| Book of the Month | ||
|
McGraw-Hill's Essential ESL Grammar | |
Publisher: McGraw-Hill
Author: Mark Lester
US$14.95
ISBN 978-0-07-149642-1
With most grammar for ESL students aimed squarely at the classroom or a particular exam, it is good to find that some textbooks still concentrate on simply helping people to learn English for its own sake. This particular book is by Dr Mark Lester, who is the author of the widely used Grammar and Usage in the classroom. The book is more of a reference book than a textbook, in that it is designed so that people having trouble with a particular construction - for example whether the verb 'raise' is transitive - can look it up and get a technical explanation. And it definitely will be a technical explanation. Dr Lester believes in precisely defining his grammatical terms, so not only will you learn how to use 'raise', but you will learn what a transitive causative verb is, and that is considerably more than most native English speakers know.
After a brief three-page introduction, this book gets straight down to business for the next 333 pages. Apart from the occasional line drawing giving chapter numbers, there are no illustrations. However, the text is well-spaced making the layout easy to read, which is just as well given that the actual material is challenging. Fortunately many examples are given, though the examples are as often a way of understanding the definition as the other way around. So 'I got angry' is given an example of an adjective complement, which probably helps more people to know the technical term for the construction than helps people to use the construction itself. The book is in three parts - Noun Phrases, Verb phrases and Sentences. Each part has several sub-divisions,so for example Noun phrases includes Determiners, Post-noun modifiers and Pronouns. Altogether eighteen grammatical constructions and types are examined, though the three parts of the book are not the same length - sentences has only three sub-sections, for example. There is a three page index at the back.
Who is this book for? Native speakers who want to be sure their usage is grammatical can check the theory here, and non-native speakers can learn exactly how to cope with any constructions that are giving them trouble. It may not be a good textbook, but if you are a university student with poor English, this is an excellent guide to have at your elbow while you are writing an important essay. It would also make a useful addition to a school library. Though most of the grammar is relevant to both sides of the Atlantic, bear in mind that this is primarily a book for those using American English.
Verdict: For those not scared of post-noun modifiers
Assessment 7/10