English Teacher Melanie: English Books
Here are some books that I think students and teachers of English will find useful!
I have used these books to improve my knowledge of English and I frequently use them during my lessons.
Grammar
Practical English Usage – Michael Swan
This book is a must for all English teachers – in this book you will find the answer to any question you may have about English! The ‘Content Overview’ and ‘Index’ sections are extensive, so you can easily find whatever you are looking for. For example, the section on ‘articles’ is 15 pages. The explanations in the book are mainly about British English, but English learners who prefer American English will find this book extremely useful too.
American English (Grammar)
The ‘Grammar in Use’ series written by Raymond Murphy AND William R. Smalzer are American English.
Basic Grammar in Use – Raymond Murphy with William R. Smalzer (Self-study reference and practice for students of North American English)
This book is for beginner to low-intermediate learners. It’s a self-study guide with detailed explanations and extensive exercises (there is an answer key at the back of the book). There 116 different units, each about a different grammar point. For each unit, there is a grammar explanation followed by a series of practice exercises. Students should start with the study guide at the back of the book. It will help you pinpoint what areas of English grammar you need to work on. This is also a great book for teachers as there are a lot of grammar exercises you might find useful in the classroom![]
Grammar in Use Intermediate – Raymond Murphy with William R. Smalzer (Self-study Reference and Practice for Students of North American English)
This book is for middle- to upper-intermediate learners. It’s a self-study guide with detailed explanations and extensive exercises (there is an answer key at the back of the book). There 142 different units, each about a different grammar point. For each unit, there is a grammar explanation followed by a series of practice exercises. Students should start with the study guide at the back of the book. It will help you pinpoint what areas of English grammar you need to work on. This is also a great book for teachers as there are a lot of grammar exercises you might find useful in the classroom![]
British English (Grammar)
The three ‘Oxford Practice Grammar with Answers’ books all have the same form, but they are written by three different authors.
Oxford Practice Grammar: Basic – Norman Coe, Mark Harrison, Ken Paterson
This is an excellent introduction to the basics of English grammar. It’s well-organized with straightforward explanations. There are 109 individual units with a test at the end of each section (for example, there are 8 units in the ‘Tenses: present’ section with a test at the end of the section). There is also an ‘exit test’ at the end of the book. For each unit, there is a grammar explanation followed by a series of practice exercises.The answers (the ‘key’) to all the exercises and tests are at the back of the book.[]
Oxford Practice Grammar: Intermediate – John Eastwood
This is a good book for mid- to upper-intermediate students. The ‘Contents’ section is not as well organized as the Basic book, but the grammar explanations are clear and straightforward. There are 153 individual units with 24 mini-tests throughout the book. For each unit, there is a grammar explanation followed by a series of practice exercises. There is also an ‘exit test’ at the end of the book. The answers (the ‘key’) to all the exercises and tests are at the back of the book. []
Oxford Practice Grammar: Advanced – George Yule
This book is for advanced students. It’s difficult even for native speakers – sometimes I don’t understand the grammar explanations! It’s useful if you are at a very advanced level of English and need to learn formal British English for work or university. It uses a lot of technical grammatical terms. There are 17 sections (broken down into small units) with a test at the end of each section. (If you click on the Amazon links, you can use the ‘Look Inside’ function to see the ‘Contents’ page and see all the sections in the book). For each unit, there is a grammar explanation followed by a series of practice exercises. There is also an ‘exit test’ at the end of the book. The answers (the ‘key’) to all the exercises and tests are at the back of the book. [ ]
Pronunciation
Here are the two books that I have used extensively with students. Both have helped me understand American English in depth and I use exercises from both books in class with my students.
Mastering the American Accent – Lisa Mojsin
This is quite possibly the greatest book on American pronunciation for both teachers and advanced learners! It does not go through each and every sound (like the book below does). It focuses on the things that will help a non-native speaker speak with a standard American accent (like the kind you hear on CNN!): difficult consonant sounds, linking, syllable and word stress, intonation, and the difference between casual and formal speech. At the back of the book there is a ‘native language guide’ that explains what different nationalities (Chinese, Spanish, Russian etc.) need to focus on. The book also includes 4 CDs so that the learner can listen to someone speaking almost every exercise. [ ]
English Pronunciation Made Simple – Paulette Dale and Lillian Poms
This book explains each individual sound in standard American English, as well as all the other elements of spoken English: rhythm, stress, intonation, consonant clusters, plurals, contractions, past tense verbs, etc. This is a great book for teachers to use as a classroom textbook as there are a lot of exercises teachers will find useful in the classroom. It is better for teachers than for students, as the 2 included CDs don’t say all the words and exercises. This book also helps to learn the IPA as it uses the IPA symbols to help explain American English pronunciation. [ ]
TOEFL
Delta’s Key to the Next Generation TOEFL Test – Nancy Gallagher (Advanced Skill Practice for the iBT)
From the back of the book:
“Delta’s Key to the Next Generation TOEFL Test is a complete test preparation course for high-intermediate and advanced learners of English…“
“[This] book prepares students to take the [iBT] and builds the language skills necessary for academic succes in an English-speaking environment.”
If you are seriously thinking about studying at a North American university, you need this book! It thoroughly explains each section of the TOEFL. In the reading and listening sections it has detailed explanations of each possible question. There are extensive practice activities plus 4 complete tests. You will also need the CD pack that goes with this textbook.
*Amazon.com often has a great deal if you buy this book + CD pack + Six Practice Tests for the iBT (book) together! Check they “Frequently Bought Together” section.
400 Must-Have Words for the TOEFL – Lynn Stafford-Yilmaz and Lawrence J. Zwier
This is a great resource for building your vocabulary! The 400 words are divided into 8 themes and 40 lessons, for example, in the ‘Money’ section, the lessons are: Financial Systems, Wealth and Social Class, Personal Property, Employment, International Trade. There are 10 words in each lesson, and each lesson contains definitions of each word, usage tips, and three exercises using the words. [ ]
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