Lesson One. Introduction. Classification of esp

Specific and motivation
There are clear advantages in setting up an ESP course where students have specific needs.
Strevens (1988) summarizes the advantages of ESP with the following four points:
· Being focused on the learner’s need, it wastes no time;
· It is relevant to the learner;
· It is successful in imparting learning;
· It is more cost-effective than ‘General English’
3. Carrier content and real content
While discussing the question of specificity in ESP, it is important that we clarity the role of the actual content. The notions of ‘carrier content’ and ‘real content’ are essential to the understanding of ESP work and to an understanding of motivation in ESP. In ESP, any teaching activity, whether its aim is to teach language or skills, is presented in a context. Thus in the following short extract from Nucleus: General Science the aim of the exercise is to present and practice the expressions of time sequence used in the description of process and cycles. It makes use of the context of the life cycle of a plant in order to present this language. It is not the aim of the exercise to teach students about the life cycle, although certain lexical items such as fertilized or decomposes may be useful. Stages in the life cycle of a plant
Look at these examples:
Preceding actions:
Before the plant germinates, it is watered.
Before germination, the seed is watered.
Prior to
Following actions:
After the plant germinates, the roots and leaves develop.
After germination, the roots and leaves develop.
Simultaneous actions:
As the plant germinates, the seed swells.
During germination, the seed swells.
And this example: occurs
After the seed is watered, germination takes place