It is unlikely that there will be a man among students of English who did not hear the name of the author of the books, Raymond Murphy. The red textbook is a handbook for both teachers and students around the world. For over 30 years, he has been a leader in sales among grammar books. The textbooks in question belong to the series of English In Use manuals by Raymond Murphy (pictured below left) and other authors, which are published by the University of Cambridge.
History of textbooks
Raymond Murphy is an American who taught English in Germany. Over time, his experience working with foreign students allowed him to create a textbook that could be used around the world. In total, the course has 3 textbooks - red for beginners (Elementary Grammar in Use), blue (Intermediate Grammar in Use) and green (Advanced Grammar in Use). Below we consider what each of the textbooks includes and how to deal with them independently in order to achieve positive results.
Before considering the features of each of the books, it is worth noting their common features - they all consist of lessons (unit), including one or more topics in two-page grammar (one is theory, the other is practice), applications and keys to exercises to test . The theory can be fixed right in the book and it is advisable to keep notes with a simple pencil in order to correct errors during verification or in the future when repeating there were no ready-made answers to tasks.
All textbooks are written in English, but work is underway on the Russian version of the publications, which will explain in detail aspects of the foreign language, which are especially difficult for students.
Red
The textbook "Raymond Murphy. Elementary Grammar in Practice" consists of 107 lessons, 6 applications, additional exercises and keys to all tasks. This textbook is recommended for those students who can read English, have just begun to learn the language or have been taught for a long time, but there are topics in which obscure moments remain. Only the most necessary grammar for mastering the basic level is considered here. The structure of the textbook allows you to go through the topics both in stages and selectively, as there are links to related topics. The textbook has audio with voice acting examples from the theoretical part of the lessons. At the end of the book there is a test for self-testing - a questionnaire that includes all the topics of the course from the textbook, which allows you to identify sections of the grammar that are poorly studied and need to be repeated.
Applications cover topics such as:
- Irregular Verbs;
- phrasal verbs;
- spelling (letter spelling of the word);
- short forms of verbs.
This textbook is suitable for those whose language level corresponds to A1, A2 and B1 on the European Languages Competency Scale.
Blue
The next tutorial in the series, authored by Raymond Murphy, is a blue-cover tutorial that includes 147 lessons, 7 applications, including additional material with grammar tables (a full table of irregular verbs, differences between American and British language versions), self-examination exercises and answers to assignments. For this edition there is an additional textbook with exercises (English Grammar in Use. Supplrmentary exercises) and a disk with voice acting examples from units.
It is suitable for those who want to know the language at the level of B1 and B2.
Green
Another tutorial is practical grammar for an advanced level. It was not written by Raymond Murphy, but by Martin Havings. But because it complements the Raymond Murphy. English Grammar in Use textbook line, it is called the “green Murphy.” This is the last edition in the line and is a kind of Everest, which if they want, but can not conquer, many students for many reasons, one of which is complexity. It consists of 100 units. Unlike the two previous books, the features and subtleties of using English grammar are considered here. There is no additional exercise book for this tutorial, but there is a disc.
This tutorial is a great choice for those who want to know English at the level of native speakers C1 and C2. The course of this tutorial will help you pass the international exams - TOEFL and IELTS.
Each of the courses presented in the textbooks involves systematic training at least 60 times a week. This approach will achieve positive results and test them in practice. The in Use series involves self-study, and if in the learning process a student has problems understanding the material presented, then you can use video lessons from English teachers in the public domain on the Internet or ask friends who are native speakers for help.