The English Language In Modern Fiction

Learn Advanced Vocabulary and Grammar with Donna Tartt's 'The Secret History'

What you'll learn

Identify and use different tenses as fluently as a native speaker

Identify and use perfect gerunds and infinitives in the correct way

Use the definite and indefinite article confidently and quickly

Use adverb collocations, prepositions, and prepositional phrases with accuracy

Use modal verbs in the simple, continuous, and perfect aspect

Gain an advanced knowledge of complex phrases and idioms that are common among natives

Enhance and expand knowledge of vocabulary

Requirements

The student must be advanced enough to read Donna Tartt's 'The Secret History'

The student should find a free pdf of 'The Secret History' online or buy a paperback of the book

The student can also find a free audio book of Donna Tartt reading The Secret History aloud

Description

This course has been made for advanced students of English who would like to sharpen their skills with modern fiction. I have chosen one text (Donna Tartt's The Secret History), so I advise students to read a few pages of the book to see if they like the novel. There are 8 sections in the course, and each section focuses on the different grammar and vocabulary that appear in each chapter of the book.  Donna Tartt reads her own story aloud, so students are encouraged to read the story or to listen to the audio book (easy to find either for free), or to do both. Once you have read the first chapter, watch my lectures and complete the quizzes that correspond to that chapter; then, I recommend you retell the story to your speaking partner or teacher, as I believe that retelling stories is the best way to make swift progress with speaking. By the end of the course, students will have covered tenses, past modals, questions, conditionals, subjunctive, so v such, perfect infinitives, perfect gerunds, inversion, phrases and clauses, adverb collocations, phrasal verbs, articles, correlative conjunctions, prepositions, relative clauses, and many vocabulary topics. I encourage students to ask questions, and I usually respond within 24 hours.

Overview

Section 1: Chapter 1

Lecture 1 How to use this course

Lecture 2 Chapter 1 (A) Tenses and Past Modals

Lecture 3 Chapter 1 (B) Tenses and Past Modals

Lecture 4 Chapter 1 (C) Vocabulary

Lecture 5 Chapter 1 (D) Vocabulary

Lecture 6 Chapter 1 (E) Vocabulary

Section 2: Chapter 2

Lecture 7 Chapter 2 (A) Questions

Lecture 8 Chapter 2 (B) Questions

Lecture 9 Chapter 2 (C) Various functions of WOULD

Lecture 10 Chapter 2 (D) Various functions of WOULD

Section 3: Chapter 3

Lecture 11 Chapter 3 (A) Conditionals and AS IF / THOUGH

Lecture 12 Chapter 3 (B) Conditionals and AS IF / THOUGH

Lecture 13 Chapter 3 (C) Conditionals and AS IF / THOUGH

Lecture 14 Chapter 3 (D) Vocabulary

Lecture 15 Chapter 3 (E) Vocabulary

Lecture 16 Chapter 3 (F) Vocabulary

Section 4: Chapter 4

Lecture 17 Chapter 4 (A) So v Such

Lecture 18 Chapter 4 (B) Perfect Infinitive V Perfect Gerund (part 1)

Lecture 19 Chapter 4 (C) Perfect Infinitive V Perfect Gerund (part 2)

Lecture 20 Chapter 4 (D) Vocabulary (part 1)

Lecture 21 Chapter 4 (D) Vocabulary (part 2)

Lecture 22 Chapter 4 (D) Vocabulary (part 3)

Lecture 23 Chapter 4 (D) Vocabulary (part 4)

Section 5: Chapter 5

Lecture 24 Chapter 5 (A) Phrases and Clauses (Absolutes, Appositives, Relatives, Adverbials

Lecture 25 Chapter 5 (B) Phrases and Clauses (Absolutes, Appositives, Relatives, Adverbials

Lecture 26 Chapter 5 (C) Phrases and Clauses (Absolutes, Appositives, Relatives, Adverbials

Lecture 27 Chapter 5 (D) Adverb Collocations

Lecture 28 Chapter 5 (E) Adverb Collocations

Lecture 29 Chapter 5 (F) Adverb Collocations

Lecture 30 Chapter 5 (G) Adverb Collocations

Lecture 31 Chapter 5 (H) Phrasal Verbs

Lecture 32 Chapter 5 (I) Phrasal Verbs

Lecture 33 Chapter 5 (J) Phrasal Verbs

Lecture 34 Chapter 5 (K) More Vocabulary

Lecture 35 Chapter 5 (L) More Vocabulary

Lecture 36 Chapter 5 (M) More Vocabulary

Section 6: Chapter 6

Lecture 37 Chapter 6 (A) Articles

Lecture 38 Chapter 6 (B) Articles

Lecture 39 Chapter 6 (C) A noun of noun

Lecture 40 Chapter 6 (D) A noun of noun

Lecture 41 Chapter 6 (E) Correlative Conjunctions and Inversion

Lecture 42 Chapter 6 (F) Correlative Conjunctions and Inversion

Section 7: Chapter 7

Lecture 43 Chapter 7 (A) Prepositions

Lecture 44 Chapter 7 (B) Prepositions

Lecture 45 Chapter 7 (C) Prepositions

Lecture 46 Chapter 7 (D) More Prepositions

Lecture 47 Chapter 7 (E) More Prepositions

Lecture 48 Chapter 7 (F) More Prepositions

Section 8: Chapter 8

Lecture 49 Chapter 8 (A) Relative Clauses

Lecture 50 Chapter 8 (B) Relative Clauses

Lecture 51 Chapter 8 (C) Relative Clauses

Lecture 52 Chapter 8 (D) Sounds

Lecture 53 Chapter 8 (E) Sounds

Lovers of literature,Advanced students of English who want to enhance their vocabulary,Fans of detective stories