Description

Basic English Grammar is a classic developmental skills text for beginning students of English as a second or foreign language. It uses a grammar-based approach integrated with communicative methodologies to prmote the development of all language skills.

 

While keeping the same basic approach and materials as in earlier edtions, the fourth edition continues to build on the foundation of understanding form and meaning by engaging students in meaningful communication about real actions, real things, and their own lives in classroom context.

 

Several of the new features are:

• Information in the grammar charts highlighting differences between spoken and written English
• Step-by-step writing activities with models for students to follow
• Innovative warm-up exercises that precede the grammar charts and introduce points to be taught
• Newly created exercises to give students more incremental grammar practice
• Structure-based listening exercises that introduce students to relaxed, reduced speech

Table of Contents

Preface to the Fourth Edition

 

NOTE: The titles listed below, for example, Singular pronouns + be, refer to section names, not practice titles. In general, one section has multiple exercises.

The chart numbers refer to the grammar explanations in the Basic English Grammar Student Book.

 

Chapter 1 USING BE

Singular pronouns + be (Chart 1-1)

Plural pronouns + be (Chart 1-2)

Singular nouns: a/an (Chart 1-3)

Plural nouns + be (Chart 1-4)

Contractions with be (Chart 1-5)

Negative with be (Chart 1-6)

Be + adjective (Chart 1-7)

Be + a place (Chart 1-8)

Summary: Basic sentence patterns with be (Chart 1-9)

 

Chapter 2 USING BE AND HAVE

Yes/no questions with be (Chart 2-1)

Short answers to yes/no questions (Chart 2-2)

Questions with be: using where (Chart 2-3)

Have and has (Chart 2-4)

Possessive adjectives: my, your, her, his, our, their (Chart 2-5)

This or that (Chart 2-6)

These or those (Chart 2-7)

Questions with what/who + be (Chart 2-8)

Review

 

Chapter 3 USING THE SIMPLE PRESENT

Form of the simple present tense (Chart 3-1)

Frequency adverbs (Chart 3-2)

Position of frequency adverbs (Chart 3-3)

Final s/—es (Chart 3-4)

Spelling of verbs ending in —y (Chart 3-5)

Irregular singular verbs: has, does, goes (Chart 3-6)

Want to, need to, like to (Chart 3-7)

Simple present tense: negative (Chart 3-8)

Yes/no questions (Chart 3-9)

Questions with where and what (Chart 3-10)

Questions with when and what time (Chart 3-11)

Review

 

Chapter 4 USING THE PRESENT PROGRESSIVE

Be + -ing: the present progressive (Chart 4-1)

Spelling of -ing (Chart 4-2)

Present progressive: negatives (Chart 4-3)

Present progressive: questions (Chart 4-4)

Simple present vs. the present progressive (Chart 4-5)

Non-action verbs not used in the present progressive (Chart 4-6)

See, look at, watch, hear, and listen to (Chart 4-7)

Think about and think that (Chart 4-8)

Review

 

Chapter 5 TALKING ABOUT THE PRESENT

Using it to talk about time and dates (Chart 5-1)

Prepositions of time (Chart 5-2)

Talking about the weather (Chart 5-3)

There + be (Chart 5-4)

There + be: yes/no questions (Chart 5-5)

There + be: questions with how many (Chart 5-6)

Prepositions of place (Chart 5-7)

More prepositions of place: a list (Chart 5-8)

Would like (Chart 5-9)

Would like vs. like (Chart 5-10)

Review

 

Chapter 6 NOUNS AND PRONOUNS

Identifying nouns: subjects, and objects (Chart 6-1)

Nouns as objects of prepositions (Chart 6-2)

Adjectives with nouns (Chart 6-3)

Subject and object pronouns (Chart 6-4)

Singular and plural nouns (Chart 6-5)

Irregular singular and plural nouns (Chart 6-6)

Possessive pronouns and adjectives (Chart 6-7)

Possessive nouns (Chart 6-8)

Whose and who’s (Chart 6-9)

Regular and irregular possessive nouns (Chart 6-10)

Review

 

Chapter 7 COUNT AND NONCOUNT NOUNS

Nouns: singular/plural; count/noncount (Chart 7-1)

A vs. an (Chart 7-2)

A/an vs. some (Chart 7-3)

Units of measure with noncount nouns (Chart 7-4)

Many, much, a few, a little (Chart 7-5)

The: first mention vs. second mention (Chart 7-6)

Using Ø (no article) to make generalizations (Chart 7-7)

Some and any (Chart 7-8)

Review

 

Chapter 8 EXPRESSING PAST TIME, PART 1

Be: past forms (Chart 8-1)

Simple past tense of be: negative (Chart 8-2)

Past of be: questions (Chart 8-3)

Simple past tense: —ed (Chart 8-4)

Spelling Rules: —ed verbs

Yesterday, last, and ago (Chart 8-5)

Irregular verbs: Group 1 (Chart 8-6)

Simple past tense: negative (Chart 8-7)

Simple past tense: yes/no questions (Chart 8-8)

Irregular verbs: Group 2 (Chart 8-9)

Irregular verbs: Group 3 (Chart 8-10)

Irregular verbs: Group 4 (Chart 8-11)

Review

 

Chapter 9 EXPRESSING PAST TIME, PART 2

Simple past tense: where, why, when, and what time (Chart 9-1)

Questions with what (Chart 9-2)

Questions with who (Chart 9-3)

Irregular verbs: Group 5 (Chart 9-4)

Irregular verbs: Group 6 (Chart 9-5)

Irregular verbs: Group 7 (Chart 9-6)

Before and after in time clauses (Chart 9-7)

When in questions and time clauses (Chart 9-8)

Past and present progressive forms (Chart 9-9)

While with past progressive (Chart 9-10)

Simple past tense vs. past progressive: when/while (Chart 9-11)

Review

 

Chapter 10 EXPRESSING FUTURE TIME, PART 1

Be going to (Chart 10-1)

Using present progressive for future time (Chart 10-2)

Yesterday, last, tomorrow, next, in, ago (Chart 10-3)

A couple of or a few with ago (past) and in (future) (Chart 10-4)

Today, tonight, and this + morning, afternoon, evening, week, month, year (Chart 10-5)

Will (Chart 10-6)

Questions with will (Chart 10-7)

Verb review: present, past, and future (Chart 10-8)

Verb review: forms of be (Chart 10-9)

Review (Charts 10-8 and 10-9)

 

Chapter 11 EXPRESSING FUTURE TIME, PART 2

May, might, or will (Chart 11-1)

Maybe vs. may be (Chart 11-2)

Future time clauses with before, after, and when (Chart 11-3)

Clauses with if (Chart 11-4)

Habitual present (Chart 11-5)

What + do (Chart 11-6)

Review

 

Chapter 12 MODALS, PART 1: EXPRESSING ABILITY

Can/can’t (Chart 12-1)

Can: questions (Chart 12-3)

Know how to (Chart 12-4)

Could: past of can (Chart 12-5)

Be able to (Chart 12-6)

Very or too (Chart 12-7)

Review

 

Chapter 13 MODALS, PART 2: ADVICE, NECESSITY, REQUESTS, SUGGESTIONS

Should (Chart 13-1)

Forms of have to (Chart 13-2)

Must, must not, and should (Chart 13-3)

Polite questions: May I, Could I, and Can I (Chart 13-4)

Polite questions: Could you and Would you (Chart 13-5)

Imperative sentences (Chart 13-6)

Modal auxiliaries (Chart 13-7)

Modal review (Chart 13-8)

Using Let’s (Chart 13-9)

Review

 

Chapter 14 NOUNS AND MODIFIERS

Nouns and adjectives (Chart 14-1)

Word order of adjectives (Chart 14-2)

Linking verbs + adjectives (Chart 14-3)

Adverbs (Chart 14-4)

All of, most of, some of, almost all of (Chart 14-5)

Subject-verb agreement with expression of quantity (Chart 14-6)

Subject-verb agreement with every and all (Chart 14-7)

Indefinite pronouns: something, someone, somebody, anything, anyone, anybody (Chart 14-8)

 

Chapter 15 MAKING COMPARISONS

Comparatives: -er and more (Chart 15-1)

Superlatives: -est and most (Chart 15-2)

One of + superlative + plural noun (Chart 15-3)

Comparisons with adverbs (Chart 15-4)

The same (as), similar (to), and different (from) (Chart 15-5)

Like and alike (Chart 15-6)

Using but (Chart 15-7)

Verbs after but (Chart 15-8)

Review

 

Appendix 1 Irregular Verbs

Appendix 2 English Handwriting

Appendix 3 Numbers

Appendix 4 Days/Months/Seasons

Appendix 5 Two-Syllable Verbs: Spelling of -ed and —ing

Index

Answer Key

Back Cover

Basic English Grammar is a classic developmental skills text for beginning students of English as a second or foreign language.

 

The Workbook consists of self-study exercises, with answers included, providing students with the opportunity to explore and practice grammar independently. It is keyed to the explanatory grammar charts in the Student Book.

 

New to this edition:

• more contextualized exercises
• micro-practice
• new readings with targeted grammar practice
• updated real-world vocabulary