ESL specialist and author Natalie Gast presents scenarios, business slang, and other linguistic issues that typical language texts don’t go into. In this book she focuses on communication based activities to help adult ESL students get ahead in the workplace.
As an English teacher, I know quite well that learning just the grammar, the phrases and banking on vocabulary will not be enough. This is just one side of learning any particular language and using it in day-to-day application is another thing. When I came across the book ESL Everyday Business Life in a book store, I was really glad to find material which finally integrates business into English language. Many of my students who have been studying English need to put into practice what they learn in their class. Business is definitely the best setting since most of my students will enter the business world in the future either as a future entrepreneur or as a professional working for a company.
Upon seeing the cover of the book, I noticed it was dull. But when I started to flip through the pages, I was impressed with the content of the material. The cover of the book doesn’t matter that much if the content is full of useful phrases, concise grammar discussions, expressions and other notes that are very useful both for students who want to know how English can be used in a business context and for teachers who want to teach business English.
"As an English teacher, I know quite well that learning just the grammar, the phrases and banking on vocabulary will not be enough."
The book, written by Natalie Gast, has already sold millions of copies all over the world. This is one of the reasons why I was enticed to purchase the book. Considering the background of the author who is the founder and the head of Customized Language Skills Training, many students can learn from the author’s vast experience in providing online ESL material and lesson plan ideas.
There are so many things to like about this book. Compared to other business English materials that are too rigid, this book is simple and straightforward. It actually presents real business situations that students will possibly encounter. With the book containing real life scenarios and even business slang, which can be useful at times, students can somehow experience what it feels like to be in a particular business setting.
The book talks about linguistic issues not covered in other books which makes it easier for students to improve their English conversational skills. For example, there are chapters within the book which tackle how you can interact in a small group, how to break the ice, the right way to use the telephone and a whole lot more. In addition, there are also chapters in the book that contain useful tips and notes as to how you should present yourself and how you can form and enlarge your network.
Overall I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to improve their business English. However, teachers should keep in mind that although the book appears to be a top choice among English trainers and teachers, it may be difficult material for a total beginner. This book is suitable for intermediate and advanced students. Sometimes the book may also not be enough if teachers want to fully prepare their students in a short period of time. It helps if teachers can add supplementary business materials to help students boost their business vocabulary and to keep them updated with the latest business trends. But in general for students, this is definitely a must have. Every student who is serious about learning English and wants to excel in their respective field should definitely have ESL Everyday Business Life.
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