Customer Reviews

Modern German Grammar: A Practical Guide (Modern Grammars)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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).

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!!!

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.

An abosolute god-send for second or third year learners

I'm a college German student, and honestly, I use this book as a reference more often than I use the books assigned for my own courses! It is very detailed, full of examples, and WELL ORGANIZED! It is worth every penny!

The book is great for a beginner or a more advanced student. The explanations are clear and the content organization is great. I can't recommend it enough.

This is THE book for mastering the nuts and bolts of the German language. It's very complex - not for beginners.