ABSTRACT
It will have become apparent, if you have read the book thus far, that in describing language knowledge, whether at text, sentence or word level, I have been at pains to include both speaking and writing. They are not identical at any of these three levels, though there are large areas of overlap. Ron Carter (1994) claims that understanding the differences between speech and writing is one of the most important aspects of language knowledge for teachers, and I agree with this. What cannot be disputed is that speaking and writing are of equal importance. After the introduction of the NLS it was being said in some quarters that oracy was being put on the back burner, but recent government publications (2003) have very much placed it back on the agenda.
