My Book

My book basically contains all the most common mistakes Thai learners make when they use English. It covers a variety of topics, from pronunciation problems, to problems with verbs and prepositions, to confusing words, to telephone English.

I wrote the book in a style that will suit any learner from Mattayom 1 upwards. No advanced knowledge of grammar or vocabulary is required and I wrote it in a manner that encourages the reader to dip into it whenever they have free time. It's as easy to read as an effective educational book can be.

The book is priced locally at 150 Baht (considerable discounts are given for bulk orders (10 copies +) directly from the publisher. Contact Mark for more details.

Mai Chawp Serious, Go to Shopping Dee Kwah: Easy Ways for Thais to Instantly Improve Their English is available at various local bookstores in Thailand.

Who am I and why did I write this book? All is explained in the introduction to the book:

I came to Thailand in February 1996 and I taught Thais for several years. During my teaching, I noticed a pattern in the speaking habits of Thai students. It didn't matter if they were rich or poor, young or old; all students had been making the same mistakes.

Perhaps Thai people have been taught incorrectly from Thai teachers in the past, or perhaps they have simply been translating directly from the Thai language. Whatever the case may be, I decided to record all of the most common mistakes that I had been hearing time and time again, and then to write a book that explains clearly and simply what the mistakes are and how to correct them.

I have made extra efforts not to include heavy, boring grammar that everyone hates to study. The mistake appears at the top in bold print, the same mistake by a Thai speaker is represented by a "sad face," the correct way by a native speaker with a high standard of English is represented by a "happy face", and easy clarification and examples are given. It is short and sweet, like candy for your brain in a healthy, educational way.

Writing this book has allowed me to do something even more gratifying than teaching English. It has given me an excellent opportunity to give something back to Thai students. I do strongly feel that if a Thai student reads, studies, and puts into practice what I have highlighted in this book, he or she will automatically be a cut above others in his or her ability to use English more accurately.

Now that everything is all said and done: “Go for it!”

Mark J. Grygiel