Alan Durant – författare

Spider McDrew is the lovable boy who can’t help being one step behind everyone else in his class. Three gently and funny school stories in one book. A Roaring Good Read for confident readers.Spider McDrew is a hopeless case – or so everyone says – but somehow he always manages to surprise everyone. Spider is slow and a dreamer, the sort of child who is always one step behind the rest of the class, but this doesn't mean he's stupid – far from it. Three gently humorous stories about this loveable character – his adventures at school. There's a football story – quite by accident Spider scores the winning goal; a pet story – Spider brings a cow into the playground for his school pets' project! And a school play story where Spider stars, by default. Bursting with character and originality, the author offers acutely perceptive snapshots of contemporary school life.

A second title about this loveable character who never quite manages to keep up with his classmates. School stories with the essential feel-good factor.Spider is always saying and doing the wrong thing: he forgets the punchlines to his own jokes; he daydreams in class; he always has odd socks on; and he even gets into a muddle over his party invitations. He may be a hopeless case, but is the most lovable of children and usually turns out to be the hero. Three stories in one book: in the first, Spider’s class visits a doughnut factory but instead of a doughnut, Spider decides to make a doughnut man. In the second story, Spider’s class as doing a project on the USA. Everyone is supposed to come to schools dressed as a cowboy, but Spider decides to be Geronimo. In the third story, it’s Spider’s birthday and he makes and gives out invitations – but for the wrong day!

Walking through the forest one moonlit night, Buzz and his dog Bingo find a sign pointing to a Monster Party. It sounds like fun – but first they have to find their way through the Monster Maze, meeting Count Dracula, a werewolf, a troll and a mummy along the way. Purple/ Band 8 books offer developing readers literary language, with some challenging vocabulary.Text type – A humorous story.The maze on pages 22 and 23 reminds readers of the mosters Buzz and Bingo have met on their way to the party.Curriculum links – Citizenship: Choices.Buzz and Bingo in the Monster Maze is one of two stories by Alan Durant about Buzz and Bingo in the Collins Big Cat reading programme.This book has been levelled for Reading Recovery.This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.

Build your child’s reading confidence at home with books at the right levelIn this comical adventure, Buzz and Bingo find themselves in Outer Space trying to help a lost alien, XY5, find his parents. Along the way they meet a number of glittering constellations in the starry sky and a whole family of aliens. But after assisting XY5 they find themselves with the problem of trying to get back to earth. White/Band 10 books have more complex sentences and figurative language.Text type – A humorous fantasy story.Pages 30 and 31 show an illustration of the night sky and the star formations observed by Buzz and Bingo in space, providing lots of opportunities for speaking and listening.Curriculum links – Citizenship: Living in a diverse world, Taking part.This is the return of Buzz and Bingo for the third in their mini-series.This book is paired with an informatio book on the same theme: Is There Anyone Out There?This book has been levelled for Reading Recovery.This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.

Build your child’s reading confidence at home with books at the right levelEveryone at Parkfield School thinks that Spider McDrew is a hopeless case. He is always muddling things up and saying or doing the wrong thing. In this story, his class visit the local museum to learn about life in Roman times. As usual, Spider's mind wanders and he finds himself in the wrong part of the museum looking at other things instead! Copper/Band 12 books provide more complex plots and longer chapters that develop reading stamina.Text type – A humorous story.Pages 30 and 31 show the artefacts that caught Spider’s eye, providing an opportunity to recap the story.Curriculum links – History: Romans, Ancient Egypt; Art and Design: Investigating patterns.Another great story about the lovable Spider McDrew. by Alan Durant.This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.

Build your child’s reading confidence at home with books at the right levelSpider McDrew gets the chance to play for the Parkfield school football team, in the end-of-season cup draw. As usual though, things are not plain sailing for Spider who lets his side down by giving away a crucial penalty kick. Poor Spider is a pitiful sight as he stands on the touchline all alone. Then, he is asked to take one last corner kick. Topaz/Band 13 books offer longer and more demanding reads for children to investigate and evaluate.Text type – A humorous story with a familiar setting.A reader response page provides lots of opportunities for speaking and listening and scaffolding writing.Curriculum links – ICT: Combining text and graphics; PSHE: Developing good relationships.This is the second SpiderMcDrew tale by Alan Durant and Philip Hopman.This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.

A steam train is slowly making its way through a terrible thunderstorm towards its destination. Suddenly, out of the darkness comes a lonely figure with a haunting message for the passengers … This spooky tale, written by Alan Durant, has been beautifully illustrated by Dave Hill. Collins Big Cat Progress books are specifically designed for children at Key Stage 2 who have a Key Stage 1 reading level, giving them age-appropriate texts that they can read, building their confidence and fostering positive attitudes towards reading.Text type: A mystery storyCurriculum links: History; CitizenshipThis book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.

Tom is in trouble. He is hanging precariously from a ledge on the edge of a cliff and his friend Alex is desperately trying to get help for him. But will he be able to find the strength in himself to hold on until help arrives? This thought-provoking story was written by Alan Durant. Collins Big Cat Progress books are specifically designed for children at Key Stage 2 who have a Key Stage 1 reading level, giving them age-appropriate texts that they can read, building their confidence and fostering positive attitudes towards reading.Text type: An adventure storyCurriculum links: CitizenshipThis book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.

This exciting mystery story will keep readers gripped, as brothers Joe and Carl quickly realise it’s not always best to keep what you find. Written by Alan Durant. Collins Big Cat Progress books are specifically designed for children at Key Stage 2 who have a Key Stage 1 reading level, giving them age-appropriate texts that they can read, building their confidence and fostering positive attitudes towards reading.Text type: A mystery storyCurriculum links: P.E.

`This is a textbook for the times, which addresses itself brilliantly to the twin phenomena of expanding horizons and diminishing resources of English studies.' - David Lodge

Ways of Reading is a best-selling textbook for undergraduate students of English Language and English Literature, providing readers with the tools to analyse and interpret the meanings of literary and non-literary texts. Six sections, comprising twenty five self-contained units, cover: techniques of analysis and problem-solving language variation attributing meaning poetic uses of language narrative drama and performance texts The book combines the linguistic and literary background to each topic with discussion of examples from books, poems, magazines and online sources, and links those examples to follow-up practical activities and a list of titles for further reading. This fourth edition has been redesigned and updated throughout, with many fresh examples and exercises. Further reading suggestions have been brought up to date and new material on electronic sources and the Internet has been integrated. Ways of Reading continues to be the core resource for students of English Language and Literature.

Ways of Reading is a best-selling textbook for undergraduate students of English Language and English Literature, providing readers with the tools to analyse and interpret the meanings of literary and non-literary texts. Six sections, comprising twenty five self-contained units, cover: techniques of analysis and problem-solving language variation attributing meaning poetic uses of language narrative drama and performance texts The book combines the linguistic and literary background to each topic with discussion of examples from books, poems, magazines and online sources, and links those examples to follow-up practical activities and a list of titles for further reading. This fourth edition has been redesigned and updated throughout, with many fresh examples and exercises. Further reading suggestions have been brought up to date and new material on electronic sources and the Internet has been integrated. Ways of Reading continues to be the core resource for students of English Language and Literature.

The poems in this book explore the different shapes you can see in the cities, countryside and towns where people live. Part of the Bug Club reading series used in over 3500 schools Helps your child develop reading fluency and confidence Suitable for children age 5-6 (Year 1) Book band: Green all levels Phonics phase: 5

Meaning in the Media addresses the issue of how we should respond to competing claims about meaning put forward in confrontations between people or organisations in highly charged circumstances such as bitter public controversies and expensive legal disputes. Alan Durant draws attention to the pervasiveness and significance of such meaning-related disputes in the media, investigating how their 'meaning' dimension is best described and explained. Through his analysis of deception, distortion, bias, false advertising, offensiveness and other kinds of communicative behaviour that trigger interpretive disputes, Durant shows that we can understand both meaning and media better if we focus in new ways on moments in discourse when the apparently continuous flow of understanding and agreement breaks down. This lively and contemporary volume will be invaluable to students and teachers of linguistics, media studies, journalism and law.

Meaning in the Media addresses the issue of how we should respond to competing claims about meaning put forward in confrontations between people or organisations in highly charged circumstances such as bitter public controversies and expensive legal disputes. Alan Durant draws attention to the pervasiveness and significance of such meaning-related disputes in the media, investigating how their 'meaning' dimension is best described and explained. Through his analysis of deception, distortion, bias, false advertising, offensiveness and other kinds of communicative behaviour that trigger interpretive disputes, Durant shows that we can understand both meaning and media better if we focus in new ways on moments in discourse when the apparently continuous flow of understanding and agreement breaks down. This lively and contemporary volume will be invaluable to students and teachers of linguistics, media studies, journalism and law.

When Fox dies the rest of his family are absolutely distraught. How will Mole, Otter and Hare go on without their beloved friend? But, months later, Squirrel reminds them all of how funny Fox used to be, and they realise that Fox is still there in their hearts and memories.

The first book that literature students should read, this guide reveals the distinct set of skills, conventions and methods of essay and dissertation writing.Taking students through the various stages of writing, from planning to final submission, it offers specific guidelines and a lively, detailed commentary on actual examples of student work at each stage.

Music is performed, reproduced, and heard differently today as a result of twentieth-century technology. A new consideration of these changes is a practical and cultural necessity. In Conditions of Music, Alan Durant extends Deryck Cooke's Language of Music, placing the insights of Cooke into a much wider sociological and historical framework.Conditions of Music provides a basis for detailed commentary and criticism of music. Unlike literature and painting, around which illuminating critical techniques and theories have developed, little common ground exists for music criticism. The appraisal argument adopted here implies a major revision of accepted ways of thinking about contemporary directions of music.

Legal practitioners, linguists, anthropologists, philosophers and others have all explored fundamental challenges presented by language in formulating, interpreting and applying laws. Building on centuries of interaction between legal practice and jurisprudence, the modern field of 'law and language', or 'forensic linguistics', brings insights in linguistics and related fields to bear on topics including legal drafting and translation, statutory interpretation, expert evidence on language use and dynamics of courtroom interaction. This volume presents an interlocking series of research studies engaged with different legal jurisdictions and socio-political contexts as well as with the more abstract notion of 'law'. Together the chapters, written by international leaders in their fields, highlight recent directions in research and investigate in particular how law expresses yet also conceals power relations in its crafted use of words and in the gaps and silence between those words.

Legal practitioners, linguists, anthropologists, philosophers and others have all explored fundamental challenges presented by language in formulating, interpreting and applying laws. Building on centuries of interaction between legal practice and jurisprudence, the modern field of 'law and language', or 'forensic linguistics', brings insights in linguistics and related fields to bear on topics including legal drafting and translation, statutory interpretation, expert evidence on language use and dynamics of courtroom interaction. This volume presents an interlocking series of research studies engaged with different legal jurisdictions and socio-political contexts as well as with the more abstract notion of 'law'. Together the chapters, written by international leaders in their fields, highlight recent directions in research and investigate in particular how law expresses yet also conceals power relations in its crafted use of words and in the gaps and silence between those words.

Language plays an essential role both in creating law and in governing its implementation. Providing an accessible and comprehensive introduction to this subject, Language and Law: describes the different registers and genres that make up spoken and written legal language and how they develop over time;analyses real-life examples drawn from court cases from different parts of the world, illustrating the varieties of English used in the courtroom by speakers occupying different roles;addresses the challenges presented to our notions of law and regulation by online communication;discusses the complex role of translation in bilingual and multilingual jurisdictions, including Hong Kong and Canada; andprovides readings from key scholars in the discipline, including Lawrence Solan, Peter Goodrich, Marianne Constable, David Mellinkoff, and Chris Heffer.With a wide range of activities throughout, this accessible textbook is essential reading for anyone studying language and law or forensic linguistics.Sections A, B, and C of this book are freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9781315436258

Language plays an essential role both in creating law and in governing its implementation. Providing an accessible and comprehensive introduction to this subject, Language and Law: describes the different registers and genres that make up spoken and written legal language and how they develop over time;analyses real-life examples drawn from court cases from different parts of the world, illustrating the varieties of English used in the courtroom by speakers occupying different roles;addresses the challenges presented to our notions of law and regulation by online communication;discusses the complex role of translation in bilingual and multilingual jurisdictions, including Hong Kong and Canada; andprovides readings from key scholars in the discipline, including Lawrence Solan, Peter Goodrich, Marianne Constable, David Mellinkoff, and Chris Heffer.With a wide range of activities throughout, this accessible textbook is essential reading for anyone studying language and law or forensic linguistics.Sections A, B, and C of this book are freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9781315436258

The first book that literature students should read, this guide reveals the distinct set of skills, conventions and methods of essay and dissertation writing.Taking students through the various stages of writing, from planning to final submission, it offers specific guidelines and a lively, detailed commentary on actual examples of student work at each stage.

Interest ages: 5-7   Level: KS1    Subject: reading    In this non-decodable Reading Corner poetry book, poems explore the different shapes you can see in the cities, countryside and towns where people live.  Part of the Bug Club reading series used in over 3500 schools   A Bug Club Reading Corner book designed for reading for pleasure  Helps your child develop reading fluency and confidence   Suitable for children aged 5-7  This title is part of Pearson's Bug Club, a reading programme used in over 3500 schools. Reading Corner books are designed to help children to develop a love of reading through reading for pleasure.   For more Bug Club books and learn at home resources, search for Bug Club.