METAPHORS AND PROTOTYPES IN THE LEARNING TEACHING OF GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY

Grammar and vocabulary are essential components of all language courses yet they are difficult to teach and time consuming to learn. This paper discusses the metaphoric and prototypical aspects of prepositions, adjectives and other word forms and considers how these may contribute to improved grammar and vocabulary learning. The central position of metaphor in the structure of language, its role in the development of new concepts and its cognitive functions provide associative networks which link phrasal verbs, prepositions and adjectives on the basis of semantic categories. These could be activated to simplify and accelerate the learning tasks of ESL/EFL students.