ESL Textbook Evaluation
for Teachers and Tutors

This ESL textbook evaluation page is primarily for private ESL tutors and ESL/EFL teachers who need to have their own resource library (i.e., those who have to spend their own hard-earned money for resources!), but ESL and EFL classroom teachers will find it useful as well.

I've included only the books I personally own and feel are very helpful.

Important note: I try to update this page regularly to ensure that the links to the books I've listed are accurate. Sometimes things happen during that time, so please be sure to check that the edition you are getting is the most recent, and/or that the link you go to is the correct one. I'd appreciate an email if you find any problems. Thanks!)

Reference Books for ESOL Teachers and Tutors

Practical English Usage by Michael Swan, published by Oxford University Press, (ISBN-10: 019442099X; ISBN-13: 978-0194420990) - This book is my grammar bible. If you don't buy any other ESL grammar book, buy this one. I'm serious. It answers 99% of the questions you could ever have about English grammar.

I also highly recommend this reference book to all of my advanced students. The newest edition is the third. You can find it in hardcover or paperback (the ISBN above is for the hardcover version). Although this book isn't as expensive as most grammar books, it's still not cheap. So if you find a good used copy of an older edition, I'd grab it. Before I bought the most recent 3rd edition, I used my 2nd edition until it fell apart.

Longman Advanced American Dictionary - (ISBN-10: 1405829540; ISBN-13: 9781405829540) Although this isn't specifically an ESL dictionary, I would still call it the best ESL dictionary I've come across. Rather than overwhelming the English language learner with outdated and seldom-used definitions, its definitions are those commonly used today. Longman makes a few dictionaries. Be sure to get the one with the exact title above. It comes with a CD-ROM. (For some reason, at the time of this update (March 16, 2012), Amazon is not carrying this particular version, so I've provided a link to another place that carries it.) Click here to read more about the best ESL dictionary.

This publication is great for intermediate to advanced ESOL students. It has all the important grammar points laid out nicely in charts with explanations, examples, and student exercises. If you have higher level students, this is the one grammar book (with exercises) that I highly recommend.

However, as it is only one book, it cannot thoroughly cover every aspect of English grammar. The one area where I feel it is particularly lacking is in its treatment of prepositions. You will definitely need other sources for a good ESL or EFL lesson on prepositions.

Grammar in Use - Intermediate by Raymond Murphy (ISBN-10: 0521734770; ISBN-13: 9780521734776) – As far as my ESL textbook evaluation goes, this is my second choice grammar textbook. Although "intermediate" is in the title, it's also appropriate for advanced level students (Murphy has not yet published a version specifically for advanced English language learners). (For some reason, at the time of this update (March 16, 2012), Amazon is not carrying this particular version, so I've provided a link to another online discount store that is carrying it.)

Each grammar point that it addresses has one page of examples with a brief and basic explanation and on the opposite page, it has a worksheet for practice. In most cases, it doesn't specifically spell out the English grammar rule, but rather, it gives examples.

For the best grammar presentations and explanations, I prefer Azar (above), but Grammar in Use is good when you want supplemental exercises and/or you prefer a shorter explanation of the English grammar points.

Basic Grammar in Use by Raymond Murphy (ISBN-10: 0521133343; ISBN-13: 9780521133340) – This ESL textbook is for beginning level ESOL students. This is my favorite textbook for beginners. It's laid out the same way as the Intermediate book. Beginning level English doesn't require as much explanation, so this textbook works well.

ESL Textbook Evaluation - The Best Pronunciation Book

Pronunciation Pairs: An Introductory Course for Students of English by Ann Baker and Sharon Goldstein (ISBN-10: 0521678099; ISBN-13: 9780521678094) – I found this pronunciation book in a used bookstore, and to this day, I consider it one of the best finds ever. There's a teacher's version and a student's version. Either one will work well, but the teacher's version is particularly helpful because it tells you what difficulties you can expect your students to have.

One More Helpful Book for Beginning ESOL Students

The Oxford Picture Dictionary - (ISBN-10: 0194369765; ISBN-13: 978-0194369763) This particular picture dictionary is the monolingual English version. This is the one I have. If your student also buys one, he or she can get one that is bilingual. It's available in many non-English languages. This dictionary is very useful for my beginning level students. You can probably find an older edition at a used bookstore.



Please let me know if you have any other suggestions for "must have" ESL books, or if you would like to add to this ESL textbook evaluation.

Save Money with Used ESL Textbooks

I highly recommend scouring your local used bookstore for textbooks, grammar books, and books on ESL tutoring. Some of the best ESL books I've found, those I use on a very regular basis, are books I'd never heard of before seeing them in the bookstore. I did my own quick ESL textbook evaluation on the spot and ended up with some treasures.

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