The Pattern Grammar Community of Practice

Our Community of Practice includes over 60 English language teachers from private and public language schools across Korea, Japan, Malaysia, China and Europe, as well as some independent educational consultants. 

Comments on using Pattern Grammar resources and teaching materials in the ELT classroom: 

  • "The association of different patterns with different meanings really appealed to them [my students] and helped them get around the concept of the same word functioning with multiple meanings"
  • "it helped…[learners] make additional connections they hadn’t consciously noticed before"
  • "I have had students tell me that studying words, particularly verbs, via patterns improved their comprehension and recall for that particular word"
  • "It has been helpful in teaching listening. Students often find it hard to distinguish short, unstressed words such as 'a', 'of' and 'or'…in natural speech. However, they can learn to discern meaning by learning patterns"
  • "I can clearly know in what way[s] the students as second English learners…make mistake[s] and…check the correct pattern in Pattern Grammar online, so that's useful."
  • "Students commented that it was useful to learn new vocabulary and how the words are used at the same time."
  • "[Pattern Grammar] provided me with a proper framework that…helped me to form a more solid foundation to build my lesson plans on"
  • "We've realized that the meaning of pattern is quite essential for language learners...It's very enlightening."

Pattern Grammar in Malaysia

The Penang English Language Learning and Teaching Association (PELLTA) hosted Pattern Grammar workshops across 2017, 2018 and 2019, involving 100 experienced language teachers from across Malaysia and south Thailand. In 2018, additional workshops took place at USM (Universiti Sains Malaysia) and UKM (Universiti Kebangsan Malaysia).

Comments from members of PELLTA:

  • "Patterns makes me have a deeper understanding of the fact that words’ meanings are exposed in specific contexts"
  • "A more natural and less laborious way to tackle the teaching of grammar"
  • "[Pattern Grammar] further refines my methodology and pedagogy in teaching advanced learners in Malaysian context."

Pattern Grammar at International House

Pattern Grammar has featured in teacher training provision at International House London and International House Newcastle, and IH teacher trainers have received instruction in the Pattern Grammar approach. 

Crayton Walker addresses an audience

Comments from the International House community:

  • "pattern grammar manages to fill in the gaps that are not covered by the classical approach to teaching"
  • "For teachers who are non-native speakers, the Collins pattern dictionary is a good tool because we don't always know if [a word] is used in a specific way or not."
  • "after today's webinar I can see that it's possible to help students avoid confusion even at early levels"
  • "As a teacher I find it very useful. We teach words as if they only had one meaning. It will change my way to teach vocabulary.

Pattern Grammar at IATEFL (in collaboration with HarperCollins}

April 2020, postponed to June 2021, Harrogate:
Teaching patterns in context: uncovering semantic sequences in writing
Professor Susan Hunston and Dr Amanda Patten

April 2019, Liverpool:
The Pattern Approach: Using Pattern Grammar in the Language Classroom
Dr Crayton Walker and Professor Susan Hunston

April 2017, Glasgow:
Demonstration of Collins COBUILD Grammar Patterns Online resource
HarperCollins and Professor Susan Hunston (University of Birmingham)

April 2016, Birmingham: 
COBUILD Grammar Patterns: an online resource for teachers and learners 
Lisa Todd (HarperCollins) and Professor Susan Hunston (University of Birmingham)

Susan Hunston in discussion

Comments from the IATEFL community:

  • "I work in an environment teaching very advanced learners, many of whom become teachers, and this sort of material (giving complex forms coherent meaning) is something I’ve previously struggled to create"
  • "I know more about pattern grammar, identification of patterns, constructions and patterns, than ever before…so useful for our dictionary compilation practice and teaching work"