There is hardly a person among English learners who has not heard the name of the author of books - Raymond Murphy. The red textbook is a reference book for both teachers and students all over the world. For over 30 years, it has been the number one selling grammar book. The textbooks in question are part of the English In Use series by Raymond Murphy (pictured below, left) and others, produced by the University of Cambridge.
History of textbooks
Raymond Murphy is an American who taught English in Germany. Over time, the experience of working with foreign students allowed him to create a textbook that could be used all over 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 will look at what each of the textbooks includes and how to study them on your own 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 grammar topics on two pages (one - theory,the other is practice), applications and keys to exercises to check. The theory passed can be consolidated directly in the book and it is advisable to keep notes with a simple pencil in order to correct errors during testing 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 foreign language that are of particular difficulty 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 started learning the language or have been learning for a long time, but there are topics in which incomprehensible 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 topics both step by step and selectively, as there are links to related topics. The textbook has an audio with voice acting of examples from the theoretical part of the lessons. At the end of the book there is a self-test - a questionnaire that includes all the topics of the course from the textbook, which allows you to identify sections of grammar that are poorly studied and need to be repeated.
Appendices cover topics such as:
- irregular verbs;
- phrasal verbs;
- spelling (letter by letter pronunciation of the word);
- short forms of verbs.
This tutorial will dothose whose language level corresponds to A1, A2 and B1 on the European Language Proficiency scale.
Blue
The next textbook in the series, authored by Raymond Murphy, is a blue-covered textbook that includes 147 lessons, 7 appendices including additional material with grammar tables (complete table of irregular verbs, differences between American and British languages), exercises for self-examination and answers to tasks. This edition has an additional textbook with exercises (English Grammar in Use. Supplrmentary exercises) and a CD with voice acting of examples from units.
It is suitable for those who want to know the language at level B1 and B2.
Green
Another textbook is a practical grammar for an advanced level. It was not written by Raymond Murphy, but by Martin Hevings. But due to the fact that he complements the line of textbooks "Raymond Murphy. English Grammar in Use" he is called "green Murphy". This is the latest edition in the line and is a kind of Everest, which, if they want to, but cannot conquer many students for many reasons, one of which is difficulty. It consists of 100 units. Unlike the previous two books, here are considered the features and subtleties of the use of English grammar. There is no additional exercise book for this tutorial, but there is a disc.
This textbook is an excellent choice for those who want to learn English at the level of C1 and C2 native speakers. The course of thistextbook will help you pass international exams - TOEFL and IELTS.
Each of the courses presented in the textbooks involves systematic study at least three times a week for 60 minutes. This approach will allow you to achieve positive results and test them in practice. The in Use series involves self-study, and if during the learning process the student has problems understanding the material presented, then you can use video lessons from English teachers freely available on the Internet or ask friends who are native speakers for help.
