The Best English Grammar Books In 2023

When learning English, we face a lot of troubles and misunderstandings. But the most difficult one is grammar, it is impossible to speak English correctly without it. English grammar is very important. As a result, learners have to memorize a lot of structures, verbs, and tenses. And what if you don't just learn grammar, but understand it? To learn English grammar better, it is necessary to choose a textbook responsibly. After all, this choice can play a decisive role in the success of learning a language or improving it. To date, there is a huge selection of grammar books, authors, and publishers.

The importance of grammar

Grammar is one of the key elements of learning any language. Unfortunately, it is often also one of the most difficult elements to master.

Knowledge of grammar will help you speak English easily and confidently. If you know grammar rules well and know how to apply them, you will be able to avoid those mistakes that make your speech strange and difficult for native speakers to understand.

In certain situations, grammar is not just important, but extremely necessary. For example, if you are going to an interview in an English-speaking company or plan to look for a job in an English-speaking country. In both cases, it will probably be important for a potential employer to understand how well you speak the language. Good knowledge of grammar will not only allow you to demonstrate a high level of English but also show that you are attentive to details.

Grammar is very important if you plan to study abroad. Most foreign colleges and universities request confirmation of how well you speak English.

If you like to meet foreigners while traveling in different countries, you will simply need to speak the language at a more or less decent level. Good grammar will help you not only impress foreigners with your knowledge of the language but also avoid awkward situations arising from misunderstandings.

Consider this when buying an English grammar book

What should you pay attention to first when buying a textbook?! Of course, this is the purpose of the purchase, why do you need a textbook and what would you like to improve in English grammar. The answer to this question will solve several problems at once: you will save time and not spend extra money on unnecessary benefits.

If you want to understand the theory and rules of English grammar better, various reference books will be the best solution. The rules are perfectly explained here, and many examples are given. There are no exercises in the reference books, or there are very few of them.

There are also collections of exercises. Their structure differs from the previous format. There are a lot of practical tasks, and the theory is presented in the form of tables, diagrams, or brief notes.

Whichever books on English grammar you choose, it is important that it meets all the requirements for a successful grammar study. The books on grammar must correspond to the student's level (beginner, intermediate or high). The information should be clear and presented in an accessible language without complicated vocabulary. Tasks should also follow from simple exercises to complex ones. And of course, do not forget about the price-quality ratio of the printed edition.

How to improve your grammar?

To improve the grammar of English means to repeat the basic rules of a foreign language. By filling in the gaps in knowledge and getting acquainted with new trends in this important aspect, you will activate them for further use.

There is no need to memorize the rules in the form in which they are presented in the book, the main thing is to understand and remember how to use this or that construction. At the same time, practice is important, preferably daily. Work out the acquired knowledge to the maximum. Do exercises; try to use a variety of grammatical constructions more often in oral speech.

Many people are afraid to make mistakes in speech, so they try to make elementary sentences and avoid complex constructions. This is fundamentally wrong. Only in the process of communication will you be able to understand what you have learned well and what you need to work on.

Also, to improve the grammar of the English language, use high-quality manuals. The best book for learning English grammar should contain clear explanations and exercises for practice.

If you are not learning English from scratch, then what should you start first? Firstly, take a grammar test and check the answers. Note to yourself which questions caused difficulties concerning a specific grammatical topic. Thus, you will get a complete list of topics that need to be studied.

Read the texts in English, and do it out loud. This is a good way to see the practical use of English grammar. In addition, visual memory works when reading, and you will remember correctly constructed phrases.

The best books to read to improve English grammar

Essential Grammar in Use

The best book to learn English grammar and the most popular is “Essential Grammar in Use”, the author is Raymond Murphy. Many students and teachers consider it the best grammar book for students and adults.

This series of best books on English grammar presents two books: “red” (Essential Grammar in Use) and “blue" (English Grammar in Use). The books got their names because of the color of the cover. The red book is designed for Elementary and Pre-Intermediate levels, and the blue one is designed for the Intermediate level.

The books contain about 110 lessons, where various grammatical topics are presented. Moreover, the tasks go from the simplest to the more complex. The rules are shown using pictures, which is very convenient and understandable for language learners.

Oxford Practice Grammar 

The next popular best grammar book is Oxford Practice Grammar. The authors are Norman Coe, Mark Harrison & Ken Paterson. The book is also divided into corresponding levels. Each of them presents about 110 lessons aimed at different aspects of English grammar. The book includes tests and answers to exercises. Therefore, it will not be difficult to check assignments myself.

In the end, take the final test, which covers the entire grammar set out in the manual. The answers are also attached to this test. This way, you will be able to understand which sections you should refer to again.

The textbook has its peculiarities. Firstly, the material is presented quite simply and clearly. Secondly, exercises are selected for each topic. Thirdly, the book contains a lot of beautiful and colorful illustrations.

Grammarway

Another best English grammar book is Grammarway. The book is selected according to the levels: Beginner – Elementary, Pre-Intermediate, Intermediate, and Upper-Intermediate. The authors of the book are Virginia Evans and Jenny Dooley. Grammarway is a four-level series of illustrated English grammar manuals designed for schoolchildren and adults. You can get the book here!

Round-Up

The book is intended for everyone who starts learning English, as well as for those who want to remember the basic rules of English grammar. Each book of the course is designed for students of a certain age and level of knowledge. The rules are much easier to learn if the tasks are interesting. Round up has several stages of training from elementary to advanced. If you want to study the whole English grammar, choose this textbook. It contains a sufficient number of exercises to work out the material.

Advanced Grammar in Use

The best book for learning English grammar is Advanced Grammar in Use, authored by Martin Hewings. This is one of the most popular and best-selling textbooks in the world. The grammar edition contains 100 sections where there is theory and practice. The textbook is ideal for students who are preparing for the IELTS, Cambridge Advanced, and Proficiency exams.

The grammar textbook is intended for advanced students, which can be used both for self-study and for learning in a group or with a teacher.

Language Practice for Advanced

Textbook is Language Practice for Advanced, its author is Vince Michael. The grammar book is for adults and is ideal for students who are preparing for the CAE (Cambridge English: Advanced) exam. The student-level must be Advanced. The textbook provides a theory supported by exercises. The textbook can be used independently or with a teacher.

Practical English Usage

A grammar book for adults is Practical English Usage, Michael Swan. This manual is a reference book of the English language, which focuses on the typical mistakes in grammar, spelling, and the use of words. There are no exercises inside, but at the beginning of each section, the author gives a list of suggestions and suggests finding errors there. To test you, there is a link to the rule section next to each example. Such a test will reveal gaps in the person's knowledge.

Cambridge Grammar for IELTS

Cambridge Grammar for IELTS, Author: Diana Hopkins, Pauline Cullen. The book is for those who need to prepare for the IELTS exam and not only. The textbook contains many exercises for grammar training. It includes assignments from both IELTS Academic and IELTS General. With this tutorial, you can practice your reading, writing, and listening skills. The authors have tried and supplemented the textbook with useful grammatical explanations.

Longman English Grammar Practice

Longman Publishing House prepares high-quality manuals that are used all over the world. Longman English Grammar Practice pays special attention to conversational constructions and practical exercises.

Macmillan English Grammar

The book to improve grammar is Macmillan English Grammar. A three-level textbook that allows not only to develop the skill of easy communication in a foreign language but also to work out grammar in detail. The topics help to learn the correct use of prepositions in written and oral speech. It helps to master the nuances of lexical word combinations.

The presentation of the material is based on thematic examples, which are immediately fixed in practice. Among them: are literature, science, history, and geography. The kit includes interactive exercises. The textbook is suitable for use alone or with a teacher. Whichever English textbook you choose, the main thing is to study it regularly.

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Today it is not necessary to go to a bookstore to buy the right book in paper form. All this can be done on a smartphone, iPhone, or laptop. A smartphone is always at hand, which means that at any time and anywhere you can access English grammar books with just a couple of clicks.

With the Promova language application, you can create your library of grammar textbooks. Promova is one of the most convenient assistants in learning English. The developers of this application use the latest techniques that allow you to successfully memorize words, understand grammar, and allow you to learn to understand the texts you have heard.

Conclusion

The more English words you know, the better you speak English. All is good if you have the skills and abilities to connect these words and get a logical statement. 

Grammar has a certain place in the study of English. It is not worth learning grammar separately at all, it needs to be practiced in combination with everything else. With the help of grammar, your speech will be fluent and confident. After all, with the help of rules, you can avoid mistakes in the pronunciation of words or the construction of sentences.

If you make an effort and approach the study of grammar with enthusiasm and interest, you will not notice how successfully you will master this difficult stage in learning a new language. And the Promova language learning app will help you with it! When working with language applications, you don't have to sit over boring and dusty school textbooks.