Jeremy Harmers book titled How to teach English, first published in 1998, is aimed at students

who consider their teaching career, insecure teachers starting their professional path and
experienced teachers wanting to improve their skills. The author, who is a teacher and trainer
in the field of English Language Teaching, focuses on the process of teaching English as a
second language.
The book consists of 13 chapters which can be divided into three main sections. The first section
(chapters 1-4) is associated with general issues of the teaching-learning process and
psychological background of learners and teachers. The second part (chapters 5-10) discusses
the language itself, skills that constitute language reading, writing, listening, speaking and
some teaching strategies. The last section puts emphasis on additional aspects which
accompany teachers lessons planning, classroom management, dealing with emerging
problems. In addition, the book ends with The Task File section where a reader can find
exercises referring to every chapter and a phonetic script.
The structure of the book is transparent since every chapter begins with a title, a few questions
which introduce the topics, answers of this questions showed in order and conclusions pointing
out the paramount issues. Using the book is extremely convenient as the author suggests where
to find some overlapping information in other chapters. The last element of the chapter can be
equated with a bridge leading to the next chapter. The issues are well-organized and the artwork
is presentable. This is why the book can be easily used by a reader in order to self-studying
outside of the formal courses and lectures. Another thing that makes a reader be eager to start
the reading is friendly, communicative language and minimizing complex academic words.
This book exemplifies a practical guide for every (future) teacher as it is concentrated on handson activities and applying the theoretical aspect into practice. The author refers to the theoretical
background to show his readers that this is some kind of foundation on which they can build
their lessons but explain it in a straightforward way and gives many examples to clarify the

issues. Moreover, in the appendix we can find some suggestions for further reading to deepen
topics that are interesting for us or to build up our knowledge and explore some issues in depth.
To explain the topics profoundly, Jeremy Harmer uses a lot of visuals which may come in handy
for every reader. Additionally, the Task File which can be found at the end of the book contains
many exercises helping to understand the issues and impels to reflection.
The only criticism is that although the book is said to be the practical one, the theory is
minimized to a large extent and this can lead to some gaps in the readers knowledge. Some of
the sections may even seem to be too obvious while others are just touched.
How to teach English is a book that gathers basic information and suggestions which constitute
a solid foundation for further adventure with teaching. Not only is the book very useful and
helpful especially for the students who are just about to be teachers, but also it may come in
handy for experienced teachers willing to improve their skills or remind some issues.
Personally, I highly recommend this book to everyone who encounters some problems on the
teaching path. There is also another marvelous book written by Jeremy Harmer entitled The
Practice of English Language Teaching for those who need more guidance in classroom
practice.