Editorial Reviews
Product Description
For All Students This compact volume offers an integrated guide to both
Spanish verbs and the basics of grammar. All of the major verbal and
grammatical concepts of the language are presented in 33 units, each devoted
to a particular concept. It is an indispensable guide to anyone who needs a
comprehensive yet accessible reference to Spanish verbs and grammar.
About the Author
McGraw-Hill authors represent the leading experts in their fields and are
dedicated to improving the lives, careers, and interests of readers
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Product Details
- Paperback: 136 pages
- Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (January 11, 1983)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0844272140
- ISBN-13: 978-0844272146
- Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.3 inches
- Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
- Average Customer Review:
(11
customer reviews)
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Rating:
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If you need a book that will give you a good, quick review of Spanish grammar,
this is the one you need. Everything is explained, from the present tense to the
Spanish subjunctive.
What separates this book from others is that it doesn't drill a bunch of rules
into your head. Instead, it gives several examples. Many people learn better
from examples because it is the context that tells you what you need.
Brandon Simpson
Rating:
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This is an excellent book on Spanish grammar.
It is composed of many short chapters each dealing with a specific topic.
The explanations are clear and to the point. They are well organized. The
chapters on the subjuntivo (subjunctive) are exemplary in this respect.
There are no exercises--the book is thin--but many examples illustrating the
salient points.
The book is lightweight, unlike almost any other grammar book I've seen and
bought, so I took it into work many days, using it during lunch or on the
commute. Often I would bring along a sheet or two of exercise or homework that I
had scanned or copied.
The advantage of this book is its conciseness, clarity, excellent organization,
and its portability. The disadvantage is the complete lack of exercises.
Supplement it with The Ultimate Spanish Review and Practice, the best overall in
my opinion, for the exercises and additional coverage and you'll be pretty much
set for grammar. At least, these two did it for me. They were totally superior
to the pathetic required--and hugely expensive even when used--textbooks.
Because of its low cost and since there's always room for improvement no matter
how excellent a product is, I plan on also purchasing the new 2nd edition.
Rating:
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Buy this book. This book provides a comprehensive guide to verb use and grammar.
Other topics include idioms, pronunciation, practical rules, time, suffixes,
numerals, letters and extensive vocabulary. The book is easy to read and
examples are abundant. The topics are easy to find because the book is brief and
well organized.
Rating:
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This is just the handiest Spanish grammar to have at hand. I'm using the Teach
Yourself... series of books (I have the Latin American Spanish, Spanish Verbs,
Spanish Vocabulary, and Spanish Grammar) and the Oxford Take Off in Latin
American Spanish, along with the Pimsleur Audio-only CDs.
Whenever I have a question about a grammatical item, this is the book in which I
can find the clearest and most concise explanation. For instance...it takes ages
for them to talk about the imperative in the Teach Yourself series. In this
grammar, I just had to look in the imperative section, and it quickly summarized
how to make all of the forms of the imperative and what other verb forms each
one is related to. That's all I really needed, a quick look-up, not a long
winded explanation which tries too hard to be "non-technical." Granted, this
grammar does assume that you know grammatical terminology--if you do, you'll
probably be quite pleased with the speed with which you can find answers to your
questions with this book.
I remember enjoying the French edition in this series when I was in high school
years ago...and I'm sure I'll continue to enjoy this Spanish version as I
continue my self-study.
Rating:
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This is another book that was recommended to me by Patrick Jackson at
www.learningspanishlikecrazy.com When this book first arrived in the mail my
first impression was how could such a thin book with only a little more that 100
pages be of much help. I was so wrong. This book is a very comprehensive grammar
book. The author does an excellent job explaining the differences between "para
and por" and "pero and sino." The wrong use of these words can completely change
the meaning of a sentence.
Rating:
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I just couldnt pass up the opportunity to review this book. It is probably one
of the cheapest books of it's kind and yet it is the best of it's kind. I am not
kidding when I say that with this book and a good dictionary and phrase or text
book you could become fluent in spanish. It covers Verbs so simply and
efficiently that you learn the most important conjugations for each type of verb
all at once in just a few pages. (Which means you are not trapped in the present
tense because your class or text hasnt yet discussed preterite or imperfect or
future).I must also add that it has an excellent review of idioms in the back
and the best coverage of Articels el, lo, la that I have ever seen, and I have
many books on spanish. Now before I go you must trust me when I say that I am
being completely objective and that I am well acquanted with language study and
learning (Japanese, Chinese, French, Korean) because this is the best book
available on the subject, and spending more money will not get you anything
superior to the coverage in this book. If you are thinking about buying it DO
IT! You wont regret it (Oh by the way I am the only child in a spanish speaking
family who didnt learn spanish growing up but I now speak it more than well
enough to get by, in large part because of this little yellow book!)
Rating:
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This excellent little book provides the reader with brief but thorough coverage
of grammar and verb conjugation. It is the only book in my collection that
covers the proper use of 'Santo, Santa, San.' It also provides very clear
explantions of the different verb tenses and moods. The explanation of
gramatical rules is very clear and each is provided with an example.
This book is a reference manual, and provides no exercises. However, it covers
several rules and topics that I have not found in any other work. It even has
brief sections on correnspondence.
Rating:
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This little text provided all the necessary basics to start from scratch and get
to a fluency sufficient for simple but not overly simple conversation. I found
this little book more useful than a 'phrase book' for learning to get along in
Latin American countries. It makes it possible for someone who has not studied
the language in any depth at all to converse in the past, present, and future,
rather than just in the present, as many tourists tend to do. This book provides
the basic framework to the language that, along with a small dictionary and some
practice, may be all you need for learning at least a rudimentary spanish.
Rating:
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After reading this book, I found it to be very useful. Being a Spanish major, I
use it alot to guide me through my homework assignments and for review when
studying for tests. The best part about it was that it was almost all in english,
so it was easier to understand. When looking for books online I always read the
readers responses because it helps me in deciding on what book to buy. It
includes ser vs estar, por vs para, tenses of the verbs, pronunciation,
articles, pronouns, and much more.
Rating:
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A clear, comprehensive, accurate grammar. Well organized. Sophisticated yet
accessible. I would recommend it to anyone studying Spanish, from beginners to
advanced students. Good to have as a reference, and also to read straight
through. Whatever textbook you're using, you should have this too. I discovered
it after I'd been studying Spanish for many years, and it was very helpful at
that point, clearing up issues I'd been wondering about for a long time. It
would have been a very useful book to have from the start.
Rating:
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I've studied Spanish for six years, and I have yet to find a problem that this
book doesn't cover. A good reference and also fun to browse just for curiosity's
sake. Would be well worth three times the price.
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