The English Grammar Workbook for Adults: A Self-Study Guide to Improve Functional Writing by Michael DiGiacomo Series: standalone
Published by Rockridge on June 2nd 2020 by Rockridge
Genres: Non-Fiction
Pages: 208
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher
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I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The engaging, self-guided way to learn how to write better in English
Mastering English grammar can be a real challenge. But, with a little practice and patience, you can discover how to communicate better through self-study in your spare time. The English Grammar Workbook for Adults is here to help improve your writing fluency so you can gain confidence while crafting emails, cover letters, conducting daily business, and personal correspondence.
No matter your current skill level, this English grammar workbook has everything you need to learn essential elements, including nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, tenses, and beyond. Then, you’ll apply what you’ve learned to everyday situations you could encounter at school, at work, social situations, creative writing, online, and more.
The English Grammar Workbook for Adults features:-Fun & functional―This clear, concise book is essential for ESL/EFL and other grammar students who want to work on writing English.-Situational success―Get expert tips on how grammar applies to real-world scenarios.-Easy to use―Find quick answers to your English grammar questions using text boxes and the expanded index in the back of the book.
Learning how to communicate more clearly is a snap with >i>The English Grammar Workbook for Adults.
I had it in the back of my mind that I might enjoy volunteering to teach English to English Second Language folks since I have some time to give back and the community budget for such stuff is slender. But, I also figured that I’d probably better hone my rusty English Grammar knowledge first. I spotted The English Grammar Workbook for Adults which was designed to aide ESL teachers and students for working on their functional writing skills and thought it would help me review the rules and also give me a chance to check out a potential ESL teaching source.
The workbook begins with an easy-read, gently-paced course in the parts of speech, punctuation, and the composition of various written communications. It is broken up into doable chapters with self-study assignments after each segment. The layout is easy on the eye with the sections placed on the page in segments that are digestible for a new English user.
Part One is a review of the Parts of Speech and Punctuation. There is the explanation, the definition, and good examples though, man, the rules of English are a bear with all those exceptions. The grand-daddy segment was each type of verb. Gerund, anyone? How about a past perfect progressive? (Okay, I made that up, but that is probably what it feels like to an ESL learner.)
Part Two dives into the practical usage for all those grammar rules. It presents several forms of written communication from term papers to resumes to emails to work presentations. There are formal and informal styles with suggestions about using or not using slang and idioms. The back has some nice cheat sheets for the hairier lessons.
As to how this book shaped up for what I wanted? I thought it was great for helping me dust off my (paltry- I discovered) knowledge of the parts of speech and will likely be helpful for ESL students who have a rudimentary understanding of words and basic speech. What did surprise me was, lo and behold, my education pre-dated some of the rules in this book so I was being ungrammatical according to a few updated rules. The author points these occasions out a couple of times- like he’s warning these poor ESL folks about the old American fogies who aren’t trying to confuse them with archaic usage.
I can recommend it to others who want to review their English Grammar for Writing, for those who want a workbook to help them teach ESL classes, and for ESL students or students who struggle with English Grammar and need outside the classroom study help.
My thanks to Callisto Publishing for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
About Sophia Rose
Sophia is a quiet though curious gal who dabbles in cooking, book reviewing, and gardening. Encouraged and supported by an incredible man and loving family. A Northern Californian transplant to the Great Lakes Region of the US. Lover of Jane Austen, Baseball, Cats, Scooby Doo, and Chocolate.
I have a friend who recently moved to China to teach ESL. This sounds like such an exciting but daunting undertaking!
The man who wrote this taught ESL in Japan and this was for his students. 🙂 Your friend is definitely into a good career challenge, Ethan. 🙂
Okay I can really see how this could benefit anyone who writes anything even a FB post, I bet it could even help reviewers. Thanks Pal you’ve always got a gem up your sleeve!
Exactly! It’s not just for students and was a nice refresher. You’re welcome!
Grammar? Never aaaagain
Buahaha! One nightmare was enough?
I think anything that can help us with grammar and punctuation is helpful. I have a book that helps when I have questions but I think most people, including myself just Google the answer now a days.
Yes, Google is so handy! It replaces needing encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauruses and grammars taking up a whole shelf. 🙂
Sounds so fascinating to learn more about speech especially in regards to ESL and teachers.
It was neat to see a manual on teaching ESL to help decide if it was something I could volunteer at. I’ve decided I could probably help with advanced students, but not quite there yet to aid someone first starting out. 🙂
That’s a pretty noble plan, Sophia Rose! I need to brush up on my English skills. I’m sure I make so many mistakes writing reviews!
Yes, I bumped into my friend who is from Yemen and she asked me if I was still coaching new immigrants and I realized it had been years since I did any of that and I would like to get back into it again now that I have a little more time. She said I could volunteer at their mosque with the ladies there and I thought that would be a good start.
I think that’s fantastic, Sophia! I know my English skills have suffered since finishing college, and a refresher wouldn’t hurt. I always stumble when I get to affect/effect and usually use impact instead. 😉
Lindsi @ Do You Dog-ear? 💬
Oh man, my English skills have really deserted me over the years. I learned that real quick just by browsing through this book. I have a couple homonym and synonym words that I am forever interchanging, too.