Matching headings test 1

 
 
 
TEST 52 
Questions 1-7. Match the following headings (A-H) to the texts (Q1-Q7). 
Note: There is one extra heading which you do not need to use. 
 
 
HEADINGS: 
A) New method of research 
B) Non-verbal content 
C) The first study of spoken language 
D) Traditional lexicographical methods 
E) New phrases enter dictionary 
F) A cooperative research project 
G) Accurate word frequency counts 
H) Alternative expressions provided 
Q1.
The compiling of dictionaries has been historically the provenance of studious professorial types - usually 
bespectacled - who love to pore over weighty tomes and make pronouncements on the finer nuances of 
meaning. They were probably good at crosswords and definitely knew a lot of words, but the image was 
always rather dry and dusty. The latest technology is revolutionising the content of dictionaries and the 
way they are put together. 
Q2.
For the first time, dictionary publishers are incorporating real, spoken English into their data. It gives 
lexicographers (people who write dictionaries) access to a more vibrant, up-to-date language which has 
never really been studied before. In one project, 150 volunteers each agreed to tie a Walkman recorder to 
their waist and leave it running for anything up two weeks. Every conversation they had was recorded. 
When the data was collected, the length of tapes was 35 times the depth of the Atlantic Ocean. Teams of 
audio typists transcribed the tapes to produce a computerized database of ten million words. 
Q3.
This has been the basis - along with an existing written corpus - for the Language Activator dictionary, 
described by lexicographer Professor Randolph Quirk as “the book of world has been waiting for.” It 
shows advanced foreign learners of English how the language is really used. In the dictionary, key words 
such as ‘eat’ are followed by related phrases such as ‘wolf down’ or ‘be a picky eater’, allowing the student 
to choose the appropriate phrase. 
Q4.
“This kind of research would be impossible without computers,” said Delia Summers, a director of 
dictionaries. “It has transformed the way lexicographers work. If you look at the word ‘like’, you may 
intuitively think that the first and most frequent meaning is the verb, as in ‘I like swimming’. It is not. It is 
the preposition, as in ‘she walked like a duck.” Just because a word or phrase is used doesn’t mean it ends 
up in a dictionary. The sifting out process is as vital as ever. But the database does allow lexicographers to 
search for a word and find out how frequently it is used - something that could only be guessed at 
intuitively before. 

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