Review of Oxf Adv Gramm Practice

7/30/2019 Review of Oxf Adv Gramm Practice

1/8

reviews

OXFORD

PRACTICE

GRAMMARADVANCED

George YuleOxford University Press, 2006

The Oxford Practice Grammar

Advancedbelongs to a series ofthree books (the others areBasic- suitable for elementaryand pre-intermediate levels, andIntermediate). They can be usedin the classroom or whenstudents want to workindependently to increase theirknowledge of English grammar.The topics covered in each bookare listed in the Contents page atthe front of each book and inthe Index at the back. Thisseries of books includes aninteractive CD-ROM at each levelso that students can practice inalternative ways: take part inspoken dialogues, record andlisten to their own voice,recognize and correct writtenmistakes, etc.

The book can help students toprepare for CAE, CPE, TOEFL

and other advanced exams. It is

divided into seventeen unitsproviding a complete review ofthe grammar of contemporaryEnglish. Oxford Practice

Grammar Advancedcovers thefollowing grammatical points: 1.Sentences, 2. Tenses, 3. Modals,4. Negatives and Questions, 5.The Passive, 6. Articles andNouns, 7. Determiners andQuantifiers, 8. Pronouns,Substitution and Ellipsis, 9.Adjectives and Adverbs, 10.Prepositions, 11. Infinitives andGerunds, 12. Reporting, 13.

Noun clauses, 14. Relativeclauses, 15. Conditionals, 16.Adverbial clauses and 17.Connectors and Focus Structure.

Each unit starts with anexplanation of the grammaticalaspect under study andexamples plus a number ofexercises to practice on the samepage or on the facing page. Thegrammatical points are describedwith detail and in a very clearway; all the exercises arenumbered in all the topics. Atthe end of each unit we can finda two-page test that givesstudents the opportunity formore practice at the same timeas they can check how muchthey have learned. Within eachunit, there are separate sectionson specific features, such as theuses of the passive, or some of

the main problem areas, such asthe use of the present perfect orthe past simple.

The answers to all the exercisesand the texts are provided at theend of the book in the Answerkey (page 220) so that studentscan work with the bookindependently. On page 242there is an Exit Text with 34questions where students have

to choose the right answer

among four to check all thegrammatical points covered inthe book. On pages 263-264 theauthor offers an appendix with

the main ideas related to regularand irregular verbs and a list ofthe most common irregularverbs. There is also a glossary(page 265) explaining themeaning of all grammatical termsused.

This book can be used bystudents working alone, in studygroups or while attendingclasses. The main ways in which

this book can be used are thefollowing:

It can be used as a referenceguide for clear and conciseexplanations of particularpoints of English grammar. Itis very pedagogical becauseeach explanation is followedby examples of correct use incontext, with advice oncommon errors to avoid.

The book can also be used asa workbook in which studentscomplete their exercises withtheir answers and then theycan check if the answers arecorrect in the Answer keyprovided at the end of thebook.

It is also possible to use theOxford Practice GrammarAdvancedas a textbook,

beginning on the first page andworking at your own pace tothe end. The different units arenot presented in order ofdifficulty, but follow asequence similar to that usedin many textbooks.

The first exercise of each topicconsists of reading and doingsome activities related to acomplete text that is presentedright at the beginning of the unit.These texts are newspaper

96 GRETA 2006 14/1&2


2/8

R E V I E W S R E V I E W S R E V I E W S R E V I E W S R E V I E W S R E V I E W S

GRETA 2006 14/1&2 97

reports, interviews, narratives,magazine articles, etc.Sometimes these texts are usedin other exercises related to the

main grammatical point of theunit.

The exercises show realexamples in context so thatstudents learn to use languagein context and are familiar withlanguage in different registers.Apart from this, the bookproposes using dictionaries tocomplete some exercises, whichis very good, because students

learn to see the dictionary as avery useful tool in theirlearning practices and anessential tool to expand theirvocabulary.

It is also very interesting andhelpful that this book usesdifferent types of exercises suchas: find and correct themistakes, choose the bestoption out of two or three

given, complete somesentences, find the incorrect

sentences, true or false, matchthe two halves of eachsentence; sometimes studentsare asked to write complete

sentences, to create a shortversion of a text, etc. As wecan see from the differentactivities proposed, in somecases the exercises arecontrolled practice and othertimes students have to writeadding their own ideas. It isalso interesting that in someexercises students are asked tocomplete a table so that they

get a good outline of the maingrammatical points of the unit.

There are editing exercises ineach unit in which studentshave to read through aparagraph, checking forgrammatical mistakes andproviding corrections wherenecessary. These exercises arevery useful because they helpstudents to develop their abilityto write longer texts in Englishwith increased grammatical

accuracy. Apart from this, insome exercises students areasked to find and correct themistakes in short texts or to

complete sentences in adialogue, which is veryimportant because, in this way,students work not only atsentence level but also at textlevel.

In my opinion, the weakestpoint of this book is that it hasvery few visuals and very fewcolours that would make itmore reader friendly.

I would like to congratulate theauthor for writing such acomplete grammar to helpstudents learn some of themain grammatical aspects ofthe English language, and forselecting different kinds ofexercises that help to make thelearning process entertaining.

MARIA MARTINEZ LIROLA


3/8


INSIGHTS

FROM THE

COMMONEUROPEAN

FRAMEWORK

Keith Morrow (ed.)Oxford University Press, 2005

The full title of the CommonEuropean Framework (CEF) isThe Common EuropeanFramework of Reference forLanguage Learning, Teaching,Assessment. The CEF itselfrepresents the cultural aims ofthe Council of Europe and itmay be said that the presentvolume comes as the result ofsome forty years of language

teaching sponsored by theCouncil.

The Council of Europe, basedin Strasbourg, is the oldestEuropean political organization:over forty countries are heregrouped together, twenty ormore from Central and EasternEurope. To understand itsattitude to language teachingamongst its members we must

remember that the Councils

aim is to announce to theworld the common Europeanidentity. This means showingvalues that are shared amongst

its members rather thanstressing differences in culture.The contributors to the presentvolume, coming from England,Ireland, Switzerland, Italy,Poland, Finland and Spain, allshare the belief that it is onlythrough language that onecountry can recognise anothersculture and particular values.

The quarterly ELT JOURNAL,

edited by Keith Morrow, ateacher and teacher-trainer whois also the editor of the presentvolume, has already publishedmuch material in the fieldcovered in this book, articlesattempting to form a linkbetween the practical concernsof those teaching English as asecond or foreign language andsuch disciplines as education,linguistics, psychology andsociology.

It can be said that the ideasfound in the ELT Journal andin the CEF volume have beenin circulation for some fortyyears. It is only in recent years,however, that the crucial needfor communication andunderstanding betweenmembers of the EuropeanCommunity has come to be

recognised as of paramountimportance, and only veryrecently that the role oflanguages has been seen ascrucial for this. The linguisticdiversity of the continent is anatural obstacle when countriesare being encouraged to lookbeyond their own frontiers inan effort to understand others.Citizens, it is firmly believed,

must be exposed to other

languages. This does not meanfor the CEF a continuation ofthe conservative way oflearning a foreign language, as

in the past. Previously, anotherlanguage was learnt, as it were,in a vacuum, with greatemphasis placed on a firmfoundation of grammar and asteady progress from anelementary level to an evergreater complexity. Now theemphasis is on immediatepractical application in a worldthat is outside the classroom,

primarily the world of workand business. Individuals arenow encouraged to study bythemselves and to limit theirstudy of a language to only thatwhich is a tool for practicalcommunication. This meansthat grammar, as we have said,is given a less important roleand oral, rather than written,forms of communication areemphasised. This means a

complete break with traditionalforms of language learning andhas made the CEF and itssuggestions highly criticised insome areas.

We have referred to thesuggestions of the CEF. It isimportant to note that it is madeclear that contributors to thisbook all attempt to construct abridge between theory and

practice. There are no laws laiddown here, only insights,which the Oxford EnglishDictionary defines aspenetrations with theunderstanding into character andcircumstances. In hisintroduction, Keith Morrow says:

Everyone involved inlanguage teaching/learning

is involved in a journey of

98 GRETA 2006 14/1&2


4/8


GRETA 2006 14/1&2 99

some kind. The CEF doesnot prescribe the route

you should take, but itgives you details of the

topography so you canplan your own or soyou can look again at theone you normally take tosee if it is still the best.

Each contributor presents uswith their own particularexperiences, the route theyhave found most advantageousfor themselves. There is

nothing dogmatic here, nosyllabus designs or classroommethodology. The CEF sets outa range of options, enablingone to find similarities andnote differences betweencourses and examinations. Aswe have said, great importanceis given to private study andthe contributors wish is thatteachers, course designers,

developers of curricula andexamination boards shouldcompare their present practiceswith what is described to see iftheir present techniques shouldbe modified, developed or

rejected.

The book itself is divided intofour sections:

1. Helping learners to learn:portfolios, self-assessmentand strategy instruction.

2. The CEF in course designand in teacher education.

3. Finding out what learnerscan do.

4. Designing syllabuses andmaterials.

In conclusion, we have to saythat this is not a book for thefaint hearted. The writer of thisreview has found somedifficulty in grasping everythingthat is being said. In themodern world, however, theglobal village where manylanguages shake hands, there iscertainly a need for a freshlook at how foreign languages

are taught and learnt. It is alsoof the utmost importance toask, as the CEF does, why alanguage is learnt, for whatpurpose will the new tongue be

employed? It is hard fortraditionalists to make a breakwith the customs of the past inlanguage-learning but few

would argue with the CEFsstatement that the need today isfor language as a form ofcommunication, a way to breakdown the barriers between onenation and another. Ultimately,shared languages must makefor greater sympathy towards aculture that is not our own.

The bottom line is thatlanguage learning must now be

seen not as an end in itself butas a tool with a specificpurpose. The world is changingrapidly and we, both studentsand teachers, must adapt tothose changes or die. Such isevolution. The CEF tells us thatlanguage, like knowledge itself,is not eternally fixed, it issomething that must bemodified to meet the needs ofthe labour market: the world ofwork and business. And that isa fact of life.

MERVYN SMALE


5/8


JUST LISTENING

AND SPEAKING.

UPPER

INTERMEDIATE

Jeremy Harmer and Carol

LethabyMarshall Cavendish ELT, 2005

Just Listening and Speaking(Upper Intermediate)by JeremyHarmer and Carol Lethaby canbe used in class under theguidance of the teacher or as aself-study book to give thestudent extra support in thesetwo skills.

The book is divided into twomain parts. Part A contains 18listening exercises. Many of the

exercises use two listeningtracks in the completion of thetask, although there are alsosome that include one trackand others with three. Some ofthe titles of the listeningexercises are: Telling a joke,What photographs remind usof, The radio lecture, Theparanormal, The drivinglesson, Gladiator,Storyteller, and In an art

museum. Each listening

exercise is different but all ofthem begin with a moreextensive task geared towardactivating the students

knowledge of the topic orsimply to get them thinkingabout it. The exercises thenmove from extensive tointensive through tasks thatdeal with such areas oflanguage as: vocabulary,comprehension, chunking,and expressing opinion.

Listening 10, The drivinglesson, for example, begins

with a look at the names ofdifferent parts of a car. Thenext task involves the listeningtrack. This particular listeningtask is quite unique in that weonly hear the drivinginstructors side of theconversation. We have toimagine what the drivingstudent, Mr. Radinski, is saying.Upon listening to Mr.Radinskis driving lesson, thestudent is asked to respond toTrue or False questions. Usingthe same listening track, thestudent then draws a mapshowing their comprehensionof the events. Then, the studentis asked to listen again andprovide the words that Mr.Radinski must have said butthat we did not hear. Roundingout the lesson, the final task

requires the student to matchverbs associated with driving(adjust, release, select) with theappropriate complement (thesteering-wheel, the brake,neutral).

Part B has four differentsections of speaking exercises.The types of speaking exercisesare: Reading aloud, Takingpart, On your own, and

Speaking and writing.

In the Reading aloud sectionwe find tasks that deal withpunctuation, intonation, pace,and stress. The student is asked

to read a poem, read a story,read the news, and read anautomatic message for atelephone answering machine.Through using the book and atape recorder, the student gainspractice in all of the skillsmentioned above.

In Taking part, the tasks areeven more interactive in thesense that, instead of

recognizing rising or fallingintonation or filling in thecorrect punctuation, the studentmust put part of the script inorder or choose the correctresponse to a particularutterance. For example, in thefirst exercise, the student isasked to place the interviewersquestions in the appropriategaps. Then, in exercise B, thestudent arranges theinterviewees replies, thusproviding the student practicein both sides of an interview.

As the title indicates, the thirdspeaking section, On yourown, gives the student morefreedom and independence intheir speaking practice. Thetopics are: a celebrity telephoneinterview, a job interview,telling a story, decorating a

room, making a presentation,and a survey. For each topic,the student is guided throughthe steps necessary to completethe task. Some of the exercisesinvolve the use of the audioCD, as in the case of theinterviews where the studentmust respond to the interviewquestions. In Part A, thequestions are included in the

task, although not necessarily

100 GRETA 2006 14/1&2


6/8


GRETA 2006 14/1&2 101

in the same order, but in PartB, which simulates a jobinterview, the student does nothave a preview of the

questions. Other tasks, such asmaking a presentation or asurvey, do not include thelistening element but thestudent is asked to make arecording of the completed taskthat they can then analyze andimprove upon.

The last section, Speaking andWriting, takes a look at thedifferences in spoken and

written English. The student isasked to change spokenutterances into the writtenform, to decide whether certainphrases are more speaking-like or writing-like, to matchthe speaking and written formsin terms of meaning, to analyzeentries from a dictionary, andto distinguish between informalconversation and formalwritten forms. The last activityis a bit different and has to dowith how speakers useredundancy, hesitation, anddirection change. A listeningtask is used to demonstrate

examples of each of theseaspects within a monologue.The student is then asked totransform the speaking-like

text to a more formal writtenform.

Most of the speaking exercisesin the first two sections arerelated to a listening activityfound at the front of the book.The number of the listeningexercise and the page numberare indicated at the end of thetask.

An audioscript and answer key

are also provided at the end ofthe book and the audio CD islocated in a handy pouch onthe inside of the back cover ofthe book.

Just Listening and Speakingiseasy for students to follow anduse. The instructions are clearand the tasks within eachexercise build upon each other,challenging the student a little

more each time. The practicethe student gains is also verythorough, as many languageskills are covered from correctpunctuation to direction changeduring speaking or practice in

telling a joke.

Another aspect of the book thatstands out is the diversity oftopics and exercises included.The topics chosen areinteresting and real. The tasksare presented in a variety ofways and give the studentpractice in a range of skills.One example is in Listening 10,The Driving Lesson, in whichwe only hear one side of theconversation. This creativetwist makes the exercise morechallenging and more

interesting as it is a break fromthe norm. There are manyexamples of creative twistssuch as this in this book.

To sum up,Just Listening andSpeakinghas a clear format thatis easy for students to use andthe variety of its topics andcreative twists appeal tostudents. These qualities makethe book an excellent resource

for students to use on theirown outside of class, possiblywith the loose guidance of theteacher.

MICAELA CAREY


7/8


RECIPES FOR

TIRED

TEACHERS.WELL-SEASONED

ACTIVITIES FOR

LANGUAGE

LEARNING

Chris SionAlta Book Centre Publishers, 2004

This book, although aimed atteachers, is dedicated to allthose language studentsthroughout the world who are

just sitting there in class....Perhaps it would have beenmore apt to have dedicated it

to all those language teachersthroughout the world who are

just sitting there in class. I likedit. Pulling heavily on theimagery and layout of acookbook full of recipesorganised into appropriatecategories, this is a usefullanguage teaching resource jam-packed with tried-and-testedactivities. As with mostcookbooks it has its fair shareof bog standards -well-known

and relatively unimaginativeactivities- but it is certainlycomforting, when struggling forideas, to flick through and be

reminded of favourites, as wellas inspired by new ones.

Recipes for Tired Teachershasstood the test of time for overtwo decades albeit with achange of publisher and freshlook in 2004. The originalactivities were individuallydeveloped by a group ofteachers at summer sessions inCanterbury, England, with a

combined teaching experiencegained all over the world. Theeditor, Chris Sion, hassuccessfully blended thedifferent styles and voices ofthe authors into a consistentmixture which is pleasant tothe palate.

The 81 photocopiable activitiesspan across all learning levelsand are divided into eight units

(though you can cut this cakein several different ways):Group Dynamics, CreativeWriting and Thinking, Readingand Writing, Listening, RolePlaying, Structures andFunctions, Vocabulary (Lexis),and Fun and Games. Analternative to this Table ofRecipes is an Index directingthe reader to: Instant Recipes(activities that require no

preparation), Recipes by Level,and Recipes by LanguageFunction.

Each teaching activity, muchlike recipes in a cookbook, islaid-out on a single page usinga standard format (with anycorresponding tables, grids,charts, etc., on following pages).Two prominent boxes followthe activity name and number;

one indicatingMaterialsand

the other preparation requiredBefore Class(if any). With aquick glance at the outsidemargin of each activity page,

one immediately ascertainsrecommended level(s), timerequired to complete theactivity, (illustrated by a pie-chart depiction of a clock face),the language functions usedand, where relevant, thenumber of days over which theactivity should take place.

A description of the differentstages to the activity is outlined

in the main body of the pageusing between three and eightnumbered paragraphs. Finally,the name of the author of theactivity with, in most cases, aprominent Authors Note(illustrated with an eye-catchingindex-card pinned to the pageat an angle) containing tips onhow to adapt the activity todifferent circumstances, orpitfalls to avoid.

I must admit that at first Ifound the imagery of the cookand his/her cookbooksomewhatovercooked and Istill find the continual referenceto the activities as recipesirritating, but having sat downto write this review I findmyself surprised and seducedby the ease and breadth towhich the metaphor is

applicable, evocative andtherefore effective.

While the front cover is glossy,bold and alluring, with aneffective use of three colourtones and attention-seekingdesign techniques, I found theinterior (in black and whiteonly, with no pictures orillustrations aside from those tobe used in the activity) a bit

dry and unexciting. This is not

102 GRETA 2006 14/1&2


8/8


GRETA 2006 14/1&2 103

a riveting textbook (nor is itintended to be), though thefront cover with its dominatingcartoon illustration of a fat,

happy Chef uncovering anapple on a silver platter,(symbolising the tradition ofgrateful students giving Teacheran apple at the end of thecourse) might have you thinkso. Its a well organised hot-potof ideas - a reference book forteachers - and as such, thecontents require that youapproach it with a certain

degree of personal motivationand interest.

Although within the briefIntroduction to the book ChrisSion indicates thatRecipes forTired Teacherscan be adaptedfor any age group, I wouldsuggest that its most useful forteaching adults. Brief, self-contained and well categorised,the activities may be used inmany ways. They are especiallyuseful for teachers seeking tointroduce an occasional changeof pace and content or fill afree half-hour, but they canalso be blended to create a

complete syllabus.

The collection of activitiesincludes icebreakers, role-plays,story telling, creative thinkingand group dynamics exercises,etc. Many activities focussingon group interaction andpersonal reflection wouldappeal to teachers and/orstudents interested inpsychology.

As a Psychology graduatemyself, I cant help smilingwhen I remember a particularlesson in which I used activity

number one in the book, YouAre What You Willwith asmall group of University ofGranada Psychology lecturers.The students first imagineanother life. In this new lifethey can take the form of ananimal, plant or object. After afew minutes the students areasked to say what they are anddescribe themselves. The other

students are encouraged to askanything they like about thenew personality, its function,background, feelings and so on.After each student has revealedand described their new

identities, the students thenanalyse what they have learnedabout themselves and eachother. You can just imagine

how we managed to turn anexercise originally designed totake 30 to 60 minutes into atwo-hour-long feast ofpsychoanalysis. And to thisday, I dont think theres aclass that goes by in which noreference is made to thediscussion prompted by thatactivity.

Recipes for Tired Teachersis

clearly a successful and usefulteaching resource. Somewhat tomy disappointment it cantbake the cake for you andrequires a certain investment oftime, energy and creativity.However, offering -as it does- agood range of tasty treats youcan knock up in a fewmoments alongside moreelaborate time-consuming mealsto be made con amore, it willcertainly spice up your tiredold lessons if not your tired oldbeing. Enjoy!

CAROLINAWILSON

Review of Oxf Adv Gramm Practice

Documents

Transcript of Review of Oxf Adv Gramm Practice