Modern English: Parts of Speech Pt. 1: Exercises for Non-native Speakers

This grammar book is straight to the point, with effective tables and great examples. There is no sexism as the other reviewer said, specially because the author is a woman (how could she ofend women if she's a woman herself???). Although the price is high, it's still a good investment for an out-of-print gem. Get yours while you can!!!

I deeply regret that this book is out of print. It is my favorite grammar book, the first one that I pick up and give to students if they have a question (I teach college ESL but this book is great for anyone wanting concise, easy to read and understand explanations of grammar in language that eschews any hint of overexplanation). It is grammar explained by an artist. Please professor Frank, bring the book back for future students.

I was barely able to focus on the actual grammatical context of the book, because I was too busy fuming about the incessent sexist references and stereotypes that were propagated throughout every chapter. Literally every reference to women in this work is about either a) Fashion/shopping, b) Pleasing their husbands, c) Housework, or d) How they look.

I like the idea of using sentence examples to explain her grammatical rules, but the author needs to escape the 1950s. I'm glad I took this book out from the library, and didn't buy it, because I can't wait to return it. If you want to promote old-fashioned gender roles, then give this author your money. If you are living in the 21st century, there are other books that are equally useful, but lack the blatant sexism that is found page after page here.

Examples from the random page I opened up: "She will not leave her husband, however cruel he is." (p. 241)
"Although he married a brunette, he had always preferred blondes." (p. 239)
"For all that she was a heavy woman, she danced with unusual grace and ease." (p. 240)
"Although (he is) working long hours, he manges to find time for relaxation." vs. "Although (she was) hired as a bookkeeper, she also does secretarial work." (p. 243)

Notice the difference? Page after page after page of this trash. This book would be totally inappropriate for any public domain - schools, libraries, universities, etc. I urge you to put your money towards something that is more current.

I've adopted this grammar book as well as its two exercise books for my college students of EFL and we are very happy with the results. The text is objective and the explanations quite clear. This is the kind of book that encourages its users to go on with their English studies. The only inconveniences are the cost which is a bit higher than the average for similar books in our country and the lack of further explanations about morphology which I consider crucial for foreign students.