Practical English Usage (English grammar textbook)

Practical English Usage is basically the Bible of English grammar. It’s organised like a dictionary, with topics ranging from A to Z, each of which is explained clearly and concisely. This structure allows you to easily find whatever specific issue you may want to explore. You can purchase now by clicking here.

Who is the book recommended for?

Practical English Usage is an English course meant for high school students, or other learners with an intermediate or B1 English level who want to develop their skills and reach an advanced, or C1 level. Its non-systematic (dictionary-style) structure is highly practical and makes it a great tool, especially for teachers who need examples to help explain grammar concepts in the classroom.

How Practical English Usage is organised

As the book‘s title suggests, this book is all about practical use of the English language, so it’s organised like a dictionary. Having topics listed in alphabetical order means you won’t find them categorised into broad themes, but rather you’ll find each topic listed on its own. Explanations are very concise and academic, with plenty of attention devoted examples of actual use, which will help you understand the concepts and commit information to memory.

Book contents

The first part of the book is called “Don’t say it: 130 common mistakes”, where you’ll find descriptions of the most common grammar errors and how to avoid making them. The book’s main section is a collection of grammar topics, listed from A to Z. Each letter represents different topics, making it easier to look up answers to your questions about grammar and language use. At the end of the book you’ll find an index to guide you to the topic of your choice. See the Index by clicking here.

Main topics covered in the book

The main topics covered in this grammar book are the following:

-verbs, tenses, and forms

-to be, to do, to have, modal verbs and auxiliary verbs

-gerunds and participles

-passive and irregular verbal forms, the subjunctive, the conditional, the infinitive and other special uses of the different verb tenses

-nouns, pronouns, determiners, adverbs

-comparative structures and pronouns

-sentence structure, word order, conjugations, as well as special-interest expressions and sentence structures

To see a detailed list of all the different topics covered, have a look at the Table of Contents and Contents Overview.