Teaching and learning "false friends" : a review of some useful resources

Denominamos falsos amigos a palabras similares en dos o más lenguas que poseen significado/s diferentes (library\ud “biblioteca” y librería “tienda de libros”, en inglés y en español respectivamente). Desde el punto de vista de la\ud enseñanza y el aprendizaje del inglés, los falsos amigos son importantes porque con frecuencia nos llevan a errores en la\ud expresión, y malentendidos a nivel de comprensión (e.g. I am constipated; it has been a fastidious speech or you should\ud eat food without preservatives). Este artículo pretende dar a conocer una serie de herramientas útiles (diccionarios,\ud recursos en línea, glosarios y blogs) para el estudio de los falsos amigos. Los recursos que aquí se presentan\ud contribuirán a comprender la complejidad del fenómeno de los falsos amigos y aportarán la información necesaria para\ud tratar este tema en el aula de inglés.False friends are words in two languages that are similar in form but different in meaning (e.g. English library “place\ud for reading and borrowing books” vs Spanish librería “bookshop”). From the point of view of EFL teaching and\ud learning, false friends are important because they lead us to errors in L2 production and comprehension (e.g. I am very\ud constipated; it has been a fastidious speech and you should eat food without preservatives). This paper intends to\ud present some useful tools (dictionaries, online resources, glossaries and blogs) for the teaching and learning of false\ud friends. The resources presented here will allow us to discover the complexity of the false friend phenomenon and will\ud contribute to the teaching and to the learning of these words

Corpus linguistics and language teaching: learning English vocabulary through corpus work

Despite the growing importance of corpora in linguistic research, the use of these language databases is relatively scarce in the area of language teaching (Granger 1994; Palacios 2005). This paper discusses the teaching potential of corpora in EFL settings (Oghigian & Chujo 2010), paying special attention to their role in the study of English vocabulary (Johns 1991, Leech 1997, Carter 1998). After examining several of the most outstanding corpus tools at our disposal, this work offers some practical ideas on the use of corpora for vocabulary teaching. It presents four different corpus-based activities and four different ways of working with these resources in the classroom. The ultimate objective of this paper consists in showing the pedagogical usefulness of corpora for vocabulary teaching and learning, the contribution of corpus work to the development of some basic skills for lifelong learning (European framework for key competences 2007) and the importance of discovery learning in these activities.Pese a la creciente importancia de los córpora en la investigación lingüística, su uso es escaso en el ámbito de la enseñanza de lenguas (Granger 1994; Palacios 2005). Este artículo analiza el potencial de estas bases de datos en la enseñanza del inglés (Oghigian & Chujo 2010), centrándose particularmente en su papel en el estudio del vocabulario (Johns 1991, Leech 1997, Carter 1998). Después de mencionar algunos de los corpus en lengua inglesa más destacados, se presentan cuatro tareas basadas en corpus que muestran cuatro formas diferentes de trabajar con este recurso en el aula. El objetivo último de este artículo consiste en demostrar la utilidad pedagógica de los córpora para la enseñanza y el aprendizaje del vocabulario, la contribución del trabajo con corpus al desarrollo de algunas de las competencias básicas (Marco Común Europeo para las Competencias Básicas 2007) y la importancia del aprendizaje por descubrimiento en este tipo de actividades

New insights into the study of english False Friends: Their use and understanding by spanish learners of english

This PhD thesis deals with English false friends. It aims at identifying the difficulties Spanish learners have with these words in their interpretation and use of English. More specifically, it looks into the significance of these lexical items in the spoken and written performance of Spanish learners. This dissertation is also intended to cast some light on the potential comprehension problems derived from the existence of false friends in the English language

Effects of intubation timing in patients with COVID-19 throughout the four waves of the pandemic : a matched analysis

The primary aim of our study was to investigate the association between intubation timing and hospital mortality in critically ill patients with COVID-19-associated respiratory failure. We also analysed both the impact of such timing throughout the first four pandemic waves and the influence of prior non-invasive respiratory support on outcomes. This is a secondary analysis of a multicentre, observational and prospective cohort study that included all consecutive patients undergoing invasive mechanical ventilation due to COVID-19 from across 58 Spanish intensive care units (ICU) participating in the CIBERESUCICOVID project. The study period was between 29 February 2020 and 31 August 2021. Early intubation was defined as that occurring within the first 24 h of intensive care unit (ICU) admission. Propensity score (PS) matching was used to achieve balance across baseline variables between the early intubation cohort and those patients who were intubated after the first 24 h of ICU admission. Differences in outcomes between early and delayed intubation were also assessed. We performed sensitivity analyses to consider a different timepoint (48 h from ICU admission) for early and delayed intubation. Of the 2725 patients who received invasive mechanical ventilation, a total of 614 matched patients were included in the analysis (307 for each group). In the unmatched population, there were no differences in mortality between the early and delayed groups. After PS matching, patients with delayed intubation presented higher hospital mortality (27.3% versus 37.1%, p =0.01), ICU mortality (25.7% versus 36.1%, p=0.007) and 90-day mortality (30.9% versus 40.2%, p=0.02) when compared to the early intubation group. Very similar findings were observed when we used a 48-hour timepoint for early or delayed intubation. The use of early intubation decreased after the first wave of the pandemic (72%, 49%, 46% and 45% in the first, second, third and fourth wave, respectively; first versus second, third and fourth waves p<0.001). In both the main and sensitivity analyses, hospital mortality was lower in patients receiving high-flow nasal cannula (n=294) who were intubated earlier. The subgroup of patients undergoing NIV (n=214) before intubation showed higher mortality when delayed intubation was set as that occurring after 48 h from ICU admission, but not when after 24 h. In patients with COVID-19 requiring invasive mechanical ventilation, delayed intubation was associated with a higher risk of hospital mortality. The use of early intubation significantly decreased throughout the course of the pandemic. Benefits of such an approach occurred more notably in patients who had received high-flow nasal cannul

The evolution of the ventilatory ratio is a prognostic factor in mechanically ventilated COVID-19 ARDS patients

Background: Mortality due to COVID-19 is high, especially in patients requiring mechanical ventilation. The purpose of the study is to investigate associations between mortality and variables measured during the first three days of mechanical ventilation in patients with COVID-19 intubated at ICU admission. Methods: Multicenter, observational, cohort study includes consecutive patients with COVID-19 admitted to 44 Spanish ICUs between February 25 and July 31, 2020, who required intubation at ICU admission and mechanical ventilation for more than three days. We collected demographic and clinical data prior to admission; information about clinical evolution at days 1 and 3 of mechanical ventilation; and outcomes. Results: Of the 2,095 patients with COVID-19 admitted to the ICU, 1,118 (53.3%) were intubated at day 1 and remained under mechanical ventilation at day three. From days 1 to 3, PaO2/FiO2 increased from 115.6 [80.0-171.2] to 180.0 [135.4-227.9] mmHg and the ventilatory ratio from 1.73 [1.33-2.25] to 1.96 [1.61-2.40]. In-hospital mortality was 38.7%. A higher increase between ICU admission and day 3 in the ventilatory ratio (OR 1.04 [CI 1.01-1.07], p = 0.030) and creatinine levels (OR 1.05 [CI 1.01-1.09], p = 0.005) and a lower increase in platelet counts (OR 0.96 [CI 0.93-1.00], p = 0.037) were independently associated with a higher risk of death. No association between mortality and the PaO2/FiO2 variation was observed (OR 0.99 [CI 0.95 to 1.02], p = 0.47). Conclusions: Higher ventilatory ratio and its increase at day 3 is associated with mortality in patients with COVID-19 receiving mechanical ventilation at ICU admission. No association was found in the PaO2/FiO2 variation

English false friends at hand! Learning difficult English words through games

La mayor parte de los profesores de inglés nos damos cuenta de la dificultad que tienen los estudiantes con los falsos amigos y muchos eruditos han demostrado este hecho con pruebas empíricas (Laufer 1997; Frantzen 1998; Chacón Beltrán 2000; Palacios y Alonso 2005). La complejidad de estas palabras ha llevado a los profesores a incluirlos en sus programaciones para darles tratamiento pedagógico en el aula. Sin embargo, las técnicas de enseñanza utilizadas para presentar estas palabras a los alumnos son bastante tradicionales. Así, los profesores normalmente recurren a tareas poco originales, actividades a menudo a base de traducción, y listas de las palabras que resultan desalentadoras. Este trabajo propone algunas tareas más interesantes para los alumnos como pueden ser: juegos (p.ej. el ahorcado), tareas visuales (diagramas en flor) y recursos en línea (p.ej. blogs y aplicaciones de móvil) que pueden ser útiles para la enseñanza y el estudio de los falsos amigos. Además, muchas de las actividades aquí propuestas tienen como objetivo promover la autonomía del alumno y el aprendizaje por descubrimiento. De hecho, los alumnos se darán cuenta por sí mismos de que se pueden encontrar falsos amigos ingleses en contextos cotidianos como en señales de circulación o en etiquetas de alimentos. Al final de este artículo nos daremos cuenta de que los falsos amigos no solo son interesantes sino también divertidos

How are spoken skills assessed in proficiency tests of general English as a Foreign Language? A preliminary survey

This paper examines some of the best known proficiency tests in English, with particular focus on the oral component. Attention is paid to the following issues, among others: the weighting of oral elements in testing, the criteria used for the assessment of oral skills and the relation of these to the general guidelines in the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), and the kinds of tasks and marking systems used for assessment. Our aim is to evaluate these tests as a means of determining the extent to which they can be considered valid tools for the assessment of oral performance, considering their significance, relevance and implications in the broader context of the modern world. We contend that, as is the case with teaching processes in general, which need to be continuously evaluated and reformulated, this is true of English testing, especially oral skills, given the special nature of the spoken language.Este artículo presenta un análisis de los exámenes oficiales de inglés más reconocidos a nivel internacional con atención especial a sus componentes orales. Se estudian, entre otros, los aspectos siguientes: la importancia de la parte oral en estos exámenes, los criterios de evaluación utilizados para las destrezas orales y su relación con las directrices emanadas del Marco Común Europeo de Referencia, las actividades orales que se incluyen en estos tests y el sistema de valoración utilizado. Nuestro objetivo último en la evaluación de estos exámenes es comprobar en qué medida se pueden considerar como instrumentos válidos para la evaluación del inglés oral, teniendo en cuenta la importancia, relevancia e implicaciones de estos exámenes en nuestra sociedad. Defendemos que, así como el proceso de enseñanza requiere una continua evaluación y reformulación, lo mismo debería aplicarse a los exámenes generales de inglés con especial atención a los componentes orales dadas las especiales características de la lengua hablada

How are spoken skills assessed in proficiency tests of general English as a Foreign Language? A preliminary survey.

This paper examines some of the best known proficiency tests in English, with particular focus on the oral component. Attention is paid to the following issues, among others: the weighting of oral elements in testing, the criteria used for the assessment of oral skills and the relation of these to the general guidelines in the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), and the kinds of tasks and marking systems used for assessment. Our aim is to evaluate these tests as a means of determining the extent to which they can be considered valid tools for the assessment of oral performance, considering their significance, relevance and implications in the broader context of the modern world. We contend that, as is the case with teaching processes in general, which need to be continuously evaluated and reformulated, this is true of English testing, especially oral skills, given the special nature of the spoken language.Este artículo presenta un análisis de los exámenes oficiales de inglés más reconocidos a nivel internacional con atención especial a sus componentes orales. Se estudian, entre otros, los aspectos siguientes: la importancia de la parte oral en estos exámenes, los criterios de evaluación utilizados para las destrezas orales y su relación con las directrices emanadas del Marco Común Europeo de Referencia, las actividades orales que se incluyen en estos tests y el sistema de valoración utilizado. Nuestro objetivo último en la evaluación de estos exámenes es comprobar en qué medida se pueden considerar como instrumentos válidos para la evaluación del inglés oral, teniendo en cuenta la importancia, relevancia e implicaciones de estos exámenes en nuestra sociedad. Defendemos que, así como el proceso de enseñanza requiere una continua evaluación y reformulación, lo mismo debería aplicarse a los exámenes generales de inglés con especial atención a los componentes orales dadas las especiales características de la lengua hablada