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hlamb · Joined: 09 Dec 2003 Posts: 431 Location: Canada

I had to the use the Side by Side books for a year. Thank goodness my current school doesn't have textbooks. We did beginner readings about going to Sludge Beach where it rained cats and dogs. The students also learned that people going to the dentist always have smiles on their faces.

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

MO39 · Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2007 2:37 pm Post subject:

I used Side by Side many years ago with adult immigrants to the US and also last year in Philadelphia with international students. Both groups enjoyed it and appreciated its sense of humor.

elamericano · Joined: 10 Nov 2007 Posts: 65

The English File intermediate book my flatmate has contains several typographical errors. All of the mistakes have been stuff like "tothe" instead of "to the". It seems to be a line justification issue combined with someone forgetting the space button.

The Headway advanced book I use for one of my company classes presents the word "thru" as part of standard written American English in a transcribed dialog. I've read other comments about the actors in recorded AE dialogs from British materials sounding mockingly ridiculous.

Then there are the in-house materials my employer produces which contain sentences such as "Resolve any doubts the students have". Students' questions are not "doubts" and you don't "resolve" them... even if it may translate that way out of Spanish. Rolling Eyes

jestert79 · Joined: 24 Apr 2007 Posts: 44

We had a series of books for teens called World Club. We all hated it. But now, after having seen other teen books, it isn't SO bad.

Two things come to mind:

From World Club 2: It has a roleplay after teaching animals. "Pretend you're somebody's pet. Talk to the other animals in the class.

Example: Ruff ruff! I'm a cocker spaniel named Spot!"

From World Club Intermediate: It's hard to convey the amusement without the pictures. Basically, there are a few pictures, and below them, a prompt: "Which of the following can you see in the pictures?" Alongside normal words like "crocodile skin shoes" and "handbags," suddenly there's "cosmetics tested on animals." One of the pictures shows a hand holding a mouse and the other hand holding a big syringe poised to puncture it.

hlamb · Joined: 09 Dec 2003 Posts: 431 Location: Canada

My problem with Side by Side was that all the conversations were far too guided. For example: I am walking. Then there is a picture of a teacher and the students have to say "She is teaching." That's all the speaking practice they get. Now, there's nothing wrong with substitution drills to learn conjugations, but there needs to be more. I tried to do a lot of supplementing to go beyond what the textbook offered and my director complained because I didn't use every page of the text and took slightly longer to get through the programme. Well, perhaps it's more accurate to say I didn't like the school and the text was just one more irritation.

MO39 · Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2007 7:44 pm Post subject:

Coogar · Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2007 12:30 pm Post subject:

"The Berlin Wall was destroyed by the American liberators."
That must have been the most stupid and ignorant sentence I've ever read in a textbook. And it's not even funny!

I usually find the forced conversations in books (not to mention the ones on audio material!) incredibly funny, but I hate to use them in class - I don't want to give my students the impression that somebody is making fun of them Wink

guangho · Joined: 16 Oct 2004 Posts: 476 Location: in transit

South Korean texts were a joy for the senses. Where else could you find two kids having the following precocious convo?

"Did you an Jenny have a fun time?"
"Yes, we got it on today."

boonie pepper · Joined: 28 Dec 2007 Posts: 10

A video that came with a conversation book I used in my adult ESL classes featured a young Edward Norton playing a wide-eyed tourist visiting NYC with his girlfriend for the first time. The dialogs were absolutely hysterical (of course, not on purpose), and I couldn't keep a straight face through the viewing. I was tempted to show them some clips from American History X to demonstrate what happens after a few years in the Big Apple.http://www.edward-norton.org/only.html

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

An old version of Headway, can't remember which intermediate level, but one of them, used a supposed quote from Mohammed Ali, saying "They ain't gonna help us." as an example of 'standard' American English.

Right.

denise · Joined: 23 Apr 2003 Posts: 3419 Location: finally home-ish

johnslat · Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2008 2:26 am Post subject: Howdy Doody

Dear denise,
Howdy, Ma'am.
I'm not so sure about Southerners, but out here in the West and Southwest, "Howdy" is a pretty common greeting.

And I recall a Side-by-Side textbook that, in the unit on Adjectives and Adverbs, used adjectives in contexts where adverbs should have been:

e.g. He drives very slow.

I guess that's called "being colloquial."

Regards,
John

Vanica · Joined: 31 Aug 2006 Posts: 368 Location: North Carolina

I have a pocketbook that was given to GIs called -- Easy Spoken Thai. Do Americans have an aversion to adverbs?

On the other hand, I edited an interview with a zydeco musician and loved the poetry of his dialect. In North Carolina, I was mesmorised by a soft-spoken Southerner who said, Yes, Ma'am, I sure would like to help y'all with that.... I draw the line at 'nucular.'

denise · Joined: 23 Apr 2003 Posts: 3419 Location: finally home-ish

What's wrong with "easy spoken Thai"? "Easy" could be modifying "spoken Thai".

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