Learning English Made Simple (Made Simple Books)

Rating:
Summary: More useful as a refernce book for advanced students
Review: This is definitely not a beginning or low-intermediate student's text. The vocabulary lists for the chapters are long and contain technical terms, and the conversations are no simpler than the normal conversations of native English speakers. I ordered this book for a student who recently moved to the States, thinking that it provided a 'survival English' course, but although the themes have to do with survival--that is, living in and adjusting to U.S. Life (finding a place to live, opening a bank account, etc.), the vocabulary and conversations are not at the 'survival' level and I've had to spend time simplifying the conversations and providing extra exercises to reinforce all the material that's introduced in each chapter. The grammar explanations and exercises are simpler, but overall, the book is for more advanced speakers of English to learn what to say and do in certain practical situations they will encounter when settling down in the U.S.A., rather than for beginners to actually "learn English". The title is misleading. Under another title and aimed at an advanced audience, the practical information provided in the book would find an audience that would welcome it.