TOOL

TIPS

Academic Phrasebank
Author(s): Ruben Comadina Granson
Institution(s): University of Groningen
Date: 15 February 2008

About the tool

Tool Name
Summary

Format
License
URL
Type
Skill(s)
Tool Box
location

Academic Phrasebank University of Manchester

The Academic Phrasebank, maintained by John Morley at the
University of Manchester, is a general resource for academic
writers, its main aim being to provide them with examples of some
of the phrases frequently used in writing. It was designed primarily
with international students whose first language is not English in
mind, although some aspects of this tool can also be useful to
native speaker writers. It also includes some helpful links on
academic writing.
From: http://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/
(X) Web-based
( ) Download
( ) Other
(X) Free
( ) Shareware
( ) License
http://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/
Last checked on: 15-02-08
[ ] Assessment
[ ] Practice
[X] Reference
Other: Awareness
[ ] Reading [ ] Listening [ ] Speaking
[X] Writing
[ ] Grammar [ ] Pronunciation [X] Vocabulary
Other:
Master Tool Box - Practice - Vocabulary - Vocabulary

Using the tool

Didactic
function(s)

Sample
case(s)

The Academic Phrasebank is an essential reference tool for

academic writing. By blending Academic Phrasebank into the
course through Blackboard, we provide students with a context for
their use of the tool. In this way, students engage in self-awareness
and through the teachers feedback students have the opportunity
to locate appropriate phrases educated native speakers also use in
their academic writing, thus increasing their ability to write clear,
smoothly-flowing text in an appropriate style.
The Academic Phrasebank is one of the tools available through their
course on Blackboard, to all students of English for International
Economics and Business (IE&B) and International Business and

Management (IB&M) at the Faculty of Economics, and English for

International Law at the Law Faculty (University of Groningen).
Together with the AWL sublists as well as the Collocations Sampler,
this Phrasebank is an invaluable tool for their writing block. This is
also a tool that helps them become independent learners, not only
during the course but also once the course has ended.
Link with
CEFR?
Learner
autonomy

It should be possible to relate the Phrasebank to the CEFR. As far

as we know this has not been done yet.
Learner autonomy is absolutely applicable for this tool, provided
that teachers explain the benefits attained if the Academic
Phrasebank is used. Once students are aware of its existence and
its capabilities, they work with it autonomously, as this tool is fairly
self-explanatory.

Strong and
weak points

+:

Academic Phrasebank works as an awareness process when it

comes to recognising the register academic phrases belong to
as well as the academic phrases themselves.
It leads to learners autonomy
It is easy to use and its information is reliable

-:

Suggestions
for use

Not visually attractive

Time consuming to use

Dos and Donts:

Do encourage students to use this tool
Do assign them some activities where this tool must be used
Do not simply tell them of its existence; show them and keep
coming back to the site.

Teacher tasks
and skills

Basic knowledge of Blackboard (if the tool is embedded in the

Blackboard course)

Technology
requirements

Internet (a beamer if you want to show it in class)

Additional information
Documents

More useful information can be found in the following links:

http://lw.lsa.umich.edu/eli/micase/Issues_SAWLHandout.pdf
http://www.utlib.ee/ekollekt/diss/mag/2005/b17555073/rummel.pdf
http://www.wwj.org.nz/exex.php#00026

INTUIT

Ruben Comadina Granson (University of Groningen):

contact

A.R.O.Comadina.Granson@rug.nl