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The Idiom Book
by Hal Niergarth
with Elizabeth Niergarth
The Idiom Book High-Intermediate to Advanced Young Adults and
up
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Idioms 1010 Book Review
by Joyce M. Baron, ESL tutor, Top Floor Learning
Adult Literacy and Lifelong Learning Newsletter
Palmer, Massachusetts
http://www.topfloorlearning.org
I have recently had the pleasure of working with The Idiom Book 1010,
written by Hal Niergarth with his wife Elizabeth. I find that as an
ESL tutor working at Top Floor Learning at the Palmer Library and online,
my students are at very different levels. I have shared this book with
a lady from Poland, a young man from Korea, and a young man from Kurdistan.
Each one enjoyed the way the material was presented and within a short
time was able to negotiate through the lessons easily and confidently.
As a tutor, I find that the way the book is written guides the learner
through the lesson. The first part presents the idiom. The next three
parts present a challenge because, although the initial idiom is there,
it is presented in a subtly different form, often by changing the tense
or person. By the time the fourth part is completed, the student understands
the meaning of the idiom.
In a short time, we found that simply checking off the items as we used
them helped the learner and me stay focused. Each learner voiced delight
with the presentation and felt that the idioms were much more understandable.
I will continue to present this book to my students in the future. Kudos
to the Niergarths.
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