Book Review

A Book Review

Of

Meanings into Words

Intermediate

Student’s Book

Submitted to

The Department of English Education

In Partial Fulfilment for the Master of Education in English

[Practice Teaching(Intensive Study)]

Faculty of Education, Tribhuvan University

Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal

Submitted by

Prakash Mani Ghimire

T.U. Reg. No.: 9-2-305-167-2006

Class Roll No.: 945

Date of Submission: 2069-06-01(17^th Sep.2012)

 

Book Review

1. General Introduction

Title of the book: Meanings into words(Intermediate)

Author: Adrian Doff, Christopher Jones, and Keith Mitchell

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, UK

Published year: First South Asian Edition: 1997, Reprint: … 2011

Pages: 196+(×)

Price: NC 110

ISBN: 978-81-7596-007-7 (Student’s Book)

          978-81-7596-008-6 (Teacher's Book)

          978-81-7596-009-4 (Work Book)

978-81-7596-010-8 (Test Book)

978-81-7596-011-6 (Cassette, Student's Book)

978-81-7596-012-4 (Cassette, Drill)

          Meanings into words (Intermediate) is an academic book for the students of intermediate level. It contains all the skills and aspects of language, viz. listening, speaking, reading, writing, vocabulary, and grammar. It mainly focuses on grammar. The students of Higher Secondary level (Class 11) are using this book as a compulsory subject. The whole series of 'Meanings into words' contains Student's Book, Teacher's Book, Work Book, Test Book, and Cassette for listening and drill.

  Meanings into words(Student's Book), which is written in simple, clear, and appropriate language for the target reader i.e. intermediate level students, is being reviewed here.

2.Contents

This book has twenty-four (24) units, each of which is based on a major functional or notional area of English. The subject matter of each unit is described below:

· Unit 1: Places. Key grammatical points of this unit are location preposition and non-defining relative clauses. This unit deals with how to describe and ask about places, how to say where things are, and how to ask and describe about available services and amenities in towns/villages.

· Unit 2: Decision and intentions. This unit deals with how to decide to do or not to do things, how to talk about intentions and plans by using the structure, 'I am going to…', 'I am planning to…', 'I am thinking of…' etc. and talk about definite arrangements by using present continuous tense. In this unit the students learn to make a schedule and express them too.

· Unit 3:Jobs and routines. In this unit students learn to describe and ask about different jobs, and routines. How to talk about regular events is discussed here. Students learn compound noun phrases, adverbs of frequency, and present simple passive with ‘be’ or ‘get’.

· Unit 4: Direction. Here students learn to give (street) direction using direction preposition appropriately. Sequence of giving direction (first you……, after that……, and then……) is also focused here. Students are expected to learn how to give instruction for making and doing things.

· Unit 5: Past events. This unit focuses on expressing past events. The use of ‘simple past tense’, ‘before, while, and after’ and ‘time preposition’ are the focus points of this unit. Students also learn to sequence expressions.

· Unit 6: Talking about now. This unit is concerned with how to: talk about what is happening at the moment, talk about current activities by using present continuous tense, there+ Present continuous, and present continuous passive.

· Unit 7: Requests and offers. In this unit, students can learn how to: ask for request, ask people to do or not to do things, ask permission, and make &report requests and offers by using appropriate structure. Students are expected to learn to write request notes. They also offer suggestions.

· Unit 8: Recent actions and activities. This unit focuses on the use of present perfect tense to talk about recent past actions and their present results; recentactivities and achievements etc. Students also learn to make leaving notes. Past simple and present perfect continuous tense is also focused in this unit.

· Unit 9: Comparison. Comparative and superlative form of adjective and adverbs is the focus point of this unit. Students learn to compare significant differences. They learn to talk about advantages & disadvantages of things.

· Unit 10: The past and the present. Students learn to talk about past habits and state (using: used to). How to talk about the past and the present, about recent changes, changes of habits etc. are focused.

· Unit 11: Likes and dislikes. In this unit students learn to express the degree of enjoyment, responding to suggestions, their likes or dislikes using appropriate structures.

· Unit 12. Events and circumstances. How to relate past events to their circumstance, how to talk about the consequences of past events using past simple and past continuous appropriately are the focus points of this unit. The use of ‘when’ and ‘while’ is the main concern of this unit.

· Unit 13: Leisure activities and skills. This unit focuses on expressing leisure activities, and jobs. The use of adverbs is focused to express such activities and skills. Students are expected to be able to describe about their own leisure activities.

· Unit 14: Advice. This unit focuses on how to give general advice using different forms and structures, how to advice people to take pre-caution with reasons, alternative solutions and so on. It also provides warning signs and their description. Students are expected to learn to write advice notes too.

· Unit 15: Origin and duration. How to talk about the origin of present situation, how to talk about duration of present situation etc. are the main focus of this unit. Apart from this students learn to express ‘point of time’ and ‘period of time’ using ‘since’ and ‘for’ appropriately. ‘Origin’ structures, ‘duration’ structures, and‘since’ with clauses are also the focus points of this unit.

· Unit 16: Location. The main focus of this unit is place preposition. Students learn to express where things are, their precise location, and learn to express geographical location using place prepositions appropriately.

· Unit 17: Similarities and differences. Students are expected to learn how to discover similarities and differences; to classify things according to their similarities and differences. The structures ‘both…and…’ and ‘neither….nor...’, are focused. Students also learn to identify features.

· Unit 18: Obligation. This unit gives focus on how to impose obligation and give permission, talk about rules and regulation, giving complete freedom of choices, etc. Students are expected to learn to express these functions using different forms.

· Unit 19: Prediction. Degree of probability is the main focus of this unit. Students are expected to learn how to: predict future actions and events, talk about the probability of future events, talk about particular times in the future and so on. The structures like: ‘If’ and ‘unless’ + Present simple tense, ‘will be doing’ and ‘will have done’ etc. are focused in this unit.

· Unit 20: Objects. This unit is focused on how to give definitions of objects, how to classify objects into types or by features and so on,using different forms. The students learn to describe the purpose of different objects, and ask for things they need.

· Unit 21: Degree. This unit focuses on how to express degree by talking about results using ‘too’, ‘enough’, ‘so’, ‘such’ etc. Students learn to talk about excess and inadequacy, how to say what is wrong with things and so on.

· Unit 22: Setting a scene. In this unit the students are expected to learn to describe past scenes, previous events etc. using different tenses and structures like: There was ……., When I …… etc.

· Unit 23: Criticising. This unit focuses on how to say what is wrong with present situation, criticizing peoples’ present behaviour or past actions and events, speculate about imaginary situation, etc. using ….should/shouldn’t, If+ past tense, etc.

· Unit 24: Explanation. Students are expected to learn how to talk about unexpected results using different structures. This unit also deals with how to explain reasons, purpose, cause and results. Connectives like: though/although/even though, in spite of/despite of, etc. are the main focus of this unit.

  Each unit include presentation materials which introduces key language items, intensive controlled practice, freer communicative practice and writing activities, listening and reading passage, and a language summary which lists the main points covered in the unit.Apart from these, the book also contains extra Activities after each two units beginning from unit four. It also includes listening texts and drill at last part.

3. Academic and physical properties of the book.

            This book is rich in appropriacy and clarity of language. Contents are selected and graded appropriately. Although it focuses on grammar, it consists all the skills and aspects of language. The subject matter is presented in such a way that, the students can easily use it. This book is based on communicative approach and contains a lot of freer communicative practice activities.

               The size of the book is 9⅟₂ ×7⅟₄ inches. It has 196+(×) pages. The cover page is plastic laminated and attractive. Printing is nice but some pictures are not clear enough. As a whole the thickness, binding, and size of the book is appropriate.

4. Strengths and Weaknesses of the book

4.1. Strengths

·        It provides the authentic situation to the students.

·        It focuses on all the skills (Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing), and aspects (Vocabulary, Grammar etc.) of language.

·        It is based on communicative approach.

·        Each unit contains freer communicative practice and writing activities.

·        Each unit contains listening and reading passage.

·        Each unit includes intensive controlled practice.

·        Pictures given on the book motivate students.

·        It contains listening and drill texts.

·        This series provides other reference materials for both learners and teachers, like: work book, teacher’s book, test book, etc.

·        Activities (after every two units, starting at unit four) give an opportunity to combine and extent the language learnt in earlier units.

·        Price of the book is appropriate.

·        It contains all the physical and academic properties.

4.2. Weaknesses

·  In the context of Nepal, students may not visualize the authentic context/situation given in the book.

·        It lacks answer-key and index.

·        It gives more focus on grammar.

·        Shy students may feel difficulty to participate in communicative activities.

·        Proper hints and examples are not provided for writing practice.

·        It is not revised yet, just reprinted.

·    Although it is Student’s book, only students cannot do all the things by themselves.

·        It needs trained teachers.

5. Conclusion

In spite of its weaknesses, this book is appropriate in our context. If teachers get proper training and students work hard they can easily reach the target point with the help of this book. While teaching this course the teachers must make the students more active. Students must be participated in all activities. All the units and activities are useful for the learners of this level. Adequate training and other reference materials should be provided by authorities for its successful implementation. All in all, we can say that this book is appropriate.

The End