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Tune Up Your French: Top 10 Ways to Improve Your Spoken French (Paperback)

~ Natalie Schorr (Author)
Key Phrases: ange passe, grand cr�me, des oranges, United States, Les Ripoux, Raymond Devos (more...)

4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (38 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Readers can tune up their conversation skills with Tune Up guides--the next best thing to a year abroad!

Getting beyond sounding like a beginner is more than just a matter of learning more vocabulary and grammar. It's also about understanding the culture and developing the right mind set for thinking, listening, and talking like a native.

The next best thing to a year abroad, the books in this exciting new series offer language learners an entertaining and practical way to hone their foreign-language conversation skills. Tune Up books are structured around 10 key areas for improvement, covering everything from tricky grammatical structures to gestures, slang, and humor. In each area, key phrases are presented in "Top Ten" lists, including everyday expressions for filling pauses, icebreakers, and more. An excellent brushup for learners returning to a language they studied in high school or college, Tune Up books feature:

Practical advice on improving conversation skills
Valuable insights into how difficult verbs and structures work
Tips on how to avoid taboos and common faux pas
A 60-minute audio CD with key phrase lists and exercises

From the Back Cover

See, feel, and say things the French way!

If you are among the many people who studied French in high school, college, or even beyond but still get stuck when it comes to actually speaking the language, this book is for you. Tune Up Your French will help you refresh and build on what you already know and give you the confidence to put it into practice. By demonstrating the connection between spoken language, body language, sound, and ways of thinking, Tune Up Your French takes you beyond basic grammar to help you find your French voice--and give you that certain je ne sais quoi.

Structured around ten "Tune Ups," this fun, informative, and highly effective book provides:

Practical and realistic advice for improving spoken French
Over 100 "Top Ten" lists of key French phrases and expressions
Interjections, vocal noises, and physical gestures that make the most of the 92 percent of communication that's nonverbal
Unwritten rules about slang
Ways to make your point by saying the opposite of what you mean
Cultural guidance for avoiding faux pas
A repertoire of mots historiques
An appendix of commonly troublesome verbs
"Quick Fixes" to get you started right away

Also included are preview questions and review exercises for each chapter, an Answer Key, plus an invaluable audio CD that presents key phrases from throughout the book, tips on intonation, and engaging audio exercises. From idioms and attitude to gastronomic correctness and conversation starters, now you can discover what it means to see, feel, and say things the French way!

Natalie Schorr is an experienced educator who has taught French at Phillips Academy for almost thirty years. She lives in Andover, Massachusetts.

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Product Details

Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1st edition (July 1, 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0071432299
ISBN-13: 978-0071432290
Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces

Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (38 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #147,290 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in this category: (What's this?)
#96 in Books > Reference > Business Skills > Public Speaking

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Inside This Book (learn more)

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
ange passe, grand cr�me, des oranges, ten variations, bonne soir�e, ten expressions, bien �lev�, bonne journ�e, porte malheur, carte bleue, suis tromp�, suis d�sol�, votre avis, porte bonheur, touche pas, faux amis, vous plait, apr�s vous

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, Les Ripoux, Raymond Devos, Albert Camus, Questionnaire Proust, West African

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Citations (learn more)

This book cites 3 books:

A Sentimental Journey and Other Writings (Oxford World's Classics) by Laurence Sterne on page 61
A Sentimental Journey through France and Italy (English Library) by Laurence Sterne on page 61
Ruy Blas by Victor Hugo on page 210

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	69% buy the item featured on this page: Tune Up Your French: Top 10 Ways to Improve Your Spoken French 4.6 out of 5 stars (38)
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Customer Reviews

38 Reviews

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4.6 out of 5 stars (38 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

96 of 97 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining and Interesting, September 2, 2004

By	Diana F. Von Behren "reneofc" (Kenner, LA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

"Tune Up Your French" is not your ordinary French book. The theme of the book does not emphasize the normal grammar structures or verb drills nor does it highlight naughty French gros mots. Instead, author Natalie Shorr extends an informative welcome to enter the inner circle of native French speakers in both understanding and imitation. She hits upon ten topics that will bring your formal textbook French to a more comfortable level where you and the person to which you are speaking are more in tune with each other, resulting in less cultural misunderstanding. Her hints cover a wide spectrum from nonverbal cues, sound effects and interjections, through manners, table talk, practical idioms, slang to the all important use of wit and improvisation in language (think the magnificient French film "Ridicule"). By explaining the French response to certain expressions used by an unsuspecting native American speaker, the student reader becomes aware of the nuance behind his conveyed mannerisms, his words, the intended meaning and actual interpretation of any of the numerous expressions detailed by Schorr. The text demystifies many all-important ideas like how the French use more words to convey one word ideas in English, the French idea of food and a meal, the way slang is interpreted more negatively when used by a non-native speaker and the very European way of expressing the positive while using negative expressions. Schorr unlocks the door to understanding this centuries-old civilization by illustrating that language is alive and changing through numerous examples that are gastronomical, historical, philosophical and above all uniquely French and hence somewhat alien to the average American listener and observer. She stresses that once realizatiion of what the recipient of your dialogue understands and interprets,dawns, the non-native will be better equipped to use the right phrases, expressions and gestures to ensure that the correct point is being transmitted.
"Tune Up Your French" is by no means a diatribe about language. On the contrary, the information for each tune-up or chapter is presented in the following easy-to-read manner: a preview, explanation, list of top ten expressins and some reheasal time to review.
The book includes a wonderful CD which runs for about an hour which contains listening and repeating of expressions; the male and female French speakers will review some of the text's highlights and then use dialogue to allow you to practice usage. Very enjoyable.
This book is not for the beginner. The student purchasing this book must be pretty well versed in French basics. Some of the phrases used as examples are not translated; others are. The dialogue portion of the CD is rapid fire (spoken as French is truly spoken) without translation and without repetition.
Nevertheless, I most whole-heartedly recommend this very readable and enjoyable departure from most language textbooks. I would love to see a "Tune Up Your French II" with another fun-to-listen-to CD. Tres Bien, Madame Schorr! Please, McGraw Hill, do a "Tune Up Your Italian" also, s'il vous plait!

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62 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb!, April 24, 2005

By	Lev Raphael (Okemos, MI United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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I recently interviewed the author for Lansing Public Radio's BookTalk and have to put my praise for this book on-line. I studied French for eight years, won my high school's award and shook the French ambassador's hand, and do well in France or Quebec when I travel (after the first day or so of language shock), but it's always with the help of a new book to brush up my fluency. This book is the most original, entertaining, and helpful of any of the the ones I've bought over the years.

The author doesn't lecture or overwhelm you, but rather makes you feel you're sitting down to chat with a very good friend about how the French live, how they speak, and how you can best fit into that world while you travel. To that end, Schorr very intelligently shows you how to ask substantive questions in French to get people talking so that you can engage in a real conversation and learn from it. She warns you against trying to sound too hip by using inappropriate slang, which may come off as sounding phony. You'll learn slang terms that are acceptable and others that aren't (in varying degrees).

The author also ends with epigrammatic French phrases you can learn and embroider so as to manifest wit and style, which the French admire. It may sound intimidating, but it really isn't. What she's after is getting you to relax and try various methods of entering the culture as a vistor who can truly enjoy it. A woman in a store on the Ile St. Louis once complimented my French, asked where I was from (America? Hard to believe!) and then sagely observed that one couldn't really appreciate a culture without knowing its language). Tune Up Your French will take you down that road. It offers help across the board, but is especially informative about matters of food and dining, and is there anyplace else where the French are more unqiquely themselves? Best of all, the book is entertaining and funny without going for cheap jokes. You don't have to be contemplating a trip to France to enjoy this informative, smart, accessible book.

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56 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow!, January 30, 2005

By	P. Rose (Key West, FL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

How can you speak American English without using "Wow?" Yet when we study foreign languages in school, we never learn how to say things like that. Do you know how to say "Yuck" in French? It's "Buerk!" That's the kind of fascinating and useful thing this book tells you. What the author calls a "tune-up" is really the best possible introduction to speaking French -- a truly original approach which emphasizes the sounds, the gestures, the drama of French speakers. It's taken me 20 years of living with a Frenchman to realize some of the things Natalie Schorr reveals offhandedly in this book. How I wish I'd learned French from her in the first place! All languages should be taught this way. A truly wonderful book.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Listen to this CD before leaving
The book is good, the CD is GREAT. Listening is the hardest part of learning French, and in all languages the practical phrases never appear in a textbook. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Stella Fitzgibbons

5.0 out of 5 stars Very useful
This book is a great addition to other books and CDs for mastering French. Along with useful French expressions used in daily conversations, it also provides slang from different... Read more

Published 3 months ago by Laura De Giorgio

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book
If you love french, you will love this book. It is not just formal words but cultural expressions of body language and idioms as well as slang and other useful and usable... Read more

Published 5 months ago by Alicia Deavens

4.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic!
Fifteen years ago I got a BA in French and never really did anything with it, so I've gotten a little rusty. Read more

Published 7 months ago by L. Hayner

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun, enjoyable and realistic
I enjoyed this book very much. It's not just that you learn a lot from the various chapters, it's also entertaining, and very encouraging. Read more

Published 7 months ago by Fred LeBaron

5.0 out of 5 stars G�nial! Bravo! Chapeau!
I only wish I'd seen this book much earlier in my career. It's the first I've read that truly covers the elements of daily real-life conversations. Read more

Published 8 months ago by Claudia Hommel

4.0 out of 5 stars great cultural insights
As an intermediate French speaker, I found this book to be very insightful and interesting. It has definitely helped improve my conversational French skills.

Published 9 months ago by E. Clare

5.0 out of 5 stars for those who want to live french, not just speak it
I think the hardest language books to find are intermediate ones. You can find beginners' books and cds and mp3s. Read more

Published 11 months ago by R. Earle Harris

5.0 out of 5 stars Fast, and Perfect
This book, came extremely fast, and in perfect condition. I am very happy, with it, and recommend this seller to everyone.

Published 12 months ago by Jamilya Nazyrova

5.0 out of 5 stars This book will untie your tongue
This is a book for people who have taken formal French classes for years and go totally deaf and mute when confronted with a real French person. Read more

Published 17 months ago by Elizabeth B. Parsons

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