pattern practice

Save This Word!

noun

(in foreign-language learning) a technique for practicing a linguistic structure in which students repeat a sentence or other structure, each time substituting a new element, such as a new verb, as directed by the teacher, or transforming the original structure, as in changing a statement to a question.

Also called pattern drill . a drill using this technique.

QUIZ

ALL IN FAVO(U)R OF THIS BRITISH VS. AMERICAN ENGLISH QUIZ

There's an ocean of difference between the way people speak English in the US vs. the UK. Are your language skills up to the task of telling the difference? Let's find out!

Question 1 of 7

True or false? British English and American English are only different when it comes to slang words.

true

false

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

How to use pattern practice in a sentence

And in so many of these events, the pattern of “blame the victim” was quickly in evidence.
In 2015, Let’s Try for More Compassion|Gene Robinson|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Prince may have pranced around like a carefree libertine onstage, but in rehearsal he was more drill sergeant than sprite.
Speed Read: The Juiciest Bits From the History of ‘Purple Rain’|Jennie Yabroff|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I would have told them, ‘Do not get into a pattern in which you’re intimidated by these kinds of criminal attacks.
Should the U.S. Really Pay a Kim’s Ransom?|Kevin Bleyer|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As I forced my exhausted body to exercise, I yelled at my legs like a drill sergeant, demanding five more minutes or one more set.
You’re Never ‘Cured’ of an Eating Disorder|Carrie Arnold|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST

For example, studies cited in the report have shown a higher incidence of birth defects for people living near drill sites.
New York’s Conservative Fracking Ban|Jay Michaelson|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The noise of the hammer is always in his ears, and his eye is upon the pattern of the vessel he maketh.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
Her eye fastened on a circular portion of the wall-paper pattern, and she felt that the whole room was revolving about her.
Hilda Lessways|Arnold Bennett
His drill-like nose, his powerful fore-legs and big, strong feet all served to make him the fastest digger in Pleasant Valley.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey
Antonius and Hieronymus conjointly built a number of large pattern violins, which are of high finish and beautiful wood.
Violins and Violin Makers|Joseph Pearce
It is a matter of regret that some one pattern has not been agreed on by all the builders concerned.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building|George Laing Miller