Learner English: A Teacher's Guide to Interference and other Problems

Cambridge Handbooks for Language Teachers

by Michael Swan (Editor), Bernard Smith

This updated edition is a practical reference guide which compares the relevant features of a student's own language with English, helping teachers to predict and understand the problems their students have. Learner English has chapters focusing on major problems of pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary and other errors as well as new chapters covering Korean, Malay/Indonesian and Polish language backgrounds.

Genres: Education, Linguistics, Nonfiction, Language, Reference, Teaching

378 pages, Paperback

Published May 14, 2001

About the author

Michael Swan is a writer specializing in English Language teaching and reference materials. His many publications include Practical English Usage (OUP), the Cambridge English Course series (with Catherine Walter), and, also with Catherine Walter, the new Oxford English Grammar Course. Michael’s interests include pedagogic grammar, mother-tongue influence in second language acquisition, and the relationship between applied linguistic theory and classroom language-teaching practice. He has had extensive experience with adult learners, and has worked with teachers in many countries.

Reviews

[Ellen]

Absolutely loved this! So interesting to see what specific groups may be struggling with and what actually exists in their alphabet and language. Excellent resource!

[Maureen]

i reference this book often and find it very helpful to anticipate errors with students from around the world.

[Betty C.]

This is very well done and extremely useful if you teach multi-lingual classes.

[Fiona]

Love this! Excellent reference book that I'm always referring to- explains first language influence and can really help identification of reasons behind learner error in beginner English.

[David]

Excellent book that shows some of the challenges learners have in studying English.

[Vendawn]

Excellent. Every teacher needs this in their library as a guide to help their students

[Shoody Something]

This book is highly recommended for any EFL teachers !!! It is a must read book , you may disagree to a few points there , but it really highlight what to expect from each EFL learner.

[Ross]

A comprehensive teaching aid.

[Amber + Casey]

I read three chapters from this text. I only read the chapters that were most important to me at the time. I hope I will use the other sections in the book in the future. This is a great tool for anyone teaching non-native English users. It breaks down the language differences so as to better equip the teacher.

[Farhangamany]

good

[Highlyeccentric]

Part-read for CELTA. Fascinating!

[Nada]

A must read for ESL teachers.