English Grammar Books
to Help You

If you are studying English at a school or college then you will probably have course books or English grammar books.

Click Here for Step-by-Step Rules, Stories and Exercises to Practice All English Tenses

But if you are studying on your own, it can sometimes be difficult to find the right materials to use.

Here are some suggestions of some British English grammar books that can help you.

The Oxford English Grammar Course

These are a series of books published by Oxford University Press in England.

There are three levels available:

• Basic (elementary to pre-intermediate)
• Intermediate
• Advanced

Each level is available in an edition with answers, without answers, or with an accompanying CD-ROM, so you can choose the one that is right for you.

The books contain easy to read explanations and exercises for the student to complete.

They are recommended by many language schools and EFL/ESL teachers.

There is also a companion edition, which focuses solely on business English grammar and vocabulary.

English in Use series

The English in Use books are a series of English grammar and vocabulary books.

Similar to the Oxford English Grammar Course in many ways, they are available in different editions and for different levels.

This series has now been extended to include Collocations in Use and Phrasal Verbs in Use.

Exam Preparation Books

If you are preparing for an English exam (for example the FCE), then you may prefer to get a grammar book specifically designed for that exam.

Exam preparation books often contain past exam questions, and include examples of common mistakes that students make.

Reference Books

If you want a grammar reference book without exercises, then an excellent example is Practical English Usage by Michael Swan. Also published by Oxford University Press, this is a great reference tool, and invaluable for the times when you aren't sure whether something is correct or not.

It also includes some of the differences between American and British English, so if this is something that interests you, then it's a great choice.

This book is often used by teachers as a reference book, so if you want to know what your teacher knows, then it's a good book to have in your collection!

Course Book workbooks

Many English language schools use recognized course books such as Cutting Edge, Headway, or English File.

All of these titles, and most similar ones, have an accompanying workbook with extra grammar and vocabulary exercises in them. They can be a great extra tool for practicing your grammar.

Purchasing English Grammar Books

There are many other reference and grammar practice books available, and the best thing to do is to visit an English language bookstore and browse them to see which one is best for you.

If you can't do that, then online retailers usually have a selection available and you can find them by searching for "English Grammar."

Make sure you read the book description and any reviews before you buy the books though, as some English grammar books are aimed at native speakers or teachers rather than students.

There are several books that can be useful to you here at Really Learn English, too.

Whichever you decide to buy, English grammar books can be very helpful as a reference and for practice and can help improve your knowledge.

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