Reference Books for a Variety of Learning Objectives

As a student of English, it can be difficult to know what reference books are out there. Walking into a bookstore and seeing shelves upon shelves of English textbooks, dictionaries, and reference books can be overwhelming. Asking a clerk for advice can help at times, but more often than not, if the clerk doesn't know English herself or has never been an English language learner, she probably isn't the right person to ask. Teachers can provide ideas of where to look for references that might help, but sometimes teachers themselves are overwhelmed or unprepared to recommend books outside of their level. To help sort it out, we have compiled a short list of reference books pertaining to very specific learning needs.

Giving presentations in English
If you have to give a presentation in English but are unsure of what presentation style is appropriate, Presentations in English by Erica J. Williams will be a good place to start (the book is not published yet). This book will help you work through some of the steps to presenting in English, helping you find your own unique presentation style. It is appropriate for self-learners, but may also be used for classroom activities. The books offers not only presentation skills and tips, but helpful language. A DVD is also available, showing different presentation techniques, and using real students as they work through the course. It is intended for levels Intermediate to Advanced (B2 to C1 on the Common European Framework).

Another option is Mark Powell's Presenting in English - How to Give Successful Presentations (1996). This book focuses on the rhetoric of public speaking as well as techniques for handling audiences. A drawback to this book versus the one above is that there is no DVD, and the audio is still in cassette form.

Writing emails in English
Email English by Paul Emmerson is the perfect resource for business students who need practice writing effective emails in English. It is ideal for self-study, but may also be adapted for the classroom. It includes a Phrase Book with functional phrases commonly used in business and formal emails. It also deals with the informality of emails, teaching students how to switch from formal to informal and providing practical knowledge like knowing when one style is more appropriate than another. Intended for Intermediate to Upper Intermediate students (B1 - B2 on the Commom European Framework), this resource is ideal for anyone wanting to learn the "fine art" of email writing.

Improving reading comprehension
Reading the News by Pete Sharma (2007) is a good resource for students preparing for international exams such as the TOEFL®, TOIEC®, or IELTS®. Students get practice reading authentic news items while learning more about contemporary global issues. It is a great place to start for getting practice outside of the classroom. It includes a special section focusing on journalistic writing conventions, intended to help students become more familiar with newspaper style. An audio CD is also available.

Focusing on grammar tenses
For students who would like to improve their use of grammar tenses, Tense Situations - Tenses in Contrast and Context by Pamela Hartmann, Annette Zarian, and Patricia Esparaza (1998) is the book for you! This text works through the different grammar tenses in English, comparing and contrasting them through a variety of oral and written exercises. Pictures supplement the grammatical explanations, providing a visual representation of how and when certain tenses are used.

Better pronunciation
Heinle Online Speaking Labs taps into this amazing resource that we all have at our fingertips: the Internet. Through speech-recognition technology, students receive immediate, visual feedback on their speaking sessions. Speaking Labs are available for all levels. Unfortunately, at the moment it appears to be available only for language labs for schools and universities, but maybe someday in the future this program will also be avaiable for students studying from home!

Chat with a Robot and Practice Your English

Do you want someone to chat with who has perfect English, is willing to chat at any time of the day and will never get tired of your questions? Try Dave E.S.L. Bot, a service that will give you a month of unlimited chat time for only $10. Dave's the perfect English partner to talk to and has tens of thousands of words in his vocabulary bank. (Remember to always check a web site before paying for a product - this one has not been tested by us. Still, it is a neat idea!)

There are other free robot chats online. Rong-chang.com has one. Oliverbot is free also. Splotchy is a bit quirky but will talk to you if your computer is set up properly. And jabberwacky will "learn" conversations and responses the more you use him, thus getting more and more intelligent as you chat. You can even choose his emotions and taint his reactions!

One added plus: you won't be able to make lifelong friends with these robots, but you never have to worry about cyber safety issues.

Letter Writing - A Vanishing Art Form

Do you use e-mail or "snail mail"? The last time I wrote a "real" letter was... well, a long time ago.
Does anyone write letters anymore?

Sometimes it is unavoidable, especially when corresponding formally to a university, job, or authority. But while e-mail is often informal and immediate, "snail mail" must be written a bit more formally. Before you go to the post office, look at the phrases below to be sure that you are using the correct degree of formality (or informality) in your next letter.

Formal
Thank you for your letter of (date) concerning...
I am writing to inquire about...
I am writing to inform you that...
I am pleased to inform you that...
I regret to inform you that...
I hope this information has been of use.
Please give my regards to (name of person).
Thank you for all you have done.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Informal
Thank you for your letter about...
I'm writing to ask about...
I'm writing to say that...
I'm pleased to say...
I'm sorry to tell you that...
I hope this has been useful. / I hope this helps.
Regards to (name of person).
Thanks for all your help.
Hope to hear from you soon.

Note that formality often depends on the verbs used, and that more formal language does not use contractions.

Taken from Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary, study pages.

Creating an English Learning Journal

Have you ever heard of "keeping a journal"? Have you ever used a journal in your own language? What exactly is a journal?

A journal is a small book or notebook where you write down your thoughts, your favorite things, your dreams and goals. You can write anything in a journal. Journals can be kept private or shared with others.

Keeping a journal in English can help you see how your English is improving, as well as where you’re still having problems. Journals are good for practicing your writing and they’re a nice way of communicating privately with your teacher.

Here are some ideas (called "prompts") for writing in your English learning journal . Complete these sentences every day in your journal to reflect on your progress.

1. “Today I learned……………………………………………”
2. “Today’s lesson was easy /difficult because………”
3. “The most fun/boring part of today’s lesson was…….”
4. “I like it when my teacher……………………………………….”
5. “I don't like it when my teacher……………………………….”
6. “I’m good at…………………………………………….……………”
7. “I need to improve…………………………………………………”
8. “To improve my English I want to do more…………………in class.”
9. “To improve my English I want to do more…………………at home.”

Go back to your journal often and look at what you wrote yesterday, last week, or last month.

Buy yourself a nice notebook and a good pen, and use them only for your English learning journal.