Sandra N. Elbaum
Sandra N. Elbaum has been an ESL Instructor at Truman College, one of the City Colleges of Chicago, for twenty years. She has also taught in elementary and high schools, and in Mexico, Puerto Rico, the former Soviet Union, and Slovakia. Sandy is the author of the popular series Grammar in Context, now in its Fourth Edition, and co-author of Tell Me More, an ESL conversation text. Sandy received her B.A. in Spanish and M.A. in Teaching English as a Second Language from the University of Illinois.

Lesson 1
GRAMMAR The Present Tense of the Verb Be; Prepositions of Place;
This, That, These, Those
CONTEXT College Life
READING Community College Life in the U.S.
READING Letter from College
READING Instant Message from a Student in the U.S.
READING In the School Cafeteria
Lesson 2
GRAMMAR The Simple Present Tense
CONTEXT The U.S. Government
READING Washington, D.C.
READING The IRS
Lesson 3
GRAMMAR Frequency Words with the Simple Present Tense;
Prepositions of Time
CONTEXT American Holidays
READING Three Special Days
READING The Fourth of July
Lesson 4
GRAMMAR Singular and Plural; Articles and Quantity Words;
There + Be + Noun
CONTEXT Americans and Where They Live
READING Americans and Where They Live
READING Finding an Apartment
READING Calling About an Apartment
Lesson 5
GRAMMAR Possession; Object Pronouns; Questions About the Subject
CONTEXT Families and Names
READING Names
READING William Madison’s Name
READING Who Helps Your Parents?
Lesson 6
GRAMMAR The Present Continuous Tense
CONTEXT Observations About American Life
READING Observations in the Park
READING Observations in the School Cafeteria
Lesson 7
GRAMMAR Future Tenses—Will and Be Going To; Comparison of Tenses
CONTEXT Weddings
READING Planning for a Wedding
READING Jason and Katie—Starting a Married Life
Lesson 8
GRAMMAR The Simple Past Tense
CONTEXT Flying
READING The Wright Brothers—Men with a Vision
READING Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart
READING Robert Goddard
Lesson 9
GRAMMAR Infinitives; Modals; Imperatives
CONTEXT Smart Shopping
READING Getting the Best Price
READING Getting a Customer’s Attention
READING Smart Shopping: Coupons, Rain Checks, and Rebates
READING The Customer Service Counter
Lesson 10
GRAMMAR Count and Noncount Nouns; Quantity Words
CONTEXT Nutrition and Health
READING A Healthy Diet
READING Eat Less, Live Longer
Lesson 11
GRAMMAR Adjectives; Noun Modifiers; Adverbs
CONTEXT Great Women
READING Helen Keller
READING Grandma Moses
Lesson 12
GRAMMAR Comparatives; Superlatives
CONTEXT U.S. Geography
READING U.S. Geography
READING A Tale of Two Cities
Lesson 13
GRAMMAR Auxiliary Verbs with Too and Either; Auxiliary Verbs
in Tag Questions
CONTEXT Dating and Marriage
READING Dating and Marriage
READING Saturday with Meg and Don
Lesson 14
GRAMMAR Verb Review
CONTEXT Washington Interns
READING Washington Interns

• Basic level introduces learners to basic English structures and vocabulary while offering them inviting and interesting lessons on American culture and customs.
• Engaging topics include: Instant Messaging, Dating and Marriage, Spam, e-Bay, Outsourcing of Jobs, Wildfires in California, Occupational Outlook Handbook, and the AIDS Ride.
• Grammar charts offer the clearest grammar explanations yet and provide contextualized examples to maximize learning, understanding, and retention.
• Teacher's Annotated Edition offers page-by-page answers and teaching suggestions, minimizing teacher preparation.
• Expansion Activities and Internet Activities encourage students to use their new language to learn more about the world and people around them while practicing grammar in context.
• Assessment CD-ROM with ExamView Pro allows instructors to create quizzes and tests easily.
• The audio program includes the readings as well as contextualized listening activities.