Polish Tutor review — Teach Yourself grammar and vocabulary workbook
Grammar and vocabulary workbook in English
Best for: Learners who already have a main course and want lots of grammar and vocabulary drills explained in English.
- Authors
- Joanna Michalak-Gray
- Publisher
- Teach Yourself (John Murray Learning)
- Edition
- 2017
- Level
- A2–B2
- ISBN
- 978-1-4736-1740-7
What this book is
Polish Tutor: Grammar and Vocabulary Workbook is a practice book from the Teach Yourself series by Joanna Michalak-Gray, co-author of Complete Polish. It has 20 short units and about 200 exercises, with explanations in English (page counts differ between listings, from 224 to 288). The publisher places it at A2 to B2; some shops list it as A1–B1, so treat it as a book for learners who already know the basics.
Who it suits best
- Learners who have finished a beginners' course and want to consolidate grammar and vocabulary.
- People who prefer explanations in English next to the exercises.
- Learners who want to patch specific weak spots — each unit can be done on its own.
Who should pick something else
- Complete beginners: reviewers find it more useful once the groundwork is done.
- Learners already at B1: one exam candidate found it too light at that level.
- Anyone who needs listening or speaking practice — no audio is advertised.
- Exam candidates looking for exam-format tasks.
What's inside
- 20 units, each with a communication goal, a short grammar explanation and exercises.
- Visual summaries such as a verb-tense timeline.
- "Personal tutor" tips, cultural notes, and a reading and writing section in each unit.
The publisher's description does not mention an answer key, but buyers report that the answers are at the back of the book.
What learners and teachers say
On Amazon the book has 4.4–4.5 out of 5 from 129 ratings (checked October 2026), with about 16 written reviews.
- Praised: useful, well-made exercises ("Great book with fantastic exercises!"); a good companion to another course or a reference to come back to; up-to-date text types such as e-mails, letters and blogs; and an answer key at the back, which two reviewers confirm.
- Criticised: it is not for beginners — the most frequent remark, mostly from otherwise satisfied readers ("I would certainly not advise this book for beginners"). At the other end, a reviewer preparing for an intermediate exam found the explanations superficial: "For someone at B1 level, move on, this is not going to stretch or develop you." Others mention an uneven progression and a high price for an add-on.
Our verdict
A useful supplementary workbook for English speakers once you have a main course. It will not prepare you for the exam format on its own; combine it with exam practice such as our free B1 practice tests.
These reviews are independent. We are not paid by any publisher or bookshop, and we do not sell these books. Descriptions are based on the publishers' information, the books' contents and publicly available reviews by learners and teachers.