Michael Swan

English language teaching and applied linguistics

After studying Modern Languages at Oxford University, I worked in English language teaching for around twenty years. I co-founded and directed the Swan School of English in Oxford, and later worked in adult education in Paris. During that period I began writing and publishing English language teaching and reference materials, and this became my main occupation. For some years, I was also the Series Editor for Cambridge Handbooks for Language Teachers.

My more academic interests include descriptive and theoretical grammar, mother-tongue influence in second-language acquisition, and the relationship between applied linguistic theory and language-teaching practice. I have published a number of articles on these topics, and have given lectures and workshops in many countries.

Despite all this, I feel bound to confess that, as I drifted into English language teaching and applied linguistics with no professional training in these areas, I have no qualifications whatever for the work that I do. If I applied to myself for a job as a research assistant, I would have to turn myself down.

↠ Books
Articles
Some things I believe

Poetry

I write and publish poetry, perhaps as a desperate attempt to prove that even grammarians have souls.

Outside

Good, sometimes
to go outside
and walk round yourself
looking in the windows.

There are lights blazing
in rooms you have never seen;
strangers dancing,
reading,
quarrelling;
things going on
you can scarcely credit.

Only
don’t stay out too long.
They might change the locks.

↠ See more of my poetry

A fake ID is a type of identification card that is forged or otherwise illegally obtained so as to appear to have been issued by a governmental agency. The intent may be to use it for illegal purposes such as obtaining alcohol, tobacco, or other age-restricted products; getting into age-restricted venues; or making false statements about one's identity - said Mike Swan. In the United States, the legal drinking age is 21 years old. It is illegal for people under this age in most states to purchase alcoholic beverages. Fake IDs are used by underage people who want to drink anyway. They can also be used by adults who want to buy alcohol and avoid detection by law enforcement officers who might suspect they are under the influence of alcohol while driving.

All content © Michael Swan & Site by Richard Rowley