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English Language Institute
PO Box 117051
315 Norman Hall
Gainesville, FL 32611-7051
Phone: (352) 392-2070
Fax: (352) 392-3744
studyenglish@eli.ufl.edu
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Classes
Assistant Director: Patricia Moon
The ELI offers English classes which are designed according to the latest research in the field. The core classes include Listening/Speaking, Grammar, and Reading/Writing classes. Students are placed into levels for each skill at the beginning of each term according to their proficiency in each skill. The ELI also offers elective courses in TOEFL, Business English, U.S. Culture, Pronunciation, Conversation Strategies, and other special courses that vary by term. Classes at the ELI are small, averaging 12 students, allowing very individualized instruction. Many classes also meet in the UF computer labs weekly, completing a variety of language activities.
Below, you will find descriptions of each of our classes and examples of some of the skills that each covers.
Listening/Speaking Classes
The Listening/Speaking classes at the ELI focus on the English listening and speaking skills that are necessary to function in an academic environment. The Listening/Speaking class meets in the classroom four hours per week with a teacher and four hours per week outside the classroom with two language assistants for additional practice with authentic English.
At all levels, students learn the following core objectives:
- Expressing and supporting an opinion
- Asking questions and requesting information
- Comparing/contrasting topics, experiences, and points of view
- Explaining a process/telling a story that has a particular ordering sequence
- Distinguishing clearly among past, present, and future time frames
At the beginning level, students at minimum learn:
- how to give information about themselves
- to understand simple questions and requests
- to refer to the days of the week and the months of the year
- to recognize simple grammatical structures in context.
At the high-beginning level, students at minimum learn:
- common idiomatic expressions
- to understand short presentations
- to talk about present, past, and future events in their lives
- to use common English prepositions
- to be understood by a native speaker who is focusing on the communication.
At the lower intermediate level, students at minimum learn:
- to understand longer presentations and retell them in their own words
more idiomatic expressions - to understand telephone messages
- to begin initiating conversation on various topics
- to begin modifying their accent
- to make brief oral presentations in class.
At the high intermediate level, students at minimum learn:
- to follow and take notes on classroom presentations by the instructor and other students
- to follow and participate in class discussions
- to follow most of a television or radio broadcast
- to communicate very effectively with teachers and language assistants
- to give longer presentations on academic topics
- to carry on business and social telephone conversations.
At the advanced level, students at minimum learn:
- to follow, take effective notes on, and ask questions about academic lectures and similar presentations
- to follow and participate in conversations in and out of class, in person and on the telephone, without concentrating on the language form
- to understand radio broadcasts
- to participate in academic debates
- to make academic presentations, using notes and not reading verbatim
- to communicate effectively with people in all walks of life.
Grammar Classes
Grammar classes at the ELI are taught communicatively, with attention to form and function.
At the beginning level, students learn:
- verb forms: simple present, present progressive, simple past, imperatives, can modal
- word order of simple declarative sentences
- subject, object, & possessive pronouns
- singular, plural, & possessive noun forms
- the verb to be (present & past)
- articles (indefinite a and definite the)
- yes/no and wh -word questions
- there + BE
- adverbs of manner and frequency
At the high beginning level, students will review structures and begin to focus on:
- verb forms: past continuous, future forms, other modals, to be able to, let's
- tag questions
- common prepositions
- some, any, & no
- count vs. non-count nouns
- a lot (of), much, many, some, any, a few, a little
- comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs
At the lower intermediate level, students will review structures and begin to focus on:
- verb forms: present perfect, two-word verbs, gerunds, infinitives, more modals, maybe, BE passive, participles as adjectives
- as . . . as
- too vs. very vs. enough
- adjective clauses
At the high intermediate level, students will review structures and begin to focus on:
- verb forms: past perfect, past perfect continuous, future perfect, used to, would, be used to, negative and positive modals, passives, causatives, -ing & -ed participles, gerunds, infinitives
- articles
- conditionals
- adjective & adverb clauses
- reported speech
- prepositions
At the advanced level, students will review structures and begin
to focus on:
usage (rather than form) of:
- verb forms; tenses, modals, passives, gerunds, infinitives, participles, progressives, perfectives, causatives, conditionals
- noun clauses
- articles
- prepositions
- stylistic features
Reading and Writing Classes
Reading and writing classes at the ELI focus on the kinds of reading and writing skills that are necessary in the highly competitive academic and professional worlds.
At the beginning level, students learn:
- most sound to letter correspondences
- to read and understand simple short narratives, dialogues, and common signs
- to expand their vocabulary by using a bilingual dictionary
- to read and write numbers up to 1,000
- to understand and fill out simple forms which require personal information
- to write simple statements and questions
- to begin to recognize and use English inflection, basic grammatical structures and major mechanical forms.
At the high beginning level, students learn:
- to read and understand longer passages in the past, present, and future
- to understand the general contents of most forms and papers
- to read and write numbers up to 1,000,000,000
- to scan for specific information, and identify the main idea and supporting details of a clearly structured paragraph
- to recognize a paraphrase of a sentence
- to begin learning new words with a monolingual dictionary
- to use and understand major inflectional markings, mechanics, basic grammatical structures, and simple transitional expressions
- to write a paragraph following narrative and descriptive rhetorical style.
At the lower intermediate level, students learn:
- to read simplified newspaper articles and passages of two or more pages
- to skim for main ideas and scan for details
- to use a monolingual dictionary for most new words
- to paraphrase without loss of meaning
- to understand and use inflectional markings and begin to recognize and use derivational strategies of word formation
- to write:
- short compositions in several rhetorical styles
- in timed and untimed conditions
- longer personal letters and simple business letters
- summaries of short selections
- basic grammatical structures correctly
- compound and complex sentences.
At the higher intermediate level , students learn:
- to comfortably read native newspaper articles and slightly simplified academic materials
- to use the library
- to skim and scan longer, more complicated passages successfully
- to exhibit consistent control of mechanics and spelling
- to write:
- summaries of multiple paragraphs and stories
- five paragraph essays using common rhetorical patterns
- a how-to essay
- an essay in response to data
- a business letter requesting information and registering complaints in timed and untimed conditions
- more advanced grammatical structures.
- use basic transitions
At the advanced level , students learn:
- to read newspapers, magazines, unsimplified textbooks, and journals
in his/her own field with reasonable comprehension and rapid speed
routinely skim for main ideas and major points upon encountering a passage - expand vocabulary nearly exclusively through context and word formation rules
- identify a writer's purpose, audience, and rhetorical style
respond critically to readings - almost completely control mechanics, spelling and form in all writing
- to write:
- in timed and untimed conditions
- a short research paper using library and/or Internet materials
- a short examination essay
- a short letter of application and opinion.
At the academic bridge level, students learn:
- to read newspapers, magazines, unsimplified textbooks, and journals with native-like comprehension and speed
- to critically analyze, compare, and synthesize information from various sources
- to have almost perfect control of mechanics, spelling, and form
- to write:
- a longer research paper using the conventions of a journal in their field and requiring their own analysis
- a longer examination essay
- an academic statement of purpose and a resume
- a letter to the editor cogently expressing their opinion.
Elective Classes
- In the TOEFL Preparation class, students practice and discuss exercises that appear on the TOEFL test. Only higher intermediate level and above students may take the TOEFL class. All ELI classes, however, are intended to improve students' general language proficiency and test scores.
- In the U.S. Culture class, students study aspects of United States culture and compare it to other world cultures. Students will use native English multimedia materials (books, TV, radio, Internet, etc.) to discover, talk about, and write about cultural and social issues.
- In the Business English class, students study the vocabulary and typical forms of English that are necessary in business. Students are expected to already have knowledge of business in their native language.
- In the Pronunciation class , students will learn to correct their pronunciation towards a more native-like accent in English. This class is exclusively for upper level students who desire to intensively work on pronunciation alone. Listening/speaking classes also cover pronunciation in a less intensive form.
- In the Conversation Strategies class, students practice and learn strategies for successful conversation and interaction with native speakers of English.
- Other elective courses may be offered according to students' interest. These courses may include special topics courses, computer courses, or English for specific purposes.
