French Grammar (Teach Yourself) [Paperback]

Jean-Claude Arragon (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0844237728 | ISBN-13: 978-0844237725 | Publication Date: August 1992

Take the frustration out of learning new grammar

The Teach Yourself Language Grammar series brings the languages of the world within the reach of any beginning student. Prepared by experts in the language, each course begins with the basics and gradually elevates the student to a level of confident communication. Enjoyable and user-friendly, the new editions and titles feature improved page designs and even clearer explanations.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robin Adamson and Bridgette Edelston a native speaker of French have enjoyed teaching French together for many years at all levels .

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 277 pages
• Publisher: Teach Yourself (August 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0844237728
• ISBN-13: 978-0844237725
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,426,081 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very user-friendly; concise yet complete, October 24, 2000

By 

Maria B (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Teach Yourself French Grammar (French Edition) (Paperback)

From the Introduction: "This book is based on a grammatical progression and is intended for a variety of learners from beginners to those wanting to brush up their grammar skills."

I took French for three years in school and wanted to brush up, and this book was perfect. I can't speak for those who have no prior knowledge of French (although as you can see, the author claims the book is suitable for beginners) since I already knew most of the vocabulary used. If you don't know a bit of French you will probably have to study a little more carefully.

I really like how the book is organized. Generally, a discrete unit of grammar is covered in each chapter, and the book contains just enough examples to be helpful but not boring. The end of each chapter contains a section called "pour aller plus loin" which deals with things that you might find confusing about French, like when to use 'y' vs. 'en' (as a pronoun) and when to use 'c'est' vs. 'il est' or 'elle est'.

The author takes great pains to make the book painless! The chapters are entitled things like "Imagining what could happen" rather than using grammatical terms like 'mood' and 'conditional'. This is fine with me and I find it quite pleasant. The examples relate to a single storyline that runs through the book, which also makes it more interesting and personally relevant. Reading a chapter at a time (there are 18) is a manageable amount for someone with some background--it's not boring and is easy to remember the information presented.

One more thing I liked is that example sentences are presented with translations that attempt to convey intent rather than word-for-word translation. One thing to note, though, is that the English seems to be British English--but it is not that hard for an American to "translate"!

I really recommend this book; it has helped renew my confidence in my French language skills.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars two and a half stars, February 13, 2002

By 

Ken Braithwaite (inkster, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Teach Yourself French Grammar (French Edition) (Paperback)

This is not a bad book, just not nearly as good as the usual Teach Yourself series. The Teach Yourself Beginner's French Grammar is much better, and no less advanced.

This is very poorly organized as a reference. Even the index is skimpy. It mostly follows the organization of a "topics" test -- which is not how I want a grammar book organized. That said it does a decent enough job of running over basic French grammar. But there are a lot of books in this area and this is one of the weaker.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A worthwhile book to have if you're interested in French, March 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: French Grammar (Teach Yourself) (Paperback)

I found this book to be quite interesting to read. It helps me to review key points of the grammar studied in the classroom and makes interesting reading if you need something on a cold rainy night. Grammar points are clearly explained however the topics are listed only in the table of contents. In future editions of this book it might be prudent to make a more detailed list for an index in the back. Specific points could then be located more quickly than having to read through an entire chapter.