English Grammar Explanations for Middle School Students (Volumes 1-4)

Author: Gong Shaoyu et al
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-08-01
Features: Over thirty years ago, I was assigned to compile an English textbook for university liberal arts majors. At that time, the theory of class struggle was in vogue, profoundly affecting everything, yet in the practical process of compiling this book, I did my best within the circumstances to deviate from the prevailing trends and focus on fundamental language training. Now, it appears that although this textbook urgently needs revision, its original version has been widely adopted by schools and foreign language training programs for many years. As a result, on one hand, my reputation has spread, with "Xu Guozhang" becoming a byword for a suitable English textbook, and a sociolinguist's name actually becoming the subject of sociolinguistic study, which is somewhat unsettling. On the other hand, it has made me pay even more attention to English teaching, not only concerning university-level training but also including their preparatory stage—the English teaching in secondary schools. English teaching in secondary schools has seen considerable improvement in recent years. I am not a secondary school teacher, so I can only watch from the sidelines and cannot say whether there are still critical issues. I only feel that in recent years, to meet the practical needs of opening up and reform, people have focused more on adult training, such as intensive courses and oral English classes, among others. These are not insignificant efforts, but the fundamental solution may still need to start from primary and secondary schools. "A three-year illness is hard to cure with seven years of medicine"; for the future, we must prepare the "seven years of medicine" early. Relying solely on strengthening and accelerating adult training is not the right approach. From the textbooks and supplementary materials that have already been published, it seems that there is relatively little consideration for the fundamental training of middle school students, and this area urgently needs improvement. Life & Times Press has presented this series of "English Grammar Explained" for middle school students to read. After briefly reviewing it, I am delighted and am happy to promote its publication. This series emphasizes fundamental training, with solid and accurate grammar, vivid explanations, detailed exercises, and even illustrations, which must be the meticulous work of several colleagues with expertise in middle school English teaching. It is a novel and practical textbook. Life & Times Press has long been known for publishing high-quality academic works, which may be commendable, but in terms of business performance, it does not seem to receive the corresponding praise. As a cultural enterprise, and more broadly, as a cultural figure, can one be without an economic perspective? I hope Life & Times Press will do well in operating and promoting such beneficial popular literature and achieve success in business performance as well. Just before my lecture tour to Europe in May, I had a specific discussion with the former general manager of Life & Times Press, Shen Changwen, on this point, and we shared the same sentiments. Unfortunately, I am now old and frail, and even Shen, who was once considered youthful, has had to step down from his leadership position due to age. For us, there is only lamentation and helplessness. As a result, the future task of promoting culture through business and assisting culture with business—what the publishing industry often calls the "dual-benefit" responsibility—can only be left to future generations! I firmly believe that since everyone has already recognized the importance of this, with time and experience, this "dual-benefit" work can definitely be accomplished. For this reason, I am optimistic about the success of this series and, at the request of Life & Times Press, have written this preface.