| How English Works |
|
|
by Michael Swan & Catherine Walter OUP 1997 Available with (0194314561) or without (019431457X) answers As a new addition to the familiar English as a foreign language grammar practice books, aiming to both present and practise, this one looks great. The book opens with diagnostic tests, followed by an answer key referring to the relevant units: an excellent way to help students identify weak areas and direct them through the maze of grammar points. It is designed principally to be dipped into for self-study, with answers and a grammar-words reference section at the back, but it also has exercises suitable for classroom use. Versatility is the order of the day. Traditional areas of grammar are interspersed with current usage such as dropping sentence-beginnings, as in ‘Won’t work!’ As well as more conventionally laid-out grammar rules, it is refreshing to see an inductive style, with students asked to infer grammar rules in DIY exercises. However, in the commendable search for clarity, certain language points tend to be oversimplified, e.g. like to do/like doing are said to have the same meaning. Certain exercises are designated as ‘Advanced’, allowing the book to be used at many levels, and there is a variety of exercise-types. The student is guided carefully throughout by the clear layout and footnotes for cross-reference. Versatile examples are given of English in context, taken from sources as far ranging as Elvis Presley and an adaptation from Dylan Thomas’s Under Milk Wood. One quibble is that some of the cartoon illustrations might be rather offensive to more sensitive students. On the whole, I think it should be a hit with teachers and students looking for something a little more meaty than those grammar practice books currently available. Jane Cox |
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
