All Language Centre courses

We continue to work with patterns and chunks in writing, based on academic corpus database statistics. We look at patterns of language used after nouns in ways typical of academic writing, and how chunks are used to link ideas and arguments in a fluent way. This is a practical workshop with tasks to complete before and during the Zoom workshop.

Making the distinction between when to use the infinitive form of the verb (‘to run’) and the gerund (‘running’) is difficult for non-native speakers. This workshop will identify some general rules and some avoidable pitfalls.

There is nothing to do before the workshop.

The correct use of articles (the / a / an) is one of the trickiest aspects of English grammar for non-native speakers, whether their language uses articles in a different way from English or maybe manages to get by without any articles at all. This webinar will set out clearly the ways in which English uses articles, and will hopefully offer some conceptual keys to help students correct their own usage. Students will then be asked to complete some exercises online.

The correct use of articles (the / a / an) is one of the trickiest aspects of English grammar for non-native speakers, whether their language uses articles in a different way from English or maybe manages to get by without any articles at all. This webinar will set out clearly the ways in which English uses articles, and will hopefully offer some conceptual keys to help students correct their own usage.

The most significant grammar mistakes that foreign students make are usually those that greatly change the meaning of the sentence. Modals, such as can or would, are often used to indicate the position of the writer in academic writing, so their inaccurate use can easily give a very different meaning from that intended. For this workshop, students will first watch a video and complete some exercises on Moodle. In the real-time webinar, students can ask questions and discuss areas of difficulty.

The most significant grammar mistakes that foreign students make are usually those that greatly change the meaning of the sentence. Modals, such as can or would, are often used to indicate the position of the writer in academic writing, so their inaccurate use can easily give a very different meaning from that intended.

The most significant grammar mistakes that foreign students make are usually those that greatly change the meaning of the sentence. Modals, such as can or would, are often used to indicate the position of the writer in academic writing, so their inaccurate use can easily give a very different meaning from that intended.

One of the most complicated aspects of English grammar is the correct use of prepositions (on, over, in, through etc.). This workshop will allow students to begin to conceptualise the ways in which prepositions move from a physical descriptor to a metaphorical one, and provide them with tools to decide more accurately which preposition is the correct one to use in any particular context.

One of the key areas in which non-native speakers of English have difficulty attaining native-level accuracy is in the use of prepositions. Although this webinar does not pretend to give students all the answers, it will provide a number of ways to conceptualise the use of prepositions and hopefully clarify this complex area of grammar.

Hedging is an important skill in academic writing, used to show uncertainty, hesitation, or caution where appropriate. In this workshop we will consider when, why, and how to use hedging effectively in our academic writing and practise using hedging with a range of example sentences. We will also consider boosting – the opposite of hedging, used to strengthen claims – discussing when this may be necessary and how to utilise this technique effectively.

Hedging is an important skill in academic writing, used to show uncertainty, hesitation, or caution where appropriate, whilst boosting can be used to intensify certainty. In this workshop we will consider when, why, and how to use hedging and boosting effectively in our academic writing and practise using both in a range of example sentences.

Hedging is an important skill in academic writing, used to show uncertainty, hesitation, or caution where appropriate. In this workshop we will consider when, why, and how to use hedging effectively in our academic writing and practise using hedging with a range of example sentences. No preparation is required before attending this workshop.

Do you want to increase the probability of completing your Master’s Degree on time and be happier doing it? Come along to this talk given by our ADTIS Life Coach, Dr Sue Jackson who will share “Some Secrets of Highly Successful Research Students” with you. You will be asked to reflect on what success means for you and prepare an action plan accordingly. You will also be introduced to what life coaching is and shown how to sign up for an individual life coaching session if you wish.

Please bring a notebook or paper and something to write with.

Do you want to increase the probability of completing your PhD on time and be happier doing it? Come along to this talk given by our ADTIS Life Coach, Dr Sue Jackson who will share the "Seven Secrets of Highly Successful Research Students” with you. You will be asked to reflect on what each of these “secrets” means to you, and prepare an action plan accordingly. You will also be introduced to what life coaching is about and shown how to sign up for an individual life coaching session if you wish. Please bring a notebook or paper and something to write with.

Do you want to increase the probability of completing your PhD on time and be happier doing it? Come along to this talk given by our ADTIS Life Coach, Dr Sue Jackson who will share the "Seven Secrets of Highly Successful Research Students” with you. You will be asked to reflect on what each of these “secrets” means to you, and prepare an action plan accordingly. You will also be introduced to what life coaching is about and shown how to sign up for an individual life coaching session if you wish. Please bring a notebook or paper and something to write with.

The most effective writers are actually skilled self-editors. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to approach the editing process – and what to look for when revising your work. Please bring along a piece of work you’d like to edit.

The most effective writers are actually skilled self-editors. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to approach the editing process — and what to look for when improving your work. Please bring along a piece of work you’d like to edit.

This workshop will take you step-by-step through the process of writing a persuasive business report — from planning to polishing. We’ll look at the style, structure and content of an effective business report, and explore some of the differences (and similarities) between business writing and academic writing.

There is nothing to do before the workshop.

This workshop will show you how to plan and structure a persuasive report. We’ll explore some of the differences (and similarities) between professional writing and academic writing. We’ll also cover how to approach the most important part of any report: the executive summary.

This class is for anyone who will need to write reports for business or in any area of policy.

As a graduate student at Cambridge, you are expected to write clearly. This workshop looks at some common barriers to clarity in writing – and suggests strategies for overcoming them.

Good academic writing should be clear, concise and coherent. This workshop looks at some common barriers to clarity in writing — and suggests strategies for overcoming them. There is a short exercise to complete before the workshop.

Idioms form an important part of everyday spoken English and offer insights into British culture and society. In this informal workshop, you will explore English idiomatic expressions within their cultural context and will put them into practice through a range of simple exercises.

We are often called on to make presentations about our work, whether for assessment purposes, at a conference, or simply when sharing ideas with colleagues in our Departments. This workshop offers some tips on best practice in presenting and serves as a precursor to the workshop on 28 February, where students will have the opportunity to practise presenting and receive feedback.

No preparation is required before attending this workshop; however, if you are working towards making a presentation in the near future, you may find it helpful to bring your notes, slides, or other material with you.

This is a workshop which will concentrate on intonation and stress within normal spoken and written English, and will aim to give students some idea of how stress and intonation work at the level of the sentence or even the paragraph. It should help students understand how intonation is used in English to convey meaning beyond the surface value of individual words, and should help them to use this technique as well. .

Methodology and results are two very common chapters in academic papers and dissertations / theses, especially in scientific subjects. This workshop will focus mainly on linguistic aspects of these chapters. It involves a video to watch and exercises to complete before an online Zoom workshop.