Reading Room

Reading RoomThe reading room is updated every month so you have access to the latest journal articles, exclusive author articles and chapters taken from Cambridge's most recent publications.

Author interviews

An interview with Michael McCarthy (PDF)
Michael McCarthy, Eva Ferrigato, Anne Kuhfeldt and Andrew Milne-Skinner

Read an article in which Professor Michael McCarthy answers questions posed by three teachers and learners of English.

Book chapters

Listening in the Language Classroom

Input and Context (PDF)
John Field

(Chapter 8 of Listening in the Language Classroom, 2008)

'My aim in the present chapter is to provide a framework for thinking about the processes involved in listening. Much of the discussion will be shaped by the important distinction … between the two major operations that make up the skill: decoding and meaning building.'

Assessing Listening

What is unique to listening (PDF)
Gary Buck

(Chapter 2 of Assessing Listening, 2001)

'…listening is an important skill, and due to the practical complexities of providing spoken texts, it is neglected in many language-learning situations. One important reason to test listening … is to encourage teachers to teach it.'