About the book : Wren and Martin’s High School English Grammar & Composition is one of the most popular and widely used reference books on English Grammar. It not only helps the students to use the language, but also gives detailed information about the language. High School English Grammar & Composition provides ample guidance and practice in sentence building, correct usage, comprehension, composition and other allied areas so as to equip the learners with the ability to communicate effectively in English. The regular edition is now available in a larger format making it more user-friendly and attractive. The multicolour edition is now available in a larger format, with vibrant and child-friendly illustrations. The Self-practice book has been especially designed to cater to the demands of the users. Writing space has been provided to work out the answers in an organized manner. The Self-practice book may be used with both the multicolour and regular editions. The key has been designed to provide users with a reliable and practical tool in the form of correct answers to the exercises in the book.
The key has some issues that need modification according to the latest English standards. But highly worth having the key.
About the Wren & Martin HSG book: It's an exceptionally high-standard book on English grammar available in the Indian market. However, the updates on the part of speech are incompatible with the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary (OALD). As per OALD, there are ten-plus parts of speech, including 'Determiners.' Now, numbers such as one, two, three, etc., are either determiners or numbers.
The English language is in constant flux. Catching that fast-flowing stream is impossible for authors and publishers in India. Even in such circumstances, the effort in each revision in this book is highly commendable.
It is the onus on Oxford to publish books on the latest changes every year or six months.
Ah, Key to High School English Grammar and Composition by P.C. Wren—a book that doesn’t just teach grammar, it breathes it, with the old-school charm of a headmaster in a tweed coat and a monocle who takes his commas very seriously.
When this book came to me, it wasn’t as a student looking for guidance—it came like a fellow instructor, a silent partner in the craft. As a teacher myself, I didn’t approach it with the wide-eyed wonder of a learner. I came armed with questions, with skepticism, with a red pen ready to strike. But page after page, it disarmed me—with clarity, with precision, and most of all, with pedagogic elegance.
Each solution felt less like a correction and more like a masterclass. Not flashy, not showy—but airtight. There was a certain no-nonsense British crispness in the way it addressed even the trickiest of clauses, the sneakiest of subjunctives. The logic behind the answers wasn’t just sound—it was quietly revelatory.
And as a teacher, I often used it less for checking answers and more for affirming intuition. That moment when your understanding aligns perfectly with the book’s solution? That sweet grammatical high? Oh yes. A thousand times yes.
It’s not a book that shouts. It nods. It stands firm behind you while you teach, like a reliable, chalk-dusted elder who’s seen generations of dangling modifiers come and go—and still believes the future of syntax is bright.
One of the best grammar book for practice I have came across. 1. Precise to the point practice of the important topics. 2. Majorly covers all the required concepts for practice.