across. This MWV was selected successfully by all the test-takers.

Item 5. ‘He went back to work after he had …………’

This item required the answer gotten over. The 100 students of this study answered this item correctly.

Item 6. ‘Small streams can ……rivers when winter snow melts.’

The appropriate verbal idiom in this sentence is turn into. 95% of the subjects were able to choose the correct answer while the remaining (5%) went for the distractors: part with (1%), go without (2%) and fall through (2%).

Item 7. ‘You really cough too much; you should ………smoking’.

The right answer, here, in the verbal construction cut down on (which is composed of verb + particle + preposition) was chosen by 94% of the students. The rest (6%) selected take after.

Item 8. ‘If you stick to your promise, you’ll undoubtedly…… it’.

The suitable MWV in this context is the 3-word verb live up to. All the testees were capable of recognizing the correct response from the other options.

Item 9. ‘The thief had to ……… the police because they were all around him’.

The right option in this item, is look out for which was selected by 90% of the learners. The remaining (10%) chose wrongly the plausible distractor run across.

Item 10. ‘When the noise ………., I began to speak’.

The adequate multi-word lexical item in this sentence is died down. All the test-takers selected the suitable answer.

Item 11. ‘The teacher is reading his lecture too quickly so I can’t ……….. his ideas’.

The appropriate verbal combination in this context is keep up with (verb + particle + preposition). 90% of the subjects succeeded in selecting the correct MWV. The rest (10%) went for the plausible distractor catch on which is not correct grammatically: it is intransitive verb which does not require an object.

Item 12. ‘There’s too much noise here for me to study. I can’t …..it’.

The suitable answer in this item is put up with (a very frequent MWV) which was chosen by all the testees.

Item 13. ‘If you put off your work, you can’t ….………it……..’

The right option in this utterance is carry…out. All the candidates answered this question correctly.

Item 14. ‘A serious illness will always …..someone….in bed’.

The correct choice in this context is tie….down which was selected by 98% of the subjects. The remaining (2%) failed to select the correct MWV and went for the wrong option: hold on.

Item 15. ‘When the noise died down, the professor … the next subject of discussion with the students’.

The required MWV in this context is took up which was chosen by 98% of the informants. The rest (2%) went for the erroneous answers got ahead (1%) and took in (1%).

Item 16. ‘Colour-blind people ……… green….blue’.

The blank, here, should be filled by confuse….with. All the testees selected the right answer.

Item 17. ‘He looks familiar; who does he …….?’

The space in this sentence should be supplied with take after. All the test-takers answered this question successfully.

Item 18. ‘This book carefully……….. the subject of poverty in the Third World’.

The right answer in this item is goes into which was selected successfully by 96% of the subjects. The 4% chose engages in which does not suit the given context.

Item 19. ‘If the problem is serious…it; don’t ignore it’.

The suitable selection in this sentence is take stand on. All the testees succeeded in choosing the right verbal combination.

Item 20. ‘How did such a bad mistake ….?’

This space needs the verbal construction come about which was got correct y all the test-takers.

Item 21. ‘Your support for me would …. truth …. my claim in court’.

The required MWV in this blank is lend….to. 96% of the respondents selected the correct reply. The rest (4%) chose the plausible distractor: bring about.

Item 22. ‘He carried out his tasks very well, I think everyone should …… him for his fine effort’.

The suitable verbal construction in this item is look up to. This lexical unit was chosen successfully by all the subjects of this study.

Item 23. ‘Why is it hard for me to…… this difficult book?’

The right choice is the complex idiom make sense of which is made by all the test-takers.

Item 24. ‘He’s ignorant of our plans; let’s ….. him …. Them’.

The intended MWV in this item is fill…..in on which was opted for by all the testees.

Summary for the Verbal Constructions’ Section

Before summarizing and concluding this section, let us recall the students’ performance in the same section of question 4 in the pre-test.

Total number of possible answers = 2700

Total number of correct answers and percentage = 857 (31.74%)

Total number of wrong answers and percentage = 1843(68.26%)

In the post-test, the subjects performed as follows:

Total number of possible answers = 2400

Total number of correct answers and percentage = 2355 (98.13%)

Total number of wrong answers and percentage = 45 (1.87%)

The statistics above serves as an evidence of the students’ gains, in the verbal combinations part, after the exposure to the explicit taught course on IEX/MWV: the percentage of correct responses increased from 31.74% in the PRT to 98.13% in the POT.

TABLE – 96

POT: Q.4 NOMINAL IDIOMS: TESTED ITEMS, NO. OF CORRECT/WRONG ANSWERS AND PERCENTAGE

Sl. No.	Sentences	No. of correct answers	%	No. of wrong answers	%
25	My ….were very kind to me when I was seriously ill. a-heart & soul b-rank & file c-wear& tear d-flesh & blood	100		00
26	The criminal knows the ….. of successful robberies a-part & parcel b-ins & outs c-ups & downs d-rank & file	98		02
27	Reaching a difficult agreement is a matter of …. a-give & take b-odds & ends c-part & parcel d-ins & outs	100		00
28	It feels good to relax after you accomplish some necessary … a-eager beavers b-odds & ends c-part & parcel d-pins & needles	100		00
29	Most of the ….in this country do not work very seriously or productively. a-old hands b-rank & file c-eager beavers d-flesh & blood	96		04
30	When I make a final decision, I never have any …………… a-close calls b-pins& needles c-second thoughts d-ins & outs	100		00
33	Because the rain destroyed her weekend plans, Miss Jones half-heartedly did some …….around the house a-wear and tear b-odds & ends c-give and take d-ins and outs	100		00
40	At first I accepted his suggestion, but later I had ……… about it. a-second thoughts b-heart and soul c-small talks d-fair & square	100		00
Total		794	99.25%	06	0.75%

· Nominal Idioms (Items 35 – 30, 33 and 40)

Item 25. ‘My ….were very kind to me when I was seriously ill’.

The desired answer in this text is flesh and blood which was got correct by all the candidates.

Item 26. ‘The criminal knows the ….. of successful robberies’.

The sought IEX in this question is ins and outs. 98% of the subjects provided the correct answer while the rest (2%) divided as follows: part and parcel (1%) and ups and downs (1%).

Item 27. ‘Reaching a difficult agreement is a matter of ….’

The needed multi-word lexical item in this sentence is give and take which was got right by all the learners.

Item 28. ‘It feels good to relax after you accomplish some necessary …’

The appropriate IEX in this blank is odds and ends which was opted for by al the test-takers.

Item 29. ‘Most of the ….in this country do not work very seriously or productively’.

The correct answer should be in this question rank and file which was arrived at by 96% of the testees. The wrong selections of subjects are as follows: old hands (2%) and eager beavers (2%).

Item 30. ‘When I make a final decision, I never have any ……………’

The required nominal idiom in this context is second thoughts which was selected by all the test-takers.

Item 33. ‘Because the rain destroyed her weekend plans, Miss Jones half-heartedly did some …….around the house’.

The appropriate IEX in this text is odds and ends. All the 100 learners in this study went for the correct answer.

Item 40. ‘At first I accepted his suggestion, but later I had ……… about it’.

The acceptable nominal construction in this item is second thoughts. This lexical item was got right by all the testees.

Summary for the Nominal Category

In the same section of question 4 in the pre-test, the subjects succeeded in getting 628 (69.78%) correct answers versus 272 (30.22%) wrong ones. As we have mentioned in the summary and conclusion for that section, this high achievement is probably as the result of the availability of the equivalents to these IEX in the students’ mother tongue (Arabic).

In the present test (the POT), the students got 794 (99.25%) correct answers versus 6 (0.75%) wrong ones.

This comparison leads us to say that the learners made a considerable development in dealing with the nominal idioms category after the inclusion of the ETC: they answered correctly 69.78% items in the PRT versus 99.25% in the POT.

TABLE – 97

POT: Q.4 ADJECTIVAL IDIOMS: TESTED ITEMS, NO. OF CORRECT/WRONG ANSWERS AND PERCENTAGE

Sl. No.	Sentences	No. of correct answers	%	No. of wrong answers	%
31	If you’re too …..with your money now, you’ll have nothing saved for your old age. a-big shot b-free and easy c-spick-and-span d-old man	100		00
32	It was amazing that she was …….so soon after her accident. a-lost cause b-part & parcel c-spick-and-span d-up & about	98		02
34	The international nuclear crisis was ……until the very end a-touch and go b-clear cut c-null & void d-spick & span	100		00
35	Tom is more than ………..; he’s basically just very lazy. a-narrow-minded b-easy-going c-easy and free d-high & low	97		03
38	The judge declared the new law ………because it was discriminatory. a-null and void b-all at once c-cut and dried d-by and large	100		00
39	Are you being …..when you insist on such a narrow-minded decision? a-last straw b-clear cut c-fair & square d-all out	83		17
Total		578	96.33%	22	3.67%

· Adjectival Idioms (Items 31, 32, 34, 35, 38 and 39)

Item 31. ‘If you’re too …..with your money now, you’ll have nothing saved for your old age’.

The right response to this question is free and easy which was selected successfully by all the 100 subjects of this study.

Item 32. ‘It was amazing that she was …….so soon after her accident’.

The sought answer in this utterance is up and about which was opted for by 98% of the learners. The rest (2%) went wrongly for lost cause.

Item 34. ‘The international nuclear crisis was ……until the very end’.

The blank should be filled by the adjectival idiom touch and go. All the teestees arrived at the correct choice.

Item 35. ‘Tom is more than ………..; he’s basically just very lazy’.

The space in this question needs the IEX narrow-minded which was opted for by 97% of the respondents. The rest (3%) are divided as follows: easy going (2%) and easy and free (1%).

Item 38. ‘The judge declared the new law ………because it was discriminatory’.

The required reply in this sentence is null and void. All the subjects chose the needed answer successfully.

Item 39. ‘Are you being …..when you insist on such a narrow-minded decision?’

The adequate IEX in this context is fair and square. 83% of the testees arrived at the correct reply while the remaining (17%) opted for clear-cut which does not fit the context.

Summary for the Adjectival section

In the adjectival category section, question 4, of the pre-test the testees’ general performance could be summarized as follows:

Total number of possible answers = 300

Total number of correct answers and percentage = 22 (7.33%)

Total number of wrong answers and percentage = 278(92.67%)

In the present test (the POT) the students’ performance in the adjectival section of question 4 is as below:

Total number of possible answers = 600

Total number of correct answers and percentage = 578 (96.33%)

Total number of wrong answers and percentage = 22 (3.67%)

The above comparison reveals that the learners made considerable progress in dealing with the adjectival idiom category.

· Adverbial Idioms

TABLE – 98

POT: Q.4 ADVERBIAL IDIOMS: TESTED ITEMS, NO. OF CORRECT/WRONG ANSWERS AND PERCENTAGE

Sl. No.	Sentences	No. of correct answers	%	No. of wrong answers	%
36	Wouldn’t it be nice if we could eliminate all war and violence …..? a-for now b-for good c-time and again d-now & again	100		00
37	…….., there are more similarities between the various people of the world than there are differences. a-Ins & outs b-Sooner or later c-Odds & ends d-By and large	100		00
Total		200	100%	00	00%

Item 36. ‘Wouldn’t it be nice if we could eliminate all war and violence …..?’

The adequate adverbial idiom in this question is for good. This frequent IEX was gone for by all the candidates.

Item 37. ‘…….., there are more similarities between the various people of the world than there are differences’.

The sought adverbial construction in this sentence is By and Large which was selected by all the test-takers.

Summary for the Adverbial Idiom Unit

In the adverbial category of question 4, in the pre-test, the subjects’ performance is as indicated below:

Total number of possible answers = 100

Total number of correct answers and percentage = 5 (5%)

Total number of wrong answers and percentage = 95(95%)

In the present test (the POT) the students’ performance is as follows:

Total number of possible answers = 200

Total number of correct answers and percentage = 200 (100%)

Total number of wrong answers and percentage = 0 (0%)

This leads to the conclusion that the learners’ obstacles in this adverbial idiom category were reduced/eliminated and considerable progress took place after the introduction of the ETC.

Summary for Question Four

In general, from the discussion of the 40 items tested in this question (under the sub-headings verbal, nominal adjectival and adverbial), it is clear the learners’ achievement is high in this task. Going back to the subjects’ performance in question 4 of the pre-test, we recall the summary below:

Total number of possible answers = 4000

Total number of correct answers and percentage = 1512 (37.8%)

Total number of wrong answers and percentage = 2488(62.2%)

In the present post-test the overall result of question 4 is as follows:

Total number of possible answers = 4000

Total number of correct answers and percentage = 3927 (98.18%)

Total number of wrong answers and percentage = 73 (1.82%)

From the above statistics, it is observable that the students made giant strides (quick progress) on their effort to master these multi-word lexical items. They are able to select the best IEX/MWV which are suitable in both the context and the grammatical structure of the English sentences (37.8% correct answers in the PRT versus 98.18% in the POT).

Question Five

a) Sentence Writing

In this question, the testees were asked to answer each question or statement by using the MWV/IEX in a meaningful, grammatical sentence. 30 situations were given and the test-takers had to develop these situations by writing short, meaningful grammatical sentences. 15 marks were allotted to this task. ½ mark for each correct sentence writing. The student’s scores in this sub-question will be provided in appendix 8. The students’ performance (number of correct/wrong answers and percentages) will be tabulated and discussed under the following grammatical categories: verbal, nominal, adjectival and adverbial.

TABLE – 99

POT: Q.5.a VERBAL IDIOMS: TESTED ITEMS, NO. OF CORRECT/

WRONG ANSWERS AND PERCENTAGE

Sl. No.	Sentences	No. of correct answers	%	No. of wrong answers	%
1	Explain why a plan might fall through.	90		10
2	How did your desire to learn English come about?	100		00
3	When a vocabulary word is very difficult, how do you try to catch on?	100		00
4	How often do you run over your class work at home?	97		03
5	When was the last time that you ran across an old friend?	100		00
6	Do you stick to your plans or do you often let them fall through?	100		00
7	Whom do you turn to when you have a problem?	100		00
8	What problem in your native country would you do away with, if you were the country’s leader?	100		00
9	What was the most recent task which you put off?	100		00
10	In your family, who do you look up to?	100		00
11	Why should students carry out their assignments completely?	100		00
12	What responsibilities tie you down?	100		00
13	What do you put above your own interests?	100		00
14	Why would a person try to make light of an important problem?	95		05
15	What does a driver have to keep an eye on?	100		00
16	How do you lay your problems to rest?	97		03
17	How would you bring someone around to your point of view?	97		03
18	Who should you leave medical decisions up to?	100		00
Total		1776	98.67%	24	1.33%

· Verbal Idioms (Items 1 – 18)

Item 1. ‘Explain why a plan might fall through’.

The MWV in this sentence is fall through meaning fail to occur, not happen. 90% of the subjects succeeded in understanding the intended meaning and produced the required response including the verbal construction in question. The rest (10%) failed to carry out the given task.

Item 2. ‘How did your desire to learn English come about?’

The tested verbal combination in this item is come about having the meaning to happen to occur. All the test-takers were ale to provide the correct answer.

Item 3. ‘When a vocabulary word is very difficult, how do you try to catch on?’

The tested MWV in this question is catch on meaning to finally understand. All the subjects succeeded in responding to this question.

Item 4. ‘How often do you run over your class work at home?’

The focus in this item is on the verbal construction run over which has the meaning to review/to rehearse. 97% of the testees supplied the suitable reply.

Item 5. ‘When was the last time that you ran across an old friend?’

The MWV ran across meaning in the given context to meet (someone) unexpectedly was positively reacted to by all the learners.

Item 6. ‘Do you stick to your plans or do you often let them fall through?’

Two verbal combinations were given in this item: stick to and fall through. All the respondents comprehended the stimulus and produced the suitable reply.

Item 7. ‘Whom do you turn to when you have a problem?’

In this item, the MWV turn to meaning to ask help of/to get advice from is known to all the learners thus they produced the sought answer.

Item 8. ‘What problem in your native country would you do away with, if you were the country’s leader?’

This 3-word verb meaning to abolish/to get rid of was understood, in the given context, by all the test-takers. As a result, they were able to provide the intended response.

Item 9. ‘What was the most recent task which you put off?’

The MWV put off in this item has the meaning to postpone, to delay, to defer. All the subjects succeeded in understanding the input text and producing the required reply.

Item 10. ‘In your family, who do you look up to?’

The multi-word lexical item look up to, which means to respect in the above sentence, was responded to correctly by all the testees.

Item 11. ‘Why should students carry out their assignments completely?’

The verbal construction carry out in this sentence has the meaning to fulfill, to accomplish. The 100 subjects of this study reacted positively to this MWV.

Item 12. ‘What responsibilities tie you down?’

This MWV owns the meaning ‘restrict’, in this context, was understood by all the testees hence they wrote the required sentence.

Item 13. ‘What do you put above your own interests?’

The verbal combination put above has the meaning to regard as more important than in the given text. All the students were able to see the intended meaning and reacted correctly to the question.

Item 14. ‘Why would a person try to make light of an important problem?’

This complex idiom has the meaning to consider unimportant, to minimize the importance of. 95% of the students comprehended the input text and provided the required reply.

Item 15. ‘What does a driver have to keep an eye on?’

The meaning of this verbal construction is to take care of, to watch carefully. All the subjects succeeded in answering this item correctly.

Item 16. ‘How do you lay your problems to rest?’

The combination lay….to rest owns the meaning to resolve in the given sentence. 97% of the respondents produced the intended reply to this item.

Item 17. ‘How would you bring someone around to your point of view?’

This 3-word verb (verb + particle + preposition) has the meaning to change someone’s mind about, to convince about. 97% of the testees were able to provide the adequate answer to this question.

Item 18. ‘Who should you leave medical decisions up to?’

The verbal construction in this sentence consists of verb + particle + preposition. It has the meaning to give decision to. All the test-takers responded successfully to this verbal combination.

Summary for the Verbal Combination’s Section

Before rounding off this section, let’s recap the testees’ performance in the same category of question 5.a in the pre-test. In that part, the test-takers produced 655 (28.48%) correct answers versus (71.52) erroneous ones. This low achievement is due to the subjects’ failure in understanding the given IEX/MWV and, consequently, inability to write the required answers.

In the present section (of the sentence writing task in the post-test) the students’ performance could be summarized as follows:

Total number of possible answers = 1800

Total number of correct answers and percentage = 1776 (98.67%)

Total number of wrong answers and percentage = 24 (1.33%)

Overall, the learners performed more better in the POT than the PRT: they got 28.48% correct answers before the exposure to the materials on IEX/MWV, versus 98.67% thereafter.

TABLE – 100

POT: Q.5.a NOMINAL IDIOMS: TESTED ITEMS, NO. OF CORRECT/

WRONG ANSWERS AND PERCENTAGE

Sl. No.	Sentences	No. of correct answers	%	No. of wrong answers	%
19	How do people put wear and tear on their cars?	100		00
20	In what situation would you be on pins and needles?	100		00
21	Why is it important to know the ins and outs of your work or job?	100		00
22	Why do some people think that politicians are full of hot air?	96		04
23	When did you have second thoughts about something?	100		00
Total		496	99.2%	4	0.8%

· Nominal Idioms (Items 19 – 23)

Item 19. ‘How do people put wear and tear on their cars?’

The nominal idiom wear and tear has the meaning damage, deterioration caused by frequent use. The 100 students in this study wrote the required answer correctly.

Item 20. ‘In what situation would you be on pins and needles?’

The sense of pins and needles in this item is a condition of great excitement or nervousness. All the testees produced the required sentence successfully.

Item 21. ‘Why is it important to know the ins and outs of your work or job?’

The nominal idiom ins and outs owns the meaning all the details, the important parts. All the test-takers wrote the right response to this question.

Item 22. ‘Why do some people think that politicians are full of hot air?’

Hot air has the meaning exaggerated talk, unproven ideas. 96% of the respondents got this item correct. The rest (4%) failed to produce the suitable reply.

Item 23. ‘When did you have second thoughts about something?’

The meaning of the nominal idiom second thoughts in this item is reconsideration, change of mind or opinion. All the testees succeeded in writing the correct response.

Summary for the Nominal Idioms Section

In the nominal section of question 5.a in the pre-test, the test-takers succeeded in providing 283 (70.75%) correct answers versus 117 (29.25%) wrong ones. This relatively high achievement has been ascribed to the students’ mastery over the nominal idioms category in general (because of their availability and familiarity in the subjects’ mother tongue) and to their mastery of the tested lexical units in particular: they have their equivalents in Arabic.

In the present test (the post-test) the learners’ performance, in the nominal idiom category of question 5.a, is as follows: the subjects produced 496 (99.2%) correct responses verses 4 (0.8%) wrong ones. The percentages provided above give clear indication of the students’ improvement in understanding and using nominal idioms.

TABLE – 101

POT: Q.5.a ADJECTIVAL IDIOMS: TESTED ITEMS, NO. OF CORRECT/

WRONG ANSWERS AND PERCENTAGE

Sl. No.	Sentences	No. of correct answers	%	No. of wrong answers	%
24	Which of your activities are few and far between?	98		02
25	What kinds of books do you usually find cut and dried?	96		04
26	Why are races more interesting if some racers are neck and neck?	97		03
27	When should you make an all-out effort to help someone?	100		00
Total		391	97.75%	9	2.25%

· Adjectival Idioms Section (items 24 – 27)

Item 24. ‘Which of your activities are few and far between?’

The adjectival form few and far between owns the meaning rare, infrequent. 98% of the testees produced the adequate answer.

Item 25. ‘What kinds of books do you usually find cut and dried?’

The IEX cut and dried has the meaning routine in the given context. 96% of the test-takers supplied the sought answer.

Item 26. ‘Why are races more interesting if some racers are neck and neck?’

The adjectival combination neck and neck has the meaning close together. 97% of the learners provided the required reply.

Item 27. ‘When should you make an all-out effort to help someone?’

All-out, as used in the above sentence, owns the sense complete, thorough. All the subjects answered this questions correctly.

Summary for the Adjectival Idioms’ Section

In the pre-test the subjetcs’ performance in the adjectival idiom part of question 5.a is as below:

The testees provided 167 (83.50%) right sentences and 33 (16.50%) erroneous ones.

In the present post-test the students achievement in the same category is as follows:

They supplied successfully 391 sentences (97.75%) versus 9 (2.25%) wrong ones. This shows considerable progress in the students’ knowledge and use of the adjectival forms after the explicitly taught course.

TABLE – 102

POT: Q.5.a ADVERBIAL IDIOMS: TESTED ITEMS, NO. OF CORRECT/

WRONG ANSWERS AND PERCENTAGE

Sl. No.	Sentences	No. of correct answers	%	No. of wrong answers	%
28	What world problems should be eliminated for good?	100		00
29	Why are all languages changing little by little?	100		00
30	What bad habit would you like to stop sooner or later?	100		00
Total		30	100%	00	0%

· Adverbial Idioms (items 28 – 30)

Item 28. ‘What world problems should be eliminated for good?’

The adverbial idiom for good has the meaning forever, permanently. All the students succeeded in writing thes uitable answer for the provided question.

Item 29. ‘Why are all languages changing little by little?’

Little by little in the above sentence owns the meaning gradually. The 100 subjects in this study produced successfully the necessary response.

Item 30. ‘What bad habit would you like to stop sooner or later?’

The equivalent synonym to the IEX sooner or later is eventually. All the test-takers wrote correctly the needed sentence.

Summary for he Adverbial Idioms’ Section

Before summarizing and concluding the present section, let’s recap briefly the students’ performance in its counterpart in the pre-test. In that section, 98% of the subjects failed to write the required sentences. However, this hints to the students’ difficulty with the verbal idiom category. In the present test (the POT), all the 100 students succeeded in understanding and producing sentences using the adverbial idioms in question.

Summary for Question Five a (5.a)

In the pre-test the subjects performance in Question 5.a shows the following:

Total number of possible answers = 3000

Total number of correct answers and percentage = 1107 (36.9%)

Total number of wrong answers and percentage = 1893(63.1%)

In the present post-test the students’ achievement is as below:

Total number of possible answers = 3000

Total number of correct answers and percentage = 2963 (98.77%)

Total number of wrong answers and percentage = 37 (1.23%)

Comparing the statistics above, we can conclude that the subjects’ difficulty with writing meaningful and grammatical sentences, on the basis of questions/statements consisting MWV/IEX, has been reduced to a considerable extent: the students were able to produce 36.9% right answers in the PRT whereas in the POT they succeeded in writing 98.77% correct sentences.

Question 5.b Paraphrase

In this part of question 5, the students were asked to paraphrase the following short passage.

“One day Bill was really down in the dumps. His friends al seemed to be sitting pretty. They were not beating down doors to find ways to get movie money. Bill and his mother had a heart-to-heart talk about it. Bill’s mother promised to pay him if he would lend her a hand in the kitchen. Bill was all thumbs, but he agreed. When his mom took the first bite of his meat loaf, he was on pins and needles. She loved it. “Here”, she said as she gave him the money. “Step on it, or you’ll be late”.

5 marks were allotted to this task. The present task is receptive-productive type. It is the comprehension of the text then the production of the equivalent in meaning. By its nature this sub-test necessitates relatively subjectively judgement while marking. Tale 103 shows the students’ marks on the paraphrase task:

TABLE – 103

POT: Q.5.b STUDENTS’ SCORES ON THE PURCHASE TASK

Mark out of 5	Frequency (number of students)
0	00
1	17
2	45
3	34
4	03
5	01
Total	100

From the above table we observe that the subject’s achievement in the given task is moderate. The reasonable proportion of the students who comprehended the input text and hence, produced the intended meaning of the given passage in their own words. In short, they succeeded to some extent in providing the equivalent version of the original paragraph.

The reader is reminded that the students’ performance in the paraphrase task, question 5.a of the pre-test, revealed the following:

60% of the students scored 1 mark, 30% obtained 2 marks and 10% got 3,. That is, 90% of the subjects scored between 1 – 2. 10% got 3 marks.

In the present post-test 62% got marks between 1-2. 38% got 3 marks and above.

6.7.4 Summary for the Post-test

Before making the summary and conclusion for the post-test (POT). Let’s go back to the subjects’ results in the pre-test (PRT). In the PRT the students’ performance cold be shown statistically as below:

Total number of possible answers = 18000

Total number of correct answers and percentage = 6942 (38.57%)

Total number of wrong answers and percentage = 11058 (61.43%)

These statistics present the evidence that the learners have some problems/difficulties while dealing with idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs. A general typology of these obstacles includes the following:

· Semantic (meaning, collocation),

· Grammatical (syntactic, morphological)

· Stylistic and

· Orthographical problems/difficulties

Multi-word verbs pose more problems/difficulties than idiomatic expressions. This could be seen clearly when we broke down the general results in the test under the 4 general categories: verbal combinations, nominal, adjectival and adverbial.

The reasons to the absence or the scarcity of the MWV in the students’ L₁ (Arabic) as well as the inherent problems/difficulties in the target language (English).

In the present post-test the subjects performed as indicated below:

Total number of possible answers = 18000

Total number of correct answers and percentage = 17025 (94.58%)

Total number of wrong answers and percentage = 975 (05.42%)

Comparing these numbers and percentages to those of the pre-test, we found that the learners’ performance improved to a considerable extent. This can lead us to conclude that the students succeeded in dealing with IEX/MWV after the introduction theETC on these multi-word lexical items. They committed less errors and produced/got more correct answers in the POT than in the PRT.

6.8 Summary and Conclusion

In this chapter an attempt has been made to answer the question ‘How to solve the problems and eliminate the difficulties of teaching/learning of idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs of English in the context of Sudan?’ In doing so, we have tried to apply the means, approaches, principles, techniques, strategies etc., of teaching/learning vocabulary since these two components (IEX & MWV) are mainly vocabulary area(s). A considerable emphasis and concern were given to the guessing-from-context strategy (contextualism) within the framework of the mentalistic and cognitive approach to language teaching/learning awareness, expliciteness, learners’ active involvement in the teaching/learning processes…etc).

The present chapter starts with an introduction then follows section 2 which is abrief recall of the problems/difficulties facing the teaching learning of idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs of English in the context of Sudan. This recapitulation provides the findings and conclusions arrived at, presented and discussed in Chapter 5 of this study, through using the teachers’ questionnaire, the students’ questionnaire, the pre-test as well as the general survey of the English Language status, the ELT situation, and the examination of the English Language syllabuses at the university level in Sudan. These problems/difficulties were grouped into two main categories; the first category is the external problems/difficulties which are general obstacles that influence indirectly the teaching/learning of IEX/MWV. Some of these extrinsic problems/difficulties are: the status of the English language, the ELT situation and the university English language syllabuses in Sudan. In the same category, there are also the materials, methodology, teachers’ qualification and training, the evaluation system and the general academic environment. The second is the internal problems/difficulties of teaching/learning of IEX/MWV: these are obstacles which are inherent in the target language (English) or as the result of L₁ (Arabic) interference. Some of these intrinsic problems/difficulties are:

a. Grammatical

b. Lexico-Semantic

c. Stylistic

For the grammatical level, the examples below are illustrative:

· Not able to distinguish between transitive and intransitive MWV (which affects the grammar of the whole verbal construction/idiomatic expression).

· Failure to differentiate preposition (particles) from adverbs (particles) which has its influence on the position(s) of adverbs, nouns object, pronouns object etc.

· The place of adverbs in relation to MWV.

· The order and forms of the components of IEX: the arrangement of the individual words in a given expression (e.g. give and take *take and give) and the morphology of the constituents of the IEX: singular/plural (He’s burnt his boats not his boat) and the choice of the correct conjunction: e.g. heart and soul not *heart or soul.

· Transformation problems: not able to transform from active to passive and from verbal forms to nominalized ones.

Under the lexico-semantic category, we observe the following:

· Collocation problems: e.g. carry on a conversation not* carry out a conversation.

· Fixation or non-fixation of the items/elements within IEX: replacing ships for boats in He’s burnt his boats.

· The meaning and understanding (comprehension) problems/difficulties.

At the stylistic level, we count in:

· The inability to use the appropriate MWV/IEX in the relevant context(s).

· Moreover, the failure to comprehend and paraphrase, for example, a highly idiomatic colloquial text into normal or ordinary one.

In section 3, we have tried to put the teaching/learning of idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs in perspective mentioning that the teaching/learning of these multi-word lexical items is part of the teaching/learning of vocabulary and the latter is an important area of language teaching/learning. In the same section, we have discussed some of the vocabulary learning strategies and teaching techniques with special emphasis and close reference to the strategy of guessing from context. This sub-section is followed by presentation and discussion of some of the principles, approaches etc., of teaching/learning of IEX/MWV.

In section 4, we have discussed in some detail the teaching and learning of vocabulary in context – a recurrent issue in our study – indicating its usefulness and validity in improving the learners’ knowledge and use of vocabulary, in particular, and the general skill of reading. The section concludes with ‘how to train the learners in the strategy of guessing from context’.

Section 5 concerns with the teaching and learning of IEX/MWV in context. It provides the relevant techniques and strategies for dealing with this special area of vocabulary: multi-word lexical items. It takes up the following aspects: pronunciation and spelling, grammar, collocation and meaning.

Section 6 devoted to the explicit taught course on IEX/MWV given to the subjects of the present study. This section includes the following headings: the rationale and the objectives, the sources and contents of the ETC, the evaluation of the suggested materials for the course and the implementation of the ETC considering the actual steps, classroom procedures and techniques used.

Section 7 deals with the students’ performance after the introduction/inclusion of the ETC on IEX/MWV. It provides a detailed description of the construction/development etc. of the test, the results and findings of the post-test given to the learners to assess their performance in these multi-word lexical items. The impact of the ETC could be summarized in the following paragraphs.

Before presenting the summary and conclusion for the post-test, we echoed the students’ performance in the pre-test. In the PRT, the subjects’ performance could be shown statistically as below:

Total number of possible answers = 18000

Total number of correct answers and percentage = 6942 (38.57%)

Total number of wrong answers and percentage = 11058 (61.43%)

These statistics present the evidence that the learners have some problems/difficulties while dealing with idiomatic expressions and multi-word verbs. A general typology of these obstacles includes the following:

· Semantic (meaning, collocation),

· Grammatical (syntactic, morphological)

· Stylistic and

· Orthographical problems/difficulties

From the subjects’ performance we can infer also that multi-word verbs pose more problems/ difficulties than idiomatic expressions. This could be seen clearly when we broke down the general results in the test under the 4 general categories: verbal, nominal, adjectival and adverbial combinations. The reasons of the students’ poor performance in the verbal combinations might be attributed to the absence or the scarcity of the MWV in the students’ L₁ (Arabic) as well as the inherent problems/difficulties of that area in the target language (English).

In the post-test, the subjects performed as indicated below:

Total number of possible answers = 18000

Total number of correct answers and percentage = 17025 (94.58%)

Total number of wrong answers and percentage = 975 (05.42%)

Comparing these numbers and percentages to those of the pre-test, we found that the learners’ performance improved to a considerable extent. This can lead us to conclude that the students succeeded in dealing with IEX/MWV after the introduction of the ETC on these multi-word items. They committed less errors and produced/got more correct answers in the POT than in the PRT.

In sum, the Sudanese learners of English at the tertiary level made considerable improvement and progress in the knowledge and use of IEX and MWV after taking the explicit taught course as the results of the POT have shown. This success could be attributed to the approach, the materials, the techniques and the strategies used in implementing the course especially the guessing-from-context strategy on which the subjects received intensive training. The approach followed in this course is the mentalistic/cognitive approach to the language teaching/learning which allows for learners’ awareness, active involvement, explicitness and conceptualization. Overall, the ETC starts the students understanding and using these multi-word lexical items successfully, helping them to solve the problems and eliminate the difficulties they face while dealing with these two vocabulary components.