Basic Chinese: A Grammar and Workbook (Grammar Workbooks) [Paperback]

Yip Po-ching (Author), Don Rimmington (Author), Zhang Xiaoming (Author), Rachel Henson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415160375 | ISBN-13: 978-0415160377 | Publication Date: October 17, 1998

An introduction to the essentials of Chinese syntax. Each of the 25 units deals with a particular grammatical point and provides associated exercises. Features include: a clear, accessible format; many useful language examples; jargon-free explanations of grammar; drills and exercises; and a key to exercises. All Chinese entries are presented in both "pinyin" romanisation and Chinese characters, and are accompanied, in most cases, by English translations to facilitate self-tuition in both spoken and written Chinese. "Basic Chinese" is designed for complete beginners. Together with its sister volume, "Intermediate Chinese", it seeks to form a compendium of the essentials of Chinese syntax.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'The clear, relatively jargon-free explanations of basic Chinese grammar in - Basic Chinese make it easy to read and suitable for new learners. The inclusion of exercises in each unit and the presentation of all example sentences in Chinese characters and

About the Author

University of Hong Kong

Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: Routledge (October 17, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415160375
• ISBN-13: 978-0415160377
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,497,641 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Basic Chinese A Grammer and Workbook, March 14, 2004

By 

Jean R Henzel Jr (Zhongshan China) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Basic Chinese: A Grammar and Workbook (Grammar Workbooks) (Hardcover)

This book and its companion book "Intermediate Chinese" are very instructive for serious students of the Mandarin Chinese language. The books provide an excellent reference on the various component parts of the language. However, these texts are not for the uninitiated. Some basic knowledge of the language is imperative if you are to get the most out of these texts.

Being stationed in Zhongshan China, it was imperative for me to learn the language and learn it quickly. I waded through at least 10 books and tape courses on the subject. My recommendations after much experimentation are as follows:

1. Chinese The Easy Way - Philip F.C. Williams - Ph.D. and Yenna Wu - Ph.D.. This book will ground you in the grammer and pronunciation essentials quickly and in my opinion is the best beginners book on the market for this subject matter.

2. Transparent Languages "Langauge Now - Mandarin Chinese" software. Allows you to actually speak and grades your pronunciation.

Following, this, use these two texts to round it all out. The texts would definitely be a bit easier to use if they had an index but this isn't a show stopper at all.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great review / reference, February 13, 2005

By 

M. Lansing "Sojourner" (China) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Basic Chinese: A Grammar and Workbook (Grammar Workbooks) (Paperback)

Having completed 270 hours of study, I bought both this book and the intermediate level book to review and build upon what I had learned. I found the book very suitable for these purposes. Both books together provide comprehensive coverage of all essential Chinese grammar concepts, and there are helpful cross references between chapters. Each grammar point is illustrated with several examples, and possible sources of confusion are clarified. At the end of each chapter are a variety of self-checking exercises and an answer key in the appendix.

My only complaint is that the pinyin is in boldface, which distracts my eyes away from the characters. Any serious student of Chinese learns literacy along with speaking skills, so pinyin should not dominate.

Even here in China, I have not found a comprehensive reference/self-study grammar book. These books are a must for any person who endeavors to master Chinese. These books should not be used alone as model sentences do not provide full context for the language. These books are an excellent supplement to an integrated textbook.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars More of a reference book than a workbook, February 7, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Basic Chinese: A Grammar and Workbook (Grammar Workbooks) (Paperback)

Routledge put out such a wonderful self-study book on Mandarin Chinese called "Colloquial Chinese". I was rather disappointed though with this book, although I initially found the organization of the chapters appealing. In reality, it sits on my bookshelf and rarely gets opened, as it never seems to address the specific grammar problems that I need help with.
Furthermore, there is no index in the back of the book, which means spending more time than I'd care to -- flipping through the pages in search of an answer. I would have like to have seen a chapter on Word Order, for example.