FOR FOREIGN STUDENTS Book > BY C. ECKERSLEY ESSENTIAL ENGLISH OT | Foreign Students BOOK THREE revised edition by C. ECKERSLEY Illustrations by CHARLES SALISBURY, BURGESS SHARROCKS, PORTEOUS WOOD and from ‘Punch’ and ‘Woman’s Journal’ Re. 2S ied, a FOREIGN LANGUAGES PRES> Sofia, 1967 PREFACE EssENTIAL ENGLISH is a course in four books, of which this is the third, for the teaching of English to adult foreign students.
It aims at giving the student a sound knowledge of the essentials of both spoken and written English and taking him well on the way to a mastery of idiomatic conversational and literary English. The normal constructions and sentence patterns of English are introduced gradually and systematically, and are well drilled at every stage. The learner is guided through “ essential” grammar in the simplest possible manher, and every new construction is explained and illustrated as soon as it is used. The restricted vocabulary within which the four books are written has been based on A General Service List of English Words.
But neither this list, nor any other list, has been followed slavishly and blindly; the vocabulary and the grammar and the struciures taught have been tested constantly by the experience gained during some thirty years of teaching English to foreign students or writing text-books for them. Because I believe that a knowledge of the spoken tongue is the true basis of ‘language learning, much of this book is in “con- versational ” form;-and my constant endeavour has been to ensure that, despite the restrictions that a limited vocabulary naturally imposes, every sentence in these conversations is expressed in the living colloquial idiom that an educated Englishman would use. And, since the most effective spur to learning a language (or anything else) is interest, every effort has been made to cover the linguistic pill with the jam of gaiety. So, as soon as the prelimi- naries are mastered, the reader is introduced to Mr.
Priestley, his household and his group of students. We see them here and in all the other books chatting together, telling jokes, reading stories that they have written, singing songs or acting short plays. It is on these conversations and stories and the “‘talks by Mr. Priestley” that the language teaching is based, and from them that the copious exercises by which the teacher is enabled to test how far the work has been understood, are drawn.
There are numerous changes in this new edition. Fresh, and it is hoped, more interesting reading material has been added, 1A new edition of the Interim Report on Vocabulary Selection (Longmans). Vv vi PREFACE ` including two short plays, some further glimpses into the home-life of the Priestleys—including Mr. Priestley’s ill-fated attempt to erect a hen-house—the story of yet another of Hob’s extraordinary relatives and a story by Lucille.
One objection that had ‘been raised against the material in the earlier edition of Essential English was that the scene was almost entirely in London. So, in Book ITI we send some of our characters on a trip to Stratford, Olaf pays a visit to Oxford and gets a very full account from John Priestley of Oxford, past and present, and Frieda and Jan write about their holiday in Wales. Another innovation is the inclusion of a “‘hand- ful of. poems”, simple enough for students at this stage and yet containing one or two of the supreme lyrics of the language.
_ In the language work grammar—the “‘essential” grammar—is dealt with systematically, particular attention being given to the “Special”? Verbs (the Anomalous Finites). Other new features are three new “Stories Without Words” (pages 15, 81, 150), a chapter on Punctuation, the fuller treatment of Conditional Sentences and should and would, and an Index. And, as the pupils are now sufficiently advanced to do ‘unseen’ dictation, the Dictation Exercises—though still based on the lesson where they appear and still containing only those words and constructions that have already been taught—are now transferred to the Teacher’s hand- book! that has been prepared to accompany this volume. In this Teacher’s Book further guidance has been given on the main techniques of language teaching, a great deal of extra teaching material and linguistic information has been given in the ““Com- mentaries”’, detailed suggestions and practical hints are given on thie teaching of each lesson, and a complete Key to the exercises in the Pupil’s Book is provided.
Though a text-book that is the ideal one to every teacher and student is, perhaps, an impossibility, it is hoped that most students and teachers will feel that this new edition is an im- provement on the old one, but the author will be most grateful at any time for further criticisms.and suggestions that will help to make EssenTIAL ENGLIsH more useful to those who study it or teach from it. 1 Essential English, Book ITI, Teacher's Book. CONTENTS LESSON PAGE 1 Hos Gives His First IMpRESSIONS OF ENGLAND OxaF AND Pepro Discuss THEIR PLANS. NW DrrecT AND INDIRECT SPEECH (i).
17 W Oar Reaps ANOTHER OF His Pays 25 & Drrecr AND INDIRECT SPEECH (ii). PRIESTLEY 'TELLS A STORY AND Mã. PRIESTLEY Puts Up a HEN-HOUSE 43 SENTENCES AND CLAUSES 52 ADVERB CLAUSES. 61 A Visit TO STRATFORD.
68 Moop 75 CONDITIONS 82 THE Past CONDITIONAL 86 'TEsT PAPER NO. 1 “*SHouLD” AND “ WouLD”. 94 Ovar Gives us ANOTHER “Wiceins” PLay Ruzs oF GRAMMAR AND “ STANDARD ENGLISH” 106 LUCILLE'S Story: ‘“‘ THe SAND-GLASS ” 112 **RuLes OF GRAMMAR” AGAIN 120 Some STRANGE, BUT VERY IMPORTANT Verss. 129 Hos’s Story: “ UNCLE THEOPHILUS ” 137 Tue ‘“SpecraL” Verss (ii): SHORT ANSWERS.
144 The “Spectral” Vers (iii): THe Empnatic Form. POSITION OF ADVERBS. THIRD Person SINGULAR 153 “Susan’s KITCHEN” 158 22 OLAr WRITES A Lzrrm FROM | OXFORD (i), 163 23 Tue “Specrats” AGAIN (iv): To BE. CaN’ 174 Oar’s LETTER FROM Oxrorp (ii).
182 Test Paper No. 25 THE “SPECIAL” VERBS (v): Have. 196 26 THE “‘SpeciaL” VERBS (vi): Do 202 27 FriepA Writes A LETTER FROM WALES 28 Tue “Spectra” Verss (vii): OUGHT. 220 29 Friepa TELLS a Story: Kinc ARTHUR.
223 vii vill CONTENTS. LESSON PAGE 30 THe “Spectra” VERBS (viii): Neep. 235 31 WALES AND THE WELSH. 240 32 "THE ““SPECIAL”” VERBS (ix): Dare, 'Usrp.
270° 36 A HaNpFUL oF POEMS. 279 37 Tuer END OF ÀNOTHER YEAR’S Work. Test Parer No. PRIESTLEY Gets A ‘SURPRISE.
300 PRONOUNCING VOCABULARY OF Essential English, Boor II. 302 GLOSSARY FORLESON3 © www 399 INDEX. 311 LESSON 1 Hob Gives His First Impressions of England [The students whom we have met in Books I and IT, LUCILLE, FRIEDA, OLAF, JAN, PEDRO and HOB, are back again with MR. PRIESTLEY, their teacher, in has siudy.] HOB: Do you remember, sir, that at our last lesson before the holidays, you promised to let me tell the story of my first day in England? MR, PRIESTLEY: I remember it very well; and so now, at our very first lesson, we are all waiting to hear what you have to tell us.
Hos: Thank you, sir. Well, my first impressions of England are connected with food LUCILLE: You don’t need to tell us that! HOB: .and, strange to say, they are of how an English breakfast beat me. FRIEDA: You don’t really expect us to believe that, do you, Hob? HOB: Well, it’s quite true. Of course, it was some time ago and, though I say it myself, I’m a better man now than I was then, but, honestly,I was beaten.
But let me begin at the beginning. ` ESSENTIAL ENGLISH When I left the train at Victoria Station my first impression was of rain and fog and people with umbrellas. A taxi-cab, which might have been used by Lot and his family as they left Sodom and Gomorrah, took me and my luggage and struggled bravely through the traffic. And what traffic and what crowds! I had never be- lieved my geography teacher when he told us there were more people in London than in the whole of my country.
I thought he had just said it to make his lesson more interesting, but I believed him now. However, I got to my little hotel at last, and the first thing that took my eye was the p rter, a big fat man with a round pink face ike an advertisement for babies’ food. Then I met the manager. He rubbed his hands all the time as if he was washing them, and smiled without stop- ping.
What he said I could not understand, though I had learned English at school. I said to LESSON ONE 3 myself, ““ Perhaps he doesn’t speak it very well— some English people don’t.” But I told him my name, and he smiled again and told one of the -little boys with brass buttons to show me up to my room. Ten minutes later I was lying in a hot bath washing off the last dusty reminders of the Continent; another ten minutes and I was under the bedclothes and fast asleep. When I woke next morning, I felt hungrier than I had ever felt in my life before; I seemed to have a hole instead of a stomach.
I dressed quickly and hurried down to the dining-room. It was a big room with six tall windows and the ugliest wallpaper I had ever seen. However, I had been told that the hotel was not beautiful but that you were better fed there than in any other hotel in London ;—and that was what I wanted just then. The waiter came hurrying up.
Before I came downstairs I had prepared myself very carefully for what I must say. I had looked three times in my dictionary to make sure that “breakfast” really meant ‘‘ breakfast’’. I had tried to get the right pronunciation and had stood in front of a mirror and twisted my mouth until it ached. The waiter asked me something I could not understand, but I spoke only my one prepared word, “BREAKFAST”.
He looked at me in a puzzled way, so I repeated it. Still he did not understand. It was unbelievable that English. people didn’t understand their own language.
The waiter shook his head, bowed and went ESSENTIAL ENGLISH away, but he came back in a minute and brought the manager with him. I was feeling slightly annoyed, but I said, “BREAKFAST”. The — manager smiled and washed his hands, but. looked as helpless as the waiter, so I took out a pencil and wrote on the table napkin, “ Break- fast’.
I have never seen such surprised faces _in my life—so perhaps I did not pronounce it correctly after all. A little later the waiter brought a tray with tea, toast, butter and marmalade—enough to feed a small army—and went away. But I was hungry, and I ieft nothing; I am sure I drank at least two pints of tea, ate almost a loaf of toasted bread and large quantities of butter and marmalade with it. When the waiter came back I thought his face showed a little surprise, but you can never tell what a waiter’s face really shows.
In another minute he brought another tray with a huge por- tion of bacon and eggs. He must have misunder-_ stood me, but I thought it was no use explaining to people who don’t understand their own language, so I just set to work on the bacon and eggs and ate on steadily, wondering all the time whether I could possibly clear that plate. Well, I finished the bacon and eggs, and was just trying to get up out of the chair when here was the waiter again with another tray. This time it was a whole fish in a thick white sauce.