French Reference Grammar [Paperback]

Daniel Calvez (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0844214973 | ISBN-13: 978-0844214979 | Publication Date: November 11, 1996 | Edition: 1

Advanced This self-contained reference grammar is an ideal self-study aid for advanced students of French. - Classroom-tested in advanced French grammar and composition courses. The text incorporates practical comments and advice from students and teachers. - Attention is given to the grammatical differences between French and English. This is a valuable tool for students attempting to master French.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, French

From the Back Cover

Master French grammar without tedious drills or obscure technical jargon

Mastering French grammar can be a daunting challenge. Unfortunately, most references on the subject only make matters worse by removing French grammar entirely from any real-world context and presenting it as a collection of puzzling technical terms and arbitrary rules. In French Grammar: A Complete Reference Guide, Second Edition, Professor Daniel J. Calvez departs from the standard method of indoctrinating learners into the mysteries of French grammar to provide you with a systematic, easy-to-understand presentation anchored in real-life usage.

An ideal guide for learners at all levels, French Grammar is the quickest and easiest way to acquire the knowledge and skills you need to write and speak French with confidence. It avoids tedious memorization drills typical of most references, focusing instead on patterns commonly found in contemporary French speech and literature. A model of clarity and simplicity, it defines puzzling grammatical jargon in straightforward English, leaving no room for doubt as to what, for instance, a relative pronoun or reflexive verb might be.

This revised and expanded second edition of the popular guide to French grammar:

• Lets you learn French grammar in context, as it's used in everyday speech and writing

• Simplifies presentations of difficult structures within a clearly organized system

• Features loads of helpful at-a-glance reference lists, tables, and charts

• Now includes more than 130 exercises that supplement all topic areas and an answer key

French Grammar: A Complete Reference Guide, Second Edition, is the ultimate reference for anyone grappling with the intricacies of the French language.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (November 11, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0844214973
• ISBN-13: 978-0844214979
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,837,219 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A well-organized, comprehensive, large-print reference work, October 15, 1998

By 

Edmund E. White "Attorney, inactive" (McCall, Idaho) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: French Reference Grammar (Paperback)

Indexed in both French and English, this reference work is for all levels of students, including self-learners, who either need to or wish to review constantly the essential French grammar structures, with examples, details, exceptions, and many tables, which organize and present each grammatical element. It uses a comparative approach so that the English speaker can relate quickly to the nuances of the french grammar being presented. It is the only textbook being used in the French to English translation class at Sacramento State University, Sacramento.

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Best place to find explanations, but once found..., March 18, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: French Reference Grammar (Paperback)

This is easily the best organized grammar reference among the five I have collected over the years. I guess I keep purchasing grammar books in the hope that one will actually make sense of the subject. In sum, I find I have two other French grammar books in English (Berlitz French Grammar and "The Ultimate French Review & Practice") plus two more texts in French.

The French grammars (Sorbonne, McGraw Hill) are fine, but not if you are in a hurry for an answer.

This book, French Reference Grammar, is thick and comprehensive, with a superb index. It also makes good use of tabular presentations.

If you have a specific problem in mind, you can find the answer fastest in the book. But once you locate the explanation you may find it pretty hard to understand. The text is so utterly codified, such an exercise in verbal algebra, that it is often difficult to follow.

I sometimes wonder why these books do not diagram sentences. Grammar is a machine. Verbal descriptions of machines are often gibberish. A picture might work better.

The most helpful French grammar book in English, in my experience, is "The Ultimate..." perhaps because it does such a good job of integrating examples from everyday speech with formal grammatical rules. But it wouldn't hurt to pick up both of these books.

Berlitz's French Grammar is more compact and very good, full of short cuts and keyword hints, but it uses a few terms peculiar to the Berlitz teaching method, and the organization is not at all clear.

This reference sets an example for logical organization.

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars At last - a good reference guide for grammar, March 18, 2005

By 

Yker "yker" - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: French Grammar: A Complete Reference Guide (Paperback)

This is an excellent guide to French grammar organized very much like a style guide. For example, conjunctions with the indicative are covered under point 179. Point 180 covers french usages of the English equivalent "after" (e.g., apres and apres que), point 181 covers French usages of the English equivalent "as" (e.g., que, comme, aussi) and so on. The structure makes reference a breeze, as opposed to flipping through grammar texts for each grammar point.

The book assumes that you already have a fair understanding of grammar and structure and only need clarification and/or fine tuning - this is not a text book for beginning French. Each entry has a brief but reasonably thorough explanation and several examples. There is an extensive index, a section of problem words/phrases, several exercises and an answer key.