Improve Your English: English in Everyday Life (DVD w/ Book): Hear and see how English is actually spoken--from real-life speakers [Paperback]

Stephen Brown (Author), Ceil Lucas (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 007149717X | ISBN-13: 978-0071497176 | Publication Date: September 12, 2008 | Edition: 1

A revolutionary new DVD that teaches you practical English using real conversations

Improve Your English: English in Everyday Life combines the video advantages of DVDs with the educational benefits of fluent American English speakers in unscripted interviews. You will benefit from hearing real people--men and women from various regions and backgrounds--having spontaneous conversations about themselves and their daily lives. The DVD also has a transcript and workbook designed to refine your listening and speaking skills.

Includes one 120-minute DVD.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Stephen E. Brown is an experienced developer of multimedia language programs in a variety of languages.

Ceil Lucas is a sociolinguist and professor of linguistics at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (September 12, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 007149717X
• ISBN-13: 978-0071497176
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #24,326 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars English in everyday life, April 6, 2009

By 

Pilar Pinar - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Improve Your English: English in Everyday Life (DVD w/ Book): Hear and see how English is actually spoken--from real-life speakers (Paperback)

This book and DVD program provide teachers and students with an exquisitely rich array of real English language materials, the kind of language that English learners will come across outside the classroom in a real world setting. The program includes a series of interviews with both native and proficient non-native English speakers reflecting the variety of accents, dialects, vocabulary, and registers that are normally found in real communication situations within a diverse society. It is refreshing to see the inclusion of ethnic and linguistic groups whose dialects have traditionally been left out of English-teaching materials. The topics of the interviews are interesting and have contemporary relevance. The book includes transcriptions of the video interviews as well as glossaries explaining idiomatic expressions and cultural references. These materials could be used as the primary texts in a language course or as complementary texts in other types of courses, such as a conversation or a culture course.

14 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars If You're Having Trouble Sleeping, This Book Is For You, October 26, 2008

By 

Mae B. Leumas "Maybe" (Hollywood, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Improve Your English: English in Everyday Life (DVD w/ Book): Hear and see how English is actually spoken--from real-life speakers (Paperback)

Improve Your English: English in Everyday Life (DVD w/ Book) (Improve Your English)

I'm not really sure what I was expecting when I ordered this dvd & book set for a friend, but this isn't it. What you get is a dvd full of people talking, in the most mind-numbingly dull fashion, on the most gruelingly uninteresting subjects imaginable. It is much like watching the worst public access cable program, from a town you don't live in or care about, if the said show were to have an accompanying text that also had a glossary. I think that a person could get just as much out of watching boring television, with closed-captioning, and referring to a dictionary. This product has a sedative side effect.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars English in Everyday Life, April 1, 2009

By 

A Reviewer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Improve Your English: English in Everyday Life (DVD w/ Book): Hear and see how English is actually spoken--from real-life speakers (Paperback)

I was astonished to see how different the written words of natural spoken slang are from what we normally read. This book is extremely insightful and helpful to anyone that might not know how to express themselves in a more natural tongue. The book exposes how English is actually spoken and does an excellent job of pointing out and defining phrases that everyday speakers are not even aware they use. This can be critical for someone that doesn't know the language to understand the meaning and inflection behind the conversation.