Korean Grammar in Use Review: Levels, Contents and Who It Suits

Korean Grammar in Use is a three-level pattern reference series (Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced) that pairs each pattern with examples and exercises. This review checks the series on six criteria: which volume fits which level, the language of the explanations, the layout, the exercises and keys, how well it lines up with TOPIK preparation, and the price and edition. It says which volume to buy first, what the series does poorly, and what to put beside it.

Last updated: 2026-10-09. Editions, audio delivery and prices change, and the same series exists in several language editions. Check the publisher's page and the listing for the edition you plan to buy. This page has no scores and no affiliate links.

Is Korean Grammar in Use Right for You?

Verdict: Korean Grammar in Use is right for you if you already have a course or a teacher and want a book to look up patterns and practise them. It is the wrong first book for a learner who wants a course with dialogues and a lesson order. The series is strong on one thing: it makes each pattern easy to find, understand and practise in a few minutes.

The Quick Verdict gives one line per type of learner.

What Is It?

Korean Grammar in Use is a series of grammar reference books published by Darakwon, a Korean publisher of language-learning books. The series has three volumes, usually titled Beginning, Intermediate and Advanced. Each volume is made of short units, and each unit is about one grammar pattern or a small group of related ones.

Facts about the series, as described by the publisher and booksellers (checked 2026-10-09):

• Volumes: three (Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced).
• Layout: one pattern per unit, usually laid out so that the explanation and the practice sit together on a two-page spread.
• Exercises and keys: exercises follow the explanations, and an answer key is included in the book. Check this in the listing for your edition.
• Audio: the early editions came with an audio disc, and the publisher has offered downloads and, in newer editions, QR codes. Delivery depends on the edition and printing. Check the listing before you buy a used copy.
• Language: the series has English editions and editions in other languages. Check the title and the language line.

Because the exact contents change between editions, this page describes the design of the series, not the unit numbers.

What Does a Unit Look Like?

Take the future pattern -(으)ㄹ 거예요, which appears early in the series. A unit for a pattern like this typically has four parts.

1. The form. How you attach it. With a vowel-final verb stem such as 가-, you add -ㄹ 거예요 and get 갈 거예요. With a consonant-final stem such as 먹-, you add -을 거예요 and get 먹을 거예요.
2. The meaning. A plan or a prediction: "will" or "be going to".
3. Examples with translations. For instance, 내일 한국에 갈 거예요 (naeil hanguge gal geoyeyo) [내일 한구게 갈꺼예요], "I will go to Korea tomorrow."
4. Points to watch and contrasts. A note on how this differs from related patterns and common mistakes.

The page after it holds exercises such as filling in the blank or completing a sentence. You check them with the key and move to the next pattern. The unit is made to be finished in a short session, which is why one unit a day is a practical study method.

What Does It Do Well?

1. It is easy to look up. Because each pattern has its own unit, you can find an ending quickly. When you meet -고 싶어요 in a lesson and want to check it, you can go straight to the entry. For example, 김치를 먹고 싶어요 (gimchireul meokgo sipeoyo) [김치를 먹꼬 시퍼요] means "I want to eat kimchi", and a good entry shows the same pattern with several verbs.

2. It covers three stages with one method. If you move from Beginning to Intermediate, you do not need to learn a new layout. The same design continues, which saves time.

3. It pairs explanation with practice. A grammar reference that stops at the explanation leaves you to find practice elsewhere. Here the exercises sit with the entry, and the key is in the book.

4. It shows related patterns. Korean has many near-synonyms, and the series points from one pattern to the others you may confuse it with. This is what you need most at intermediate level.

5. It lines up with exam preparation. The volumes follow a progression from basic to advanced patterns, so you can study patterns for the stage you are at. The mapping to exam levels in this page is an editorial guide, not an official one.

Drawbacks

1. It is a reference, not a course. There are no dialogues, no lesson sequence and no vocabulary building. If you use it alone, you will know patterns but have little to say.

2. Little communicative context. Example sentences are short and sometimes artificial, because they are made to show the pattern. They do not show how people talk. Read and listen to real material alongside it.

3. Explanations are concise. The brevity is a strength for look-up but can be a weakness for a pattern that needs a longer story. When one entry does not make a pattern clear, read a second explanation, such as the free Korean grammar lessons on this site.

4. Edition differences. Audio delivery, the language of the notes and the answer key arrangements vary by edition. A used copy of an older printing may lack audio. Check before you buy.

5. Dense in the upper volumes. The Advanced volume assumes a wide vocabulary. A learner who opens it too early will struggle to read the examples.

Comparison with Alternatives

The table compares the series with four other kinds of grammar resource. The values describe each type, and the examples are named so that you can recognise them.

Korean Grammar in Use wins on look-up and on breadth of levels in a single design. The lesson-style book wins on reading flow, and the comprehensive reference wins on completeness. The best Korean grammar book page compares all of these in more detail.

Which Volume Should You Choose (compared)?

Beginning: for the First Year

Buy this if you read Hangul and know a few basic sentences. It covers the first patterns every learner needs: the topic and subject particles, the copula (저는 학생이에요 [저는 학쌩이에요]), polite endings, the want-to and the future patterns. Use it beside a course.

Intermediate: for the Second and Third Year

Buy this when you can already hold simple conversations and meet connective endings, reported speech and similar patterns. The value here is in the contrasts between patterns. As an editorial guide, this is the volume most useful for the middle levels of TOPIK II preparation.

Advanced: for Upper Levels

Buy this when you read news or longer texts and want the finer patterns. It will not teach you vocabulary. As an editorial guide, it fits preparation for the higher levels of TOPIK II. For official information about the exam, use topik.go.kr, and read about the patterns in the TOPIK grammar section of this site.

How Does It Handle a Hard Contrast?

The best test of a grammar reference is how it handles two patterns that learners confuse. Take the two common ways to say "because", -아/어서 and -(으)니까. A good entry for the first should say that it joins a reason to a result and that the clause after it cannot be a command or a suggestion. A good entry for the second should say that it can be followed by a command or a suggestion. The series is built to show this kind of contrast, and its pattern-by-pattern layout makes it easy to flip between the two entries. When you test a copy in a library, look up both and check whether each entry names the other. If it does, the book will keep helping you through the intermediate stage. The same two-pattern test is described in the best Korean grammar book guide.

What Does It Not Cover?

Knowing the gaps saves you from buying the wrong book. The series does not teach vocabulary in a planned order, so you need a word source. It does not teach Hangul or pronunciation rules, apart from occasional notes. It does not give listening practice beyond the audio of its examples. It does not give speaking practice or feedback. It is not designed around exam question types. None of this is a fault, because a reference should be focused, but it means the series is one part of a study plan, not the whole plan.

What about Price and Edition?

Prices vary by country, edition and seller, and used copies are common. This page gives no figure. Use this checklist when you compare listings:

• Is it the volume you need, in the language you read?
• Is it the current edition, or an older printing? Older printings may lack the audio access of the new ones.
• Does the listing say that the answer key is included?
• Is the audio a disc, a download or a QR code, and will it work with a used copy?
• Are you buying all three volumes at once? You do not need to. Buy one volume, finish most of it and then decide.

Buying one volume at a time spreads the cost and keeps you from owning a book that you will not open for two years.

Who Is It for, and Who Should Choose Something Else?

The Learner with a Course

Choose it. A course gives you the order and the dialogues, and this series gives you a clear second explanation and practice. When the course introduces a pattern, find it in the book that evening and do the exercises.

The Solo Learner with No Course

Choose a course first. If you cannot choose, a graded textbook is a better first book, and this series can follow. The self-study Korean section helps you set up a routine.

The Exam Candidate

Choose the volume for your level and use it with official information and released papers from topik.go.kr. It will not teach you timing.

The Learner Who Wants to Speak

Choose conversation practice first. Grammar knowledge helps, but speaking comes from speaking. Use the book to repair mistakes that a partner or tutor points out.

How Was the Series Checked?

The review applies six criteria: level fit, explanation language, layout and examples, exercises and keys, exam alignment, and price and edition. The facts come from the publisher's description, booksellers' listings and sample pages, checked on 2026-10-09. Because editions change, the page describes the design of the series and not unit numbers. It gives no scores, since a number hides the criterion that decides your choice, and it has no affiliate links. Each strength is paired with a drawback.

How Should You Study with It?

The best method is one unit a day, with a fixed routine.

1. Read the explanation once, out loud, and look at the examples.
2. Cover the key and do the exercises in writing.
3. Check the answers, and write down any you got wrong.
4. Write two sentences of your own with the pattern, about your life, such as the food you want to eat or the place you will go.
5. Say the sentences aloud and listen to the audio if your edition has it.
6. Review the unit after a week.

At one unit a day, six days a week, a 30-unit stretch takes five weeks. That is a plan, not a promise of fluency, because patterns take months of use to settle.

What Does a Sample Week Look Like?

Suppose you use the Beginning volume beside a course and give it 20 minutes on each of five days. On Monday you meet a new pattern in your course, for example the want-to pattern. On Tuesday you read the book's entry and do its exercises. On Wednesday you write three sentences of your own with the pattern and say them aloud. On Thursday you read the entry for a pattern you are likely to confuse it with. On Friday you redo the exercises you got wrong. That is 5 sessions of 20 minutes, or 100 minutes a week, and it covers about one to two patterns well. At that pace, twenty patterns take roughly ten to twenty weeks. Slow and complete beats fast and shallow, because a pattern you can only recognise will not come to mind when you speak.

What Should You Put beside It?

• A course or textbook for dialogues and a lesson order. The best Korean textbook for self study page compares series.
• A vocabulary source, because the book gives few words. A flashcard routine such as Anki or a Korean vocabulary book will do.
• Listening and speaking practice, because a reference is silent. The free Korean grammar lessons include audio for examples, and shadowing recordings help.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which volume should I start with? Start with the Beginning volume if you can read Hangul and have met basic sentences such as 저는 학생이에요. If you have studied for a year or more and already use connective endings like -아/어서, try the Intermediate volume. Open a sample unit first; if you can read the example sentences, the level is right.

Is it good for self-study? It is good for self-study as a second book. Each entry is short and has exercises with answers, so you can work alone. It does not give you dialogues, a lesson order or speaking practice, so pair it with a course or textbook and with listening practice.

Does it cover TOPIK grammar? It covers many of the patterns that appear in the exam, and the volumes line up roughly with stages of TOPIK preparation, but it is not an official TOPIK publication. Use topik.go.kr for the official format and any released papers, and use the book to study the patterns at your level.

Is there an English edition? Yes, the series has English editions as well as editions in other languages. Look at the title, the cover and the language line in the listing, because the same series design is used for several languages. Choose the edition whose explanations you read comfortably.