Oxford
University Press - Oxford Practice Grammar With Answers
Introduction
Who is this book
for?
Oxford Practice Grammar is for students of
English
at a middle or
'intermediate' level. This means
students who are
no longer beginners but who are
not yet expert
in English. The book is suitable for
those studying
for the Cambridge First Certificate
in English. It
can be used by students attending
classes or by
someone working alone.
What does the
book consist of?
The book
consists of 153 units, each on a
grammatical topic.
The units cover the main areas
of English
grammar. Special attention is given to
those points
which are often a problem for learners:
the meaning of
the different verb forms, the use of
the passive,
conditionals, prepositions and so on.
Many units contrast
two or more different
structures such
as the present perfect and past
simple (Units
14-15). There are also a number of
review units.
The emphasis through the whole
book is on the
meaning and use of the forms in
situations. Most
units start with a dialogue, or
sometimes a
text, which shows how the forms are
used in a
realistic context.
There are also
25 tests. These come after each
group of units
and cover the area of grammar dealt
with in those
units.
Each unit consists
of an explanation of the
grammar point
followed by a number of exercises.
Almost all units
cover two pages. The explanations
are on the
left-hand page, and the exercises are on
the right-hand
page. There are a few four-page
units, with two
pages of explanation and two pages
of exercises.
The examples
used to illustrate the
explanations are
mostly in everyday conversational
English, except
when the structure is more typical
of a formal or
written style (e.g. Unit 75B).
There are also
appendices on a number of
other topics,
including word formation, American
English and
irregular verbs.
What's new about
this edition?
There have been
many changes in both the content
and design of
the book.
The number of
units has been increased from
120 to 153.
There are more two-page units and
fewer four-page
units.
The 25 tests are
a new feature. There is also a
Starting test to
help students find out what
they need to
study.
There are many
more dialogues and
illustrations on
the explanation pages. Many of
the examples and
situations are new.
• There are many
new exercises and more
different types
of exercise.
The number of
appendices has been increased
from two to six.
This new edition
features a group of characters
whose lives are
the basis for many of the
situations in
both the explanations and the
exercises. (But
you can still do the units in any
order.)
How should the
book be used?
There are
various ways of using the book. If you
know that you
have problems with particular
points of
grammar, then you can start with the
relevant units.
The contents list and index will help
you find what
you want. Or you can do the Starting
test (see page viii) and then use the results to
decide
which parts of
the book to concentrate on. Or you
can start at the
beginning of the book and work
through to the
end, although the grammar topics
are not ordered
according to their level of difficulty.
When you study a
unit, start with the
explanation page
and then go on to the exercises.
Often you can
study a part of the explanation and
then do one of
the exercises. The letter after each
exercise title,
e.g. (A), tells you which part of the
explanation the
exercise relates to. If you have made
mistakes in your
answers to the exercises, look back
at the explanation.
