In the world of language, grammar seems to be the unsung hero. Just like, sadly, Severus Snape in the Harry Potter world.
And yet, bad grammar can be like kryptonite.
Case in point:
Poor English grammar can take down even the mightiest of heroes. Who doesn’t remember world leaders producing language like:
- “MISunderestimate”
- “internetS”
- “THE Google”
- “United States AND America”
- “will LOOSE big”
- “the very SOLE of our nation”?
Whether you’re a busy student, an adult learner of English, an entrepreneur who writes daily emails, an Instagram influencer, or a wordsmith in the making, you absolutely need good grammar.
But what if you have to make progress fast?
Worry not. As a language trainer for adults, university tutor, and secondary school teacher (jobs I’ve done since 2012), I’d like to recommend not 75, not 19, not even 5 best English grammar books, but only 3. So that it’s easier for you to choose. Rest assured, each of these will quickly get you where you want to be grammar-wise.
What Are the Best English Grammar Books?
The top grammar books are not necessarily the ones that call themselves “the best grammar book ever.” That’s no guarantee.
They’re not the ones going for an unusual angle either, such as “Grammar Book with Laughter.” Believe me, the fun is taken out of any class where the teacher has to explain puns and punch lines to confused students.
What my educational experience has taught me is that the best grammar books help you improve immediately.
Here are the 3 books that meet this criterion:
1. “English Grammar in Use” (Raymond Murphy)
This Cambridge University Press-published book has been called the grammar Bible for English learners. It’s a secret weapon in the arsenal of many teachers. Thanks to Murphy’s best-selling publication, learning English grammar and making progress fast don’t get easier.
If you’re worried that the English grammar book was written with intermediate learners in mind, don’t be. Beginner learners I’ve worked with found it perfectly accessible.
Want to revise tenses like present simple – or the slightly terrifying future perfect? This is what the book starts with. What about articles, relative clauses, and conjunctions? Taken care of. Murphy’s grammar guide understands even preposition insecurities and turns these grammatical stumbles into confident strides.
Raymond Murphy’s best-selling grammar book has it all: theory on the left-hand side and practice on the right-hand side of each 2-page set. This is ideal for your focus on 1 grammar point at a time. Real world examples are supplied throughout.
The grammar book’s best feature remains its illustrations, which are like grammar emojis, conveying complex ideas with a wink and a nod. Look at how well Murphy explains the past continuous using a picture that’s worth 1,000 words:
Key Benefits
😊 You’ll make progress fast thanks to crystal clear explanations. No way you’ll frown and say “I don’t get this!”
😊 You’ll learn about all essential grammar points. As the title says, Murphy focuses on the grammar used in everyday life.
😊 You’ll be supported by plenty of visual aids. Even some exercises are picture-based.
😊 You’ll find the structure logical throughout, going from simple to complex.
😊 You’ll be able to use the book for self study.
😊 You’ll get a great deal of practice, with the answer key at the back of the book.
😊 You’ll see an example for each exercise so you’re not confused as to how to do the practice.
😊 You’re offered an additional study guide to further improve.
😊 You’re provided with an alphabetical index, meaning you’ll quickly find what you’re looking for, from “apostrophe” to “whom.”
Pricing
At the time of writing this post (spring of 2024), “English Grammar in Use” is priced between $20.85 and $25.09.
My Personal Experience
To say that this grammar book is THE BEST out there is an understatement.
I’ve used it as a teacher more times than I can recall, and the “Can we do some Murphy practice?” FAQ in my class shows how eager intermediate students – students of all levels, actually – are to study from this great book.
If you want to improve your English grammar immediately, get the fifth edition now.
2. “Advanced Language Practice” (Michael Vince)
The runner-up, Michael Vince’s “Advanced Language Practice,” is the LeBron James of language mastery. It’s both a grammar and a vocabulary book for advanced learners, thus you get 2 valuable books for the price of 1.
What does Vince’s publication cover? As expected, more high level grammar: conditionals, inversion, the subjunctive. So should you wish to, you’ll get to speak in a Jane Austen-like manner in no time.
Phrasal verbs have their dedicated sections, divided into 3 alphabetical sections.
How about punctuation – so we can use a comma and save poor Grandma from being eaten? Check.
In terms of vocabulary, the book goes from topics like “Leisure activities” and “Social problems” to “News events” and “Government.” You’ll decipher the mysteries of countless nouns and adjectives connected to these.
My favorite bit is about phrases and collocations. Collo-what? Let’s call them word combinations. Just like people, words can decide to either like each other or not. If there’s beef between them, they can’t be used together in a sentence. It’s the reason why we say “do research” and not “make research.” Vince elegantly explains this and offers a wide collection of expressions and collocations for an equally wide variety of contexts.
Key Benefits
If you’re a high level student looking for self-study, this grammar book is perfect for you.
😊 You’ll learn about both grammar and vocabulary and you can focus on either as they are dealt with separately in the book.
😊 You’ll work with sophisticated sentences that will help improve your formal English.
😊 You’re given the answers to all exercises.
😊 You’ll find out how to avoid common mistakes in speech and writing – for example, how not to confuse similar words.
😊 You’ll get consolidation practice that will reinforce complex grammatical concepts.
😊 You’ll be able to look up terms using the alphabetical index.
Pricing
At the time of writing this post (spring of 2024), a used copy of “Advanced Language Practice” is priced at $22.
My Personal Experience
I’ve used Vince’s English grammar book with business students or those interested in more formal English. It’s fabulous for proficiency levels.
If you want to move beyond the basics and welcome the extra linguistic challenge, get this book.
3. “Perfect English Grammar” (Grant Barrett)
The third-best English grammar book is a comprehensive guide that’s the Hercule Poirot of language publications if you will. Because it’s as meticulous as the detective. If you’re ready to take your English speaking and writing skills to the next level, go for Barrett’s book.
The author’s goal is not merely to give you a list of rules to blindly follow. It’s to help you understand these rules (that’s why he speaks in plain English) and ultimately, apply them in your writing and speaking. No mean feat.
Barrett starts strong by focusing on composition principles: paragraph structure, body and supporting sentences, and editing. Spelling resources are next.
Then come the parts of speech. Understanding these is like putting together a diverse team for a blockbuster movie. In “Perfect English Grammar,” each member’s unique role is pointed out:
- Nouns are competent leading actors.
- Verbs are daring stunt doubles.
- Adjectives are imaginative costume designers.
- Pronouns are the versatile ensemble cast.
- Interjections are the unexpected cameos (like Shyamalan’s!).
No stone is left unturned (not even Oxford commas) by the grammarian as he provides explanation after explanation, better than a dictionary, on Every. Single. Aspect of the modern English language.
For example:
Key Benefits
😊 If you think of yourself as analytical, you’ll love Barrett’s logic as applied to grammar points.
😊 You’ll get straightforward – not Shakespearean – explanations.
😊 You’ll be better prepared for real life communication thanks to the focus on speaking and writing.
😊 You’ll deepen your understanding through Barrett’s many examples.
😊 You won’t be bored to death reading never-ending grammar sections; the clarifications are to the point.
Pricing
At the time of writing this post (spring of 2024), a new copy of “Perfect English Grammar” is priced at $11.37.
My Personal Experience
I’ve recommended this book to students who really like studying on their own and taking their time digesting new information. The feedback has been nothing but positive.
If you want the tools and strategies to achieve mastery quickly, purchase this book.
How Can Best English Grammar Books Benefit You?
Best English grammar books will benefit you in 2 MAJOR ways:
- In today’s ever-demanding world, good grammar contributes to academic achievement, professional success, and avoidance of misunderstandings. Bad grammar will… well, do the opposite.
- Knowing which books truly improve your grammar fast will help you avoid decision fatigue and/or buyer’s remorse. Rather than standing in a metaphorical candy store with too many treats to choose from, your options are narrowed down to the very best, giving you a sense of control and contentment. As the adage goes, “less is more.”
How I Conducted My Research
In my quest to zoom in on the 3 best English grammar books, I took the following into account:
- Features
Focusing on YOUR perspective, I asked myself, “What kind of explanation would I need if I wanted to learn about present perfect?”; “How many examples would I require to get the order of adjectives in English?”; “What practice would be best (not too hard or too easy)?” Trust me, many books failed these tests and only the top ones remained.
- Cons
No grammar book is going to be perfect, even if it calls itself “perfect.” So I looked at anything I didn’t like as a professional: wordy or unintelligible explanations, outdated information, and even the potential for the reader to be misled by a less knowledgeable author. The 3 books I selected have the fewest negatives of all, and – for transparency – you can see the disadvantages above.
- Pricing
Who doesn’t care about costs nowadays? Choosing books that don’t have exorbitant prices was a priority for me.
Wrapping Up
As you navigate the pages of the 3 English grammar treasures that I recommend, remember that the journey to grammar mastery should be as enjoyable as reaching the destination. It certainly was for me.
So celebrate every “Aha!” moment, knowing that – just like a well-penned sentence – the path to proficiency asks for patience, practice, and a dash of passion.
I look forward to your grammatical triumph.
PS. If you’re an adult learner, you might also benefit from my “How to Improve Handwriting”, “10 Adult Learning Styles” and “Ways to Choose the Right English Classes for Adults” posts. If you’re a student, have a look at “How to Overcome Learning Limiting Beliefs” and “Top 17 Effective Study Tips for College Students”. And the “How to Break the Cycle of Performance Anxiety” post will help both categories.
This is the video version of this blog post, focused on 2 of the grammar books:
FAQs
1. What is the best book to improve your grammar?
I wholeheartedly recommend Raymond Murphy’s “English Grammar in Use,” which is no. 1 in this blog post.
The Amazon ratings say it all.
2. What is the best grammar book to buy?
If you want to splash out, go for the:
- thorough “Woe Is I” (Patricia T. O’Conner)
- eloquent “The Sense of Style” (Steven Pinker)
- funny “Grammar Snobs Are Great Big Meanies” (June Casagrande)
- systematic “Oxford Guide to English Grammar” (John Eastwood)
- equally systematic “Cambridge Grammar of English” (Michael McCarthy and Ronald Carter)
- practical “The Best Punctuation Book, Period” (June Casagrande).
3. What is the best English grammar book of all time?
At the risk of being redundant, I’ll say Raymond Murphy’s “English Grammar in Use” again. This is the world’s best-selling grammar guide for learners of English.
It will probably retain this spot till the end of time.
4. Which novel is best for improving English?
Any! Any book you read in English will help you improve as you naturally absorb the vocabulary on the page, especially if you read before bed.
If you want to read novels according to your current language level, try graded readers (shorter versions of classic novels or original stories that have simpler English). I talk about these in my “Favorite Books” post.
About Rebeca Duriga
Well-versed teacher, passionate writer with Googleable work, Udemy instructor, and someone who can’t resist a good story. I’m here to infuse joy into your learning journey, be it improving English, tackling IELTS, overcoming limiting beliefs, or conquering uni assignments with a sprinkle of AI support. Need motivation and inspiration as a student, adult learner, wordsmith in the making? Look no further.
