COLLOCATIONS have the potential to differentiate native speakers from non-native ones clearly (Nation, 2001). Many studies have explored the effect of different teaching techniques on COLLOCATIONS in the context of concordancing. The present study investigated the influence of concordancing and scaffolding on Iranian intermediate English learners’ use of high CV and low CV COLLOCATIONS. Three experimental groups received a 10-session treatment during which the participants had access to concordancing under symmetrical, asymmetrical, and no-scaffolding conditions. The control group, however, received neither concordancing nor scaffolding. Two parallel sets of story writing and paraphrasing tasks were given in the immediate and delayed posttests to measure the influence of the treatments. Results indicated that the experimental groups outperformed the control group significantly in producing high CV and low CV COLLOCATIONS. However, no statistically significant difference was observed between high CV and low CV COLLOCATIONS as a result of concordancing and scaffolding.

Background and Objectives: In order to identify acutely infected blood donors before seroconversion and to reduce the potential risk of transfusion-associated hepatitis C, the detection of HCV RNA by NAT has therefore been introduced recently in several developed countries. In this study, the molecular screening of HCV RNA among anti-HCV negative blood donors was carried out in Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization Research Center, Tehran.Materials and Methods: Eight thousand samples negative for anti-HCV (EIA, third generation) were screened for HCV RNA in 25 mini-pools. A total of 320 mini-pools were tested using RT-PCR method for qualitative detection of HCV RNA, with a lower limit of detection of 200 IU/ml.Results: All samples tested by RT-PCR method were negative for HCV RNA. On initial testing, two false positive results were defined as positive but on repeat single testing they came out to be negative.Conclusions: HCV RNA detection by PCR can be carried out routinely without any significant delay in release of blood components. The residual risk of transmission can be reduced by identification of early infection which can lead to an improvement in safety of blood components. It was also shown that combined screening using anti-HCV and 25-mini-pool HCV RNA testing can be both useful and cost-effective.

Combining words appropriately in a target language is one of the most difficult tasks for foreign/second language learners. By contrast, native speakers have extensive knowledge about which words should be used together, and they can accurately form the combinations of diverse words. Such knowledge is one of the vital competencies of native speakers. These combinations of words are referred to as “collocation”.The proper use of COLLOCATIONS is crucial to sound like a native speaker, yet it is not so easy for non-native speakers of a Target language. Therefore, they should be taught systematically. However, “it is largely unclear how and which COLLOCATIONS should be taught”. Errors in vocabulary use can be caused by the differences between learners’ L1 and target language.It is helpful for learners to be aware of the causes of possible errors while learning COLLOCATIONS. This article has an attempt to introduce COLLOCATIONS which are likely to cause learners to make errors due to differences their L1 and target language.

Collocation is the utilization of two or more words, often with a high frequency, with one another, provided that the frequency should be significant enough in order not to be labeled accidental. This linguistic phenomenon has been attracting several translation scholars contemporarily; stimulating them to closely scrutinize and observe the translation of these COLLOCATIONS in different books. This study, with the help of a descriptive and analytical method, aims to study these adjectival and genitive collocation and its translations in the Holy Quran. In the first place, 55 adjectival and genitive COLLOCATIONS from the Quran and its ten contemporary translations were extracted which were later criticized and analyzed. The results of the study indicate that the translation ignorance of these Quranic COLLOCATIONS, as units of translations, have not only brought about various translations of the same COLLOCATIONS, but also has lead to the emergence of the same form of translation of various COLLOCATIONS with different meanings. In conclusion, some suggestions to remove these challenges have been offered. For instance, prefabricated equivalences for these COLLOCATIONS could be prepared to be referenced to in order to come up with translations which are along the same lines.

COLLOCATIONS are a pervasive feature of many languages and English seems to be particularly rich in such multi-word lexemes. They have not been a major focus of teaching and research, however, despite the fact that learners have serious problems with the production of idiomatically correct language. The present study, therefore, aimed at finding out the problems of high proficiency level Iranian learners of English with English COLLOCATIONS. The study had two phases. In phase 1, about 2400 pages of materials produced (in English) by 27 subjects were carefully studied and a list of collocational errors were extracted. The list was then analyzed and five patterns were found. In phase II, six cued production tasks were developed which were given to 64 subjects. Results showed that Iranian advanced learners of English do have serious problems with English COLLOCATIONS (about 55 percent of the time). The results of the present study can have theoretical and pedagogical implications for syllabus designers, teachers, and translators.

In this paper, we are suggesting a website, which we have calledColloNet, for explaining lexical COLLOCATIONS based on frame semantics. It is going to be connected to Frame Net that is a network drawing frames of lexemes. This network not only helps us comprehend the nature of COLLOCATIONS, but also is an introduction to more computational linguistics researches. We have considered the word ‘dast’ to explain different functions and applications of this website. The data are collected from two Persian corpora: Bijan Khan and Persian Database. A descriptive-comparative-analytic approach has been used to compare and analyze the frames, in which the collocates, the base and the whole construction are being defined. Consequently, by comparing frames and analyzing the relations between elements, we can not only understand the type of collocation (such as simple, metaphoric or metonymic), but also obtain some information regarding historical, political, social and cultural motivations behind COLLOCATIONS.