English Beginner 1 (A1)

Rally for presidential candidate Barack Obama
(far left, center, in white shirt), NC, 2008

The "All Skills" Language program develops the ability to understand, speak, read and write English. It is a varied program that cycles through basic skills, vocabulary and grammar, maintaining close links between comprehension and production.

Click here for advice on beginning your course.

Unit 1. Introductions

• Greetings and introductions.
• Vocabulary. Greetings, identity.
  
• Grammar. Articles, "a" and "an," "to be," "to have."

Unit 2. The Family

• Describe the body and physical appearance.
  
• Vocabulary. The body, family, ages, personality.
  
• Grammar. Possessive adjectives, plurals, "to be," questions without interrogatives.

Unit 3. Going on Vacation

• Talk about transportation, planning, telling time and days of the week.
  
• Vocabulary. Terms for describing space and time.
  
• Grammar. Prepositions of time, time expressions, "there is" and "there are."

Unit 4. A City Tour

• Talk about urban settings, ask for prices and order something to drink.
  
• Vocabulary. Places in the city, shopping, prices.
  
• Grammar. Interrogative words, demonstratives, prepositions of place, "here" and "there."

Unit 5. Introducing Oneself

• Greet someone and introduce yourself. Be able to give details such as family, age, nationality and profession.
  
• Vocabulary. Greetings, family and identity.
  
• Grammar. The simple present tense, the verb "to be," subject pronouns, contractions with "to be," placement of adjectives and using "a" and "an."
• Unit 6. Cultural Exercises

Unit 7. Descriptions

• Describe appearances - parts of the body and clothing.
  
• Vocabulary. Clothing, colors, sizes, physical descriptive terms.
  
• Grammar. Negation, using "can," object pronouns, articles, time and prepositions.

Unit 8. Numbers and Letters

• Learn to describe the position of your body in space, to perform simple arithmetical calculations and to spell words.
  
• Vocabulary. Numbers, alphabet, quantities and measures.
  
• Grammar. Tag answers, interrogatives, prepositions of place, the verb "to have," comparisons of equals, exclamation "what a …!"
• Unit 9. Cultural Exercises

Unit 10. Dates and Times

• Talk about seasons, months, years and scheduling.
  
• Vocabulary. Time expressions.
  
• Grammar. Reflexive pronouns, present continuous, possessives, demonstratives, future tense.