Customer Reviews

Comprehensive Russian Grammar (Blackwell Reference Grammars)

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Wade's "Comprehensive Russian Grammar" is no doubt the best work of its type for English-speaking students of Russian. It deals exhaustively with virtually every aspect of the language and gives copious information which should satisfy the curiosity of both intermediate and advanced students of the language. Some American learners might have a bit of difficulty with "Britishisms" such as the use of the first-person future "shall" instead of "will" and a few other such things, but this is no significant barrier. Once in a great while there are a some very peculiar usages in the English translations of Russian utterances (such as "I'll give you argue!" and "I'll give you gallivanting around!" on page 301) which are incomprehensible to Americans (and perhaps also to British people), but such problems are rare. All in all, this work is the answer to the dreams of serious English-speaking learners of Russian.

What no one has mentioned here yet is that there is a grammar workbook by the same author that acts as a companion to this grammar book. This was a recommended work when I was doing a degree in Russian. It is a good and thourough work on the Russian language that you will, undoubtedly, find useful. However, I think that there are some sections that really need more detail. First of all the (painful!) verbs of motion need more clarification and explanation in relation to the variations used by Russian speakers. There have been whole books written on verbs of motion so the little that has been devoted to it here is not enough in my opinion. There have been times in my own interaction with Russians when I have been corrected in my use of a verb of motion even though what I said was grammatically correct. We need to know when and where to use them. Secondly, the section on perfectives and imperfectives and the way affixes are used is just not advanced and thourough enough. If you are going to spend your money on a grammar book you want the full story, don't you? Examples used tend to be from Soviet/Russian press, which is Ok, but also from authors such as Chekhov. I think it would be better to stick to modern sources as much as possible instead of gining readers the idea that what they may be learning might be older style Russian. I think that all the examples will be perfectly OK in modern Russian, but I think you should consider the impression you give readers as well as the actual information. Still, a good book and a good combination if used with the grammar book.

This book is one of the best Russian grammars I have ever read. It is very thorough and detailed. It covers virtually every grammatical aspect and complexity of the Russian language. It is a must for any truly serious student of Russian who wishes to perfect their language ability.

This book is an absolutly fantastic reference for a student of Russian. Clear definitions and usages for every conceivable part of Russian speech and writing. Possibily the reason for the majority of my specific, albeit off-the-wall, little questions about Russian grammar in class. Mr. Wade did an excellent job in the organization and moreover the thouroughness with which he covered the Russian language. Kudos be unto him and his work.

This book contains more information about Russian grammar than any other reference book I've come across. It doesn't go into individual principles of grammar with as much depth as some advanced grammar books do, but its explanations are excellent. The value of this book is its breadth of the subject covered--there's info in here about almost everything. This book is even better than Pulkina.

However, this book is first and foremost a reference book. Reading it straight through is tedious, and beginners might get more confused than enlightened by it. But for people who already know the language well and want to deepen their understandanding of particular grammar concepts, this book is superb.

Very helpful for an advanced learner, a teacher or translator. (I'm not quite sure if an average student will get along with it.) Very useful reference even for a native Russian teaching that language. If I had a wish for the next edition: would like to see a chapter dealing with the declension of proper names.

This grammar is great for anyone in 2nd to 4th year Russian. It's very thorough, gives examples, and is arranged sensibly. Beyond this one, Isachenko's grammar is awesome. I recommend this one for 2nd to 4th year Russian and Isachenko's grammar after that. (You should also check out Jacobson's work on cases at some point).

This answers all of my questions about Russian. Having lived in Russia, but a native English speaker, I sometimes forget grammar exceptions/rules in writing or speaking, and this book leaves no stone unturned. This is great I think if you have gotten beyond the basics of Russian, i.e. past 2nd year in College.

This book is definitly not for beginners. I'm sure in time I will be able to use it and it seems to be very comprehensive, but not a good book to start with when there is still the need to learn the basics like reading cyrillic and being able to pronounce the words correctly. Should not be listed as a beginner book at all especially with the cost of it, a hard way to learn that I can't use this book for quite a while.

I always have my eyes open for good reference books.

I took four semesters of Russian in a two-year college program, over ten years ago. I still have problems tackling even the basics of the this language's complex verbal system.

This is just what I needed -- a schematic look at the grammar of the Russian language. Its has a detailed index and a comprehensive scope; quick answers can be found easily to anyone who understands the basics of this language.

This is the best guide I've found so far, and I still haven't found anything else to replace it. Please remember, this is not a text book, it is a well-made reference guide to the Russian language.