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Graham Low is an applied linguist. He has an MA in Linguistics from Manchester and a PhD in Educational Studies (focusing on methodological aspects of questionnaire design) from York. He has taught in secondary, further and higher education in the UK and abroad. From 1978-1986, he taught English for Academic Purposes and Applied Linguistics in the Language Centre, University of Hong Kong. In 1986 he became the Director of the new EFL Unit at York; after 16 years of developing the Unit he moved to the Department of Educational Studies in 1983, where he helped to set up the MA in Language Learning and Education. His research currently relates to the use of figurative language, particularly metaphor and recently simile, in discourse and to exploring ways it can be taught and learned. The interest in metaphor tends to relate to advanced level learners and those in higher education. This dovetails with his interest in researching the use of language for academic purposes.He has been part of several systematic reviews of aspects of language teaching and learning, and was a founder member of York's English Review Group. Currently Graham Low is working with the Institute for Effective Education to review research on Post-16-yr Participation in Full-time Education by members of Minority Ethnic Groups.