Ngwudike, B. (Ed.). (2012). A complete grammar guide for ELL & ESL writers. Mustang, OK: Tate Publishing & Enterprises. 92 pages, paperback.

A Complete Grammar Guide for ELL & ESL Writersis Tate Publishing & Enterprises’s newest ESL book and is available in both print and eBook download. This 92-page book, which is divided into 11 chapters, discusses grammatical components that include tenses, forms of tense, pronouns, prepositions, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, and articles. The author promises that he has “simplifie[d] complicated and confusing grammar concepts” (p. 5) and has suggested that his guide be a companion to ESL students who desire to improve their writing skills or to educators who would like to implement writing in their classrooms.

Introducing the book, the author explains that English is his second language and, now that he has learned and mastered the language over his lifetime, he finds it beneficial to share the “trickiest areas of the language” (p. 5) so that future ELLs and ESL students can benefit from his experience. The author lives up to his promise by simplifying explanations of the topics, above, he chooses to discuss. The definitions are straight forward and to the point, and most examples suit the topic effectively. The chapter concerning commonly misused words is very helpful and provides definitions and many examples that are clear to native and nonnative speakers alike. The author consistently ends each chapter by writing, “Now that you have mastered…,” which gives the students the confidence that they are in fact learning these tricky concepts.

The author states that he has mastered the English language, but unfortunately, either by author or publisher error, there are many mistakes in this publication that not only negate the mastership of the author but also reflect poorly on the publisher and editor. Spelling errors abound in each chapter. Incorrect usage of idioms may confuse student writers, and inconsistent formatting causes the author’s ideas to be unclear. For example, the improper use of prepositions appears in the publication as seen below:

Published mistake: There is a hole on his jacket. (p. 34)
Correction: There is a hole in his jacket.

Published mistake: My conscience tells me that to cheat in a test is wrong. (p. 61)
Correction: My conscience tells me that to cheat on a test is wrong.

If students were to use this as a companion guide when writing academic papers, some of the grammar errors in this book would confuse and mislead them. A second edition could amend the errors and misprints grammatically and idiomatically, thus creating a satisfactory companion guide for students and educators. In other ways, though, an even stronger presence from the author has the potential to propel this publication further. Having learned English as his second language, Ngwudike has an advantage and unique voice that could speak directly to the struggles of the ELL. In a field that lacks published ELL authors, his point of view could be highly coveted by learners and educators.

Although errors have been made in this first edition, the author clearly has a thorough understanding of the process of learning English and offers a straightforward and honest approach. With slight modifications to each chapter, A Complete Grammar Guide for ELL and ESL Writers could be a strong voice in the ESL community and amidst ELLs. If errors are corrected, this brief companion has the potential to be quite helpful to educators and students alike.