A Comprehensive French Grammar (Blackwell Reference Grammars) [Paperback]

Glanville Price (Author), L.S.R. Byrne (Author), E.L. Churchill (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 10, 1993 | ISBN-10: 0631181652 | ISBN-13: 978-0631181651 | Edition: 4

`Byrne and Churchill' has been the standard textbook of French grammar since its first publication in 1950, and is still unrivalled. This fourth edition has been completely revised, improved and in places rewritten by Glanville Price, one of Britain's most distinguished French-language scholars.

• New edition of the market-leading French grammar.
  
• Completely revised and updated and, in parts, rewritten.
  
• Contains clear explanations and numerous examples.

Editorial Reviews

Review

‘Remarkably comprehensive . . . an essential grammar but good for a browse too. Conventional grammar and very much more is covered in meticulous detail.’ Times Education Supplement

‘Glanville Price has admirably carried out the task he set himself. The most striking revision is the reorganization of material which brings together information previously scattered in two, three or even more places. This is a vast improvement.’ French Studies

From the Back Cover

Characterized by full explanations and numerous examples, A Comprehensive French Grammar is a clear, well-organized textbook of French grammar designed for advanced students of French language and literature. Derived from L. S. R. Byrne and E. L. Churchill’s classic Comprehensive French Grammar (first published in 1950), this book has been a standard comprehensive textbook since its initial publication. The volume has been thoroughly revised and rewritten by Glanville Price and is now completely up-to-date.

This fifth edition introduces a number of modifications to points of detail, including references to Rodney Ball’s Colloquial French Grammar (Blackwell, 2000) and a list of works likely to be of interest to advanced students of French. It can also be used in conjunction with A French Grammar Workbook by Dulcie Engel, George Evans and Valerie Howells (Blackwell, 1998) to provide a complete learning package for the study of French grammar.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 608 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 4 edition (March 10, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0631181652
• ISBN-13: 978-0631181651
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #210,077 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars If you really want to learn French, I think you need this, January 11, 2001

By 

Darren X (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Comprehensive French Grammar (Blackwell Reference Grammars) (Paperback)

While trying to learn French in Montreal recently, I realized that while "Introductory French Lesson" type books were a good place to start, they were not really sufficient. I always had questions which the introductory books didn't answer: Why can I say "Quelle est cette rue?" (what is this street?), but not "Quelle est cette?" (What is this? Bad French grammar, of course, although an English speaker doesn't immediately know why :). What are all the different rules for questions, for negation? What, exactly, is the difference between "pendant" and "depuis"? All that and much more is here, well organized, in more detail than you could ever want. If you have a question about French grammar, this book answers it in exhaustive detail. That is the only flaw - it is so complete that the intermediate student feels a little overwhelmed at times.

If you are one of those people who is uncomfortable just "winging it", and needs a *correct* explanation, in English, of how French really is and how things really work, then look no further.

Of course, a book like this is only a part of the puzzle, but an important part.

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent resource to fine-tune your French!, May 18, 2008

By 

James P. Varrone (Cleveland, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Comprehensive French Grammar (Blackwell Reference Grammars) (Paperback)

Byrne and Churchill's "Comprehensive French Grammar" is one of the best grammar books on the French language that I have ever seen. Although not really suited for the beginning student, this book offers clear and thorough explanations, lots of examples and it will help bring your French to a higher level. I use this book often to fine-tune my writing and it has increased my reading proficiency as well. As a college-level tutor and a former high school French teacher, I rarely use any other French reference.