Ultimate Russian: Basic - Intermediate (LL(R) Ultimate Basic-Intermed) [Paperback]

Nancy Novak (Author), Ana Suffredini (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 7, 1998 | Series: LL(R) Ultimate Basic-Intermed

ULTIMATE RUSSIAN: BASIC INTERMEDIATE

A Complete Lesson Book and Reference Guide
Lively, up-to-date, authentic dialogues
Clear explanations of grammar
Cultural highlights
plus
Grammar summary
Glossary

Developed by the experts at Living Language, this book offers a highly effective combination of conversational Russian with grammar and culture. It covers the equivalent of two years of college-level study.

                40 lessons, each with a lively, authentic Russian dialogue that includes the most common and useful expressions for everyday conversation.
                English translations and explanations of Russian grammar and usage, pronunciation, vocabulary, and cultural notes.
                Quizzes to check your progress.
                A summary of Russian grammar.
                A section on letter writing for business or social occasions.
                An extensive two-way glossary.

While this book stands on its own as a complete course and an invaluable reference, you'll find that using it with the recorded lessons is even more effective. Along with the recordings, Living Language® Ultimate Russian cassette packages include this manual.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

For most students without a foreign-language background, Russian is difficult to learn. To their credit, the producers have not tried to simplify their subject but to present it in a coherent and systematic manner, and in that they succeed very well. The first four tapes are to be used with the text and are closely related to the 40 lessons; the second four tapes are for "on the go" practice. Chapters contain a dialog, pronunciation section, a grammar and usage section, and a vocabulary, which includes a passage on Russian culture and exercises. Speakers' voices are clear and well differentiated, often alternating between female and male. The dialogs make effective use of humor and vocal exaggeration when appropriate. Every dialog section is spoken first at conversational speed, then repeated more slowly. Some will find the grammar sections more rigorous than necessary at the beginning; for instance, within the first nine lessons, four of the six Russian cases are presented, and verbs of motion, about which entire grammars have been written, are introduced. But explanations are always succinct and lucid. Highly recommended for learners working with an instructor or those who want to brush up; useful though a challenge for those studying on their own.AEdward B. Cone, New York
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Inside Flap

ULTIMATE RUSSIAN: BASIC INTERMEDIATE

A Complete Lesson Book and Reference Guide
Lively, up-to-date, authentic dialogues
Clear explanations of grammar
Cultural highlights
plus
Grammar summary
Glossary

Developed by the experts at Living Language, this book offers a highly effective combination of conversational Russian with grammar and culture. It covers the equivalent of two years of college-level study.

40 lessons, each with a lively, authentic Russian dialogue that includes the most common and useful expressions for everyday conversation.
English translations and explanations of Russian grammar and usage, pronunciation, vocabulary, and cultural notes.
Quizzes to check your progress.
A summary of Russian grammar.
A section on letter writing for business or social occasions.
An extensive two-way glossary.

While this book stands on its own as a complete course and an invaluable reference, you'll find that using it with the recorded lessons is even more effective. Along with the recordings, Living Language® Ultimate Russian cassette packages include this manual.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Living Language; 1st edition (April 7, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517882841
• ISBN-13: 978-0517882849
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,773,704 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #66 in Books > Education & Reference > Dictionaries & Thesauruses > Foreign Language > Gaelic

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive self-directed course, April 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Ultimate Russian: Basic - Intermediate: Cassette/Book Package (LL(R) Ultimate Basic-Intermed) (Audio Cassette)

I'm only part of the way through it, but it appears to be a good investment for someone wishing to actually learn the language and the culture, not just parrot back some words and phrases. The tapes are clear and lively, with a mild sense of humor. One drawback is that you only have one chance to repeat the Russian word or phrase, and don't hear it again. But this allows for more material per tape. Half the tapes are Russian only, with all the language covered on the tapes in bold print in the book, making it easy to follow along with the book, or to check spellings later if you listen in the car. The four bilingual tapes contain grammatical information with the examples. The book contains some typographical errors in the cyrillic text, which are obvious even to a beginner like myself. Hopefully, these will be corrected in future editions. There is also a second level package. These will get you well beyond most of the other "travel talk" material available.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Could be better (but could also be worse), November 9, 2000

By 

Oscar Arguijo (Dallas, Texas United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ultimate Russian: Basic - Intermediate: Cassette/Book Package (LL(R) Ultimate Basic-Intermed) (Audio Cassette)

I'm thoroughly impressed with this Russian course, as well as with all the other Living Language Ultimate courses. They're more modern, streamlined, and complete than any other commercially available self-study language courses on the market.

So why did I give it only a four-star rating? Why not five? Because it's really nothing more than an extended version of Living Language's own Complete Russian Course. The Ultimate course follows along the same trite "listen and repeat" lines as the Complete course. The main differences are: The Ultimate course assumes the student has at least a basic grasp of the Russian (Cyrillic) alphabet, and how each letter is pronounced. As a result, whereas the Complete course begins with names and personal words to "baby-step" the student into how Russian sounds and works, the Ultimate course's lessons begin with a dialogue to get the feel of the language. I guess this is a theoretically better approach to language learning, but it will likely leave the student with no idea of how to pronounce the language lagging a bit behind at the start.

When it comes time to repeat the words, there isn't much time to say it (you get what seems like just one second of silence to voice your response), especially on the cassettes designated for listening "On The Go." I'd advise the beginning student to make frequent use of his cassette player's pause button while enduring these exercises. When a reasonable proficiency is achieved, it might be worthwhile to simply let the cassette play and see if he can speak the correct response in that short silent interval.

All things considered, it's still one heck of a way to learn Russian, or any of the other languages available in the Ultimate course series. Just keep an open mind and maintain your enthusiasm--and you'll succeed.

FYI, as an alternative self-study course, I'd recommend "Just Listen n' Learn Russian," published by Passport Books (NTC Publishing Group).

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive, September 3, 2001

By 

"austin_ed" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ultimate Russian: Basic - Intermediate: Cassette/Book Package (LL(R) Ultimate Basic-Intermed) (Audio Cassette)

I am studying Russian five days a week, six hours a day, from an almost complete beginner (I knew Cyrillic, basic pronounciation and about 50 words). I am moving to Moscow for a year and want to be able to speak the language before arrival.
However I am not new to Moscow having spent 6 months there last year (hence the basic knowledge).

I did have a look at the Linguaphone course, this is probably slightly more comprehensive (and a lot more expensive) and unlike other Linguaphone courses is not available on CD (but neither of course is the Ultimate Russian), nor has it been updated since 1970. I found when I opened the course manual and saw a line illustration of a 1960's propeller aircraft that maybe something more contemporary was in order. Hence the Ultimate Russian Course.

The Ultimate Course is excellent, with carefully structured and graded lessons. It is very strong in grammar (like the Linguaphone and most of the comprehensive courses) and the cassettes are clear although I agree with other reviewers, the speakers are much too fast and sometimes I have to rewind a number of times and even then I cannot "get" the word.

There are cultural sections, and when the author states that "sheremetyevo-2 is like many international airports" I had to laugh. If you have ever visited Moscow you will know nothing could be further from the truth. This surely must be Russian bias! I am reading the cultural sections now with an open mind!

Why 4 stars instead of 5? I have been studying this course now for four weeks on a daily basis. Sometimes vocabulary is introduced into examples with no pre discussion of its meaning. Also I feel slightly uneasy learning phrases parrot fashion without understanding the individual components and grammar. Some of the grammar explanations are also somewhat long-winded and/or could have better explanation.

An excellent companion to this book is "Teach yourself Beginners Russian Grammar". Coupled with a good Dictionary you'll have a complete language lab at your disposal.