📚 Best Books to Learn English on Your Own: Practical Choices for Self‑Study
Learning English alone at intermediate level (around B1–B2) is absolutely possible if you choose the right books and follow a clear plan. This guide focuses on titles that help you both prepare for exams and improve your teaching skills if you are (or want to be) an English teacher. 💡
🧠Table of Contents
- How to choose the right self‑study books
- Grammar foundation: English Grammar in Use
- Vocabulary power: English Vocabulary in Use
- Exam focus: skills‑based books
- Extra vocabulary and reading: graded readers & non‑fiction
- Books that help both learners and teachers
- A simple weekly plan for intermediate self‑study
- Recommended books for English learners
1️⃣ How to choose the right self‑study books
At intermediate level, your books should do more than teach basic grammar. They should:
- Cover the main exam skills (reading, writing, listening, speaking).
- Explain grammar clearly with plenty of practice.
- Build practical vocabulary for real situations and exams.
- Offer models and ideas you can reuse later in your own teaching.
Pick 2–3 core books (not too many), so you can actually finish them and feel real progress. ✅
📊 Quick Overview of Recommended Book Types
| Type | Main Goal | Why It Helps Intermediate Learners & Teachers |
|---|---|---|
| Grammar book | Clarify rules and correct common mistakes | Gives short explanations + exercises you can reuse in class. |
| Vocabulary book | Expand topic‑based vocabulary for exams | Provides ready‑to‑use lexical sets for lessons and tests. |
| Skills book | Train reading & writing for exams | Offers exam‑style tasks and model answers for teaching. |
| Graded readers | Improve reading fluency and style | Supplies natural language and ideas for classroom activities. |
2️⃣ Grammar foundation: English Grammar in Use (Raymond Murphy)
For most learners and teachers, this is the number one grammar self‑study book at B1–B2. It explains grammar points step by step and gives plenty of practice.
- Each unit has one page of explanation and one page of exercises – perfect for short daily sessions.
- Covers key exam grammar: tenses, conditionals, modals, passives, reported speech, relative clauses, etc.
- Includes an answer key so you can correct yourself and understand typical mistakes.
How to use it:
- Choose exam‑relevant points (conditionals, linkers, passive voice…) and work on 2–3 units per week.
- After each unit, write 5–10 extra sentences about your life or your lessons, as if preparing board examples for your students.
3️⃣ Vocabulary power: English Vocabulary in Use: Pre‑intermediate and Intermediate (Redman)
At intermediate level, you must expand vocabulary for exam topics and classroom communication. This book is designed for B1 learners and suits both self‑study and classroom use.
- About 100 units organised by topic (travel, education, jobs, technology, health, feelings, etc.).
- Clear explanations, example sentences and exercises with answer key.
- Many units can become ready‑made vocabulary lessons for your classes.
How to use it:
- Pick units linked to your exam syllabus (e.g. "Education", "Jobs", "Social problems") and learn 10–15 words at a time.
- Turn example sentences into speaking or writing prompts for your students so you study and prepare lessons at the same time.
4️⃣ Exam focus: skills‑based books (reading & writing)
If your goal is exam success, you need books that train reading and writing with exam‑style tasks and model answers.
- Include exam‑like reading texts with comprehension and vocabulary tasks.
- Provide models for letters, essays and reports with guided planning.
- Offer clear steps that you can copy in your own classroom activities.
How to use them:
- For reading: time yourself, answer questions, then analyse the text for structure and useful phrases.
- For writing: highlight the plan and key expressions in the model, then write a similar text on a new topic and reuse the structure with your students.
5️⃣ Extra vocabulary and reading: graded readers & non‑fiction
Intermediate learners and teachers benefit from real reading: stories and non‑fiction that are interesting but still accessible.
- Graded readers provide adapted stories with natural language and often include exercises and glossaries.
- Non‑fiction about education, psychology or culture supports your teacher development and gives ideas for discussions.
How to use them:
- Read 10–15 pages a day, note useful expressions and think how to turn them into questions or tasks for your students.
- After each chapter, write a short summary and one exam‑style question to train both exam skills and lesson‑planning skills.
6️⃣ Books that help both learners and teachers
Some self‑study books are excellent for both sides: they improve your English and show you solid teaching models.
- They offer clear explanations you can reuse in class.
- They include communicative tasks and pair‑work ideas.
- They sometimes provide teacher's guides or online extras with extra activities.
These titles help you grow as a more confident exam candidate and classroom teacher at the same time. 🌱
7️⃣ A simple weekly plan for intermediate self‑study
To connect all these books in a realistic way, try this simple routine:
| Day | Focus | Suggested Activity |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | Grammar | 1 unit from English Grammar in Use + 5–10 extra sentences. |
| Tue | Vocabulary & Reading | 1 unit from English Vocabulary in Use + 10–15 minutes graded reader. |
| Wed | Grammar | Another grammar unit focusing on exam‑relevant structures. |
| Thu | Vocabulary & Reading | New vocabulary unit + short non‑fiction article. |
| Fri | Exam Skills | 1 exam‑style reading or writing task from a skills book. |
| Sat/Sun | Review & Planning | Revise difficult points, update your notebook, and adapt activities for your students. |
This plan keeps you moving toward your exam goals while building a bank of examples, tasks and explanations you can immediately use with your learners. 🚀
8️⃣ Recommended books for English learners
Reading regularly is one of the most effective ways to build vocabulary, grammar intuition, and reading fluency. Here are a few books and graded readers worth adding to your list, organized by level.
📗 For Beginners / First Year Bac
- Oxford Bookworms Library – graded readers with simplified vocabulary at multiple levels, great for building confidence with full-length stories.
- Penguin Readers – similar graded series, with classic and contemporary titles adapted for learners.
📘 For Intermediate / Second Year Bac
- The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway – short, simple sentence structures but rich in theme, good for discussion and writing practice.
- Animal Farm by George Orwell – accessible vocabulary with strong narrative structure, useful for reading comprehension and essay practice.
📙 For Vocabulary Reference
- Oxford Word Skills – focused vocabulary-building exercises organized by topic and level.
Start with one book at your level, read a little every day, and keep a small notebook for new words you encounter.