The Article Book

Book excerpt: A comprehensive guide and workbook for improving ESL/EFL students' understanding of English articles, The Article Book can be used as either a supplement to any ESL/EFL core text or as a self-study tool for intermediate through advanced learners. Cole involves students in "learning by doing" through an integrated approach to skill acquisition that includes other grammar structures, reading, vocabulary, and speaking. Each chapter of the book is organized into teachable units or lessons and includes presentation of a grammatical rule with examples, exercises, quizzes, and a comprehensive test. While the fifty rules (and fifteen exceptions) are taught to provide a logical framework for the text and serve as a handy reference, students will learn through guided practice instead of memorization. Fish Trek is a well-designed interactive computer game designed specifically to help teach English article usage. It offers six game levels, ten levels of difficulty, and a comprehensive practice session. While Fish Trek software supports The Article Book, the book and the software can be used separately. .