"Longman English Works" is a short, general course designed to take adult beginners to pre-intermediate level. Consisting of 16 four-page units, it is intended to be of use to those wanting rapid results. A strong work orientation is used. Characters are shown in a variety of jobs and work situations, making learning relevant to the students' own lives. Worldwide characters and situations give an international feel and should help prepare students for real-life situations. An optional review unit at the beginning of the course can be used to bring students up to a similar level, alert the teacher to any problems, and boost students' confidence. Students can then study alone with the help of a detailed contents map, which includes useful phrases and vocabulary. Key grammar points are introduced gradually, and are focused and re-focused on as the course develops, consolidating students' understanding. The four skills of reading, listening, speaking and writing are covered and practised. Listening dialogues are introduced as reading texts, and then continued as extended listenings. Vocabulary is presented in lexical sets. There is a simple approach to phonology, linking the sounds of words to the most usual ways in which these are represented in writing. The detailed contents map and clear labelling throughout should help students follow exactly what they are learning and why.