A Corpus-based Syllabus for Teaching the Lexical Pattern : [The-N-is that]

Abstract

This study attempts to design a corpus-based syllabus for teaching the lexical pattern, [The-N-is-that], which is [the thing is that], [the fact is that], [the truth is that], and [the trouble is that]. We developed teaching materials in line with recent approaches of consciousness-raising (C-R) activities and data-driven learning (DDL). When designing the sequential material and implementing C-R tasks, we carefully choose activities that raised learners' awareness of these usage patterns within the systematic three-stage task framework (Pre-task, Task, Post-task). Concerning [the-N-is-that] pattern, Rim (2001, 2003a) found that it constitutes an independent formal idiom or grammatical construction due to its unique properties, that is the fixed determiner the, is and that complementizer, expressing epistemic modality. These linguistic findings were applied to the English teaching process for this paper. This paper adopts the corpus-based approach via URSPOK corpus (1999), proposing that teaching these patterns provide an effective input to acquiring lexicons and grammar. A learner's awareness of these formulaic expressions can be used to increase their strategic competence in asserting claims, especially in English for specific purposes,-academic discussions, debates, and public speeches.