Page 191 - English - Teaching Academic Esl Writing

Lexical Classes of Verbs: Meanings and Text Functions
OVERVIEW
• The most essential academic verbs
• 350 foundational verbs
• Text functions and syntacticproperties of lexical verb classes
• Activity verbs
• Reporting verbs
• Mental/emotiveverbs
• Linking verbs
• Logical-semantic relationship verbs
Verbs represent one of the most important elements in sentences and text construction (Quirk et al., 1985). In the teaching of ESL grammar, a great deal of attention is typically devoted to such features of the verb phrase as tenses, aspects, and auxiliary fronting (for verb tenses and their uses, see chap. 7). In addition to these syntactic properties of verbs, verb meanings and textual functions play a prominent role in the construction of academic text.
This chapter covers the functions and uses of lexical classes of verb and their specific textual meanings and implications. Aswith nouns, the promi- nent role of verbs in academic writing and text cannot be underestimated. Because L2 writers' academic prose often appears to rely on severely re- stricted vocabulary range, learners need to be taught the functions and uses of a wide range of verbs, without which their writing appears constrained and repetitious. As mentioned earlier in this book, it may not be possible to expressmanyideaswithinthe confinesofa500-wordrepertoire.TohelpL2 writers expand their range of accessible academic verbs, they need to be ex- plicitly and persistently taught.
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