I have a colleague at work looking for a way to improve their grammar. They need a grammar book for non-native English speakers which actually demystifies the tragic mess which is English grammar, and which will improve their skill. I have no idea if such a holy grail actually exists. Suggestions?
Boy, after all these years, I still have yet to see anything beat Black Betty for a straight up, easily understood, all-in-one resource.
With a little effort, even lower levels can find their way through it.
They should give it out free to every US citizen.
[quote=“the chief”]
They should give it out free to every US citizen.[/quote]
Youse right about dat.
[quote=“Namahottie”][quote=“the chief”]
They should give it out free to every US citizen.[/quote]
Youse right about dat.[/quote]
Who’s your daddy???
Swan, Michael. Practical English Usage. OUP
This is a corpora-based reference that is specifically written for the ESL teacher and learner. The English explanations are simple enough for a high intermediate learner to follow. For lower level learners you can either get a simplified international learners’ edition, or better for your friend’s needs, a version with explanations in Chinese instead of English, but with the same examples and content. I own copies of the all English version and the Chinese version. My advanced academic writing students find the Chinese version so useful that they fight over my copy of it. The Chinese is written in the same layman’s register as the English version, which makes it extremely accessible for the non-linguistically aware Chinese learner of English.
Thanks for the suggestions everyone. chiefy, I nearly suggested Black Betty, but I wasn’t sure how it would be handled by a non-native English speaker.
They’re both excellent resource books; I actually use a book similar to “Black Betty” in two of my classes; she’s more of a purple colour. I actually have the purple copy and the students have a blue copy that translates the rules into Chinese. There’s a red one available for more basic levels.
I find all of the grammar books by Michael Swan to be clear and concise. The Little Brown Handbook is great too, though I’m not sure whether it would be ideal for a second-language speaker. (My copy is in Canada, so I don’t have immediate access.)
[quote=“the chief”]Boy, after all these years, I still have yet to see anything beat Black Betty for a straight up, easily understood, all-in-one resource.
With a little effort, even lower levels can find their way through it.
They should give it out free to every US citizen.[/quote]
The best, by far. Chinese-English edition is also available. Caves and many other bookstores stock them.