There are three important types of multi-word items: phrasal verbs, fixed phrases, and idioms. Multi-word items present challenges in teaching foreign languages due to their variability, potential for errors, and because they operate together semantically rather than through simple composition. Effective pedagogical techniques include using short dialogues and choosing topics based on frequency, need and transparency to teach multi-word items.

1. Syntactic relationships
COLOCATIONS between elements in the
clause or sentence
A language user has
The idiom available a large number of
semi-pre constructed
principle phrases.
The open choice The result of a very large
principle number of complex
choices
Multi-word items, Sequence of Non-compositionality
two or more items.
Institutionalisation
There exist 3 important multi word
Fixedess
items.
There are different types of Multi-
words.
word items They operate together.
Phrasal Fixed- Prefabs
Compounds Idioms
verbs phrases
Pre-
The largest and Combination of It is a very General term to
constructed
most tangible verbs and complex cover a number
phrases which
group adverbials or group of Multi-word
are tied to
prepositional items.
discoursal
particles.
situations.

2. Traditions and
models
Semantic-based model
Syntax-based model
First generation: One
To examine lexis in a
million words Corpus evidence
more scientific and
Second generation: objective way.
Twenty million words
Variability British/American
Multi-word ítems are
presented as a problem Varying
in teaching a foreign Stylistic errors lexical
language component.
Pragmatic errors Unstable
verbs.
Truncati
Formal errors
on.
Transforma
tion.
Teaching multi-word ítems Pedagogical techniques
The use of short To choose topics
dialogues on the basis of
frecuency, need,
transparency etc.