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Rating: 9/10
Publisher: Routledge
with Gareth King
Pros
Great depth and complexity
Great production values
Covers a broad range of vocabulary, contexts, grammar and structures
Cons
Instructions only in English
Audio is only about a quarter of the full material found in the book
Conclusions
This is a really great course for someone who has a basic understanding of English. All instruction is in English. I guess you could use it as a form of immersion. It starts off looking at introductions, as a beginner course would, but using more colloquial forms, as the title suggests, as well as contractions of verbs, statements with response enquiries (eg. that's Jill, isn't it?). It progresses fairly quickly, but calls for a lot of memorisation, as there are lots of small points, exceptions pointed out etc. Lots of tenses are covered, tables are provided to memorise verb structures and the content is focused on useful contexts. Highly recommended.
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Further comments
Idioms are introduced early, offering a way into everyday forms. Many variations on the particular theme are offered in short dialogues, spoken with British accents, of course. This course seems to hover between a complete beginner course (asking the reader to include 'the' or 'an/a' into spaces in sentences, and offering instructions that would need a good grasp of basic English to understand.
Having said this, it is a very good course, especially if you are happy to work from a book and audio CDs. The content of the audio is only part of the material in the book, so it is essential to work in both. This is not a standalone audio course.
High production values, good clear pronunciation and diverse content make this a great choice. Highly recommended.
