"Zhang Daoren's New English Grammar: Student Edition

Author: Zhang Daoren
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-09-01
Features: Renowned English grammar expert Professor Zhang Daoren has refined and innovated on his decades-long bestseller Practical English Grammar to create the concise and unique student edition Zhang Daoren's New English Grammar. This book enables learners to master grammar in a relaxed and enjoyable manner. It is designed for students with middle school or higher English proficiency and those who have some foundational knowledge of English. The goal is to systematize their grammar knowledge and help them build a solid grammatical foundation. Based on Practical English Grammar (a book I wrote 40 years ago, with cumulative sales nearing 10 million copies), this edition simplifies and updates the content, refining and innovating while maintaining a largely similar structure to the original. The focus is on simplifying the material and highlighting key points. Crucially, it includes exercises to reinforce the learned concepts. The book places significant emphasis on verbs, which constitute seven chapters and nearly one-third of the content, and also provides thorough treatment of prepositions. This is because they are the most dynamic elements in English, and understanding them plays a vital role in the development of overall English proficiency. A notable feature of this edition is the parallel arrangement of explanations and exercises—explaining on one page and practicing on the next. By learning a section and then practicing it immediately, learners can reinforce their understanding. Considering this stage as a bridge between foundational knowledge and advanced skills, the exercises focus on identification and enhance intuitive comprehension, preparing learners for further language development. Exercise answers are provided immediately after the main text for easy reference. Readers of different levels can use the exercises in various ways. Those with a weaker foundation may simply work through them once to strengthen their intuitive grasp. Dedicated learners can delve into the translation of sentences, gaining deeper insights. Students with a stronger foundation can try back-translation—reconstructing the English sentences from the Chinese translations provided in the answers—this helps solidify their learning. Even the explanations can be approached this way: by looking at the Chinese translations of example sentences, learners can reconstruct the English sentences from the original English examples. This method helps embed the language material more deeply in the mind. If the book is skimmed through hastily, it can be completed in no time. However, if one wishes to engage in thorough and detailed study, the time required may increase tenfold or more. Yet, the results will be directly proportional to the effort invested—extra time spent will not be wasted.