Side by Side: English Grammar Through Guided Conversations

I was from China and started my life in the USA as a graduate student in Engineering. Although I took the TOEFL before I came to USA, my English is not good enough to express myself clearly and accurately. I decided to improve my English about 4 months ago and started to borrow some ESL books from local libraries. About 2 weeks ago, I found four "Side by Side" books (Book 1 to Book 4) from a local library and borrowed them. Now I am working on the Book 3 and I have enjoyed every book. I believe that "Side by Side" Book 1 to Book 4 will make very good textbooks for ESL (or ESOL) programs.

I have read some other quite critical reviews of this series, but I would like to point out its merits. I have used book 1 & 2 for the last 10 years, and if I could only take one book with me to my next county - that would be it. These books are the best out there for developing accuracy of forms which are necessary for beginning students. It provides realistic dialogues with ample practice through substitution drills. The illustrations are both humourous and clear so that the books are easy to use with real beginners. For students at the pre-intermediate level and above, I would suggest only using this series as a supplement to practice grammar forms (I usually make an overhead and let students practice in pairs).As for comments about dialogues with social security numbers or talking about San Juan - if something doesn't apply to your situation - skip it!!!! (That information is relevant for some students)

I've taught with this text in three different countries... and have sworn by it and it.What I love about it is that it really gets down to the basics of speaking English and does so in a systematic manner. A lot of teachers abuse it by having their students read and write through it, then complain what a dry book it is. The same teachers also use it in such a haphazard manner that after a year the students are in book one, when really Volumes 1 2 and 3 (especially) are a jump start English course. This however is often the result of either inadequate training or not reading the teacher's manual, especially in Japan where teachers and students come and go by the bushel. Overall, while the book might lack the "cuteness" of other programs, trust me... the pedagogy is well thought out - - especially if you know how to expand from the book and have other activities to bring the language to life. The book is for adults for example, but using the Molinsky and Bliss WORD BY WORD flash cards I've actually created games for children based on the activities in the book. And if the students are too used to reading through the book (from former teachers) I actually copy the pictures from the book with the words whited out, cut them into flash cards, team them up for pair work, and then let them engage in the conversation activities from the book.This is an incredible book, and a new version has just come out... USE IT DON'T ABUSE IT and your students will make incredible progress. Check out the WORD BY WORD PICTURE DICTIONARY as a great supplement to expand the activities with additional (yet practical) vocabulary as well as EXPRESSWAYS (also by the same authors).

Side by Side is a staple in Japan for teaching English to the already inundated Japanese population. I say "already inundated" because the average Japanese citizen has studied 6 years of English in the school system, yet she or he needs to practice their conversation skills.Side by Side offers the Japanese student the opportunity to simply express in conversation what they already have studied.As an EFL instructor, I thank the authors for this fun, valuable tool.

As an English as a Second Language teacher with 19 years' experience, I have used a lot of different programs and texts with my students. Side by Side is by far the best I have ever seen for students from the middle school through adult. It is clear, has an interesting format and appealing illustrations. It covers the different components of English acquisition (speaking, listening, reading and writing) better than any other program I have used, including those designed for use on the computer. One need not have a background in language acquisition to successfully teach someone else English--it's that good. If there were only one tool I could use in my ESL classrooms, or in tutoring one-on-one, without hesitation, my choice would be Side by Side.