High-frequency English Words in Spoken Learner Language: Actual, career and pretend as a Case in Point

Scholars such as Meara (1995), , Schmitt (2000), or Nation (2001) emphasise the importance of high-frequency words in language learning. Although studies on high-frequency words are relatively common in the scholarly literature, there is a need for research on the use of these key words in spoken learner language. The present corpus-based study analyses three high-frequency English words, namely actual, career and pretend, in the spoken production of Spanish learners with a view to identifying the students’ knowledge, difficulties and needs regarding these core terms. The results of this survey reveal some linguistic problems which should be addressed in EFL contexts.