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Online Resource Site

 

Here is an online site that has many grammar resources.  There are two categories: study guides and exercises/quizzes.  You can find both by clicking on the following link and scrolling down and clicking on the grammar link

 

http://academics.smcvt.edu/cbauer-ramazani/Links/useful_sites.htm

 

 

Resource Books


Here are some resource books you may find helpful along with my subjective comments here (which may or may not be helpful)...anything by Ur or Rinvolucri is worth picking up...they both write geared for teachers and their books are well worth whatever you pay for them. The two reference books that seem to be only available from the UK are good...the A-Z one is a little more accessible than the Cobuild one, but both are good...the Cobuild one is full of information and may appear dense at times...The Grammar Book by Larsen-Freeman and Celce-Murcia can also be intimidating with its transformational grammar approach, but it is very thorough and is one I use regularly.


NOTE: the comments that follow after each book are taken from internet reviews, etc.



ACTIVITY BOOKS


Grammar Practice Activities: A Practical Guide for Teachers

by Penny Ur


A detailed guide containing nearly two-hundred imaginalive and useful communicative grammar practice activities. The first part provides a general introduction to grammar teaching in the foreign language classroom, with particular reference to grammar practice. It suggests guidelines for the design of activities and includes a section of practical hints on effective classroom presentation. The second part provides nearly two-hundred communicative and gamelike practice activities for the main areas of English grammar. Teachers can copy these for immediate use in the classroom or use them as a guide to design their own practice materials. .


Grammar Games: Cognitive, Affective and Drama Activities for EFL Students

by Mario Rinvolucri


This is a resource book for teachers containing material for a wide variety of games which can be played in the English language classroom. Each game focusses on one or more points of English grammar. A specification is given for each game, describing its level, materials needed, grammar points practised and time required. Grammar Games enables teachers to integrate grammar practice into their classes in novel and motivating ways: humanistic and affective approaches involve students in thinking and action; games use either simple materials like dice and pencil-and-paper, or provide materials which can be copied; written by a well-known, active EFL teacher and writer; all games have been thoroughly tested in class; range of levels from beginner upwards; variety of different games: competitive games, collaborative games, awareness activities, grammar through drama, and a miscellany.


STUDENT PRACTICE/REFERENCE BOOKS


Fundamentals of English Grammar, Full Text

by Betty Schrampfer Azar (Author)


This new edition expands coverage to include a wider scope of English structure usage, with new units on: pronoun usage; connecting ideas; sentence punctuation; and comparisons. This second edition provides a well organized core of material around which instructors can build classroom activities and a course syllabus. Presents material that is interesting, adult, and realistic in terms of current usages and both needs in and outside the classroom. It also views vocabulary development as integral to the development of structure usage.


NOTE: One review points out that this book really works on form, but does not do much to address meaning or use.


Grammar in Use Student's book : Reference and Practice for Intermediate Students of English

by Raymond Murphy (Author)


This American English edition of English Grammar in Use can be used both as a classroom text and as a grammar reference for students. Each unit deals with a particular grammar point (or points), providing clear explanations and examples on the left-hand page, with exercises to check understanding on the facing right-hand page. The book covers many of the problems intermediate students of American English encounter, including tense usage, modals, conditionals, the subjunctive and prepositions. A separate answer key is available for self-study, individual work in the language laboratory and as an easy reference for teachers.


TESTING GRAMMAR

 (I have never seen the following book so cannot vouch for it but I think that  the author, Keith Folse, does do good work)


100 Clear Grammar Tests : Reproducible Grammar Tests for Beginning to Intermediate ESL/EFL Classes

by Keith S. Folse (Editor), Joseph Gabriella, Linda Hadeed, Jeanine Ivone, April Muchmore-Vokoun, Elena Vestri Solomon, Makoto Yoshii, Jeanine Irone


This book contains 100 Grammar Tests that are easily reproduced for classroom use. These tests follow the sequence given in the authors series of Clear Grammar books but can easily be adapted to any lessons given on grammar. Each chapter has tests on a particular grammar point and at least two types of tests. (Multiple choice, fill in the blanks, sentence writing etc) This book and his series are designed for the beginner and intermediate ESL student but can easily be used in any school setting. Tests follow the same chapter sequence as the Clear Grammar Series but you can also look up tests by the grammar point you wish to test. This book does not teach any grammar points, it is simply a book of tests to help the teacher evaluate and re-inforce the information taught.


TEACHER'S REFERENCE


The Grammar Book: An ESL/EFL Teacher's Course

by Marianne Celce-Murcia ,Diane Larsen-Freeman


In this highly acclaimed revision, grammatical descriptions and teaching suggestions are organized into sections dealing with Form, Meaning, and Use. THE GRAMMAR BOOK, Second Edition helps teachers and future teachers grasp the linguistic system and details of English grammar, providing more information on how structures are used at the discourse level.


A Communicative Grammar of English

by Geoffrey Leech ,Jan Svartvik


G. Leech and J. Svartvik wrote the first edition of this book, released in 1975. I used it as a University text in the late 1980s, and it sits prominent amongst my references in my office. Though the book is designed for advanced ESL students (at the University level), I am a native speaker of the language, and find the approach taken unique, but of greater value than many other style manuals. I refer to it before going to the Chicago Manual of Style or the MLA Style Manual.

The authors look at the USES of grammar rather than the STRUCTURE of grammar. This is very useful for writers (like myself), teachers of ESL, advanced students of ESL, or those who need to learn how to communicate better (Engineers).


Collins Cobuild English Grammar (Collins Cobuild Grammar)

by John Sinclair (Editor) NOTE: AMAZON.COM IN THE US MAY LIST THIS AS OUT-OF-PRINT; IT IS NOT; CHECK THE AMAZON.CO.UK SITE AND YOU WILL SEE IT SHIPS IN 24 HOURS.


A comprehensive reference grammar specially developed for advanced students and teachers of English. Using information from the COBUILD database, the editors have selected what they consider to be the most important examples of spoken and written modern English.


An A-Z of English Grammar and Usage

by G. Leech ,R. Cruickshank ,R. Ivanic NOTE: THIS IS ANOTHER BOOK THAT AMAZON.COM MAY SAY IS OUT OF STOCK BUT IS AVAILABLE FROM THE UK STORE.


This revised, second edition of "An A-Z of English Grammar and Usage" includes many more real examples drawn from corpus data. Common usage errors, mistakenly made by learners of English, are listed and the correct usage for each is provided


Practical English Usage

by Michael Swan


I really like this book as a accessible reference; here is what one of the reviwes from Amazon.com had to say: Swan's style is to focus on the problem points of learners, and explain them and in simple, pithy and purposeful, everyday language to the extent that an advanced learner would be able to understand. As a teacher, you can often save yourself a lot of hassle simply by quoting from it. I like Practical English Usage because the examples are real, living English taken from the British National Corpus, or are realistic enough to be acceptable as such.


MISCELLANEOUS


Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language, Third Edition

by Marianne Celce-Murcia


Now in its third edition, this best selling methodology resource gives both experienced and prospective teachers the theoretical background and practical applications they need to succeed. THIS IS A VERY COMPLETE BOOK COVERING A LOT OF INFORMATION ON TEACHNG ESL/EFL.


Here are some links to Amazon or the publishers of some of the books mentioned above.


Azar's Grammar Series < http://www.longman-elt.com/ae/azar/>


Larsen-Freeman's Grammar Dimensions Series

http://www.elt.thomson.com/cgi-telt/course_products_wp.pl?fid=H2S&series_id=1000000021&discipline_number=301


Collin Cobuild's English Grammar http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0007183879/qid=1126529506/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_10_3/026-3303939-9357268 and


Longman's An A-Z of English Grammar and Usage

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0007183879/qid=1126529506/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_10_3/026-3303939-9357268

(Amazon in the US may say the preceding two books are out of print, but they are available; check the UK site).


Steve Cornwell copyright © 2006