English As A Foreign Language Book

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London Times

84 pages      ISBN 978-0-9549538-4-3 2011      £17.95

London Times has been written principally for foreign language students who are coming to England to improve their language skills and to visit some of the well-known tourist attractions.

The book has some thirty hours of materials and can be used either on its own or to supplement a course book. Students coming to Britain have a very wide range of English – from beginners with a very limited vocabulary who have perhaps never spoken the language, all the way up to those who are looking to improve their already competent reading and speaking skills. There is something for everybody here. The pictures and picture sudokus, for example, will provide material to encourage even the most basic beginner to speak, whilst the four texts and the following exercises will consolidate and extend the vocabulary of more advanced learners.

At all levels, the students should aim to use the language that is met, rather than simply to recognize it. Throughout the book they can do this by repeating new words and phrases in different contexts.

The book is divided into two parts:

Part One presents four themes:

Henry VIII and his Six Wives, Mary I and Elizabeth I,
The Life and Times of Queen Victoria, The Monarchy in the Twentieth Century

The focus is on the characters themselves rather than the political background of the respective periods. Although the four themes are arranged chronologically, there is no need to follow this order. Indeed, with limited time in England, students may wish to concentrate on the fourth topic, the Monarchy in the Twentieth Century.

Each theme comes with a similar range of grammatical exercises plus crosswords, sudokus and word searches, thus offering considerable scope for reinforcement from one text to the next.

On their return home from England, students will be able to work their way through the other texts and exercises, providing not only further practice on what has already been covered but also memories of their time in England.

Part Two covers the popular attractions of London and the south-east. It provides brief background information for students who may otherwise have to rely on the often indistinct words of the guide or teacher in a crowded street. Readers will be encouraged to read the relevant texts by the London Quiz and London Crossword.