The Grammar Review Book
Intermediate to Advanced
Middle School to Adult
Preface (PDF file)
User's Guide (PDF file)
Answer Key (PDF file)
Grammar Review Book Quizzes (PDF file)
The Grammar Review Book
This is an easy-to-use book for:
anyone who has learned English by ear
generation 1.5 students
learners with fossilized errors
anyone who needs basic grammar
anyone who needs to write grammatically
This isn't your ordinary grammar book -- you know the kind: A diagram showing how the present perfect works and a few rules to follow. Then various exercises for applying the rule. Few mistakes are made, and you go on to the next unit. But the students continue to mess up the distinction between the present perfect and simple past. Have you used such a book? This book is different. Using students' strengths, it empowers them to become aware of their errors and to self-correct them.
The Kehes developed this book to meet an urgent need that their students encountered as they tried to write. Their students produced writing that had too many errors because they had picked up English mostly through their ears, and not through their eyes (by studying grammar and writing out grammar exercises). Many of them were quite fluent in English. Their pronunciation was native or nearly so. But they wrote sentences without a subject, they used prepositional phrases as the subject of a sentence, and their use of verb tenses was sloppy. So the Kehes decided to help the students develop an awareness of grammatical structure and terminology by using their students' ability to "pick things up" and develop their own inner criteria for correctness in order to be effective self-correctors.
The result: a different kind of error correction approach. Each unit focuses on a problem, for example: "We should to eat vegetables." Then the students work through a carefully sequenced series of exercises that leads them to recognizing errors and discovering how to fix them.
A Sampler of the Problems
Is beautiful today... She the best worker... She doesn't likes skiing... He felt ill he went to the doctor... Is easy to do math... I like there house... She has lived there last year... I finished read that book... Every student need a book... At the beach is beautiful... She able to write a report... The woman lives near my house is beautiful.
This student-centered approach lets the students learn individually, in pairs, and in groups. It frees the teacher to work one-on-one, observing, helping, encouraging, and only occasionally explaining.
♦ Table of Contents
As this book is based on improving the learner's grammar, the basis for each unit, except for the introductory and review units, is to fix a recurring grammatical mistake. In this table of contents, examples of mistakes are listed after the title of the unit.
User's Guide ... 1
1. Nouns ... 3
No specific mistakes.
2. Subject Pronouns and Verbs ... 6
No specific mistakes.
3. Subjects of Sentences ... 8
Is beautiful today.
4. Verbs ... 14
She the best worker.
5. Grammar Groups ... 17
Review 1-4
6. Be: Auxiliary Verb and Main Verb ... 20
He is wants a dog.
They working too hard.
7. Auxiliary Verb Do and Base Verb Forms ... 25
She doesn't likes skiing.
He didn't showed us his painting.
We not know how to drive.
8. Modals: Will, Can, Could, Should, Must ... 31
We should to eat vegetables.
They can the hard job quickly.
9. Present and Past Tense ... 35
He went to the library and borrows a book.
10. Grammar Groups ... 39
Review 6-9
11. Clauses and Compound Sentences ... 42
He felt ill he went to the doctor.
He felt ill, he went to the doctor.
12. Prepositions ... 47
Jon is in the phone.
The man near the cars are my neighbors.
13. Non-Referential It ... 52
Is easy to do math.
14. There, Their ... 57
I like there house.
Their is some water in our basement.
15. Grammar Groups ... 61
Review 11-14
16. Because and Since ... 64
Because it was raining.
Since I'm late, so I'll take a taxi.
17. Have: Auxiliary and Main Verb ... 68
He have a new suit.
They not finished yet.
18. Present Perfect Tense vs. Past Tense (PDF file) ... 76
She has lived there last year.
They didn't call yet.
19. These, Those, This, That ... 82
These was too old.
This socks has a hole.
20. Grammar Groups ... 86
Review 16-19
21. Gerunds ... 89
I finished read that book.
Run is good exercise.
22. Prepositions and Gerunds ... 92
He made some money by work hard.
23. Quantity Words ... 95
Many person got lost.
Every student need a book.
24. Starting Sentences with Prepositions (PDF file) ... 100
In the city find good jobs.
At the beach is beautiful.
25. Grammar Groups ... 103
Review 21-24
26. Semi-Auxiliary Verbs ... 106
We able to write the report.
We have to going soon.
27. Although ... 109
Although he was late.
Although I'm hungry, but I won't eat anything.
28. Adjective Clauses with Who ... 113
The man who is sitting there.
The woman lives near my house is wonderful.
29. Subject + Prepositional Phrase + Verb ... 117
The man in front of you he is my teacher.
Flowers in the sun needs a lot of water.
30. Grammar Groups ... 120
Review 26-29
31. Possessives ... 123
I don't like my photo, but I love your's.
My car has a problem. It's tire is flat.
32. Run-On Sentences ... 129
He went to the movie they stayed home.
33. Grammar Groups ... 133
Review 31-32
Listening Scripts ... 137
Glossary of Grammar Terms ... 144
Common Irregular Verbs ... 148
♦ About the Authors
David and Peggy Kehe have been teaching ESL for over 25 years. In the 1970s they spent two years teaching EFL as Peace Corps Volunteers in Niger, West Africa. After that, they taught for a year on Lesbos Island, Greece; for twelve years in colleges in Japan; and for a number of years in colleges in the United States. Currently, in Bellingham, Washington, David teaches TESL methodology and ESL, and Peggy is doing editing work. They both have MA degrees in Teaching ESL from The School for International Training in Brattleboro, Vermont. The cool greenery of rain forests serves as a backdrop for the lifestyle that they have established for themselves in the Pacific Northwest. Having no plants, pets, or kids allows them ample time to devote to writing and teaching, as well as to pursuing their passion for hiking in the Cascades.
♦ Books by David Kehe & Peggy Dustin Kehe
Discussion Strategies Writing Strategies Writing Strategies
(Second Edition) (Book One: Intermediate) (Book Two: Advanced)
Basic Conversation Strategies Conversation Strategies Write after Input
The Grammar Review Book
Intermediate to Advanced
Middle School to Adult
Preface (PDF file)
User's Guide (PDF file)
Answer Key (PDF file)
Grammar Review Book Quizzes (PDF file)
The Grammar Review Book
This is an easy-to-use book for:
anyone who has learned English by ear
generation 1.5 students
learners with fossilized errors
anyone who needs basic grammar
anyone who needs to write grammatically
This isn't your ordinary grammar book -- you know the kind: A diagram showing how the present perfect works and a few rules to follow. Then various exercises for applying the rule. Few mistakes are made, and you go on to the next unit. But the students continue to mess up the distinction between the present perfect and simple past. Have you used such a book? This book is different. Using students' strengths, it empowers them to become aware of their errors and to self-correct them.
The Kehes developed this book to meet an urgent need that their students encountered as they tried to write. Their students produced writing that had too many errors because they had picked up English mostly through their ears, and not through their eyes (by studying grammar and writing out grammar exercises). Many of them were quite fluent in English. Their pronunciation was native or nearly so. But they wrote sentences without a subject, they used prepositional phrases as the subject of a sentence, and their use of verb tenses was sloppy. So the Kehes decided to help the students develop an awareness of grammatical structure and terminology by using their students' ability to "pick things up" and develop their own inner criteria for correctness in order to be effective self-correctors.
The result: a different kind of error correction approach. Each unit focuses on a problem, for example: "We should to eat vegetables." Then the students work through a carefully sequenced series of exercises that leads them to recognizing errors and discovering how to fix them.
A Sampler of the Problems
Is beautiful today... She the best worker... She doesn't likes skiing... He felt ill he went to the doctor... Is easy to do math... I like there house... She has lived there last year... I finished read that book... Every student need a book... At the beach is beautiful... She able to write a report... The woman lives near my house is beautiful.
This student-centered approach lets the students learn individually, in pairs, and in groups. It frees the teacher to work one-on-one, observing, helping, encouraging, and only occasionally explaining.
♦ Table of Contents
As this book is based on improving the learner's grammar, the basis for each unit, except for the introductory and review units, is to fix a recurring grammatical mistake. In this table of contents, examples of mistakes are listed after the title of the unit.
User's Guide ... 1
1. Nouns ... 3
No specific mistakes.
2. Subject Pronouns and Verbs ... 6
No specific mistakes.
3. Subjects of Sentences ... 8
Is beautiful today.
4. Verbs ... 14
She the best worker.
5. Grammar Groups ... 17
Review 1-4
6. Be: Auxiliary Verb and Main Verb ... 20
He is wants a dog.
They working too hard.
7. Auxiliary Verb Do and Base Verb Forms ... 25
She doesn't likes skiing.
He didn't showed us his painting.
We not know how to drive.
8. Modals: Will, Can, Could, Should, Must ... 31
We should to eat vegetables.
They can the hard job quickly.
9. Present and Past Tense ... 35
He went to the library and borrows a book.
10. Grammar Groups ... 39
Review 6-9
11. Clauses and Compound Sentences ... 42
He felt ill he went to the doctor.
He felt ill, he went to the doctor.
12. Prepositions ... 47
Jon is in the phone.
The man near the cars are my neighbors.
13. Non-Referential It ... 52
Is easy to do math.
14. There, Their ... 57
I like there house.
Their is some water in our basement.
15. Grammar Groups ... 61
Review 11-14
16. Because and Since ... 64
Because it was raining.
Since I'm late, so I'll take a taxi.
17. Have: Auxiliary and Main Verb ... 68
He have a new suit.
They not finished yet.
18. Present Perfect Tense vs. Past Tense (PDF file) ... 76
She has lived there last year.
They didn't call yet.
19. These, Those, This, That ... 82
These was too old.
This socks has a hole.
20. Grammar Groups ... 86
Review 16-19
21. Gerunds ... 89
I finished read that book.
Run is good exercise.
22. Prepositions and Gerunds ... 92
He made some money by work hard.
23. Quantity Words ... 95
Many person got lost.
Every student need a book.
24. Starting Sentences with Prepositions (PDF file) ... 100
In the city find good jobs.
At the beach is beautiful.
25. Grammar Groups ... 103
Review 21-24
26. Semi-Auxiliary Verbs ... 106
We able to write the report.
We have to going soon.
27. Although ... 109
Although he was late.
Although I'm hungry, but I won't eat anything.
28. Adjective Clauses with Who ... 113
The man who is sitting there.
The woman lives near my house is wonderful.
29. Subject + Prepositional Phrase + Verb ... 117
The man in front of you he is my teacher.
Flowers in the sun needs a lot of water.
30. Grammar Groups ... 120
Review 26-29
31. Possessives ... 123
I don't like my photo, but I love your's.
My car has a problem. It's tire is flat.
32. Run-On Sentences ... 129
He went to the movie they stayed home.
33. Grammar Groups ... 133
Review 31-32
Listening Scripts ... 137
Glossary of Grammar Terms ... 144
Common Irregular Verbs ... 148
♦ About the Authors
David and Peggy Kehe have been teaching ESL for over 25 years. In the 1970s they spent two years teaching EFL as Peace Corps Volunteers in Niger, West Africa. After that, they taught for a year on Lesbos Island, Greece; for twelve years in colleges in Japan; and for a number of years in colleges in the United States. Currently, in Bellingham, Washington, David teaches TESL methodology and ESL, and Peggy is doing editing work. They both have MA degrees in Teaching ESL from The School for International Training in Brattleboro, Vermont. The cool greenery of rain forests serves as a backdrop for the lifestyle that they have established for themselves in the Pacific Northwest. Having no plants, pets, or kids allows them ample time to devote to writing and teaching, as well as to pursuing their passion for hiking in the Cascades.
♦ Books by David Kehe & Peggy Dustin Kehe
Discussion Strategies Writing Strategies Writing Strategies
(Second Edition) (Book One: Intermediate) (Book Two: Advanced)
Basic Conversation Strategies Conversation Strategies Write after Input