How Do You Polish Your Grammar Skills And Improve Your English Proficiency Level?

[AngelofDeath]

I have searched this forum and the more popular recommendation for learning and improving grammar is "Practical English Usage" by Michael Swan and "English Grammar in Use" by Raymond Murphy.

How useful is Raymond Murphy's books? He has tons of books on English usage but they are separated into so many learning levels and one has to spend lots of money if they were to buy his books.

Let's suppose a novice in English Language bought all the "English Vocabulary in Use" and "English Grammar in Use" self-study reference and workbook beginning from the beginner level to advance level, and he worked through all of them. How proficient will his English usage be, using FSI zero to five rating system where zero means "no effective knowledge" and five means "equivalent to an educated native speaker". (Let's keep "speaking English" aside first since it is another matter.)

Are these books effective and are there any more recommendations? Longman, Cambridge, Oxford are the more popular books but being popular doesn't mean that it is good.

Thank you everybody.

[sirchai]

Murphy's law...............

Edited May 25, 2012 by sirchai

[thequietman]

Maybe join a book club.

I am sure you are pumped up and ready to Read ! Read ! Read !

[phuturatica]

Is English your mother tongue or are you trying to learn more English?

[sirchai]

How useful is Raymond Murphy's books?

How useful are they? Grammar police is already informed........

[siampolee]

Learn the grammar and you don't learn the language, learn the language to communicate then put the whistles and bells of grammar on the language.

Edited May 26, 2012 by siampolee

[AngelofDeath]

But you need to know the structure well first, isn't it?

It's meant for my thai friends. The books which they used to learn English are atrocious. Poor translations, wrong spellings etc.

[phuturatica]

But you need to know the structure well first, isn't it?

It's meant for my thai friends. The books which they used to learn English are atrocious. Poor translations, wrong spellings etc.

I think you should look at your own English grammar first before you start teaching your Thai friends!

[siampolee]

Sadly Angel of death you'll find many Thai speakers of English are unable or unwilling to string words together in sentences for the fear of committing a grammatical crime.

Remember the Alexander Pope poem below, it may serve you and your prospective Thai students well.

A little learning is a dangerous thing ; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring : There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, And drinking largely sobers us again. Fired at first sight with what the Muse imparts, In fearless youth we tempt the heights of Arts ; While from the bounded level of our mind Short views we take, nor see the lengths behind, But, more advanced, behold with strange surprise New distant scenes of endless science rise ! So pleased at first the towering Alps we try, Mount o’er the vales, and seem to tread the sky ; The eternal snows appear already past, And the first clouds and mountains seem the last ; But those attained, we tremble to survey The growing labours of the lengthened way ; The increasing prospect tires our wandering eyes, Hill peep o’er hills, and Alps on Alps arise !

Edited May 26, 2012 by siampolee

[DrTuner]

I've found living in Thailand wreaks havoc on ones English grammar. Unfortunately my advice is to mingle in circles which use English exclusively, or relocate.

[phuturatica]

I've found living in Thailand wreaks havoc on ones English grammar. Unfortunately my advice is to mingle in circles which use English exclusively, or relocate.

The worse is when you meet someone where English is their native language but they have been in Thailand so long that they start talking foreign English and making it more simple. Whilst I understand that it is easier for Thai people to understand you, it's highly annoying when they're still doing it to you and you're English.

Person: "I no drink alcohol anymore."

Me: "What? I'm English like you, please don't talk to me in foreign English."

[smokie36]

Hmmm....I'd have to ask my mother....

[AngelofDeath]

So far, most of the response have been unhelpful. There must be someone here who can recommend other books, unless those two guys that I have mentioned served as a yardstick for quality book to improve English language.

Note: I'm not teaching my Thai friends English, I'm merely looking for good exercise books for them to use since the one they bought has lots of errors.

[phosphorescent]

Raymond Murphy's book's are pretty good as long as they can already read and write English at a semi basic level. But if they are absolute beginners, I'd look for something a lot easier.