Customer Reviews: Read 8 more reviews...
 I was expecting more...and I'm a native Spanish speaker August 27, 2006
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
I own the Russian Grammar of this series and I absolutely love that book. I bought this one for helping my fiance to learn my language (I live in Santiago, Chile) expecting to get a very good grammar book. I was very disappointed when I flipped through the pages; although they cover mostly all the notions of Spanish grammar I found that the explanations weren't deep enough on some complicated parts of grammar, specially some verbs and usage of personal pronouns like "lo, le, les". I know how to speak my language of course, but if you ask me "why is this like this way and not like this?" I would have some trouble explaining some things and was the reason why I bought this. I guess it's ok for someone just beginning with the study of Spanish, but I believe it leaves too many things unclear making necessary to buy a better researched book if you want too deepen your understanding of Spanish grammar.
 An excellent Spanish resource April 12, 2006
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is a really great Spanish book for students of beginning, intermediate, and early advanced Spanish. For advanced students in Spanish 4, AP Spanish, and beyond, this book will serve as a very valuable review book. This book, though, may not be for everyone and is definitely not all-purpose.
Your current proficiency in Spanish determines how helpful this book will be. For students who are comfortable with learning Spanish at a faster rate and understands examples quickly, this might be the perfect book for them. But other people who have trouble with Spanish and are struggling with the language at the beginning level may find this book not thorough enough. A lot of exercises are presented here with answers at the back of the book, and whether these exercises are too hard or too easy for you depends on your current level in the Spanish language.
Despite a big section on verbs and really good explanations of adjectives and pronouns, this book seems to be lacking on a lot of topics. For example, there are no chapters on word usage and prepositions. This information, instead, is scattered in several chapters. Also, this book is too incomplete to serve as a comprehensive grammar handbook. The verb chart section is only a few pages and very brief, and there are hardly any appendices. Some students studying advanced Spanish or native Spanish speakers may find it to fall short of their expectations.
In this Schaum's Outline, the differences between "por" and "para" and also "ser" and estar" are clearly explained. But other than that, there is nothing on other words, like "en."
Overall, this book does a prettty good job of explaining Spanish grammar. This book is aimed to help students perform well in class (at Spanish 1, 2, 3 levels), but it probably won't serve as a very good reference guide for a more demanding reader. Again, it depends on your needs.
Depends on what you're looking for October 24, 2005
0 out of 9 found this review helpful
To be fair, I was looking for a book to help me with conversational Spanish. This book seems geared more for passing a school course than for learning some quick and useful conversational Spanish. I was looking for a fun way to learn. This is not it.
 Buen repaso de la gramatica espanola March 2, 2003
21 out of 23 found this review helpful
This workbook is stellar if you are looking for a good review of Spanish grammar at a high Intermediate/ Advanced level. The books cover all the essentials of Spanish grammar and if mastered, one can speak concise Spanish with optimum grammar control. This book was designed to emphasize the fundamentals. Of course, Spanish grammar goes way beyond the scope of this workbook however, it's true to it's objective and it does clarify key grammar points that can enhance one's writing and speaking abilities. I believe workbook is a great supplementary study aid to classroom instruction. It has ample practice exercises and an answer key which is vital when learning a language. The workbook is a worthy purchase.
Excellent Workbook for Serious Study and Review July 29, 2002
17 out of 18 found this review helpful
This workbook is for serious review, but definitely not for casual or superficial reading. With virtually zero Spanish background I used it as a supplement to a 1:1 language immersion course prior to starting an expat assignment in South America. I've been on assignment for a year and continue to use it to ensure that my grammar is correct and to help me master additional aspects of the language. It has extensive coverage of grammar principles, numerous exercises to reinforce learning, and includes answers in the back, making it an excellent tool for independent study. My wife has tried various other methods (books, tapes, tutors) and has just asked me to order a fresh, unmarked copy for her.
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