Best Grammar Books For English Learners

Last Updated on March 8, 2022 by Estrella

If you are looking for grammar books that are effective, I have some recommendations for you. Not all grammar books are easy to use. In fact, some seem to make learning even more difficult. Personally, I prefer those that help you apply what you learn right away, so you can go out and use your new knowledge in conversation. Here are my recommendations of best grammar books for English learners.

English grammar books that are easy to use

Steven J. Molinsky and Bill Bliss – Line By Line

First, I will introduce books for more beginning learners. Authors Steven J Molinsky and Bill Bliss wrote Line by Line – English through grammar stories.

Their style is deceptively simple. When you read story after story using the same grammar pattern, very likely you would think, “This is too easy!” Especially with the practice questions after each story. You may feel like you are just copying the answers from the stories. Yet, after you complete each unit, you will be able to use that pattern confidently. Learning with ease and confidence. Isn’t that wonderful?

Raymond Murphy – Grammar In Use

Another author I recommend is Raymond Murphy. He wrote Grammar In Use. It’s easy to learn grammar intuitively with his books. Each topic has 2 pages. One page explains when and how to use the grammatical pattern. The other page has exercises practicing those patterns. The answer key is at the back of the book. Let me share how I would use his books for optimal learning.

First, make a copy of the answer key (in the back of the book.) Since the purpose is to learn, do not test yourself to see if you can figure out the answers. Do not struggle through the exercises. Just enter the answers from the answer key. Why? Because you want to observe the correct usage. We learn our first language naturally. There was no class to teach us how to talk. We observe others.

In the same way, we can observe patterns in these exercises. This is intuitive learning. It’s natural. And you’d probably learn the language more quickly. Try to NOT analyze it first. Just observe patterns from the correct sentences. Then after you figure out the pattern, read the explanations. Experiment with this, and see if this gets you more success.

Alice C. Pack – Prepositions

One other book. This one is more specific–prepositions. This aspect of English grammar probably gives more people problems than other grammatical topics. One of the most helpful books I’ve found is Prepositions: Dyad learning program by Alice C. Pack.

Like the other two books I recommended in this article, Alice’s book has a section that can be used intuitively. One side of the book is for students. The other side of the book is for teachers, with the answers. I want you to use the teacher’s side of the book. Again, when you see the correct usage in example after example, you start to intuitively know when to use which prepositions.

If you want to focus more on prepositions, the article How to master English prepositions on your own goes into this topic in depth.

I hope you find these grammar books helpful in your English learning. If you have questions about the intuitive learning process, feel free to email me at estrellachan@gmail.com.

Estrella Chan coaches immigrants and international professionals in English fluency, interview skills, and public speaking.    To schedule a session with her, please email estrellachan@gmail.com