On collocations in ELF textbooks for B2 learners

The aim of this study is to determine whether the vocabulary sections in the four chosen modern EFL upper - intermediate coursebooks reflect the achievements of contemporary findings on the role of collocations in SLA. The study seeks to establish if these textbooks include middle - strength collocations, which pose the most difficulty for L2 learners, and to determine which of the four textbooks contain most of them. The paper provides an overview of the definitions of a collocation including its distinguishable criteria. It further elaborates on the reasons why a lack of collocational awareness prevents even advanced users of English, from achieving native speaker mastery and discusses collocations that are the most challenging to acquire. For the purpose of the study, Benson, Benson and Ilson's as well as Lewis's collocations' categorizations are applied.