About Language: Tasks for Teachers of English First Edition

This is simply the best grammar for teachers of English to speakers of other languages (ESOL), or anyone who wants to learn about conventional English language structure. It is a "task" oriented text, with challenging exercises for each section of the book. I have used this book as a reference and guide for TESOL certificate training for more than 12 years with more than 2500 teachers, and simply can't imagine anything better. It describes standard grammar clearly with transparent examples, and minimal metalanguage and labels. It is exactly what the teacher needs to be able to "highlight" the language forms and functions for students without immersing the students and the reader in "buzz" words that are often out-of-date. There will be critics who disagree, and those who think there should have been more included, but this is the strength of this book - just enough, but not too much. His treatment of the verb system of English, dividing the forms & functions into "tense" and "aspect" gives clarity to an area that is fraught with conflicting ideas. In similar fashion he leads us through word classes, simple sentences, complex sentences, modality, voice, conditionals, phrasals and on. In every case, enough to highlight form & function, but not so much as to confuse and obscure. He has successfully treated English grammar with Occam's Razor!

Just by working through the units on one's own it feels like doing a proper training course. It's very useful and awakening.

Excellent book for the DELTA Module One

Really useful if you are doing the DELTA!

A good solid book for teacher development. It was on the reading list for the Delta.The product was in almost perfect condition, as advertised, and delivered on time, with no glitches.

I'm really frustrated! It's the worst edition I've ever bought; it's just a photocopied book. I've bought tens of Cambridge, Oxford, MacMillan and Pearson books, and they were of high-quality paper and print. However, this book has a lot of different defects.