Customer Reviews

Basic English Grammar, Second Edition (Full Student Textbook)

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I am an ESL and GED teacher, and very proud of it. I am also a former high school dropout who did not learn to read or write beyond a rudimentary level until I was a grown man. I am very dyslexic and have attention deficit disorder, but no one knew that until I was fortunate enough to be helped by counselors at Sonoma State University. To make a long story short, English grammar has always been a nightmare for me, a bottomless pit of unfathomable rules. Because I have a fairly good ear, I learned to write by reading everything aloud and listening for mistakes. I learned to hear mistakes much like most of us can hear a bad note on the piano, but still I had no idea why they were mistakes. Knowing all of that about me, guess what I majored in in college. If you guessed English, you're right. After working as a laborer for twenty-five years, I was starving to learn how to express myself. But even after I graduated (as a Presidential Scholar) I did not have a clue about grammar, just a good ear and a heartfelt desire to write. I volunteered with Literacy Volunteers of America and loved helping people learn to read. One thing led to another and before I knew it I was teaching at a community college. I became popular as a teacher (as the former class dunce, I have lots of patience for those who have trouble learning), but I always felt ashamed that I didn't know more about grammar. Then, just by chance, I discovered Basic English Grammar by Betty Azar. Through her book, Ms. Azar has taught me more about English grammar than all of the other books I've read combined. Hers is incremental, focused, systematic, humorous, and it explains things with a clarity that absolutely works for me. And believe me, if it works for me, it will work for almost anyone. Cetainly, as you can tell from this sample of my writing, my grammar is not perfect, but still I have learned so much that I didn't know before. If anyone should actually read this review, I want you to know that I have no vested interest in this book or the company that publishes it. This is just my way of saying thank you to Ms. Azar. I was starving for knowledge, and she was kind enough to invite me to the banquet. Thank you, Ms. Azar. I hope to meet you one day and tell you all of this in person. John.

I have been using Betty Azar's book Basic English Grammar for many years. I find it a perfect supplementary text for other series books that focus on themes and the functional aspect of the language, but do not offer much in the way of drill practice. The fill in the blanks exercises are perfect for homework assignments, especially in the initial stages where practice with the form of the grammar structure needs to be mastered in order to create a foundation for freer expression. The writing assignments are well developed and provide students with a chance to apply on a more personal level the grammar structures they have learned. I also have found that the ORAL:BOOKS CLOSED activities have saved me hours of inventing cues on my own because they allow me to interact with the class as a whole and require that the students process the structures from listening, not the written word. If delivered in a manner that the students don't know who will be responding next, you can engage everyone in using the targeted structures to make a response, even though you call on only a selected number each time. Because drills are necessary, but can become repetitive, I further challenge the students to give their responses to their partners by asking them to "look into their partners eyes" when they respond, instead of speaking while they are reading off the page. I call this "thinking and speaking" because they must use their short term memory instead of their eyes. Hopefully this endeavor will help to move the structures that they are practicing into their long term memory, where it will be available to them outside the classroom. I am especially grateful for all the thought that has been put into the development of this beginning level book in the Azar series, as it has provided me with a strong foundation for teaching the basic structures of grammar. If it were more thematic, however, I would possibly not use it only as a supplementary text.

Azar's series of grammar books have a way of explaining grammar that shows the functions of the various grammar points, the way they are used, and the forms they are supposed to resemble, clearly and concisely. Both deductive and inductive learners can benefit from the examples and exercises given in the series of books. It's also a joy to teach with the Azar series of books because they are so clearly explained, that an experienced teacher can deduce in a glance what the exercise is trying to accomplish. Lengthy preparation time isn't necessary, which leaves more time for working with the students.

This is a well-organized, easy-to-understand tool for teachers and students that will serve as a helpful supplement to broad-based classroom instruction. (This evaluation of Azar's work is from the perspective of teaching EFL.)

For learning and teaching language, linguists now largely agree that "research has failed to crown any single method as superior." At the same time, researchers assert that a multi-entry program is best, one that uses as many different and varied means as possible. Therefore, if we assume that each method and tool used inside or outside the classroom for learning language is just one small piece of a large collage of methods, we will find that nearly every kind of material and method has its place.

To shrug off Azar's 'Basic English Grammar' by claiming that "It doesn't work" is to misunderstand its place in the classroom. For teaching conversation skills, it ought not in any way to be the bread and butter of a teacher's instruction; rather, interaction and dialogue that involve the five senses and (where appropriate) the whole body ought to have foremost priority. A heavy emphasis should be first placed on raw listening comprehension alone, afterwards on speaking; after that reading and finally writing. Once basic language skills have been developed in this way, teachers can introduce more formal instruction in grammar, using various exercises to practice new concepts.

And that is the place for a volume such as Azar's. The exercises are varied (from cloze passages to fill-in-the-blanks to identifying errors to oral conversation to open-ended essays and more), and the book is thick with page after page of exercises that are extensive and repetitive - exactly as language learning should be.

Because most of the exercises are written, in my case I do save this material for use only once or twice a week, or as supplementary homework for students to practice what they have already covered and practiced orally in class. In that case Azar is an excellent reinforcement for what students already know, and need be little more.

Teachers of introductory English will need to be aware that the vocabulary in the exercises may be broader than their students are presently familiar with. Also, those teaching in non-English-speaking countries should be aware that some aspects of American culture found in the exercises may be difficult for their students to understand, and therefore the instructor will need to make adjustments accordingly.

Overall, this is a helpful and enjoyable tool for training in good grammar skills.

I used this book last year as a supplement in the Intermediate ESL class I was teaching. The book contains thorough explanations as to why we do and say certain things. For example, I especially liked the explanation of voiced and voiceless sounds when using -ed and -s. The exercises were very good. The book didn't quickly skip from one topic to the next, as many ESL books do. This book contained several exercises for each topic, so the students had a lot of practice before being shown something new. I loved this book.

I have looked many grammar books for my children. This one is outstanding. Many parents do not pay much attention to formal grammar study. You don't have to if writing just so so is OK for you. If you want your child to have above average English, you want him to use a grammar book like this one. Betty Azar did an outstanding job compiling this clear, easy to use book. Its step-by-step introduction to English grammar and well-designed drills are perfect for elementary students. My children benefit a lot from it. Now, they know precisely how sentences should work, not just feel kind of right or wrong. Their good command of English grammar shows up in their impressive writing.

Good writing and grammar cannot be achieved in a short time. Looking for more practice, we also use Beestar ELA programs (a very good web site at http://www.beestar.org). Overall, this is a thoughtful fine book that delivers results. I highly recommend it.

I have purchased this book and I assure you ,It really helped.I found it so easy to understand I couldn't think of something easier or better.

Very good manual for teaching the foreign student basic conversation and written skills.

This text was actually chosen by a second year student in my ESL class. I use a variety of texts with students, as well as a great deal of oral language exercises and discussion using pictures, classroom demonstrations, and so on. One thing I really like about this text are the oral practice exercises in each section. I think a student who has an English speaking friend, tutor, or teacher to practice these with him, check over completed practice, and to explain any lesson that the student questions would GREATLY benefit from this book. Teachers would find plenty of exercises to pull out and use to meet specific classroom practice needs. Students who expect to teach themselves to SPEAK English thru this--or any other text--will be disappointed. Reading and writing develop language skills, but we learn to speak by listening and speaking.

Excelent book I need it for my sister son that is using it and he told me it easy to understand the book.