Vocabulary practice

Today, we’ll explore how our students can use generative AI (this time I’ll be trying Claude) to practice newly introduced vocabulary.

We can ask Claude to generate a list of lexical items related to sightseeing for instance. Here’s the prompt: I am an advanced learner of English and I want to learn vocabulary related to sightseeing. Can you provide some 20 interesting expressions related to sightseeing that one would typically find in an English as a Second Language coursebook series? Here are the results:

Certainly! Here’s a list of 20 interesting expressions related to sightseeing that you might find in an advanced English as a Second Language coursebook:

1. “Off the beaten path”
2. “Must-see attraction”
3. “Hidden gem”
4. “To take in the sights”
5. “Picture-perfect view”
6. “Tourist trap”
7. “To soak up the atmosphere”
8. “Jaw-dropping scenery”
9. “To get your bearings”
10. “To venture out”
11. “Guided tour”
12. “Self-guided excursion”
13. “To immerse oneself in the culture”
14. “Photogenic spot”
15. “To go on a walking tour”
16. “To beat the crowds”
17. “Panoramic vista”
18. “To tick something off your bucket list”
19. “To get a bird’s-eye view”
20. “To wander off the tourist trail”

Our next step could be to see how those expressions are used in sentences. We could narrow the list down to half of the items as there might be expressions we are already familiar with or there are some others we might not deem useful or relevant.

Can you provide full sentences with these expressions so that I can see what they mean in context? Do not provide examples for items 5, 11, 12, 13 and 17.

Certainly! I’ll provide full sentences with the expressions to show their meanings in context, excluding items 5, 11, 12, 13, and 17 as you requested. Here are the examples:

1. The Eiffel Tower is considered a must-see attraction in Paris.
2. To avoid the crowds, we decided to explore some areas that were off the beaten path.
3. While exploring the old town, we stumbled upon a hidden gem – a charming little café with the best pastries in the city.
4. We spent the afternoon taking in the sights of Rome, admiring its ancient architecture and vibrant street life.
5. Be careful not to fall for tourist traps; they often overcharge and provide inauthentic experiences.
6. We loved soaking up the atmosphere in the bustling markets of Marrakech.
7. The Grand Canyon offers jaw-dropping scenery that leaves visitors in awe.
8. It took us a while to get our bearings in the winding streets of Venice.
9. After settling into our hotel, we decided to venture out and explore the neighborhood.
10. The colorful houses of Burano make it an incredibly photogenic spot for travelers.
11. We decided to go on a walking tour of the historic district to learn more about the city’s past.
12. To beat the crowds, we arrived at the museum right when it opened.
13. Visiting the Great Wall of China allowed me to tick something off my bucket list.
14. The observation deck of the Empire State Building offers a bird’s-eye view of New York City.
15. Instead of following the typical tourist itinerary, we chose to wander off the tourist trail and discover local hangouts.

We could ask Claude to generate the same sentences again but replace the lexical items with gaps for initial practice or, for an extra challenge, type this prompt: Now based on these 15 expressions create fill in the gaps exercises, one sentence at a time leaving one blank and wait for my answer. Then tell me if I am correct or not. Then provide the next sentence and so on.

I’ll present one sentence at a time, wait for your answer, and then provide feedback before moving on to the next one. Let’s begin:

1. The Eiffel Tower is considered a – attraction in Paris.

Please provide your answer for the blank.

must-see

Correct! Well done. The full sentence is: “The Eiffel Tower is considered a must-see attraction in Paris.”

Let’s move on to the next one:

2. To avoid the crowds, we decided to explore some areas that were ____ the ______ _____.

Please fill in the blanks.

Next step is ask Claude to generate a longer text for me to practice. Here’s the prompt: Now I want you to create a text of around 100 words including about 5 of these 15 lexical items. Do not write the lexical items. Leave gaps for me to guess instead. Once I type the missing words, let me know if I am correct or not.

Certainly! I’ve created a text with 5 gaps for you to fill in. The missing words are from the list of expressions we’ve been working with. Here’s the text:

Our trip to Rome was unforgettable. We started by visiting the Colosseum, a true (1)_______ in the city. To escape the busy tourist areas, we ventured (2)_______ and discovered a charming neighborhood with local cafes. We spent hours (3)_______ of the eternal city, admiring its ancient ruins and lively streets. From the top of St. Peter’s Basilica, we enjoyed a spectacular (4)_______ of the entire city. On our last day, we joined a food tour, allowing us to (5)_______ of Rome’s culinary scene. It was the perfect way to end our Italian adventure.

Please provide your guesses for the five missing words or phrases, numbered 1 to 5.

I asked Claude to generate a list of lexical items for me but students could provide this material from lexical items seen in class or from units or book pages from their coursebook series. There are many things a learner of English could be doing with this amazing material. For starters, it can always be retrieved and revisited from Claude itself as prompts and conversations are kept in the conversation history. It can also be copied and pasted onto a Word or Google Doc document for, again, further practice. Digital flashcards can also be easily created (instructions in a later post). And ultimately students can grab pen and paper and keep track of this learning material to study and practice. After all, many scientific studies show that writing by hand is still the best way to retain information.