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Tune Up Your French: Top 10 Ways to Improve Your Spoken French 1st Edition

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Natalie Schorr (Author)
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Natalie Schorr (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars 39 customer reviews
ISBN-13: 978-0071432290
ISBN-10: 0071432299
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Tune Up Your French with MP3 Disc (English and French Edition)
Tune Up Your French with MP3 Disc (English and French Edition)
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Product Details

  • Series: Tune Up Your Language Series
  • Paperback: 224 pages
  • Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1st edition (July 1, 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0071432299
  • ISBN-13: 978-0071432290
  • Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.6 x 9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,458,884 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsEntertaining and Interesting
By Diana Faillace Von Behren VINE VOICE on September 2, 2004
Format: Paperback
"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.Read more ›
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5.0 out of 5 starsSuperb!
By Lev Raphael on April 24, 2005
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
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.Read more ›
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5.0 out of 5 starsWow!
By P. Rose on January 30, 2005
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
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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5.0 out of 5 starsMuch more than a French language book!
By Long Trail Reader on January 10, 2005
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
I love this book! Although my spoken French isn't bad, there are so many little things I've learned from skimming through this book -- for example, how to order a decaf espresso, what to say when someone is about to cut in front of you in line, or the fact that when giving a phone number, the French say the digits in pairs, whereas Americans say each number individually. The book is organized in chapters by topics, but because of its "top ten" format you can also open it at random and you're sure to learn something new and unexpected. Although it is written in a very amusing style, it's packed with useful information. A French friend who looked at it gave it her seal of approval, saying that the author really knew French expressions and customs. I keep the CD in my car and pop it in occasionally just for the fun of repeating some of the idioms and phrases along with the French speakers.

I've given this book to friends whose proficiency in French varied greatly and they've all raved about it. Highly recommended!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 starsThree Stars

I did not get the audio CD with the book, just the book.

Published 15 months ago by Christine L
4.0 out of 5 starsGreat for understanding the French manner of living

Even though I am not the person for whom this book was written, I found it helpful and interesting to me as I plan a trip to France. Read more

Published 20 months ago by Roo
3.0 out of 5 starsJust OK

This book didn't turn out as helpful with my french as I had hoped. Many of the lists are useless. Some parts are OK.

Published on December 31, 2014 by Diane M
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

fine

Published on July 6, 2014 by LS
5.0 out of 5 starsA great gift!!

I give this book to all my traveler friends. The best of its kind! Funny, wise and easy to approach!

Published on June 17, 2010 by BookLover24
5.0 out of 5 starsListen 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 on September 30, 2009 by Stella Fitzgibbons
5.0 out of 5 starsVery 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 on August 1, 2009 by Laura De Giorgio
5.0 out of 5 starsGreat 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 on June 3, 2009 by Alicia Deavens
4.0 out of 5 starsFantastic!

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 on April 10, 2009 by Leslie H.
5.0 out of 5 starsFun, 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 on March 27, 2009 by Amazon Customer

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