Teachers of English need not only to have a good productive command of the language; they also need to know a good deal about the way the language works. This book asks: 'What is it that a teacher needs to know about English in order to teach it effectively?' It leads teachers to awareness of the language through a wide range of tasks which involve them in analysing English to discover its underlying system. The book consists of 28 units, each containing around ten tasks, plus a diagnostic introductory unit. Units start at phoneme level and progress through words, phrases and sentences on to complete texts. Task-types include recognition, categorisation, matching, explanation, and application tasks. Throughout the book, the language is illustrated wherever possible from authentic sources, so that the teacher can be sure that the English being studied represents current usage.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
'Scott Thornbury's book is a major contribution to this understanding, process and strategy. About Language is definitely a book worth recommending to all teachers, both those with considerable experience and novices.' Folia Linguistica Anglica, Poland, 1999
'The book provides a great wealth of ideas and strategies, for use in teacher development programs ... The author and the publisher are to be congratulated on the production of such a useful book, which will be a valuable addition to the professional libraries of teachers and teacher educators.' VATME Newsletter, 1997
'I would have given my right arm for this book when I first entered the world of EFL. There are plenty of books that discuss what and how we should teach, and we seem to be swimming in books on grammar . What we don't have, however, are books designed to ease the novice teacher into the intimidating world of EFL 'grammarese'. About Language fill this gap. It is about the tools of our job: syllabuses, rules, functions, notions texts, phonology, morphology, sentences, grammar, cohesion, conversation and more.' BBC English, 1997
'I really felt that I was reading a book that has been written by somebody actively involved in the profession.' BBC English, 1997
'The book targets teacher trainees - indeed has been extensively trialled with classes of student teachers - but is also of value to teachers in any developmental program, native and non-native speakers, senior staff preparing inservice seminars and teachers in self-study. I have used it in a 'grammar clinic' context and found it both lucid and effective.' ' ... this is probably not a book that one would slavishly follow from Unit One onwards, but rather one that allows a dip-into-according-to-current-need approach. Recognising this, the organisation of the book facilitates the reference process; it is a model of clarity, and its index is a welcome addition.' 'Thornbury knows as much about how people learn about their language as he does about the language of English.' EA Journal Volume 15 no 2
'The book provides a great wealth of ideas and strategies, for use in teacher development programs ... The author and the publisher are to be congratulated on the production of such a useful book, which will be a valuable addition to the professional libraries of teachers and teacher educators.' VATME Newsletter, 1997
'I would have given my right arm for this book when I first entered the world of EFL. There are plenty of books that discuss what and how we should teach, and we seem to be swimming in books on grammar . What we don't have, however, are books designed to ease the novice teacher into the intimidating world of EFL 'grammarese'. About Language fill this gap. It is about the tools of our job: syllabuses, rules, functions, notions texts, phonology, morphology, sentences, grammar, cohesion, conversation and more.' BBC English, 1997
'I really felt that I was reading a book that has been written by somebody actively involved in the profession.' BBC English, 1997
'The book targets teacher trainees - indeed has been extensively trialled with classes of student teachers - but is also of value to teachers in any developmental program, native and non-native speakers, senior staff preparing inservice seminars and teachers in self-study. I have used it in a 'grammar clinic' context and found it both lucid and effective.' ' ... this is probably not a book that one would slavishly follow from Unit One onwards, but rather one that allows a dip-into-according-to-current-need approach. Recognising this, the organisation of the book facilitates the reference process; it is a model of clarity, and its index is a welcome addition.' 'Thornbury knows as much about how people learn about their language as he does about the language of English.' EA Journal Volume 15 no 2
Book Description
This book raises the issue of what a teacher needs to know about English in order to teach it effectively. It leads teachers to awareness of the language through a wide range of tasks which involve them in analysing English to discover its underlying system.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Good book, smooth service,
By Hengda (NYC-Montreal) - See all my reviews
This review is from: About Language: Tasks for Teachers of English (Cambridge Teacher Training and Development) (Paperback)
A good solid book for teacher development. It was on the reading list for the Delta.
The product was in almost perfect condition, as advertised, and delivered on time, with no glitches.
5.0 out of 5 stars
About Language,
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This review is from: About Language: Tasks for Teachers of English (Cambridge Teacher Training and Development) (Paperback)
Scott Thornbury Cambridge University Press 16th printing 2010 The book will introduce you to the study of language, to terminology, methods, and theories. It will absorb you in thought about how you teach or would like to be teaching. There is more information in the keys than in the chapters. That's because you are looking through a series of tasks that will help you to receive all this input about being a teacher in these times. I have the book as a companion to a course called Language Awareness. This book will heighten your awareness of the language and your ability to be a better language teacher, no matter which language you teach.
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This review is from: About Language: Tasks for Teachers of English (Cambridge Teacher Training and Development) (Paperback)
I ordered this book on Sept.7. It is now Oct.10 and it still hasn't arrived, so my review is not going to be very positive in respect to customer service.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
This unit is designed to get you started, and invites you to consider some key issues related to the teaching of language - language being the operative word here - since the focus of this book is less on methodology than on the nature of language itself. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
sentence linkers, sensitise learners, first walking tour, dummy operator, hypothetical meaning, zero article, pedagogical rules, present perfect progressive, phrasal verbs, seal bark, language awareness, assertive form, tone unit, noun modifier, perfect aspect Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
The Cambridge English Course, Prime Minister, Think First Certificate, English Grammar, Pocket Encyclopedia, Small Family Business, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Carlyle Parts, Clint Eastwood, United States, Fast Forward, Headway Pre-Intermediate, Income Support Service, Intermediate Matters, New York, Activities Look, American English, Boomtown Rat, British Lions, Daily Mirror, Graham Greene, Harold Pinter, Headway Intermediate Pronunciation, Left My Grandfather's House, Oliver Stone New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
This unit is designed to get you started, and invites you to consider some key issues related to the teaching of language - language being the operative word here - since the focus of this book is less on methodology than on the nature of language itself. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
sentence linkers, sensitise learners, first walking tour, dummy operator, hypothetical meaning, zero article, pedagogical rules, present perfect progressive, phrasal verbs, seal bark, language awareness, assertive form, tone unit, noun modifier, perfect aspect Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
The Cambridge English Course, Prime Minister, Think First Certificate, English Grammar, Pocket Encyclopedia, Small Family Business, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Carlyle Parts, Clint Eastwood, United States, Fast Forward, Headway Pre-Intermediate, Income Support Service, Intermediate Matters, New York, Activities Look, American English, Boomtown Rat, British Lions, Daily Mirror, Graham Greene, Harold Pinter, Headway Intermediate Pronunciation, Left My Grandfather's House, Oliver Stone New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 70
books:
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1
book
cites this book:
- Small Family Business (Acting Edition) by Alan Ayckbourn on 8 pages
- English Grammar by Peter Collins on 7 pages
- Kingfisher Pocket Book: Encyclopedia Pb (Kingfisher pocket books) by Adrienne Jack on 6 pages
- Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot Mysteries) by Agatha Christie on 4 pages
- Flying Colours 3 Sb (No. 3) by Gre Garton-Sprenger on 4 pages
See all 70 books this book cites
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