Ed Swick - ESL DeMYSTiFieD

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Contents All languages have rules that govern how the grammar of those languages functions. In all languages, the rules of grammar are sometimes broken, and if a rule is broken often enough and by enough people, a new rule replaces the original one that conforms to the new pattern the people have accepted.

For example, for centuries the verb dive was considered an irregular verb in the past tense (dove) and a regular verb as a past participle (has dived). No one knows for sure why it happened, but the past tense also became dived in North America over the last two centuries. Another such verb is dream. Its past tense and past participle appear in two forms: dreamt and dreamed. You will hear both in most English-speaking countries, and both are considered correct. Why does this occur? The answer is simple: these are the patterns that the speakers of a language use and accept as correct. Those who learn this language must accept these patterns and learn to use them as well.

There is no other concrete answer to why does this occur because other explanations have been obscured by the passage of a great deal of time. How and why a language functions in one way or another is often mysterious. This book will guide you in demystifying a variety of structures and linguistic patterns as you set about improving your English language skills. The first chapter of this book is different from the others. It is a guide to vowel and consonant pronunciation and is provided because the key to speaking and understanding well is pronouncing words correctly. If you develop the habit of pronouncing a word or phrase incorrectly, not only will you be hard to understand, you will also not understand a familiar word or phrase when you hear it pronounced correctly.

This is an important chapter for you if you are determined to improve your accent. Most other chapters describe and illustrate elements of English that often require demystifying. For example, the word his is both a possessive adjective and a pronoun. What is the difference? How is each used? Those questions are answered, and numerous examples are provided. The patterns that are described are then put into practical exercises. The basis of language is speech, so all concepts are practiced not only in written exercises but also in oral exercises.

Each chapter ends with a quiz that will help you to evaluate your understanding of the material covered. The quizzes are open-book quizzesyou should use the content of the chapter as a resource for determining the correct answers. A good suggestion is to achieve a score of at least 80 percent before going on the next chapter. After every five chapters, you will find a Part Test. Its goal is to check whether you have achieved the basics of the content of the five chapters and to give you a way to measure your progress. It is suggested that you consider these tests closed-book tests in order to check your comprehension of the concepts in each part.

You should get a score of at least 75 percent in a Part Test before moving on to the next part. In most chapters, you will encounter a section called Idioms Demystified. The idioms provided are not selected at random but rather because they conform to the concepts of the chapter they are in. The idioms are explained and include several examples of their use. Youll also find sections called Take Note. These boxes highlight important information for your study.

The last chapter of the book is a culmination of the other chapters. The main goal is to give you an abundance of writing practice and opportunities to write creatively. The writing exercises provide guidance on how you should write, but you will be the author of your sentences. The book ends with the Final Exam. This is your measuring tool to determine how much you have improved and how well you can manipulate the concepts that have been demystified. This exam contains fifty questions, and a good score on the Final Exam would be 75 percent or above.