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nickpellatt · Joined: 08 Dec 2006 Posts: 1522

Hi, Im doing an online TEFL course (yeah yeah I know already), but would like to buy a decent book to provide me with a sound understanding of grammar, that I can use for reference when planning lessons etc.

I believe my grammar is OK when speaking or writing, but of course this does not always translate into being able to plan and deliver lessons on the subject!

Any recommendation with regards to a good book, or books, are welcome!

Justin Trullinger · Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2006 6:47 pm Post subject:

Practical ENglish Usage, by Michael Swan and Somebody.

It's no fun to read, but it's thorough.

Best,

Justin

tedkarma · Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2006 10:56 pm Post subject:

You can download a free grammar book from this webpage:

http://teflbootcamp.com/Grammar.htm

I agree with Justin, Swan is a great source. You'll tend to find though, that no one reference does it all. Some don't cover everything, some don't explain things well, some are good at this and not so good at that - so must of us end up with four or five references that we keep with us.

sonjainOK · Joined: 03 Dec 2006 Posts: 3 Location: Oklahoma, USA

Harbrace College Handbook by John C. Hodges & Mary Whitten is an excellent source for grammar, mechanics, punctuation, spelling, & diction.
This is not a book to read, it's a reference book with great examples.

Ecrivain · Joined: 26 Aug 2006 Posts: 37 Location: Ohio (for now)

How about Betty Azar's Fundamentals of English Grammar? It was recommended to me by an ESL teacher I worked with, but I haven't looked through it yet. She said it was the book to take, but I see Swan recommended here more often.

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

Azar is for students, and never gets above sentence level. It's a dreadful book, in my book. Thank goodness, we finally killed the old dinosaur from all the programs I'm associated with. Sentence level manipulation of grammar is useful for reference, but Azar tends to present it as The Way to Learn Grammar.
For a teacher, I'd recommend Swan too -

sheeba · Joined: 17 Jun 2004 Posts: 1123

I rarely use my Swan book .I use various books for Grammar . I find Teaching Tenses by Rosemary Aitken is useful and (perhaps a bit too deep for what you need) 'The context of language teaching' by Jack Richards. I must admit I don't like Jack's ESL coursebooks but his description of the progressive and the perfect is a superb presentation.

TravellingAround · Joined: 12 Nov 2006 Posts: 423

David Crystal's 'Rediscover Grammar' is perfect for quickly checking anything and has some excellent examples and is often on reading lists for university courses. I'd also recommend Swan's Practical English Usage...I have the third edition and have found it very useful in clearing up any queries.

For a more historic view of the language there are a number of readable guides to the development of English. 'Mother Tongue' by Bill Bryson and 'The Adventure of English' by Melvyn Bragg are both very easy to read. 'A history of the English Language' by Baugh and Cable is a bit less so but seems to be the most authoritive account around or at least of those I have been able to find.

Sgt Killjoy · Joined: 26 Jun 2004 Posts: 438

Good suggestion on this thread, but I would add one more to the list:

Grammar Smart put out by the Princeton Review. Lots of good grammar review in it and tackles some of the things in a different way than the books mentioned.

xsbir · Joined: 09 Oct 2006 Posts: 81 Location: The Big Durian

Stephen Jones · Joined: 21 Feb 2003 Posts: 4124

If the OP is going to make a career in TEFL, oxymoronic thought that may be, he would do well to purchase and read critically, "The English Verb" by Michael Lewis.

canuck · Joined: 11 May 2003 Posts: 1921 Location: Japan

nickpellatt · Joined: 08 Dec 2006 Posts: 1522

Thanks for all the suggestions...will be out shopping this weekend...

MELEE · Posted: Wed Dec 27, 2006 7:42 pm Post subject:

Drizzt · Joined: 20 Feb 2005 Posts: 229 Location: Kyuushuu, Japan

Hi Nick,

A spectacular book I've come across dealing specifically with English grammar for English language teachers is "Grammar for English Language Teachers" (who'd have guessed? Laughing

) by Martin Parrott.

The grammar is explained in a direct, concise, yet interesting fashion. Each chapter is organized well and contains sections such as common difficulties, key considerations about teaching a particular grammar point, but best of all, the information you need as well to fully understand it.

By far the best book for teaching grammar I've come across.

Hope this helps.