Pasajes: Lengua [Paperback]

Mary Lee Bretz (Author), Trisha Dvorak (Author), Carl Kirschner (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0070076979 | ISBN-13: 978-0070076976 | Publication Date: January 1, 1997 | Edition: 4th

The Pasajes series is one of the most widely used and highly respected programs for intermediate Spanish courses in North America. As in previous editions, Pasajes is a multi-volume component program. Pasajes, Fourth Edition, now consists of three volumes -- a review grammar, a cultural reader, and a literary reader -- that are coordinated by theme and by language, chapter by chapter, across all three books. The result is a very flexible program that can be used in any combination and so is easily adapted to suit a wide variety of instructors and courses. The new edition of Pasajes retains the flexible format that works so well in the classroom but offers a new look and new features, along with refreshing new readings and streamlined grammar presentations. The Fourth Edition of Pasajes also includes an Instructor's Edition and a new authentic-footage video integrated with Lengua.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Spanish

About the Author

Mary Lee Bretz is Professor of Spanish and Chair of the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at Rutgers University. Professor Bretz received her Ph.D. in Spanish from the University of Maryland. She has published numerous books and articles on nineteenth- and twentieth-century Spanish literature and on the application of contemporary literary theory to the study and teaching of Hispanic literature. SHE IS ON SABATTICAL 2000/2001

Trisha Dvorak is a Continuing Education Specialist with Educational Outreach at the University of Washington. She coordinated elementary language programs in Spanish and taught courses in Spanish language and foreign language methodology. Professor Dvorak received her Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics from the University of Texas at Austin. She has published books and articles on aspects of foreign language learning and teaching and is co-author of Composición: Proceso y síntesis, a writing text for third year college students.

Carl Kirschner is Professor of Spanish and Dean of Rutgers College. Formerly Chair of the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at Rutgers, he teaches courses in linguistics (syntax and semantics), sociolinguistics and bilingualism, and second language acquisition. Professor Kirschner received his Ph.D. in Spanish Linguistics from the University of Massachusetts. He has published a book on Spanish semantics and numerous articles on Spanish syntax, semantics, and bilingualism, and edited a volume on Romance linguistics.

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages; 4th edition (January 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0070076979
• ISBN-13: 978-0070076976
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #847,834 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Supplemental Text, February 2, 2000

By 

S. Friedman "Jaguarita" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pasajes: Lengua (Paperback)

I use this book with my fourth year High School Spanish class. I have been using it for 3 years and have found it to be an excellent basis for conversation practice. The content in most of the chapters is interesting to the students so they enjoy talking about the subjects and learning the vocabulary by using it in real discussions. It's a buy!

4.0 out of 5 stars A good tool for self-teaching, November 2, 2005

By 

Melinda - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pasajes: Lengua (Paperback)

There are many Spanish textbooks out there, but this is one of the few that makes teaching yourself easy and interesting. (Learning at school as I did kills any enthusiasm for studying. To catch up on two chapters when I switched into Spanish IV, I studied constantly - with enthusiasm and interest - for two days and was able to learn them well enough to take the chapter tests. But as soon as I got into the class, my enjoyment of studying immediately vanished as we dragged through the lessons with much busywork and silly activities).

Although it begins with the basics, this book is not designed for beginners. Rather, it reviews all Spanish from the basics to more complicated concepts for those who already have a base in Spanish.

It's a fast but thorough review that gives an overview of all the rules and provides the nitty-gritty details and exceptions to help you completely master the basics, something probably not done in lower-level Spanish. It's designed for students who have already taken about two years of Spanish.

The book does teach vocabulary, but its main emphasis (and strength) is in grammar, so make sure you have a solid vocabulary. Particularly helpful is the "Ojo" section, which explains common mistakes, such as words that are the same in English but different in Spanish, "false friends" (what appear to be cognates but are actually unrelated words), etc. (Examples: to work = trabajar (as in a job or labor); funcionar (as in a machine, watch, TV, etc.). Another: to support, which can be sostener, mantener, apoyar, all depending on the specific usage.)

With the textbook and the workbook, you can go through the book quite quickly. Ignore the exercises in the book itself and the video sections, because the workbook is really the best way to practice what you learn.

The vocabulary taught is sometimes silly but a lot more useful than certain other textbooks. However, it doesn't prepare you for actual conservations, only school-like discussions about the environment, gender roles, etc.

Overall, it's a very good textbook. It's a bit expensive to buy on your own, so I'd suggest either taking a class which uses this book, or finding a cheap used copy.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A magnificent 2nd year textbook, May 23, 2002

By 

D. L. Paulson (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pasajes: Lengua (Paperback)

I have taught out of Pasajes Lengua from time to time over the last 10 years throughout several editions. The Fifth Edition, with Rodney Bransdorfer added to the author team, appears to be their hottest edition yet. The grammar activities are better organized and cleaned up, and the presentation in the book is sharper and more comprehensible than ever. While many texts just lose steam after several editions, Pasajes has hit its peak!