These courses are generally aimed at two groups, firstly local people who live and work in London and secondly the capitals growing international workforce. Classes are available at different levels and are ideal for English native speakers as well as students with intermediate or low level English skills who want to improve their language skills.

They are made for people from all socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds, meaning that on a course you are likely to find students from many different countries. Lessons tend to be student centred and taught in a relaxed, friendly, but professional atmosphere with a strong focus on achieving results. Teaching and learning methods include lectures, seminar discussion groups and workshop exercises.

To be effective tutors will use flexible, creative and varied teaching approaches that cater to the requirements of individual students regardless of their knowledge of English. To ensure students receive stimulating and enjoyable lessons, a host of supplementary materials is used in addition to the traditional course book.

Role plays, audio materials, computer-assisted learning and video and multimedia presentations are all used to maximise language skill development and effective communication. Assessment techniques can vary but will usually include essays, examinations, computer-based evaluation, reports and or group presentations.

With most campuses in London conveniently located near to underground stations or major bus routes, students will have no difficulty in travelling to an evening class.

On a English course you will learn about

  • Grammar.
  • Vocabulary development.
  • Speaking.
  • Listening and comprehension.
  • Pronunciation.
  • Connected speech.
  • Intonation.
  • Sentence stress.
  • The history of English.

Courses will teach students how to

  • Speak English in real life day to day situations.
  • Write formal and informal letter, emails and texts, stories and poems.
  • Practise pronunciation so as to speak more clearly and be easily understood.
  • Making formal phone calls.
  • Take part in discussions and small talk.
  • Give opinions.
  • Prepare for examinations.
  • Explain and describe things.

The benefits of learning English

  • It can broaden your employment opportunities as most UK and foreign jobs require a good level of English.
  • Many courses lead to recognised international qualifications.
  • Help you to become more fluent and confident when speaking in English.
  • It is the chosen language of business communication.
  • It can open up a whole new world of information.
  • Improve your article writing ability.

Teaching methods

  • Lectures to the class.
  • Students are given assignments to work on individually or in groups.
  • Coursework given to students to do in their own time, but that have to be completed by a certain date.
  • Role play techniques.

Facts about the English language

  • It is the official language of or has special status in at least seventy five countries.
  • It is generally considered to be second only to Mandarin Chinese in the number of people who speak it.
  • Roughly 750 million people speak it as a foreign language.
  • Although it is in possible to come to a exact figure it is widely estimated that 1 in 4 of the world’s population speak it to a conversational level.
  • It is estimated that about three quarters of the world’s mail is written in English.

Globally speaking English is the main form of communication for many industries like

  • Travel and tourism
  • IT & the Internet
  • Air traffic control
  • International business
  • Diplomacy
  • Sport
  • Academic research
  • Science
  • Music
  • Media & advertising

English terminology

Abstract Noun
This is a noun that you cannot touch, see or smell. It is usually a word given to describe a feeling, idea or emotion such as love, hate, kindness, fear, anger, imagination, courage or intelligence. Example of a abstract noun;

‘Michael dived into the river to save a dog that was drowning, his bravery impressed a crowd that was watching’.

In the above sentence the word ‘bravery’ is the abstract noun because it describes a feeling that cannot be seen or touched.

Accent
In linguistic terms an accent is a pronunciation that is peculiar to a certain location such as a particular region, city or country. It is a way that a person or large group of people speak and can be used to identify the speaker with geographical locations or social class. Accents can be different due to their use of slang, vowels, speed of talking, intonation, diction, stress syllables and formality.

Acronym
This is a word that is formed from the initials of words in a phrase, such as UN which is an acronym for the ‘United Nations’. It is a word that is usually formed using the first letters of a phrase and are popular in newsgroups, chat rooms and emails. Here are some examples of common acronyms;

  • ASAP   – As Soon As Possible
  • BTW – By The Way
  • FWIW – For What Its Worth
  • FYI – For Your Information
  • IMHO – In My Humble Opinion

Collective Nouns
These are nouns are names used to describe a group of objects or things such as people, animals or concepts. For instance a family, committee or class. Examples of collective noun phrases and words:

  • A swarm of bees.
  • A herd of cows.
  • A flock of people.
  • Family
  • Committee
  • Class
  • Team
  • Government

Dialect
Dialects are used to describe how people speak their mother tongue in their own individual way. A dialect is different from a accent in that a accent usually describes the way people pronounce the words of a language. For instance a French person would speak English with a French accent. In the UK many distinctive dialects have developed in rural communities where people have their own way of talking. For many local people in these areas they are strongly linked to cultural identity, heritage and linguistic style.

Double Entendre
This phrase comes from the French word ‘double meaning’ and is a figure of speech, phrase or saying that has another connotation apart from the one spoken. It is used to describe a sentence that is ambiguous and which can be interpreted or understood in two different ways (one of which is usually risqué).

Enunciation
This means to speak, pronounce and utter words in a certain way. Good enunciation is particularly important for public speaking as if you can enunciate words in a particular way then the reasoning is that you are more likely to get your message across to a audience. It means projecting your voice clearly so that you sound as smooth as possible. Enunciation exercises exist which can show you how to speak constants clearly and slowly, avoid mumbling and also use your tongue and mouth to say vowels openly.

Links to more short courses
Evening courses London
Evening classes London
Evening photography courses London
Part time MBA London
Part time degree courses
Short business courses London
Weekend courses London

Part time language courses 
Evening language courses London
French evening classes London

Online degrees
Online degree courses
Online English degree course

Full time courses
English literature degree
English degree
Linguistics degree

General courses
University courses

Related links to pages about English
A English teachers job description
English teacher CV sample
Tefl jobs – teaching English as a foreign language

Personal statement samples
English literature personal statement

Student resources
Essay writing
Graduate internships
Introduction to graduate fasttrack schemes
Revision timetable
Revision tips
Student accommodation
Student loan company
Study skills
UCAS personal statement
University interview questions

Student CV examples
Student CV templates (over 30 free professional written examples)

More career resources
Cover letter examples (over 50 expertly cover letter examples)
CV templates (over 300 free professionally written samples)