This book investigates whether the integration of lexical phrases, or prefabricated language, provides a more effective pedagogical framework for teaching English than traditional grammar-based approaches. James R. Nattinger and Jeanette S. DeCarrico draw upon extensive research in psycholinguistics and discourse analysis to argue that language acquisition relies heavily on the storage and retrieval of multi-word units. They propose a structured program that shifts the focus from generative rules to the mastery of these functional lexical chunks to improve fluency and communicative competence.

Experts in applied linguistics recognize this work as a foundational text for the lexical approach to language teaching. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which serves as a rigorous resource for curriculum designers and language instructors.