Jeannette Littlemore studies applied linguistics in the English Language department at the University of Birmingham. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in European Studies at the University of Bradford in 1989, Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics and English Language Teaching at the University of East Anglia in 1993, and PhD in English Language Teaching at Thames Valley University in 1998. She has taught in Spain, Japan, Belgium, and the UK. One of her research interests is the use of metaphor and gestures.