Dutch: A Comprehensive Grammar (Comprehensive Grammars) [Hardcover]

Bruce Donaldson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415154189 | ISBN-13: 978-0415154185 | Publication Date: September 11, 1997 | Edition: Revised

Dutch: A Comprehensive Grammar is a complete reference guide to modern Dutch grammar.

It presents a fresh and accessible description of the language, concentrating on the real patterns of use in modern Dutch. The book will be the standard reference work for years to come.

This Grammar is an essential reference source for the learner and user of Dutch, irrespective of level. It is ideal for use in schools, colleges, universities and adult classes of all types.

The volume is organized to promote a thorough understanding of Dutch grammar. It offers a stimulating analysis of the complexities of the language, and provides full and clear explanations. Throughout, the emphasis is on Dutch as used by present-day native speakers.

An extensive index and numbered paragraphs provide readers with easy access to the information they require. Features include:
* Detailed treatment of the common grammatical structures and parts of speech
* Extensive exemplification
* Particular attention to areas of confusion and difficulty
* Dutch-English parallels highlighted throughout the book

Editorial Reviews

Review

'It will be indispensable for all English-speaking serious students of the Dutch language.' - Signpost, April 2000

'I have long sought a book which was able to clearly, though not necessarily simply, describe the Dutch language in a logical and comprehensible manner.' Amazon.co.uk reviewer

'An excellent reference grammar with clear explanations that do not require an in-depth understanding of generic grammatical terms.' Amazon.com reviewer

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Language Notes

Text: English, Dutch

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; Revised edition (September 11, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415154189
• ISBN-13: 978-0415154185
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,917,380 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most useful Dutch grammar you will ever need, October 28, 2001

By 

Douglas E. Taylor "some reader" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dutch: A Comprehensive Grammar (Comprehensive Grammars) (Paperback)

Somewhere out there there may be a more comprehensive Dutch grammar for English speakers, but you won't need it unless you are a scholar. This book covers pretty much every useful grammatical topic you will need for learning Dutch. Thankfully, Dutch is not a particularly difficult language for English speakers, so that fact helps keep the size of this grammar manageable. Any assiduous student should be able to master it in less that six months. After reading it you should be able to read any newspaper; and although speaking is a totally different animal, there is no reason you should not have a good grounding in speaking proper Dutch. The book, however, does not delve into colloquialisms to a great degree.

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Dutch Grammer for English Speakers, December 21, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Dutch: A Comprehensive Grammar (Comprehensive Grammars) (Paperback)

Bruce Donaldson is the doyen of English Dutch Teachers and his Comprehensive Grammar is far and away the best Dutch Grammer aimed at English speaking students available--far better than Professor Shetter's grammar cum text. It is an excellent reference grammar with clear explanations that do not require an in-depth understanding of generic grammatical terms. It is best used in conjunction with a text as a reference book. If you want to "read through" a brief summary of Dutch grammar, try Stern's Essential Grammar.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Dutch grammar, July 18, 2000

By 

Eduardo Pinheiro (Brasilia, Brazil) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dutch: A Comprehensive Grammar (Comprehensive Grammars) (Paperback)

That's a very good grammar. I'm a Portuguese native speaker and it is very difficult to a Latin language speaker to learn a Germanic language, but this grammar made it easier. It even helped me with the German language. This one is great for beginners, everyone should buy it. With this book I was glad twice: I started to study an interesting language (Dutch) and I began to understand a very difficult language (German). Buy it, you won't be disappointed. It gives you a comprehensive explanation about all points of the Dutch language.