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Language Enhancement Courses

Course Aims

Topic Cluster 1: Academic English Writing
Writing An Effective Abstract and Conclusion for Your Dissertation
This intensive thesis-writing workshop meets the needs of aspiring students who are going to work on a thesis. They will be expected to be capable of producing a professionally written abstract, which may attract potential readers sharing their academic interest and an effective conclusion, which will summarise their major findings and suggest a few insightful implications.
Mastery of Key Academic Word Features
This workshop is particularly suitable for first year students who are determined to have a fundamental understanding about academic English features at the word level. The course focuses on typical academic word features, known as the use of impersonal noun phrases and precise words in academic writing, in addition to avoidance of emotive words, informal expressions, and contractions.
Mastery of Key Academic Grammatical Features I: Passive Voice, Softeners, and Present Perfect Constructions
This workshop is particularly suitable for first year students who are determined to have a fundamental understanding about some academic English features at the grammatical level. The course focuses on the three most typical academic grammatical features, known as passive voice used to highlight happenings, softeners for toning down the language, as well as present perfect constructions, which are employed to emphasise the present relevance or significance.
Mastery of Key Academic Grammatical Features II: Connecting Devices, Hypothetical Usage, and Rhetorical Questions
This workshop is particularly suitable for first year students who are determined to have a fundamental understanding about some academic English features at the grammatical level. The course focuses on three frequently seen academic grammatical features, known as the use of connecting devices, hypothetical or negation usage, and rhetorical questions.
Perfecting Your Essays with Advanced Academic English I: Writing Complex Phrases
This workshop focuses on three frequently identified academic grammatical features, which are believed to be hard for native and non-native users of English to master. Manipulation of complex noun phrases, participial phrases (which start with a present or past participle), and relative clauses will be discussed in great detail.
Perfecting Your Essays with Advanced Academic English II: Writing Complex Phrases
This workshop focuses on three frequently identified academic grammatical features, which are believed to be hard for native and non-native users of English to master. Formation of a noun phrase derived from different word classes (i.e. nominalisation), manipulation of an adverbial in a verb phrase, and subjunctive mood (omission of ‘should’ in a that-clause followed by a verb of advice or obligation) will be discussed in great detail.
Practical Steps to Summarise and Synthesise Ideas
This practical writing workshop meets the needs of all undergraduates who are going to refer to scholarly texts and write referenced essays and/ or a thesis. They will be guided to produce a well-written referenced written text by quoting outside sources professionally and avoiding plagiarism. In the workshop, students will master the essential steps to paraphrase and summarise an English text, synthesise the main ideas of a text, and produce a conventional literature critique. Key language features of an academic summary will also be discussed.

 

Topic Cluster 2: English Grammar and Pronunciation
30 Typical Grammatical Problems Made by Hong Kong Tertiary Students
This practical workshop focuses on thirty frequently seen grammatical flaws associated with subject-verb agreement, finite and non-finite verbs, verbs for voluntary and involuntary actions, verbs never in combination with passive voice, present and past participles, articles, misplaced modifiers, dangling modifiers, reference items, the phrases ‘such as’ and ‘for example’, fragments, the difference between the use of simple past and past perfect constructions, punctuation marks, and parallel structures.
10 Common Grammatical and Pronunciation Problems Made by Learners in Hong Kong
The first half of the workshop focuses on frequently seen grammatical flaws associated with answers to negatively phrased questions, unwanted passivised structures, sentences starting with a human subject in combination with an adjective, ‘There is no any’ versus ‘There is not any’, and topic-comment structures, whereas the second half phonological issues associated with a pitch in different types of questions, a pitch with a question tag, pronunciation of words starting with ‘es-’ and ending with ‘-se’.

 

Topic Cluster 3: English Reading and Listening Techniques
Improving Your Listening Skills
This practical workshop is suitable for students who wish to improve their skills of comprehending main ideas of different genres through listening for academic purposes. Apart from reading, students need to grasp an understanding of their subjects by listening from lectures and discussing with others. In the workshop, students may get some useful tips from examples and exercises. It is hoped that they will apply the skills to their studies and improve their note-taking skills while listening through the amusing to amazing experiences.
Improving Your Reading Skills
This practical workshop is suitable for students who are keen to improve their skills of comprehending main ideas of long written texts and graphics for academic purposes. Consolidation practice on skimming and scanning skills, identifying words for emphasis or signal, as well as recognising main ideas and supporting details will be provided. A brief introduction to understanding graphs and tables will also be covered.

 

Topic Cluster 4: English Vocabulary
Enhancing Your Word Power For Communication
This theoretical workshop is suitable for students who crave to enhance their vocabulary size and ability to use their word power for effective communication. Being an important part of the building blocks of a language, words can help us express ideas clearly. Vocabulary is expanding each day as new words come in different aspects of life. Extending students’ vocabulary range while consolidating their existing known words would enable students to communicate more effectively. It would be helpful for English learners to identify some basic characteristics of words, their different forms and functions in relation to when, where, and how some prepositions can be used with certain words. Some tips on learning English words efficiently will also be provided.

 

Topic Cluster 5: Job-Hunting Skills in English
Writing Job Application Letters
This workshop is particularly suitable for final year undergraduates who are preparing their customised cover letters for getting job interviews and impressive post-interview thank you letters for enhancing the chance to get a job offer. The course focuses on typical language features and essential elements of cover letters and post-interview thank you letters. Final year and working students who crave to be highly competitive in the job market are highly recommended to complete the two-hour intensive tutorial session, where some samples and practical consolidation exercises will be discussed thoroughly.
Writing Winning Résumés
This workshop is particularly suitable for final year undergraduates who are preparing their customised résumés for getting job interviews and enhancing the chance to get job offers. The course focuses on typical language features and essential elements of résumés. Final year and working students who crave to be highly competitive in the job market are highly recommended to complete the two-hour intensive tutorial session, where some samples and practical consolidation exercises will be discussed thoroughly.