Customer Reviews

The Grammar Book : An Esl/Efl Teacher's Course : 2nd Edition, Sampler

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I recently purchased this book and I can sincerely say that THE GRAMMAR BOOK is a well-written and well-structured book. Written primarily for ESL/EFL teachers as well as students, it contains every imaginable aspect of english grammar. Mastering english grammar has never been easier, even though I am not implying that it will not require a tremendous amount of effort on your side to master the advanced elements of grammar. None the less, as with everything else in life, being really good at something takes hard work and perseverance. THE GRAMMAR BOOK will dramatically improve your grammatical skills. Marianne Celce-Murcia uses simple terminology in her book in order to facilitate comprehension of difficult grammatical concepts. Even though the book is comprehensive, it nevertheless is lucid and accessible. Practising but especially prospective ESL/EFL teachers should find this book highly useful. Furthermore, advanced students of english as a foreign/second language should benefit from this book. Thus I strongly recommend THE GRAMMAR BOOK to prospective ESL/EFL teachers and advanced students of english language. In my view, this is not a book for beginners. Those who are rather unfamiliar with basic concepts of english grammar should purchase a book called FUNDAMENTALS OF ENGLISH GRAMMAR by Azar.

You don't have to be a teacher of English as a Second or Foreign Language (ESL/EFL) to use this book. You do have to be very interested in how to write and speak correct English, and in exceptions to rules and the patterns behind them. The book is more than a desk reference, but not meant to be read cover-to-cover. The curious reader can open at almost any chapter and learn something new about daily English usage. The authors assume knowledge of some grammatical terms -- look them up in a dictionary as needed (I did). Multiple indexes allow you to find explanations both by topic and by word.

This book illustrates each particular grammar structure it presents helping both prospective and practicing teachers to understand the problems that English Language Learners may encounter. Its organization makes it a welcomed reference tool.

Much as I hate to disagree with my colleagues, I found this book to be poorly written, overly verbose and beyond dull. Common grammar terms were not used, nor was the extensive terminology adequately explained. There was no glossary and the in-text definitions were incomplete. The index was inadequate. I have taught grammar for 20+ years, and have had classes in 5 different languages. I would *never* inflict so much useless information on my own students because it would confuse them. It confused me! Normally, *nouns* are inflected and *verbs* conjugated; not here! This was especially frustrating because of the high price of the book.

This book is comprehensive, technical, yet relatively easy to understand. As I move through the linguistics curriculum in my MA program as well as my career an ESL/English Comp instructor, I see myself referring to this book over and over.
It is expensive for a reason. It's a thorough, hard-cover reference book that can be used for years, or, at least until the major rules of English change.

If you are new to English grammar, do not buy this book. It's too technical for students trying/continuing to try to learn grammar. If you plan to teach English as a foreign language or 2nd language, this is a good reference for you to have so you explain the 'why' questions that tend to stump you.

I'm an ESL teacher. I have students who ask me all kinds of grammar questions that I don't know the answers to. This is where I go to find them. The book is pretty dry (hey, its grammar) and technical, but that's what makes it such a good resource.

In '91, I took the first addition to Nicaragua and left it there for the new EFL teachers at the university where I worked. I have two copies--one at home and the other in the office. If the second edition is an improvement then it should be on your desk if you are in the field and at all interested in improving your teaching.

This book has been a classic reference on English grammar, structure and usage ever since the 1983 first edition. It is comprehensive, thorough, and clear. The organization of the topics is a model for teaching. For my own ESL teaching I frequently look here for detailed explanations and examples which can be found nowhere else. The second edition has updated the grammar treatment according to the latest theory, is even more methodical than the first edition, and introduces valuable new topics.

Now pay attention, because you might not want this book at all! It's a technical reference book for English teachers with good prior training. Before you spend a lot of money on it, make sure it's what you want! Don't expect it to be something it has no intention of being. It's not a textbook for learners, and it's not for casual readers, beginners, or ESL students. People with no training in linguistics or grammar will find it above their level, so be warned! There are many more useful and cheaper books for you out there.

If you're an English teacher or planning to be one, if you're really interested in the "why" of grammar and usage, and if you don't mind detailed technical explanations, then you will find "The Grammar Book" invaluable. It adds to your understanding of every topic, offers fascinating insights into the workings of language, and has really useful examples everywhere.

An excellent text and reference book to teach grammaring, grammar as a skill to persons that are learning English. It makes learning grammar a challenging but enjoyable task.

This is a great resource for a home/classroom reference library. It has very clear explanations but goes much further into depth than most grammar books. It's a keeper!