English Grammar: Step by Step 1
Elizabeth Weal's English Grammar: Step by Step and Gramatica del ingles: Paso a paso, Books 1 and 2 give beginning adult ESL students excellent practice in mastering basic grammatical concepts through their simple explanations, extensive practice, and clear, easy-to-use layout. Though the practice exercises are in English in Books 1 and 2 of Step by Step and Paso a Paso, the grammar explanations are in Spanish in the Spanish versions. The Level 1 grammar books begin with very basic grammar points such as the ability to use to be and to have in simple sentences, contractions, statements, and questions. The author also teaches capitalization, punctuation, and parts of speech (nouns, verbs, and adjectives). The books are organized into five chapters. Each chapter has the same format: The left-hand page contains an explanation of the grammar point with several examples; the facing page provides practice exercises including fill-in-the-blanks, word-order unscrambles, and reading-comprehension questions related to a chart or paragraph. In both the Level 1 and Level 2 books, each chapter ends with a summary followed by three pages of review exercises that can also be used as a chapter test. Each book has an answer key in the back of the book, making it possible for students to use these books independently. Each book also includes a bilingual dictionary with pronunciation so that students can look up the spelling of words they need to complete the exercises. A teacher s manual called Teaching English: Step by Step suggests ways in which the instructor can offer communicative lessons, putting student knowledge of grammar to use in real world situations. Beyond these speaking activities, each teacher s book also includes many reproducible activity pages with vocabulary cards, listening exercises, and dictation. One characteristic that sets the Step by Step grammar series apart from other grammar books other than the obvious point that Spanish speakers can read the explanations in their native language is that the differences between English and Spanish grammar are explicitly noted.  Another highlight of these books is that they present material in smaller chunks than other grammar texts, making the grammar more manageable  especially for those who do not come from strong academic backgrounds.  I have used the Spanish versions of these books with noncredit beginning adult ESL classes in which all of the students were Spanish speakers. Those with limited educational backgrounds benefited greatly from the Spanish descriptions of grammatical concepts. It was also useful for them to have the directions for the exercises written in Spanish. The teacher s book, with its collection of speaking activities, is particularly helpful, and my students have learned much from one of its kinesthetic exercises, Scrambled Sentences, in which students must make multiple sentences from a predefined word list. Teachers with mixed-language classes whose students include Spanish speakers may want to encourage these students to buy the Paso a Paso books for use at home. The book s low price ($10 plus shipping when purchased from the author) make this an option for many. Gramatica del ingles: Paso a paso 1 and 2 are outstanding texts for ESL beginning classes of Spanish speakers, especially when used in combination with the speaking and listening activities offered in the teacher s guide, Teaching English: Step by Step. Teachers who have learners from a variety of language backgrounds also may find English Grammar: Step by Step useful. --Catesol Journal, 2012/2013Many ESL teachers dream of writing their own ESL text book. Elizabeth Weal transformed her dream into a reality.  Weal is the author of Gramatica del ingles: Paso a paso, a workbook designed for Spanish speaking ESL students who want to learn the fundamentals of English grammar but do not know much about grammar in English or Spanish. When I first started teaching ESL five years ago, I found that many of my students all Spanish speaking had trouble with the basics of English grammar. I soon realized that much of their confusion stemmed from the fact that they knew very little about grammar in their own language, Weal says. I thought the obvious solution was to find a book written in Spanish that would explain the fundamentals of English grammar in a simple straightforward manner. When I looked in bookstores and on line and found that such a book did not exist, I decided to write my own.  This book is also available in English. It s called English Grammar: Step by Step. It s exactly like the Spanish version except that the explanations are in English as opposed to in Spanish. The vast majority of students purchase the Spanish version while many teachers who don t know Spanish purchase the English version.  The books have been so successful that Weal is working on a level 2 version, which picks up where the first books leave off. I can t tell you how happy it makes me to have written a book that makes it possible for students who haven t had a lot of education to make sense out of the complexities of the English language, she concludes. --Easy English Times