Online resources have become a nearly ubiquitous feature of many textbooks, so it is more challenging to find a book that sets itself apart by incorporating technology. Next Generation Grammar intends to do just that with its four-book series, each text being supported by a fairly comprehensive, student-friendly website. This review focuses on the fourth and most advanced text in the series, geared toward students at the C1 level of the Common European Framework.

The first aspect of Next Generation Grammar that strikes the reader is its physical characteristics. Book 4 is slender (just 215 pages plus a short appendix) and could easily be mistaken for a workbook. But looks can be deceiving, as the book contains an impressive array of grammar topics. Instead of bulking up on a multitude of in-text exercises, authors Sigrun Biesenbach-Lucas and Donette Brantner-Artenie leave much of the heavy lifting to the accompanying website, www.MyEnglishLab.com/nextgenerationgrammar. The resulting combination lends itself well to a blended course that allows for in-class instruction supplemented by an extensive online component.

Next Generation 4 is organized into 10 thematic units, with each unit subdivided into two chapters. Themes are drawn from academic disciplines (business, psychology), social issues (environment, poverty), and current “hot topics” (social media, community service), all of which should spark considerable interest. The two chapters in each unit examine the theme from different angles. For example, the “Eradicating Poverty” unit begins with the chapter “Empowering Women” and continues with “Fair Trade.”

Each chapter offers an organizational pattern that recurs throughout the book. It begins with a single page of preview activities (“Getting Started”) that serve as schemata activators about the topic. These are followed up by a short reading of 300–500 words and a few related exercises. Next come two “Grammar Focus” sections, starting with a table of examples and language notes. On the following page are two or three grammar practice exercises, one of the more traditional variety and the other a bit more open-ended and communicative. This format is repeated for the second “Grammar Focus” section before turning students’ attention to activities that have them apply the structures to exercises in listening, speaking, and writing. Following the second chapter, the unit closes with a grammar summary of all structural points from the two chapters, a self-assessment exercise, and an integrative unit project that entails group work, research, and a presentation in report or discussion form.

Throughout each chapter are small boxes labeled “MyEnglishLab,” in reference to exercises on the website. This is where Next Generation has done a nice job of considering where the website can supplement the textbook at various points in a unit or chapter. The first reference happens on the opening page of each unit with a tab titled “What Do You Know?” This is a multipart diagnostic test with drop-down menus, fill-in-the-blanks, and multiple-choice questions, all designed to gauge students’ level before embarking on the various grammatical topics contained in the unit.

Other web-based choices include “Vocabulary Check” and “Reading Comprehension,” both associated with the reading in the chapter; “Grammar Plus” activities to reinforce each grammar topic; listening and writing exercises; a diagnostic test at the end of each chapter; a grammar summary at the end of each unit; and a unit test covering all the language points.

In addition to these text-linked choices, the MyEnglishLab website includes video clips with brief explanations offered by a language coach and a section titled “Sounding Natural,” which allows students to practice pronunciation. The site is clear and easy to navigate. Students can keep track of their progress by means of a grade book, and exercises can be repeated for mastery of the material. The grade book can be exported as an Excel spreadsheet.

Taken together, the text and website offer fairly comprehensive coverage of the grammar topics. At least for Next Generation 4, the emphasis seems to be more on practice of familiar structures rather than introduction of new ones. For example, the daunting topic of definite and indefinite articles is covered in a single “Grammar Focus” section. This is not always the case, however; some of the grammar points delve into fairly sophisticated topics meant to polish academic writing skills (e.g., conjunctive adverbs, time shifts).

One somewhat puzzling aspect of Next Generation 4 is its pairing and sequencing of some grammar topics. To be sure, every topic is appropriate for this level, but at first glance, the ordering is unexpected. A few examples may suffice: subject-verb agreement is not dealt with until Chapter 10, whereas the subjunctive makes an appearance in Chapter 2. Likewise, Chapter 19 features pronoun agreement and reference, while relative pronouns come up in Chapter 4. The pairing of two grammar points per chapter can also be a bit unusual: the subjunctive, simple past, and present perfect are featured together in Chapter 2, and present/future unreal (third) conditionals are paired with reported speech. All that said, the authors make the pairings and sequencing work effectively, and there does not seem to be anything to prevent students from taking units in a different order.

Next Generation 4 offers students and teachers alike an engaging and thorough approach to more advanced language topics and is an interesting option for those who wish to pursue language study using a blended approach.

References

Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/Cadre1_en.asp