Product Description

A complete reference grammar book of Spanish. Explanations are provided in English, examples translated, for easy understanding. The grammar is completely cross-referenced for quick access to further information if needed. Summary charts give an overview of each topic and enable readers to check information at a glance. Complete conjugation tables give immediate access to verb forms. The appendix contains a list of more that one thousand verbs with their complement structure. Another special feature of the book is the self-correction strategies which help users diagnose and correct their own errors, as they learn the language and use it to communicate their thoughts orally and in writing.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #105565 in Books
• Published on: 1998-09-15
• Binding: Paperback
• 440 pages

About the Author
Avigail Azoulay has a Ph.D. in Linguistics from University of Paris VIII, France. Author of books and articles in theoretical linguistics and grammar, she participated in the translation into French of Noam Chomsky's Lectures on Government and Binding. Dr. Azoulay taught at several prestigious universities, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Arie Vicente received a PH.D. at the Pennsylvania State University. He is presently Associate Professor of Spanish at Texas A&M University- Commerce. He has published several books and articles on Spanish Literature and language, has participated in distance learning programs, and authored the materials for Cara a Cara, a Spanish Grammar software published by Heinle and Heinle.

Customer Reviews

Develop self-confidence
I had purchased other books on Spanish Grammar but was never totally satisfied until I found this gem. It presents Spanish Grammar in a simple, comprehensive style with clear explanations throughout, and because of its layout it can be used as a reference book, making it a reliable companion that students of any level would be happy to possess as they proceed through their language study programme.

Nouns, adjectives, prepositions, - all the elements that form the backbone of a language are explained in depth by means of several examples and illustrations so that it becomes easy to absorb each concept effortlessly. `Por' and `para', the preterite and imperfect tenses plus other areas of difficulty are made clear.

The book also contains a list of about 34 fully conjugated verbs and a section that indicates which preposition should follow each verb as a complement, in addition to explaining whether the indicative or subjective form should be used, based on the context. Also included is an area that focuses on self-correction techniques that allow the student to trace and diagnose their own errors and correct them, gaining self- confidence and becoming more self-reliant in the process.

"Spanish Grammar for Independent Learners" is therefore like having 3 volumes in 1 and can be used by all students and lovers of Spanish, whether a beginner or advanced user.

Who Needs an Instructor?
As a person that is primarily an independent learner of Spanish, I have found this book to be an absolute-must-have tool. But what I found most helpful were the conjugation charts. Although I have been studying Spanish for quite some time now, at times, I still find myself at a loss for words especailly when trying to think of the proper verb tense to use. Spanish Grammar for Independent Learners fills that gap by providing comprehensive verb conjugation charts that enable the reader to quickly find the proper verb tense. Not only does the book allow the reader to find the proper verb tense, the book's independent learning style commits the proper verb usage to memory.

The author accomplishes this by incorporating a very unique method that allows the student to correct herself, eliminating the need for a Spanish instructor. I have found this correction method very helpful because it requires me to "think" not just memorize and repeat. By thinking about my mistakes and why my mistakes are in fact wrong the grammar lessons are committed to memory.

The book is not intended to be an end in itself -- but a very valuable tool. You will still need an excellent indenpendent learning course to use with the book. For more formal Spanish I recommend Pimsleur Spanish to use with this book. If you prefer the less formal or more casual Spanish, you may wish to try Learning Spanish Like Crazy. I have made excellent results using either course with Spanish Grammar for Independent Learners.

Most EXCELLENT and INCLUSIVE book EVER!
This is definitely not the ordinary book that you find in any store which contains some grammatical points and a few exercises in the back. As a native speaker of Spanish I must say that I have never encountered a book with such rich and comprehensive content. It would indisputably be an indispensable asset to any Spanish program and/or personal library.

I strongly encourage everybody who is really interested in studying the beautiful-and at the same time complex-language of Cervantes not to do it without "Spanish Grammar for Independent Learners". If, like me, you have spent hundreds of dollars purchasing book after book, trying to find the best one, I believe your search has come to an end as this will be the best $26.95 that you will have spent.