The Connectors in Modern Standard Arabic [Paperback]

Nariman Naili Al-Warraki (Author), Ahmed Taher Hassanein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1994 | ISBN-10: 9774243544 | ISBN-13: 978-9774243547

Most Arabic textbooks concentrate on morphology and syntax, but while these provide the indispensable structural base, students still find there is a wide gap between their theoretical knowledge and their practical ability to write connected prose. This unique textbook concentrates on the connectors (those articles, phrases, or idioms which join words, phrases, clauses, or sentences) in a functional setting with the aim of developing and improving the writing skills of intermediate and advanced students of Arabic as a foreign language. Each lesson of The Connectors begins with a presentation of the structures, followed by a sample text and sample sentences, before moving on to a graded series of exercises. The book contains twenty-seven lessons, including five review lessons, and a sample test at the end.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: Arabic, English

About the Author

Nariman Naili Al-Warraki is Senior Arabic Language Teacher and Director of the Arabic Language Unit of the Arabic Language Institute at the American University in Cairo.


Ahmed Taher Hassanein was for many years Associate Professor of Arabic Studies at the American University in Cairo and is currently on the faculty of the United Arab Emirates University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: The American University in Cairo Press (September 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9774243544
• ISBN-13: 978-9774243547
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #505,536 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #47 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Language Nonfiction > Arabic

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good review text for someone who has studied Arabic before, June 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Connectors in Modern Standard Arabic (Paperback)

This book is organized into 27 lessons, each covering some 3-8 connectors. By connectors, the authors mean the various particles that serve to conjoin two or more verbs, nouns, phrases, clauses, sentences, etc. Some simple examples in English would be "and", "but", and "or". Some more complex examples are "as for", "in order to", "provided that", and "in connection with". The premise of this book is that such constructions aren't covered adequately in most Arabic-language textbooks. I agree, but I would point out that this is also true of other languages besides Arabic. In fact, I believe a similar book for the English language would be quite a useful reference for students and writers.

This book is an excellent review text for someone who has studied Arabic before whether their level is advanced or intermediate. If you've ever had the frustrating experience of understanding almost every word in a paragraph yet still not comprehending the overall meaning, this book will do wonders for your reading comprehension.

Beginners could also benefit from a book of this type if the examples were translated, which they are not. This is unfortunate and should perhaps be remedied in a future edition.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beyond the grammar book..., June 3, 2000

By 

J. E. S. Leake "sailor and scholar" (Offshore, Persian Gulf) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Connectors in Modern Standard Arabic (Paperback)

Ths is the most useful book I've found yet for the intermediate or advanced student of Arabic. While a grammar book teaches you all about morphology and is usually sparse on details of syntax, this book will lead you towards the goal of writing idiomatic modern standard Arabic. But to the real beginner, it will seem daunting and over-specialized - it did to me when I first saw it.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very helpful book, December 13, 2007

By 

Benjamin Fribley "Scholar in Training" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Connectors in Modern Standard Arabic (Paperback)

I have used this book as the class text for a grammar class taught at ILI in Cairo, and I have found this book to be very helpful in both providing structural help, but also in providing invaluable assistance in composition, something I had not really had prior to using this book. Not only is it useful as a an in class text, it is also useful as a reference; for example this book's discussion of the various uses of ' is particularly helpful. The reason I only give it 4 stars is two-fold: The first is that frequently the examples given require a body of vocabulary that is perhaps past the ability of a student who is using this as an in-class tool. This may not be an issue for a more advanced student who is using this as a reference, so bear this in mind. The other issue with this book is the physical quality of the book. Perhaps there is a better printing in the US, but version I purchased here in Cairo fell apart after opening the book twice. And I mean fell apart. The binding was of such poor quality that almost all the pages fell out immediately, so buyer beware.