My Busy Day: talking with ELT writer Bernard Miles
You’ll know Bernard Miles from his ‘English Express’ workbook and website. His latest resource, ‘My Busy Day’ , is also for beginners, and it’s all about different jobs. When I tried ‘The Barista’ in my Course in EAL class, it was a perfect level! While some words were completely new for learners (like customer, serve, wipe), they picked them up really … Continue reading
New: ESL Word Search Plus: Post-Beginner
Announcing a second book of word search puzzles: ESL Word Search Plus: Post-Beginner. Why puzzles? Well, many of us have discovered the calming nature of activities that need focus plus a certain level of repetition: jigsaws, knitting, puzzles of any kind – and word puzzles have extra value for our students because they require focus on the composition of words. … Continue reading
Workwise English Quizzes: some more ‘extra’ English
Workwise English Quizzes: mp4 videos on USB The latest ‘ESL Extras’ product isn’t a book – it’s Workwise English Quizzes. This is a set of 20 short quizzes – created as Keynote slideshows, then saved as mp4 videos. The questions all have a ‘workwise’ context, though they’re also ‘useful English’ for any new arrival. To give students enough reading and discussion … Continue reading
More Australian Grammar from Helga Burry
Back in 2016, I talked to Helga Burry about her first book: Let’s Connect: An Australian ESL Grammar Workbook. It’s been a little wait, but at last, Let’s Connect: Book 2 has just come out, so I thought I’d interview Helga and ask her about the new book. (Full disclosure: I saw a draft during her writing process, but only saw … Continue reading
Real Grammar: a chat with Carl Eldridge
In this post, a chat about Real Grammar (out last year) with author Carl Eldridge: Carl, I know you were wanting to create something different from the usual grammar books. What has the reaction been to Real Grammar? The reaction has been great. Students tell me they finally understand how grammar works and can now make their own sentences with confidence. Which … Continue reading