Online event/webinar

Integrating grammar and the teaching of conversation

When we think of grammar, we typically think of how to form correct sentences and how to express meanings such as time, number, quantity, etc.  However, we can use grammar to do a lot of other things too.  If we look at a corpus of conversations, we can see how people also use grammar to organize the things they say and to create the right relationship with other people in the conversation. In this webinar we look at the ways that people use grammar to create successful conversations, and how it can be taught with practical examples.

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About the speakers

Michael McCarthy
Michael McCarthy is Emeritus Professor of Applied Linguistics, University of Nottingham, UK, Adjunct Professor of Applied Linguistics, University of Limerick, Ireland and Visiting Professor in Applied Linguistics at Newcastle University, UK. He is author/co-author/editor of 53 books, including for Cambridge University Press: Touchstone, Viewpoint, the Cambridge Grammar of English, Exploring Spoken English, English Grammar Today, Grammar for Business, Exploring Grammar in Context, Vocabulary: Description, Acquisition and Pedagogy, Spoken Language and Applied Linguistics, Issues in Applied Linguistics, From Corpus to Classroom and several titles in the English Vocabulary in Use series, as well as the Routledge Handbook of Corpus Linguistics and English Grammar: Your Questions Answered, as well as 110 academic papers. He is co director (with Ronald Carter) of the 5-million word CANCODE spoken English corpus project, and the one-million word CANBEC spoken business English corpus. He has lectured on language and language teaching in 46 countries and has been actively involved in language teaching and applied linguistics for 52 years.

Jeanne McCarten
Jeanne McCarten has been involved in ELT in various roles for over 35 years. As a teacher, she taught English in Sweden, France, Malaysia and the UK. As a publisher, she specialised in examinations, grammar and vocabulary materials and was also closely involved in the development of the spoken English sections of the Cambridge International Corpus. Currently a freelance ELT writer, her main interests lie in applying insights from corpus research to language teaching, about which she has published several academic papers. She is co-author of the corpus-informed materials Touchstone, Viewpoint and Grammar for Business, published by Cambridge University Press.

Helen Sandiford
Helen Sandiford is the co-author of Touchstone and Viewpoint – a series of internationally recognised language textbooks and online/blended products for students and teachers of English. Helen has over twenty-five years' experience as an English teacher, teacher-trainer, and sales and marketing specialist. She spent nine years in Japan setting up English programs and teaching in Japanese senior high schools and vocational colleges, and has conducted training seminars for English teachers throughout East Asia, North and South America. She lives and works in Utah, U.S.A.