Elaboration : what, how and for what purposes ?

الملخص EN

Comprehending information in a foreign language requires adequate knowledge of language aspects.

Therefore, limited knowledge of different language aspects may result in hindrance of comprehending the foreign language.

Moreover, teachers use different strategies to present more comprehensible input which is particularly considered significant area in language teaching and learning.

Following that, Elaboration is considered as one of the strategies of modification for the purpose of enhancing input comprehension to achieve successful learning.

It is based on providing extra information or paraphrasing to clarify the meaning of unfamiliar language items.

The present study aims at clarifying what elaboration is, explaining how it is done, and discussing its features and the purposes behind using it.

This may be achieved through a theoretical research on the topic and the aspects related to it.

The research ends with the conclusion that elaboration strategy has a positive effect on enhancing and triggering comprehension and acquisition of a second or foreign language.

Moreover, it is suggested that it can be safely incorporated and adopted in teaching and learning English as a foreign language in different areas, especially reading comprehension and vocabulary acquisition.