Modern German Grammar: A Practical Guide (Modern Grammars) [Paperback]

Ruth Whittle (Author), John Klapper (Author), Bill Dodd (Author), Christine Eckhard-Black (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415273005 | ISBN-13: 978-0415273008 | Publication Date: November 7, 2003 | Edition: 2

Modern German Grammar is divided into two parts. Part A covers traditional grammatical categories such as word order, nouns, verbs and adjectives. Part B is carefully organized around language functions and notions such as:
* Apologizing
* Expressing regret
* Voicing an opinion or casting doubt on something
The book addresses learners' pratical needs and presents the uses to which we put language in order to communicate effectively in a wide range of situations. Implementing feedback from users of the first edition, this second edition features:
* The new German spelling system
* Fuller explanations of grammatical structures in Part A
* Even more extensive cross-referencing between Parts A and B
* A comprehensive index to the full grammar
The grammar assumes no previous grammatical training and is intended for all those who have a basic knowledge of German, from intermediate learners in schools and adult education to undergraduates taking German as a major or minor part of their studies.
This grammar is also accompanied by a second edition of the Modern German Grammar Workbook, featuring exercises and activities which link directly to the grammar.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Routledge Modern Grammars -

‘The entire series is outstanding. Why? Because it's totally practical without getting stuck in grammatical obscurities. It reflects the actual, contemporary use of the language as it is used by ordinary, educated speakers.’ - Harold Goodman, author of the Michel Thomas courses

Language Notes

Text: English, German

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Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 2 edition (November 7, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415273005
• ISBN-13: 978-0415273008
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #944,611 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #36 in Books > Children's Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Language Learning > German

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A detailed reference guide, July 26, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Modern German Grammar: A Practical Guide (Modern Grammars) (Paperback)

This is an extremely detailed reference guide on German grammar. I find it very useful since the German language is full of exceptions for every rule. This book points out all of them.

For me its mind blowing to note that there are 3 independent conditions for you to decide weather or not the nominative case applies. There are 8 conditions for the accusative, 9 for the dative and 7 for the genitive. What detail.

The book is heavy in examples. Other dedicated chapters take you into the deep meaning of a lot of special phrases or communication styles.

If I listed out the table of contents it would use up the 1000 word limitation I have to write this review (or come close).

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars University Student's Best Friend, September 2, 2005

By 

Nicholas Pierce (Montréal, QC, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Modern German Grammar: A Practical Guide (Modern Grammars) (Paperback)

Perfect for that quick (yes, it is quick to use) answer to a tough grammatical question on your homework at 2am, also perfect for proofreading that German composition you spent hours on (also at 2am). Coupled with a good German dictionary this book will help any college student (like me) with their coursework, as well as advance and further their understanding of German. When I put away my other courses and crack out the German, I HAVE to have this book on my desk, as I will be pawing through it constantly. GREAT BOOK!!!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Newer (2nd Ed.) Has Two Typos Before Pg. 5, May 3, 2010

By 

GMusik - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Modern German Grammar: A Practical Guide (Modern Grammars) (Paperback)

I HIGHLY recommend this book to people seeking to improve their German skills. It is very well organized and clearly presented. I plan to update this review as I go through the 2nd Edition further. I have owned the First Edition since it first came out around 1998. I wanted the newer 2nd edition because of all the spelling changes that have been implemented in standard German since that date. I am a bit concerned so far, as I have already found three mistakes that were not present in the first edition:

pg 3: "a/e" instead of "ä/e"
pg 4: ". . . both short in kKamm, . . . " instead of ". . . both short in Kamm, . . . "
pg 4: "au/eu" instead of "äu/eu"

These just sort of put a dent in my confidence in this 2nd edition's accuracy (at least for now). It just seems like really sloppy editing. I'm hoping these are anomalies as I continue to comb through this edition. I just wanted to forewarn buyers to cross-reference this edition critically when studying.

EDIT (6/16/10): I have gone through about four chapters now and have not noticed any further errors after those first few pages. Therefore, I'm hoping I was right that the errors noted above are anomalies. Moreover, I emailed the head editor shortly after my initial review to inform her of these errors. According to her, they are currently working on a new edition of the book that should be out early 2011.