Why is "night" spelled with "gh"? Why can't sentences end with prepositions? Why does English have so many words that express the same ideas? Questions like these can be difficult for teachers to answer when they do not know the historical background of the English language. "Why Is English Like That?" gives teachers a brief and accessible history of the English without assuming any prior knowledge of the subject.
The book outlines the historical events that shaped English; describes how its grammar, vocabulary, spelling, and pronunciation developed over time; and highlights the "quirks" and "exceptions" in English that can be explained on a historical basis. By understanding how the English of today evolved from the English of past times, both teachers and students will be more comfortable with the many conventions of the English language.
"Why Is English Like That?" also contains reproducible grammar and vocabulary exercises that will help teachers incorporate some of this historical knowledge into classroom activities. This book was written with English language teachers in mind, and the exercises are designed for ESL/EFL students, but it may also be used by teachers in training (L1 and L2).

An Introduction to Applied Linguistics provides a complete, authoritative and up-to-date overview of the state of the field. Divided into three sections covering: a description of language and language use; essential areas of enquiry; and language skills and assessment, the third edition of this highly successful textbook provides: * an introductory chapter which familiarises readers with key issues and recurrent themes; * 17 chapters offering extended surveys of central elements of applied linguistics; * two brand-new chapters on multilingualism and forensic linguistics; * re-written chapters on psycholinguistics, language learners, reading and assessment; * hands-on activities and further reading sections for each chapter, encouraging practical analysis and wider reading; * revised and updated references for every chapter. Co-edited by two leading international specialists, with its accessible style, broad coverage and practical focus, this book is ideal for students of applied linguistics, TESOL, and second language pedagogy, as well as practicing teachers and researchers wishing to update their knowledge.

An Introduction to Applied Linguistics provides a complete, authoritative and up-to-date overview of the state of the field. Divided into three sections covering: a description of language and language use; essential areas of enquiry; and language skills and assessment, the third edition of this highly successful textbook provides: * an introductory chapter which familiarises readers with key issues and recurrent themes; * 17 chapters offering extended surveys of central elements of applied linguistics; * two brand-new chapters on multilingualism and forensic linguistics; * re-written chapters on psycholinguistics, language learners, reading and assessment; * hands-on activities and further reading sections for each chapter, encouraging practical analysis and wider reading; * revised and updated references for every chapter. Co-edited by two leading international specialists, with its accessible style, broad coverage and practical focus, this book is ideal for students of applied linguistics, TESOL, and second language pedagogy, as well as practicing teachers and researchers wishing to update their knowledge.

"Focus on Vocabulary 2: Mastering the Academic Word List" is a research-based vocabulary textbook that gives high-intermediate to advanced students the advantage they need to succeed in academic environments. Through excerpts from college texts and well-crafted exercises, English learners study the Academic Word List - the most frequently used words in academic texts. To help students reach a fuller understanding of the new vocabulary, each chapter provides a series of exercises on word meanings, word families, and collocation. Features

• Seven units focus on a variety of subject areas, such as social change, consumer behavior, natural resources, and music.
• Each main chapter carefully recycles the target words four times in reading passages and vocabulary-building exercises.
• "NEW " Reading Strategies are designed to give students the tools they need to better comprehend the materials they read. Activities include recognizing an author's point of view and synthesizing information from multiple readings.
• The collocations exercises - based on the 179-million-word New Longman Corpus - reflect how academic words are actually used in real contexts.
• Expanding the Topic sections provide additional reading, discussion, and writing activities that broaden students' understanding of vocabulary.
• Strategy Practice chapters offer tips for dictionary usage, information about word roots and affixes, and methods for expanding students' word knowledge.

Internationally recognised as one of the leading texts in its field, this volume offers a comprehensive introduction to vocabulary for language teachers who would like to know more about the way vocabulary works. Two leading specialists make research and theory accessible, providing the background knowledge necessary for practitioners to make informed choices about vocabulary teaching and testing. This second edition retains the popular format of the first edition, and has been rewritten to take account of the many developments in the past 20 years. There is a greater focus on the vocabulary learning process, with new chapters on incidental learning, and intentional learning, and a new wide-ranging discussion of formulaic language. The book now also includes extensive treatment of word lists and vocabulary tests, with explanations of their various strengths and limitations. Updated further reading sections, and new Exercises for Expansion make this volume more invaluable than ever.

Internationally recognised as one of the leading texts in its field, this volume offers a comprehensive introduction to vocabulary for language teachers who would like to know more about the way vocabulary works. Two leading specialists make research and theory accessible, providing the background knowledge necessary for practitioners to make informed choices about vocabulary teaching and testing. This second edition retains the popular format of the first edition, and has been rewritten to take account of the many developments in the past 20 years. There is a greater focus on the vocabulary learning process, with new chapters on incidental learning, and intentional learning, and a new wide-ranging discussion of formulaic language. The book now also includes extensive treatment of word lists and vocabulary tests, with explanations of their various strengths and limitations. Updated further reading sections, and new Exercises for Expansion make this volume more invaluable than ever.

This volume examines the area of second language vocabulary studies from three broad perspectives: description, acquisition and pedagogical context. The book’s fifteen chapters are grouped together to achieve a balance between descriptions of what vocabulary is and how it behaves, how the mind learns new vocabulary and then uses it when it is learned, and pedagogical issues of teaching and testing L2 vocabulary. Some of the specific topics addressed in these three general areas include:- word frequency and vocabulary size, multi-word units, variation between spoken and written language;- models of lexical acquisition, first language influences on second language vocabulary acquisition, vocabulary learning strategies;- vocabulary and the syllabus, trends in teaching and testing vocabulary, lexical reference sources.