English grammar book review
Finding the right material either as a student or a teacher can be a minefield. These grammar book reviews are written by teachers with long experience of teaching English as a foreign language.
English Grammar in Use by Raymond Murphy
This is the number one best-selling grammar book. Although it is designed for self-study, it is also frequently used as a classroom textbook. As a self-study book it is extremely user-friendly, the pages are set out with explanations and examples on the left-hand side, and practice exercises on the right. The student studies the left-hand side, completes the right hand exercises then self-marks from the answers in the back of the book. The student can gain satisfaction from progressing through the exercises, and as the exercises to certain degree are 'set up' for the student to produce the correct form, the student increases in confidence by producing a greater number of correct forms. At the end of the book there are mixed exercises which test all the points covered in the book, and one particularly useful feature is that each question refers the student back to the unit of the book which deals with that particular point, so should the student produce the wrong answer, they can refer quickly back to the appropriate unit.
One drawback that the student may find is a lack of variation, working through the whole book would be rather tedoius. Using it more as a reference book for revision purposes may be more appropriate for some students.
As a classroom book, the teacher may find themselves feeling rather redundant as the book does all the teaching for them. Students also have a tendency to work through the exercises with their finger in the answer page, and refer to it rather too readily.
Overall though a very useful book. Student teachers
and those newly qualified will find it a useful
reference book for themselves.
Essential Gramar in Use by Raymond Murphy.
The book is organised in exactly the same way as
English Grammar in Use, reviewed above. Raymond
Murphy really has done good job here in producing
simple grammar explanations that are understandable
to the elementary student - no easy job as most
English language teachers know. The exercises are
self-marking, there are practice tests at the end
which revise all the points in the book. This is
very good value for money, possible the best elementary
self-study grammar book on the market.
Advanced Grammar in Use by Martin Hewings
Although there is a different author, the layout and structure of this book is exactly the same as the above 'Grammar in Use' books. This recent book fills the gap in the market for a really thorough grammar book for advanced students. It is a very useful reference book for students and teachers alike. The more complex points of English grammar are clearly and thoroughly explained. It would be a really useful aid to anyone studying for the Cambridge examinations, most of whom are aware of the points they need to do extra work on. This book is thoroughly recommended for advanced students, student teachers and practising teachers.
Practical English Usage by Michael Swan
This is a handy reference book which works like
a grammar dictionary. Just look up for example,
countable and uncountable nouns, and it gives a
brief but comprensible explanation. Most useful
for student teachers, but also for advanced English
students, and a handy back-up for any practising
teacher. It is worth noting that it is absolutely
a reference book, it is not intended as systematic
instruction book.
Grammar Games by Mario Rinvolucri, also More Grammar
Games by Mario Rinvolucri.
These are both good books for any EFL teacher's
shelf. They are full of good ideas for practising
specific grammar points. The activities are not
too complicated, and require very little preparation.
The students become actively involved in the tasks
and are nicely set up to produce the target forms.
Cambridge First Certificate Grammar and Usage: Study
Text by Bob Obee
This book is aimed at preparing students for Paper
3 of the cambridge First Certificate Examination.
It has a fresh approach to the grammar teaching,
inviting students to work out the rules for themselves.
There is a nice variation in the exercises and the
units are presented in a very user-friendly format.
Grammar Practice Activities by Penny Ur
Although this book was written in 1988 it is still
a worthwhile book for any English Langauage teacher
to have in their collection. It is divided into
two parts, the first containing an introduction
to grammar teaching which gives advice on the preparation
of grammar practice activities and how to present
them in the classroom. The second section contains
a wealth of grammar games and practice activities,
all of them well described and uncomplicated. Penny
Ur is one of the most reliable communicative activities
writers, and this book will certainly not let you
down.