Understanding and Using English Grammar is an appropriately titled book simply because the book does just that. It teaches student how to use and understand challenging grammar structures by working on a variety of different exercises and tasks. This book is a great tool to have whether you are a teacher looking for material to supplement your lesson plan or a student who needs to improve their grammar skills.
"While working with each chapter, students can expect to go over a number of grammar rules and examples, conversation questions, error correction activities, fill in the blank exercises, and even some writing activities at the end of certain units."
Overview
First off, I must mention that this book is very lengthy. This hefty book is nearly 600-pages long and very heavy on the text. This won’t be a problem for more ambitious and serious students but it may turn off some students who are looking for something lighter or more visually stimulating. The book also has 20 chapters with about 8 sub-units which cover several topics relating to common grammar structures. Students can expect to work on activities relating to verb tenses, relative clauses, modal verbs, and conditionals (just to name a few). There are also a number of partner and group activities in each unit but the only downside is that the book does not come with any listening comprehension activities.
In each chapter students will focus on a specific language point and practice putting it to use with a variety of activities. While working with each chapter, students can expect to go over a number of grammar rules and examples, conversation questions, error correction activities, fill in the blank exercises, and even some writing activities at the end of certain units. Along with these activities, students will also come across games, puzzles and small group tasks. As mentioned before, this book is quite lengthy and each chapter provides students with a wide variety of activities
Pros:
· The book covers many challenging grammar structures and it offers plenty of clear examples and explanations to help students gain a better understanding of each language point.
· There are several exercises and activities in each unit to help students practice putting each structure to use.
· The book comes with an extensive verb chart which helps students go over tenses and difficult irregular verbs.
Cons:
· The book only focuses on grammar.
· Each chapter is very lengthy and this might overwhelm some students.
· The book doesn’t come with any listening activities.
Recommended For:
· Teachers who need to prepare their students for international exams.
· Large group classes (10 students or more).
· Students who need extra grammar practice outside of the classroom.
Depending on the class being taught, this book can be a great piece of material to use. It goes over nearly every grammar point there is in the English language and it provides clear and easy to understand examples. Despite its plain design and large size, it provides plenty of useful information which can be used in classes of all levels. If you’re serious about teaching or learning the important aspect of English grammar then Understanding and Using English Grammar is a fine choice for you.
