Essential English Grammar Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Studying grammar is something most people prefer to avoid. We all know it can help us write better, but we cringe at the thought of "going back to school." I happen to be different: I am a bit of a nerd, and I make my living teaching people to write better at work. After teaching one of my courses, I am often asked by students to name a few good books they can read to continue to improve their writing. This book is the only book I recommend for learning or reviewing grammar.
I tell them the truth: I sat down with a pencil and worked through every lesson and exercise in the book. And I (re)learned a ton. I also tell them that I wrote lightly, because I think I will do it again every few years, just as I do with The Elements of Style. Unfortunately, grammar is a subject that requires periodic review if you are serious about staying sharp in your writing at work. This workbook makes it as painless as possible and costs almost nothing.
I rated this book 5 stars because I think it is superior in all categories for a workbook: comprehensive content, structured lessons, abundant exercises, authoritative author, and low price.

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This logical, developmental presentation of the major aspects of English grammar includes all the necessary tools for speech and comprehension. Designed for adults with limited learning time who wish to acquire the basics of everyday English, this grammar book features numerous shortcuts and timesavers. Ideal as an introduction, supplement, or refresher.

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American Accent Training (Book and Audio CD, 2nd Edition) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I do agree with the other reviewers that it is an excellent book written by a professional with extensive experience. It comes with 6 CD and almost 200-page book with detailed explanations of intonation patterns and sounds. Additionally, in the appendix Ann Cook discusses in detail what are the typical accents of native speakers of common languages, and what specifically the native speakers of these languages should work on.
The chief difficulty with working with a course like this is that the learner should not only repeat after the speaker, but should also be able to hear his/her own words to make the necessary corrections. If you keep on repeating the same mistake, but do not hear it and cannot correct yourself - what's the point of practicing? My solution is to practice with a computer. I tried a simple sound recorder on a computer as well as a tape recorder, and it did not work - too complicated, invoves too much button pressing. You need a program which plays a phrase, then records you repeating it, then repeats the native speaker, then plays your recording, and does it all over again in a loop until you are satisfied. It turned out that it is not easy to find a program like this; after a long search, I found a shareware program called FollowMe, its trial version can be downloaded from tarsoft's site or shareware servers (perhaps there are other programs like this which I did not come across, I am talking about the learning concept here). For me personally working with a computer and using a program like described above made a tremendous difference, I really feel that I am getting the most from this book. I can hear my mistakes and I feel that I am correcting them.
While with a course like this the price is much less important than the result and productivity of learning, this book (in my opinion) satisfies both, good quality and reasonable price. Recommended.

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The second edition of the highly acclaimed American Accent Training, now on 5 audio CDs, is for foreign-born students and business people working, traveling or studying in the United States and Canada. Through extensive intonation and pronunciation exercises, students learn how to speak with a standard American Accent. At the same time, listening comprehension improves dramatically. Supplementary materials included detailed nationality guides for eight languages (Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Spanish, French, German, Russian and Korean), access to a comprehensive website, and referral to a qualified telephone analyst for an individual diagnostic speech analysis. Also included are colored markers for written exercises, and a mirror to practice accurate pronunciation.

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Basic English Grammar, Third Edition (Full Student Book with Audio CD and Answer Key) Review

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(More customer reviews)The best grammar series around! I like all the books in the series and have used them in my different levels of ESL classes in several international schools. Good for middle and high school students, as well as adults. Some can be used with younger children as well, although the content is sometimes for older students. Excellent workbooks, too!

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Blending communicative and interactive approaches with tried-and-true grammar teaching, Basic English Grammar, Third Edition, by Betty Schrampfer Azar and Stacy A. Hagen, offers concise, accurate, level-appropriate grammar information with an abundance of exercises, contexts, and classroom activities.New features of Basic English Grammar, Third Edition: Increased speaking practice through interactive pair and group work. New structure-focused listening exercises. More activities that provide real communication opportunities. Added illustrations to help students learn vocabulary, understand contexts, and engage in communicative language tasks. New Workbook solely devoted to self-study exercises. New Audio CDs and listening script in the back of the Student Book.Student Book is available with or without Answer Key. Student Book and Workbook are available in split versions.

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The Oxford English Grammar Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)As the other reviewer has said, this isn't a usage guide. It is partly a reference grammar, but also partly a textbook on the whole English language. Indeed, the title may be misleading, because most self-proclaimed grammars of English limit themselves to sentence-level syntax and a bit of morphology (inflections and such). Greenbaum includes chapters on phonology (the sounds of language) and morphology (word structure), and discourse (grammatical structure above the level of single sentences).
The material here is the most accurate you will find in a book directed at a general (non-linguistic) audience, and is essentially a condensed version of the material in *A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language*, of which Greenbaum was a co-author, and which remains the best one-volume reference grammar of English. It is a sad fact that most grammar books marketed to a general audience perpetuate factual inaccuracies about English grammar. Greenbaum gives you English the way it really works, without descending into the complexities of contemporary linguistic theory.
My one complaint about the book is not about its content but about its production quality. My copy, at least, is printed on cheap paper and the few graphics are not the sharpest. I expect more from a $45 book.

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Written by one of the world's leading grammarians, The Oxford English Grammar is an authoritative review of and topic reference for English grammar. Opening with an outline of national, regional, and social variation in English, the book details descriptive and prescriptive approaches and attitudes to English among both native and non-native speakers. This is followed by an account of the development of grammar, and a review of modern approaches to this complex subject. The central section of the book is a presentation of current English grammar at sentence, clause, phrase, and word level; with the last chapters covering grammar in relation to discourse, word-formation, lexis, pronunciation and intonation, punctuation, and spelling. A full index is provided, and examples of usage are drawn from a wide range of sources, including use of the new international Corpus of English at University College London. Written in a readable and absorbing style, The Oxford English Grammar is an essential reference for English speakers around the world.

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