unergative verb n
an intransitive verb whose subject is an active participant, e.g. walk, run,
swim, work, sleep.
see also unaccusative verb
ungrammatical adj
see grammatical^1
unintentional unconscious memory n
see implicit memory
uninterrupted sustained silent writing n
a period in a writing or composition class in which a specified, relatively
short period of time is set aside for students to practise their writing without
interruption, usually in order to develop fluency in writing.
unit n
in a course or textbook, a teaching sequence that is normally longer than a
single lesson but shorter than a moduleand consists of a group of lessons
planned around a single instructional focus. A unit seeks to provide a struc-
tured sequence of activities that lead towards a learning outcome.
unit-credit system n
a language-learning system suggested by the European regional organiza-
tion The Council of Europe in connection with their threshold level.
In this system the objectives for a foreign language programme are
divided into portions or units. Each of these units represents a selection
of the learner’s language needs and is related to all the other units in the
programme.
If after successful completion of each unit the learners receive some sort
of official recognition, the system is known as a unit-credit system.
universal n
see language universal
universal grammar n
also UG
a theory which claims to account for the grammatical competence of every
adult no matter what language he or she speaks.
It claims that every speaker knows a set of principleswhich apply to all
languages and also a set of parameters that can vary from one language to
another, but only within certain limits.
universal grammar