THE STUDYBASE IRISH LANGUAGE COLLEGE ONLINE

presents Courses in Irish Grammar with Self-Assessment Exercises including Listening Tests

• If you are learning Irish at school or college and want additional assistance with grammar this web site has
  • self-correcting exercises,
  • explanations,
  • audio clips for pronunciation,
  • monitored forums to discuss particular issues with other students, and
  • a tutor to take an interest and supervise your progress.
    
    
• If you are a teacher looking for some useful self-correcting grammar assessment tests for your pupils you will find such material here on STUDYBASE. [ more ]
  
  
• If you have left formal education but would still like to brush up on those aspects of the Irish language glossed over in the rush to prepare for exams you will find help here.

LEVELS: Advanced & Intermediate Courses Only. (Nothing for beginners. Yet.)
We do not yet have a course for beginners. Our courses are at Intermediate and Advanced levels. They are not specifically intended to prepare students for the Leaving Cert Examination but a student who takes one of our courses will have a good basis from which to write and speak with accuracy.

ADULT STUDENTS: "How rusty is your school Irish?"
The people we have in mind for the advanced course are those who already know a considerable amount of Irish but who now need to be able to speak and write the Irish language well -- even at a basic level -- so as to be able to use it when occasion demands, such as on the telephone or in the reception area of a State office. Even executives in large companies, gardaí, and senior civil servants may find themselves interviewed by TG4 and many teachers may want to clarify their own understanding of Irish grammar. Journalists can find extra outlets on radio and TV if their Irish is good enough.

COURSES:
This site offers two courses to assist you in improving your Irish grammar using the miracles of modern technology.

• CRUINN BEACHT 0: a free sample: the first unit of either of the following courses is free.
• CRUINN BEACHT 1: a course for advanced learners to help you perfect your grammar . Suitable for those with a very high standard of spoken Irish who wish to improve their knowledge of An Caighdeán Oifigiúil.
• CRUINN BEACHT 2: a course for those at intermediate level to help you learn or revise the basics of Irish grammar. Suitable for those seeking to make progress in written Irish.

Thanks to the amazing instant correction and self-assessment facilities offered by modern technology these courses make learning or revising grammar enjoyable. The student who wants to revise those rules of grammar and syntax that may have been learnt in haste at school and not yet fully understood will find them explained here in leisurely detail.

You can proceed at your own pace. We set simple tasks, explain how to do them, and you get to evaluate your own success immediately.

COURSE FORMAT:
Most lessons consist of a CEACHT lesson and CLEACHTAÍ exercises. The lesson will generally be presented either in PDF form or as a Web Page. Sometimes an audio file of the lesson will be made available. Listening tests will be supplied as required.

Once you attempt the CLEACHTAÍ exercises you will know what to look for in the CEACHT lesson. Learning begins at once and you are in charge.

At any time while you are attempting theCLEACHTAÍ exercises you can refer to the CEACHT lesson and to whatever sources you have available, your English-Irish or Irish-English dictionary or whatever grammar book you may already have. Once you have completed a number of the tasks you can press submit and see how well you have done. The web site tells you where you have succeeded and where you have more to learn.

A second revision of the lesson and a further attempt at the remaining tasks and correction of the errors will in all probability enable you to get all the answers correct. You can then feel justifiably proud of yourself and move on to the next lesson.

ENROLMENT:
All that is required initially is to make yourself known by e-mail to AN BAINISTEOIR and you will be admitted to the two free lessons: CB 1 Aonad 1 and CB 2 Aonad 1. If you wish to continue you will be invited to pay a fee which will enable us to continue with the project and expand it.

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT:
Enrolled students who have paid their fees will have access to a monitored FORUM where only registered students are allowed to contribute. Use of an online "handle" or "ainm cleite" is recommended for the sake of personal privacy. The tutors will look in on the FORUM from time to time and answer questions or resolve difficulties.

CLASSROOM USE:
These courses - or parts of them - may also be used by teachers wishing to give their pupils a grounding in basic grammar.

All they need do is take out a Teacher Enrolment with us, present the lesson in class on an overhead screen or on a photocopied print-off, explain the points at issue, show the pupils how to find the exercises online and get them to do the exercises on their laptops at home.

Correction and assessment is instant and the pupils have the satisfaction of knowing they have mastered the points at issue.

STATE EXAMINATIONS:
As mentioned above these courses are not intended specifically to provide a short cut to getting extra marks in the Leaving or Junior Cert examinations. Nevertheless while aural and oral elements attract more than 40% of marks in State Exams almost 60% of the remaining marks are earned on the written papers, especially the essay.

To write Irish accurately one needs a good knowledge of spelling, grammar, and syntax. This web site will help you.