Vettom Mani’s’ENGLISH GURUNADHAN’, a book intended to teach English through Malayalam is a great work! Though it did not receive the exposure it deserved it still remains the only book of its kind in Malayalam that the scholars recommend unanimously!
Vettom Mani, as you probably know is the author of the scholarly work’PURANIC ENCYCLOPEDIA’. This monumental and thorough study is a treasure of information on Hindu Puranas, Culture and Literature. Though it is originally written in Malayalam, the huge appreciation it got from a wide spectrum of readers prompted the publishers to bring out its versions in other languages also.
I have a copy of ENGLISH GURUNDADHAN in my personal library and I keep it safely for the next generation as a valuable book! If you wish to learn English through Malayalam without attending a school I can say ENGLISH GURUNADHAN is written for you. The entire book is written in systematic way starting with alphabets gradually progressing to advanced levels of grammar. The book, divided in to chapters, explains the grammar rules in simple Malayalam like a teacher does with ample examples and exercises. The book covers English grammar very well. Pronunciation, examples, explanation to grammar rules etc are given rich explanation in Malayalam.
Overall’English Gurunadhan’ is similar to’High School English Grammar Structure & Composition’(English) a legendary book written by Wren & Martin and published by S. Chand & Co, New Delhi. Though the publisher has brought out its Malayalam version it is nowhere near Vettom Mani’s work.
The publisher of ENGLISH GURUNADHAN is DC Books, Kottayam, The book is neatly printed on quality paper. The book is priced at Rs. 275/-(587 Pages, Hard Cover). Publisher’s website: https://dcbooks.com, https://puzha.com.
Other books I recommend for learning English through Malayalam includes books written by O.Abooty(Publishers: DC Books). And the following suggestions of books will help one master the language of English:
Longman Dictinoary of Contemporary English or
Oxfor Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English
High School English Grammar & Composition by Wren & Martin or
Contemporary English Grammar Structures and Composition by David Green
Practical English Usage by Michael Swan.
A Guide to Patterns & Usage in English by A.S. Hornby
A Practical English Grammar by A.J. Thomson & A. V. Martinet
Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis
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