Customer Reviews

A Comprehensive French Grammar (Blackwell Reference Grammars)

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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.

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.