Using Spanish: A Guide to Contemporary Usage [Paperback]

R. E. Batchelor (Author), C. J. Pountain (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 28, 1992

This is a guide to Spanish usage for those who have already acquired the basics of the language and wish to extend their knowledge. Unlike conventional grammars, it gives special attention to those areas of vocabulary and grammar that cause the most difficulty for English speakers. It takes full account of the differences between European and Latin American Spanish, as well as focusing on questions of style and register that are all too often ignored. Clear, readable and easy to consult, it guides the user through the richness and diversity of this increasingly important world language.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Using Spanish is an excellent resource for both students and teachers of Spanish as a foreign language." The Georgetown Journal of Languages and Linguistics

"In short, Batchelor and Pountain are to be commended for having provided a reference tool which is particularly useful, given its contemporaneity, clarity and attention to sociolinguistic phenomena." Charles Maurice Cherry, Canadian Modern Language Review

Book Description

Using Spanish is a guide to Spanish usage for those who have already acquired the basics of the language and wish to extend their knowledge. In this new edition, the vocabulary sections have been significantly expanded, the presentation of many sections has been improved to make reference even easier than before, and some completely new material has been added on semi-technical vocabulary and Anglicisms. Complete with a full word index, this clear and easy-to-consult text guides students through the richness and diversity of this major world language. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 334 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (August 28, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521269873
• ISBN-13: 978-0521269872
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,071,774 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An innovative way of organizing "Grammar", June 20, 2002

By 

"cued" (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Using Spanish: A Guide to Contemporary Usage (Hardcover)

This book was an amazing tool in my study of Spanish. It is not a traditional grammar, but it is still amazingly quick, succint, and too-the-point. It is technical book, in the sense that it doesn't waste time or space with those corny dialogues and phrases that seem to abound in beginner books. Instead, this book fills a critical gap: what you need to know about the structure and syntax of the language in order to go from low-intermediate speaker to advanced fluency. Most intermediate-advanced books resemble "readers", this book is the opposite. There is a wealth of information on false cognates, "registers" (ways of speaking according to the situation), and - my favorite - the right prepositions to use after nouns and verbs, a constant source of errors for non-native speakers who have trouble grasping how "pensar en" means "to think about". This book was just what I needed to move from intermediate foreign Spanish speaker to a fluent speaker. It is especially accessible and meaningful for language learners who - like me - actually find "grammar" to be one of the exciting and valuable parts of language learning.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars for more advanced students, January 6, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Using Spanish: A Guide to Contemporary Usage (Hardcover)

Excellent book for serious students of Spanish and treats the language at some depth. Includes usages from both Spain and Latin America in various registers. Words and and phrases appropriate for informal and more formal usage. Quibble in that the book has come apart with fairly light and careful use.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars When you want to go beyond what you learn in school, January 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Using Spanish: A Guide to Contemporary Usage (Paperback)

I really like this book because it explains subtle differences in Spanish words and expressions that other grammars treat as synonyms. It's loaded with expressions that Spanish speakers really use, rather than stilted examples. I credit this book for the praise I've been receiving lately on how much my Spanish has improved.