| Book of the Month | ||
|
English Grammar in Use - third edition | |
Publisher: Cambridge
Author: Raymond Murphy
379 pages
Price £12.50
ISBN 0-521-53289-2
With so many EFL books coming out every year, a book has to be rather special to make it to a third edition. Murphy's English Grammar in Use certainly fits this description. Hundreds of schools around around the world use this as a standard textbook, and it is also a favourite for people studying on their own. We were interested to see what was new or different about the third edition which has only just been published.
There's an old English proverb 'If it isn't broken, don't fix it', and Murphy has followed this law with the third edition. It has the usual format, with each grammar point on the left hand page, and exercises on the right. However, the new edition is much more colourful. Now the pages with the grammar points are different shades of lilac blue, and the line drawings are in colour. It's still the same Murphy, but much more pleasant to look at. You also get a wider choice - you can order a copy with answers or without answers, and with or without a CD. The CD has software by Clarity Language Consultants, a company based in England and Hong Kong, and can be brought seperately from the book. A further bonus with the book is a twelve page pull-out inside the back cover giving essential language points on tricky issues such as the present perfect.
The book has 145 exercises and grammar explanations. These cover almost everything you will need to know about English grammar at the intermediate level. This includes twelve exercises on the perfect, and another twelve on modals (can, could, must etc.). We would have liked to see the passive treated in more detail (there are five exercises) but it is good to see that the new edition has some extra exercises on phrasal verbs. There are also some additional exercises at the back of the book to show students how different grammar points are used together. You can find sample exercises from the book at http://publishing.cambridge.org (Notice that you shouldn't put a 'www' in this address.) The book also has the usual seven appendices on spelling, irregular verbs, American English and summaries of grammar points.
Who is this book for? Anyone who is learning or teaching English at the intermediate level should look at this book. It has become one of the top selling EFL books because it presents students with the English they need to know, explained clearly and simply, with lots of examples. If you are a teacher, you will find that Murphy has done a lot of your work for you. If you are a student, you would wish all textbooks were this useable. If you have an earlier edition of the book, it's not worth upgrading, but if you are thinking of buying an intermediate grammar book, wait until this one comes to your local bookshop.
Verdict: An excellent intermediate grammar book.
Assessment 10/10
This review copy was supplied by Cambridge International Book Centre