Stamford English Language Academy Course Descriptions

 

 Grammar/ Oral Communication:

Students will develop a strong grammatical foundation while focusing on speaking and

listening clearly and accurately. This course is offered at various levels of proficiency

from beginners to advanced.

Reading/Writing/Discussion:
This advanced-level course will use short stories and current magazine and newspaper articles as the text.  Students will read and discuss each story while focusing on new vocabulary and idiomatic expressions. Writing assignments, to be done outside of class, will be required for some of the readings.  

Pronunciation Plus:
In this intermediate-level course, students will work on bringing their conversational English to the next level. In addition to correct pronunciation, students will learn to use intonation, word and syllable stress, and vowel reduction to make their spoken English “flow” naturally. We will also work on such conversational skills as knowing how to correctly interrupt, disagree, argue, change subjects, etc. In other words, the things you need to be able to do in order to use conversational English successfully. Class discussions will focus on topics of current interest. This is not a grammar class. However, we will discuss some grammar topics briefly, as needed.

 

Vocabulary Plus:

This intermediate-level course introduces students to a wide range of vocabulary terms used in daily conversation, reading and writing. We will emphasize learning new vocabulary in context, rather through rote memorization. Students will learn word families, prefixes, suffixes, and word groups, as well as correct pronunciation. 

Vocabulary and Communication Skills:
This course promotes better listening and speaking skills by focusing on the stress, rhythm and intonation of the English language. Learners will practice authentic language features like interruption, hesitation and interjection. Vocabulary enrichment is a key element of this course.  Grammar is taught as needed.  This course is offered at various levels.

News and Views:This advanced Reading/Writing/Discussion class will explore current issues in the news from various sources including magazines, TV News and newspapers.  In addition to assigned readings, students will be required to select articles about current trends in American society and present them to the class.  Our goal will be to sharpen reading, writing, speaking and vocabulary skills.  Writing assignments, to be done outside of the classroom, will be required for some of the readings.

Business English:This advanced intermediate level course focuses on the core written and spoken skills that are essential to effective communication in the business environment. Students will learn how to produce appropriate and polished business correspondence, enhance their face-to-face business communication skills, and improve their business vocabulary. The emphasis will be on developing fluency, accuracy and a feel for correct business style