Juggler
Barfly
If you work for a living then why do you kill yourself working?
Posts: 90
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Post by Juggler on Apr 12, 2005 20:38:06 GMT 7
hey all.
seeking advice on english grammar books. I am preparing for the CELTA and want a solid review of grammar before embarking on that insane road.
thanks
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Post by con's fly is open on Apr 13, 2005 2:35:19 GMT 7
Dude, there are just so many... uottawa.ca has some great stuff: I've sourced it on the TEFL course I'm taking. You may be able to downlaod and print off everything you need from here and a couple of other webistes, especially university ones.
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Post by Mr Nobody on Apr 13, 2005 6:43:42 GMT 7
I asked this very same question. This is the reply I got from the local uni tefl section that teaches Chinese students who come here with bought certs and think they are going to understand subjects taught in english.
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hi,
your grammar bible would be raymond murphy's "english grammar in use" (cambridge uni press). theres a red one and a blue one (and higher level ones you wont need to bother yourself with). the red one is more elementary, the blue more intermediate level. but as far as your learning goes, you will probably find the blue more useful.
murphys is good because its set out like a workbook. you are given the rules and examples on one page (ie what you need to teach) and exercises on the next page. its all grouped really well and if you get the wrong textbook, you will end up making things more difficult for yourself. Some of them suck really badly.
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Dis iz cuz I'm suck am gramer an spelled.
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Post by MK on Apr 13, 2005 17:17:00 GMT 7
Yeah, Murphy's "English Grammar in Use" is good, and available cheaply in China. Also good is Swan's "Practical English Usage" (cheap China edition available too!)
However, I found these books of most use as a reference tool AFTER I actually started the course - if you are reading or doing the excercises without a specific grammar point you want to clarify in mind, you will quickly become bogged down and give up.
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Post by burlives on Apr 13, 2005 19:21:17 GMT 7
A trainer on my CELTA said, and I quote, "Raymond Murphy is da bomb".
I may be paraphrasing that quote. That trainer was Scottish and had a tooth missing. But she did say it was an essential tool for getting grammar "up ya."
Might have paraphrased that one too.
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woza17
SuperDuperBarfly! 
Posts: 2,203
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Post by woza17 on Apr 16, 2005 7:23:49 GMT 7
I like the Cambridge series too. Another of my favourites is Cambridge Vocabulary in Use, my students are always borrowing it.
"Bomb" Does this mean good?
If I say something bombed . I take it to mean, it failed.
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Post by Dr. Gonzo on Apr 16, 2005 9:34:33 GMT 7
I found when doing my pg tesol by distance ed that the net is a great resource. Just type in the part of speech you're interested in as a search term, eg "phrasal verbs" and you'll get a heap of sites. After a while you'll suss which one is your favorite, so then you can bookmark it.
Worked for me.
ps; don't let grammar nazis give you a tough time. Anal retentive control freaks who need a good slap.
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