 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Book Reviews Archive
In
Company In Company
fulfils its claim to ‘reflect the real world of modern
business’. Twenty self-contained units cyclically allow
learners to discuss relevant business topics, for example time
management and cultural awareness, and to increase their
communicative competence in social situations. There is a focus
on using e-mail and telephoning, as well as on the core language
needed for meetings, including making presentations and
negotiating. As
is to be expected from Mark Powell, the author of Business
Matters (LTP), a lexical syllabus is integrated into the course,
focusing among other things on useful collocations – essential
components of much business language.
The
section at the back – grammar links – offers a traditional
grammar syllabus as a handy reference for learners. There’s an
accompanying cassette/CD which provides a range of native and
non-native speaker accents. Particularly
praiseworthy is the useful presentation template; this works
beautifully as an aide-memoire for intermediate students
struggling to express themselves. The
design of the book is clear and appealing. Graphics and
photographs combine with text to give an upbeat feel to what is
sure to become a useful addition to fast-paced business English
courses. EL
Gazette, July 2002. Review by Pete Sharma. In Company
At long last a business English
course book that is not just another look-alike. And in Mark
Powell, we know we have a book written by an author who knows
what is needed in the business English classroom as well as how
to put it across. In Company is the first book in a new
multi-level business English course for professionals. It is the
perfect short course for the intermediate level student where a
new approach had been long overdue. In twenty units (40-50
hours) the course progresses through all aspects of everyday
business communication, including e-mail. There is everything
from small talk and information exchange to presentations and
negotiations. But this is a book for back office staff as well
as up-front business personnel.
The units are organised into
talking points, networking, desk work and meetings as
appropriate. There is a wide range of interesting and
stimulating activities relevant to the real business world. The
approach is a healthy blend of primarily skills-based, seasoned
with lexical and communicative elements. Great attention is paid
to lexis and word building and learning selected lexical chunks.
Grammar is highlighted in the activities, but does not
constitute a part of the units. Instead there are 15 grammar
links corresponding to the fifteen skills-based units which
underline the usage of tense, aspect, modality, conditionality,
etc. as well as tenor and register. The audio material
(cassettes and CDs) is excellent. The English is close to
authentic, the recordings natural, and a wide range of native
and non-native accents are included. All the important lexis is
highlighted in the tapescripts provided in the students book.
But I have saved the best bit
till last. The teacher’s book by Helena Gomm is written for
teachers. This is what a teacher’s book should look like –
publishers please take note! For the inexperienced teacher there
is full support and explanation of the activities and how to
work with and exploit the material. There are suggestions for
extension activities and a set of photocopiable resource
materials written by a number of authors including Mark Powell.
For the experienced teacher the layout of the teachers book is
perfect. The answers can be seen at a glance, leaving the
teacher free to concentrate on the students and not on doing the
exercise. It is just so easy to work with! In Company
will eventually be available at 4 levels. Pre-intermediate will
be available this autumn and Elementary and Upper Intermediate
in 2003. The most widely needed level, Intermediate, has been
published first. It should be on the shelf of every teacher of
professional English. It is about how to do business in English
– not just talk about it. Review by
Ann Claypole, Teacher Trainer, Germany. English Teaching
Matters, September 2002.
In Company Macmillan
have made a hugely impressive return to the Business English
market with the publication of the brilliant new coursebook ‘In
Company’. Written
by Mark Powell (well-known author of Business Matters from LTP),
In Company appeals both through its interesting choice of topics
and the wide variety of activities for presenting and practising
new language. The
student’s book contains 20 units firmly planted in the world
of business (telephoning, business trips, being heard in
meetings, solving problems etc.) and these
are divided into 4 main categories: Talking Points (discussions
of controversial business issues), Networking (developing
fluency in social situations), Desk Work (telephoning, e-mails,
business correspondence) and Meetings (developing key skills
such as keeping track, checking, interrupting, negotiating).
The
varied methodology and the different ways of approaching
activities that are at the heart of today’s business world
make In Company a highly motivating, interesting and lively
coursebook. At
the back of the student’s book the Grammar and Lexis files
provide comprehensive grammar presentation and practise plus new
vocabulary which doubles the lexical input. The listenings (with
tapescripts) include lots of different accents. The
teacher’s book contains the whole of the student’s book in
addition to the teacher’s notes and extra photocopiable
material for every unit. In
Company really is a great success! La
Lettre Professionelle d'Attica ELT, May 2002 Uncovering
Grammar In
common with other books in the Teacher Development Series,
Uncovering Grammar is written in a direct and personal way; the
author’s voice and his conviction clearly emerge as he engages
with the reader, making extensive use of original and colourful
metaphor, analogy, and anecdote to argue his case. Thornbury is
a master of style and rhetoric, and although he makes extensive
references to research, lapses into an academic register are
refreshingly rare in his treatment of this topic… Read
the book. You may disagree with Thornbury…but, like language,
teaching is a complex system, with aspects of ‘dynamic’, ‘non-linear’,
‘adaptive’, feedback-sensitive’, and self-organising’
(p.48)…the book, like a good teacher (trainer), will help your
own construct of learning and teaching to ‘emerge’. ELT
Journal, April 2002
Macmillan
English Dictionary
The key to learning the English
language is recognising the 7,500 words that Macmillan have
identified as being essential in order to speak and write
fluently.
Although the English language
is made up of over one million individual words, 90% of all
written and spoken text consists of 7,500. The MACMILLAN ENGLISH
DICTIONARY highlights these vital 7,500 in red, encouraging
learners to swiftly grasp the core words necessary to speak and
write fluently. The MACMILLAN ENGLISH
DICTIONARY clearly identifies productive and receptive
vocabulary, recognising that there is a distinction between
words necessary to learn and those that will appear but not be
used frequently. The useful vocabulary, commonly known as ‘productive’,
is treated in detail with information about its use,
collocations and grammatical patterns as well as examples in
use. The remaining, less necessary words, known as 'receptive',
are dealt with in less detail, in order that learners will
recognise and understand them. More
reviews for Macmillan English Dictionary 'The
Macmillan English Dictionary is unbeatable with
up-to-date information on many cultural items. It does a great
job explaining differences between British and American
vocabulary. For reliable and easy-to-understand information
about hard words, reach for your Macmillan English
Dictionary. It's a great resource!' Dr.
Don McCrearey, University of Georgia, USA 'Clear
layout and excellent coverage ... the central idea is that users
don't want long definitions with unnecessary grammar and usage
details when they look up a word while reading, but do need lots
of information about meaning and behaviour when they use a
dictionary to speak and write.' Dr.
Hilary Nesi, University of Warwick, UK 'Very
attractive ... As the idea of using a lexical syllabus spreads,
the Macmillan English Dictionary is the ideal tool for
giving students plenty of information on grammar and
vocabulary.' Sara
Walker, Brazilian Diplomatic Academy, Brazil 'The
menus for the long entries are a real strength - they make it
much easier to find one's way around an entry; the metaphor help
notes are novel and very useful for vocabulary building, and the
feature, 'Other ways of saying', is exceptionally valuable for
learners who need to write and speak English.' Prof.
Michael Hoey, University of Liverpool, UK 'I
very much like the way core vocabulary has been presented, which
will help teachers to organize materials and lessons, and
students to prioritize items for study. I will certainly
recommend it to my students as the monolingual dictionary best
suited to their needs as university learners.' Prof.
Kevin Mark, Meiji University, Japan 'What
is immediately striking to the reader is just how clear and
attractive each page appears to the eye. It makes it so easy to
find one's way around.' Adrian
Underhill, teacher trainer, UK 'Students
will particularly welcome the clear layout and the wealth of
information about how words behave in company.' Susan
Maingay, teacher trainer, UK 'It
is the first time that an English monolingual learner dictionary
provides separate treatment of words for decoding and encoding
purposes, and I believe EFL learners will find the dictionary
extremely valuable and companionable.' Amy
Chi, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology 'The
usage information is especially helpful, as are the plentiful
lists of synonyms and collocational information.' Jane
Magee, University of St. Andrews, Scotland 'Extremely
user-friendly. The definitions are clear and concise. The
examples are informative and interesting.' Susan
Stempleski, City University of New York, USA Children
Learning English Children
bring to their English lessons many special characteristics and
a natural curiosity about the world. Using examples from
teachers in may different situations around the world Children
Learning English suggests ways that teachers can observe
this and apply their experience to the classroom.
Reviews for Children Learning English ... I
have rarely come across a book that is so readable. The book is also
visually stimulating and inviting to Mina
Patel, The British Council, Sri Lanka It's lovely to see so much great new
material all collected together and put on the page with such
imagination, just crying out to be used. ...
a superb new intermediate course for young adults who really want to use
English to communicate and get somewhere in the real world. The topics
and approach chosen is extremely fresh and lively, and it would be a
pleasure to use this material with my students. The course is fleshed
out with the teacher's resource pack, making our jobs even easier.
The course is resoundingly
communicative, with students being encouraged to put their own input
into the TEFL Farm Reasoned and presented with great
clarity and with helpful illustrations , this book compares with a slim
volume of all one's most tried and trusted teaching recipes - a worthwhile
teaching resource for both voice and language coaches alike. Voice Matters Newsletter This is a thought-provoking book
teaching an extremely neglected yet vital element of the teacher's
armoury - the voice. This approach is lively and personal, and will
appeal to the teacher with real enthusiasm and a drive for self-improvement on various fronts, as well as a desire to try
something quite different, both in and out of TEFL Farm Business
Grammar Builder The
layout and design of this grammar is quite sober, but what a
wealth of exercises including citations from the financial press
and authentic documents! 50
grammar points are dealt with in total. Each grammar point has 2
pages of presentation with examples followed by 2 pages of
exercises (there is an answer key at the back of the book). In
addition there are 16 tests, 5 pages of extra information
(irregular verbs, American English spellings) and an audio CD
for 52 of the exercises (news bulletins, business conversations
etc.) A nice little extra is a list of 66 internet sites of
English-language financial newspapers and business Designed
for intermediate students and above, Business Grammar Builder
will improve your grammar ….. and business! The
photocopiable "Business Builder" teacher’s resource
books provide the teacher with a whole series of supplementary
activities divided into 9 modules and 3 separate books. La
Lettre Professionelle d'Attica ELT, May 2002
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Terms and Conditions |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
