Recommended books

Students often ask the question, "which grammar book should I buy?" "What is a good book for IELTS?" "How can I improve my vocabulary?" Here are some book suggestions.


Grammar

One of the most popular and trusted grammar books is English Grammar in Use by Raymond Murphy. The book gives clear explanations and many practice exercises. The book is aimed at intermediate/ higher intermediate students. Murphy has also written another book Essential Grammar in Use (the red book) which is more suitable for elementary/ low intermediate students. Use the red book first, then move onto the blue as your English improves.

These books give excellent explanations but the practice has no story or context. It's not always clear how you can use the grammar in everyday life.

Practical Grammar by John Hughes, David Riley and Ceri Jones comes in three levels. Start at level 1, but you should also manage some of the exercises in level 2. The explanations are not as clear as those by Murphy, but the examples are often connected to a story so you can see how the grammar is used. The books also come with an audio cd, so you can hear how the sentences sound and check your pronunciation.

Oxford Living Grammar is written by many different people. I don't think the grammar explanations are always very clear, but the big advantage is that all the practice uses stories and conversations. You can see how to use the grammar in everyday conversation. The book is also linked to a website which you can look at here: http://elt.oup.com/student/livinggrammar/pre/b_exercises/?cc=gb&selLanguage=en

You will need to choose which book you like best as they all have advantages and disadvantages. I suggest using the Murphy book to learn the rules, then doing additional practice with Practical Grammar or Oxford Living Grammar.

Vocabulary

For vocabulary, I recommend the Oxford Word Skills series by Ruth Gairns and Stuart Redman. Each page is organised by a topic with lots of helpful pictures and revision. Much of the practice uses stories and conversations, so you can see how the words are used in everyday life. Start with the Basic book.

Again, there is a website connected to this book you can look at to practise with:

http://elt.oup.com/student/wordskills/basic/ba_exercise/da_food/?cc=gb&selLanguage=en

You can also take a vocabulary test, here: http://elt.oup.com/student/wordskills/basic/aa_test?cc=gb&selLanguage=en

If you are taking the IELTS test, one of the most important things you need to do is increase your vocabulary. I think Vocabulary for IELTS by Pauline Cullen is one of the best books you can buy. It is full of useful vocabulary, advice and practice for the IELTS exam.

All of these books are easily available online or from a bookshop. You could order them from Waterstone's or Blackwell's book shops (near the university), or online from Amazon, The Book Depository, Waterstones or many other online bookshops.