Author(s): Susan Boyer

English 2nd language

The 'Understanding Spoken English - a focus on everyday language in context' series is an excellent English teaching resource designed to help students of English understand spoken language as it is encountered in everyday business and social situations in English speaking environments around the world. In addition to helping students to discover the meaning of many widely used everyday expressions, this English teaching resource provides valuable information about the social and business conventions of spoken English such as, changing the topic of conversation, agreeing and disagreeing politely, checking meaning, giving feedback and making 'small talk'. Features of English pronunciation are also examined within the context of complete conversations. The accompanying audio recordings present speakers with a variety of English accents from around the world, including North America, Australia and South Africa, as well a variety of British English accents. Information about the notable differences in pronunciation between different varieties of spoken English is provided. This English teaching resource material is recommended for individual study (as answers to all exercises are included), or as a supplementary class text to provide valuable listening practice and analysis of English as it is spoken around the world. The material will also assist students with learning English grammar.