[Korean book review] TOPIK Essential Grammar 150 Intermediate-Eng version

One of my favourite Korean grammar books that I have used for a long time is called “TOPIK Essential Grammar 150 Intermediate”. This book organizes the most frequent grammar points in Topik exam according to their usage such as “Reasons, certainty, contrasting….” It even shows the difference between some grammar points. The best thing about this book is a small pocket booklet that you can carry around and study. Now I will share you my review of this book.

1) DETAIL:

Title of the Book: TOPIK Essential Grammar 150 Intermediate (English version) + a free booklet
Number of pages: 431 pages
Cover: Paperback
Price: 21,000 won -(21$) at http://www.twochois.com/topik-essential-grammar-150-intermediate-english-ver

2) STRUCTURE OVERVIEW

The book “TOPIK Essential Grammar 150 Intermediate” follows a very good structure that can help you to remember the grammar points. The book consists of 150 intermediate level grammars. It is divided by 29 units according to the meaning and usage of the grammar. This organization is very convenient because it is easier to remember the grammar points in the same category.

This is the content of the book. The red star shows the frequency of the grammar points in Topik test. The grammar points with more red stars are more important, so you need to pay more attention to them.

 Although these grammars have the same meaning, there are still some differences in usage, so the book will help us to understand those differences.  This is my favourite part of this book. Here is the index for grammar comparison.

At the end of the book, there is an idex page which shows you the irregularities, informal speaking, declarative sentences.

There is even an index for grammars points. You can look up the grammar points according to the alphabet.

3)     STRUCTURE OF EACH UNIT

Each Unit is mainly composed of ‘Basic Grammar’, ‘Usage’, ‘More in detail’, ‘Self-check’ and ‘Practice question’.

*BASIC GRAMMAR*

This part gives you a short review of basic grammars before explaining the intermediate grammar.

*알아두기:USAGE*

-In the box at the beginning of each unit, you can find the conjugation of verb, adjective and noun with the grammar points.

– Then the book gives an explanation of the grammar in Korean and English.

– Some examples with English translations are also provided.

 *주의 상황:GUIDELINES*

-This part shows you the right and the wrong usage of grammar points.

 *더 알아두기: MORE IN DETAILS*

-The book explains the grammar point in details. It also compares grammars that have similar meanings or functions. This is an important part when you learn grammar points.

-The book also gives some tips on how to use the grammar points correctly. The tips are provided on the blackboard.

* 확인하기: SELF-CHECK*

-The book gives a grammar question in the Topik exam so that you can check your understanding of the grammar points. Answers and explanations are also provided at the bottom of the page. It even explains why other choices are wrong.

* 실전 연습 문제: PRACTICE QUESTIONS*

-At the end of each unit, you can find a collection of questions to practice the grammar points. These questions are selected carefully from the Topik exam. They are quite difficult because you have to distinguish the usage of the grammar points that have the similar meanings. The answers are provided at the back of the book.

*CULTURE PART*

-At the end of each unit, a small article in English about Korean culture is provided with colourful illustrations.

4) BOOKLET

The book has a small booklet so that you can carry around and study grammar conveniently. It has only 49 pages and it is black and white.

The booklet gives you the explanation of grammar points and some examples. There is also a small Topik questions at the end of each unit for you to self-check.

5) PROS AND CONS

*What I love about this book*

–        The grammar points are categorized according to the usage so that it is easier for us to remember the usage. At the end of the book, the grammar points are arranged according to the alphabet so that we can look up them easily.
–        The book shows the difference in usage between the grammar points that have similar meanings.
–        The book has a lot of tips and tricks to use the grammar correctly.
–        The design is eye-catching with cute cartoon illustrations.
–        The organization of the book is logical and easy to follow.
–        Each unit is divided into small and effective parts.
–        The book has a bilingual Korean- English translation.
–        There are cultural sections in the books.
–        There are answer keys so it is easy to self-study.

*Things to improve*

–        There is only English translation for the meaning of the grammars and the examples. There is no English translation for the grammar points, so we have to infer the English translation of the grammar points through the examples.
–        The English translation is not natural and sometimes confusing. Therefore, I have to read the explanation of the grammars in Korean to understand the grammar points more.
–        The font in the booklet is too small.
–        There is no CD for practicing pronunciation.

  In general, this is a good grammar book that can help you have a better understanding of Korean grammar points. I often use this book to look up for the grammar points and self-check my understanding. Hope you will find it useful. I’m sorry for such a long post.