Publisher's Synopsis
Based on the same research which produced the "Collins COBUILD English Language Dictionary" this three level course taking adult learners from false beginner level to pre-First Certificate focuses on everyday English. Each level covers about 100 hours of class work.;The "Collins COBUILD English Course" has a new language syllabus - a lexical syllabus. Unlike traditional syllabuses, this lexical syllabus starts from a description of real language. COBUILD research has established that the 700 most frequent words of English account for 70% of all English text. The most frequent 1500 words make up 76% of text and a total of 2500 words constitute 80% of all spoken and written English. In taking these 2500 words, and their meanings as core items, this syllabus offers genuine coverage of the most central and typical patterns of English.;The task based methodology provides a motivating context in which the learner is encouraged to communicate in English. Early oral and written tasks are very simple, so learners can readily achieve task objectives in English.;Each level of the course comprises the following components: (1) Student's Book - in full colour throughout. Sections are numbered sequentially through the book, facilitating cross-referencing between the sections and the Practice Book. A special transcript booklet of the unscripted recordings is included at the back which can be pulled out for easy reference. (2) Practice Book - further reading and writing exercises for use in or out of class. (3) Teacher's Book - interleaved with pages from the Student's Book Teaching notes incorporate full answer keys and complete transcripts. (4) Cassettes - a balance of scripted and unscripted material.;Level 3 covers a further 950 words than the first two levels taking students to pre-First Certificate level. There is an added emphasis on the written form of the language reflecting the need for exam related study. The Dictionary Skills and Dictionary Extracts sections develop learners' ability to use a monolingual dictionary effectively. A wide variety of reading texts provides experience of the kinds of tasks the students is likely to meet outside the classroom and feature a short story by Roald Dahl. The unscripted material includes extensive interviews with a contemporary folk group and a BBC foreign correspondent. Review sections at the end of units provide extra practice material. Every sixth unit is a revision unit.
