Better English

What, How and Why: a manual of better English – published by The Book Guild and available now!

Good English Matters

For jobs, for study, for your own self-confidence

Use your built-in grammar; sort out these words.

Employers and university teachers no longer trust school examinations. Many young people feel let down; they should be taught well, rather than trained for examinations, encouraged to achieve beyond their own expectations and become independent of their teachers.

A STUDENT’S VOICE
James – 18. “A virtual classroom where there is no sarcastic teacher and no bullies or disruptives, but only a teacher who encourages students. You have led me back to the classroom, prepared to learn this time, because you had removed aspects of many classrooms that students dislike.”

What, How and Why: a manual of better English 

is aimed at:

Why the GCSE has had its day
Why the GCSE has had its day

· Anyone who worries about their English
· Anyone who needs to improve their English
· Anyone who wants to help them

View…
1. Introduction
2. How the book works
3. Tearaway and Teacher both praise the book
4. Responses to What, How and Why
5. Peter’s advice on reading – The Times website

A good command of English makes a difference to our lives
A good command of English makes a difference to lives

I know what it’s like…
· I failed English Literature at school.
· I earned a degree by part-time study.
· I taught English for thirty years.
· I marked A-level and IB exams.

Responses
The material has been tested in three schools, in a prison, with educational charities, and with individual young people. One said he liked being in an imaginary classroom where there are no disruptives, only a friendly teacher; another liked the encouraging ‘presence’ of an imaginary teacher.

From Cambridge Assessment:

“Peter Inson’s book is the kind of text which we need in the education system in this country – a rich and wide-ranging resource which does not reduce the acquisition of facility in and understanding of English language to a narrow diet of examination preparation. But far from looking away from the requirements of public examinations, the book encourages the kind of learning which is associated with higher attainment in exams, through a deeper understanding of language structures.

Daily Gazette

So often, books have to be discarded the moment a new exam specification is produced. Not so with this text. It promises to be an enduring resource for teachers and learners which can support learning associated with different exam boards, different awards, and remain relevant and supportive as exams specifications shift and change.” Tim Oates Group Director

An experienced teacher wrote:

“Did you ever think that you knew everything about the English language, but came unstuck when you tried to put it into words?  Or do you lack confidence in your literacy levels?  If so, then read this extremely useful manual on how the English language works.  It contains very clear and relevant real-life examples that a range of readers can relate to: from secondary school pupils, to adults and tutors alike.  I have not only used examples from this book successfully with KS3, GCSE and A Level English Language students, but also to refresh my own subject knowledge before teaching grammar in my classroom.”

“Brightly-coloured text boxes highlight key information and asterisks draw attention to main points that you need to remember.  The activities and tests enable readers to consolidate their learning, recognise their progress and identify any aspects that they need to look over again.  The ‘essentials’ sections provide quick and easy glossaries of technical terms, again with clear examples.  There are lots of other useful tips for retaining learning and making helpful revision notes, with a good mixture of reading and writing tasks throughout.  The author has also offered direct links to his website, in order to provide further assistance.  His classroom experiences provide not only humour, but also reassurance that these approaches are successful.”

“A super book!”

Liz (Tutor):

“Awesome – I love this and would definitely buy it.  I’d also recommend it to my tutees, particularly years 9-11.  I used bits of it with a very dyslexic year 10 student and she really appreciated how easy it was to understand.  Clear, easily accessible, interesting and it has a lovely, friendly tone.  Fabulous stuff!”

A test: Ten questions about the language you use every day