English Conversation for Non-Native Speakers - starts October

The course tutor will be Su Peneycad. Su has many years of experience teaching English to non-native speakers and as part of the course will be able to offer not only excellent advice on improving your English languages skills, but insight into English attitudes, culture and society.

This is not a beginners English language course. Anyone wanting to join the course should already be able to speak and understand English at a level equivalent to:

intermediate/upper intermediate/B2 (Cambridge First Certificate), or IELTS 5.5-6.5.

Please contact the course tutor with any questions about your proficiency level and the suitability of this course, Su Peneycad, s.peneycad@imperial.ac.uk

As the tutor is currently on annual leave please note email response times may be longer than usual. You will receive a reply by early August.

Course Programme (subject to possible modification)

Weeks 1-2. Topic: Communicating with other people

• Introduction to the plan for the class. Pronunciation, use of modals, phrasal verbs etc will be introduced throughout the course, details not shown here.
• Basic grammar check: modals; some and any; prepositions
• First introductions – levels of language, formal and informal
• Pronunciation of place names on the tube map
• Starting a conversation- weather words
• Irregular verbs -make a reference sheets file
• Discussion: what is useful or of interest in the area where you live?

Weeks 3-4. Topic: Life in London and living in London

• Social situations vocabulary: in a bank
• Common phrases and when we use them
• Introductions; establishing level of relationship
• Say or tell? Which do we use?
• Discussion suggestion: What you expected, and what surprised you, about life in the UK

Weeks 5-6. Topic: Life in the UK and cultural differences

• Introductions and social occasions/ greetings                          
• Question tags used in conversation
• Adjectives – collocation and opposites/ comparison of adjectives
• Relationships: liking and disliking/ family relations
• Discussion suggestion: Suggest places you would like to visit in London 

Weeks 7-8. Topic: Holidays and celebrations

• Asking for help/ Offers and promises
• Invitations in different situations/ Accepting – refusing
• Ways of saying ’No’ / Levels of politeness/ Giving an appropriate answer /Making arrangements
• Christmas in London- having a visitor /Describing people
• A Christmas pudding recipe /Cooking vocabulary
• Discussion suggestion: Christmas or celebrations in your country

Weeks 9-10. Topic: Better communication

• Speaking situations - Polite requests/ apologising
• Telling the truth? Respecting people’s feelings
• Make or do?
• Identification and use of common objects
• Onomatopoeia
• Discussion suggestion: national customs or wedding ceremony in your country
  

*** Christmas break after week 9 ***

Weeks 11-12. Topic: What do we mean? How do we feel?

• Approval / disapproval / giving an appropriate answer/ absolutely
• Words concerned with feeling and opinions/ word building
• Identifying feelings in given situations, at certain happenings
• The six senses
• Discussion suggestion: bring in and describe something from your country, explain the significance, meaning. Differences and similarities of cultures

Weeks 13-14. Topic: Making conversation

• Agreeing/ levels of agreement/ Disagreeing: use of 'but'
• Giving an opinion / Telling the truth?
• Having strong feelings about
• Discussion suggestion: Speak about an interesting place you have visited in London

Weeks 15-16. Topic: Making conversation 2

• Some meanings of ‘give’
• Problems: what do you say, answer? / giving advice
• Causative ‘have’
• Everyday expressions/organising a conversation
• Discussion suggestion: Speak about an interesting place you have visited in London

Weeks 17-18. Topic: Jobs, skills and characteristics

• Advantages and disadvantages/  used to, didn’t use to
• Comparison of adverbs
• Skills, qualifications and characteristics: using modals
• Jobs vocabulary word building
• Discussion suggestion: advertise your chosen job to the class. Who is interested in applying? Would you employ them?

Weeks 19-20. Topic: Jobs and being out of work

• Out of a job vocabulary
• Your Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Future time
• Anything we need to re-check?
• Discussion suggestion: Your future dreams

Rate Categories and Discounts

Standard Rate

• Available to all except those who fall under the Internal Rate or Associate Rate category.

Internal Rate

• Current Imperial College students and staff (incl. Imperial NHS Trust, Imperial Innovations, ancillary & service staff employed on long-term contracts at Imperial College by third-party contractors)
• People enrolling under our Friends & Family scheme
• Alumni of Imperial College and predecessor colleges and institutes, including City & Guilds College Association members
• Students, staff and alumni of the Royal College of Art, Royal College of Music and City, UAL and the City and Guilds of London Art School
• Students, staff and Governors of Woodhouse College and the IC Mathematics School

Associate Rate

• Austrian Cultural Forum staff
• Co-operative College members
• Francis Crick Institute staff, researchers and students
• Friends and Patrons of the English Chamber Orchestra
• Friends of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens
• Friends of Leighton House/ Sambourne House
• Friends of the Royal College of Music
• Harrods staff
• Historic Royal Palaces staff
• Lycee Charles de Gaulle staff
• Members of the Friends of Imperial College
• Members of the Kennel Club
• Members of the London Zoological Society
• Members of the South London Botanical Institute (SLBI)
• Members of the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP)
• National Health Service (NHS) employees
• Natural History Museum staff
• Residents of postcodes SW3, SW5, SW7, SW10 and W8
• Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council staff
• Royal Geographical Society staff
• Science Museum staff
• Staff of Exhibition Road Cultural Group (Discover South Kensington) organisations
• Students (non-Imperial College)
• Teachers and other staff of UK schools
• The American Institute for Foreign Study
• Tutors and other staff of institution members of the Association of Colleges
• Tutors and other staff of other universities and higher education institutions
• Victoria and Albert Museum staff

Late enrolment

It is possible to enrol on many of our adult education courses after the course has already started. For non-language courses this is subject entirely to agreement by the tutor. For language courses it is subject to agreement by the language coordinator conducting level assessment. If you want to join a course late do bear in mind there might be work you will need to catch up on, particularly in language courses.

Friends and Family Scheme

This course is eligible for allowing Imperial College students and staff to share their discount with their friends and family.

For this course, early enrolment via the blue booking link is now open. Early bird discounts available until end of 30 September 2024

Enrolment and payment run through the Imperial College eStore. When enrolling:

• Do check on the drop down menu above called "Course Fees and Rate Categories" to see if you are eligible for a discounted rate and also do make sure you select that rate when enrolling on the eStore
• If you are a first-time eStore user you will need to create an account before enrolling. You can do this by entering an email address and password. This account can then be used for any future enrolments via the eStore.

When you have enrolled you will be sent the following email notifications:

If you have any questions about the academic content or teaching of this course please contact our English Conversation Tutor, Su Peneycad, s.peneycad@imperial.ac.uk

If you have any questions about your enrolment or payment processes please contact the Programme Administrator, Christian Jacobi, eveningclass@imperial.ac.uk