Product Description
This handbook offers advice for would-be teachers, those working from home as well as those seeking full-time careers in EFL. It deals with working overseas and UK opportunities contains information on how to seek and apply for work. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

I took it back
This book starts with an outburst of British patriotism, everyone speaks the language, but on reflection we are trying to teach it to the poor folks who dont speak it yet. Then these folks and their teachers are thoroughly patronized, they are all stupid, but this book will guide everyone. Very unpleasant reading. Some information is biased and clearly flawed.

Trivial and unfriendly
This book is very much the same as the other books on the subject of teaching English as a foreign language. Some chapters may even appear to say exactly the same as previous authors. But in some aspects this book is quite original. It starts with an outburst of patriotic praise of the English language.You get the message that the world speaks English and we must teach the very few who are so unfortunate not to so so yet. What about them, your students? You are advised not to be preconceived, to avoid stereotypes. Unfortunately the book does precisely what it tells you not to do. It says that the Arabs are too demanding, the Spaniards get too excited, and so on, complaining about different nationalities. In my view this book is rather trivial and too unfriendly.

Not the best!
There is a lot of information in this book, the same you find in others on the same topic. And I have read them all! Two things I do not like in this one. It appears to expect the EFL teacher to be totally incompetent and tends to state the obvious in a very patronising tone. It tells you what a CV is:"A CV is a record of your education, training, emplyment and related aspects of your life...". It tells you that you should find out the address of a chemist before you go abroad just in case you fall ill. And more advice of the same nature and at the same level. The other thing I do not like is that it appears to borrow from other books on the topic but I cannot find any acknowledgements. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from District Administration, published by Professional Media Group LLC on February 1, 2009. The length of the article is 2179 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Speaking their language: a variety of new technologies are available to teach language more effectively.(FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
Author: Kevin Butler
Publication: District Administration (Magazine/Journal)
Date: February 1, 2009
Publisher: Professional Media Group LLC
Volume: 45Issue: 2Page: 28(5)

Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage Learning ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Journal of Social Sciences, published by Science Publications on October 1, 2008. The length of the article is 8641 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the author: Key words: Turkish teaching as a foreign language, teaching strategies, methods and techniques

Citation Details
Title: Teaching strategies and class practices of the teachers who teach Turkish as a foreign language (a qualitative research).
Author: Ali Gocer
Publication: Journal of Social Sciences (Magazine/Journal)
Date: October 1, 2008
Publisher: Science Publications
Volume: 4Issue: 4Page: 288(11)

Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage Learning ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from AI Magazine, published by American Association for Artificial Intelligence on June 22, 2009. The length of the article is 8394 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the author: Computer Simulation in Educational Communication (CSIEC) is not only an intelligent web-based human-computer dialogue system with natural language for English instruction but also a learning assessment system for learners and teachers. Its multiple functions--including grammar-based gap-filling exercises, scenario show, free chatting, and chatting on a given topic--can satisfy the various requirements for students with different backgrounds and learning abilities. After a brief explanation of the conception of the dialogue system, as well as a survey of related works, I will illustrate the system structure and describe its pedagogical functions with the underlying AI techniques, such as natural language processing and rule-based reasoning, in detail. I will summarize the free Internet usage within a six-month period and its integration into English classes in universities and middle schools. The evaluation findings about the class integration show that the chatting function has been improved and frequently utilized by users, and the application of the CSIEC system on English instruction can motivate learners to practice English and enhance their learning process. Finally, I will conclude with potential improvements.

Citation Details
Title: An AI framework to teach English as a foreign language: CSIEC.(artificial intelligence and Computer Simulation in Educational Communication)(Report)
Author: Jiyou Jia
Publication: AI Magazine (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 22, 2009
Publisher: American Association for Artificial Intelligence
Volume: 30Issue: 2Page: 59(13)

Article Type: Report

Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage Learning ... Read more

Product Description
Does your Dog know a foreign language? Have you ever considered teaching him one?In this book every Dog Lover will find a K-9 approved guide to foreign language training for Dogs. You and your Dog now will be able to communicate in that secret code that now one understands, participate in steamy discussions about the latest hot topics and never worry who may be dropping their ears or sniffing. For the Dogs this book provides that magic tool that may help them succeed in life and become the next Edgar Allan Paw, K-9y Reeves, Kelly PresBone, or Ashton Poocher. Becoming a polyglot has never been so easy. ... Read more

Product Description
To anyone with a passport from a "Western" English speaking country: There are many countries where you can live a nice lifestyle AND save $1,000 a month for debts and future travel/investments/savings. On top of that if you have a bachelors degree then that is ALL you need AND schools will reimburse your airfare when you get there! Although this book does tell you what to do if you don't have a degree too.So you can get rid of the debts or save up a chunk of change abroad at a faster rate than you could at home!Teaching English as a foreign language is a perfect way to get out and go whether you want to do it as a means to escape only, are looking for a career, a back up employment plan or even as a revenue raising plan to help you afford that little piece of paradise!This book has been designed to educate, inform and to give you confidence. Too many people think about their life, about possible other lives they could have lived and be left with the question: "what if"? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Needs an editor...and some ethics
I purchased this book because I work with college students who have a high interest in teaching English overseas. I suspected it was self-published but I gave it a shot because it might have some interesting perspectives on the experience. As soon as it arrived I knew I couldn't put it out in my library. The cover makes it look like he went to Kinko's to get this book published, there were typos galore, and the grammar is painful to wade through - I kept mentally putting in commas where he missed them and frankly it gave me a headache.

But what really bothered is when the author advocated for working in foreign countries illegally. I can't in good conscience put out a resource for my students with unethical advice. I'm rather sorry I wasted the department's money. ... Read more

Product Description
This book is part of the "Teach Yourself" series. It takes a communicative approach to English language teaching and aims to meet the needs of all students requiring self-access material. Teach Yourself British English is suitable for adults of an elementary level and those who may have studied English before, but now need to improve for social or business purposes. The text provides supplementary material to learners who are attending classes, a quick reference for travellers, and guidance for EFL teachers who are not confident using a communicative approach. ... Read more

Product Description
This CD and book set is part of the "Teach Yourself" series. It takes a communicative approach to English language teaching and aims to meet the needs of all students requiring self-access material. The course is suitable for adults of an elementary level and those who may have studied English before, but now need to improve for social or business purposes. The text provides supplementary material to learners who are attending classes, a quick reference for travellers, and guidance for EFL teachers who are not confident using a communicative approach. The book and CD are also available separately. ... Read more

Product Description
Teach Yourself Teaching English As a Foreign/Second Language is an ideal companion for new, inexperienced teachers. At the same time, thanks to its practical, hands-on approach and clear, supportive advice on teaching many different kinds of lessons, it will have broad appeal among ESL teachers in need of a refresher course or confidence-booster. In addition to proven teaching techniques, it provides invaluable tips on classroom management, lesson planning, using textbooks, and much more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Practical and succinct !
Teaching English as a Foreign Language by David Riddell is intended for THREE types of reader : 1) teachers teaching without having had any training 2) teachers who have recently trained and who lack experience 3) trainee teachers doing a training course.
The word "Teachers" refers to those in any country , teaching to monolingual and multilingual classes, to students whose first language is not English, and to students who are classified as Adult Learners(generally defined as 16+).
You cannot teach yourself to be a teacher, but you can LEARN and IMPROVE YOUR SKILLS as you go along.
The book is NOT intended for experienced teachers or for those teaching young learners.
The author, David Riddell, claims to have qualified as an EFL teacher in 1984 and to becoming an approved trainer in 1987. At the time of writing this book(2001), the author both teaches students and trains new teachers in London.Since 1994, he has also been a Senior Assessor.
The book contains an Introduction and thirty chapters, including chapters on Professional awareness and development,Career prospects and job hunting, A guide to levels( elementary,intermediate and advanced), Language glossary(tense forms,etc.),A glossary of terms(used in the profession such as "monolingual classes"),Some useful addresses(ELT Gazette/EL prospects,etc.).Most chapters are around 8-10 pages each .There is also an Index.
For the market it aims at, it is good value for the money !

postscript to useful, but flawed
if you are looking for a book of this type, i recommend jeremy harmer's how to teach english (isbn# 0-582-29796-6). this is also the one used by cambridge celta courses. i can also recommend jeff mohamed's teaching english overseas: a guide for americans and canadians, which is chock full of useful information about the dynamics of getting yourself abroad and employed. viel Glück!!

useful, but flawed
the book is useful, and offers some practical information on its subject. much of the information is helpful for the novice teacher or one with no formal tefl qualification. however, i would not call it either well written or well organized. i have to say that it reads like a first draft and appears never to have been edited as it is rife with typos. this really irks me, since it's a book on teaching english.

one more thing: the book is very poorly bound. before i had even read 25 pages it started falling apart, and this with fairly ginger handling.

if you need one, this is a book on teaching yourself to teach english as a second language. but you may find it very irritating if the errors (3! in two sentences!) from the following excerpt are noticeable to you (which, if you are going to be teaching english, hopefully they are!): "Ask the class if anyone...has been to...San Francisco...If no-one has then they can tell you what they imagine San Francisco. to be like. Alternatively, show pictures of San Francicso (steep hills, cable cars, Fisherman's Wharf etc) to get the class talking about it." (p. 41) all the while, you will be struggling to somehow find a comfortable, manageable way to hold the book together so as to be able to read it.

An Excellent Practical Guide!
I've been involved in TEFL/TESL for over 30 years and I can honestly say that I've never seen a more useful book for new or prospective teachers. Written in a very clear and down-to-earth style, it is a real treasure house of practical advice on how to plan and teach successful lessons and how to manage different types of classes.
I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who intends to teach EFL/ESL without formal training or to anyone who intends to participate in a TEFL/TESL training program. ... Read more

Product Description
* New glossary to explain teaching terms * DVD with classroom demonstrations of core classroom techniques * New chapter on testing ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

great for english speakers who THOUGHT they knew english
I'm at the beginning cusp of my TESOL certification. I've been speaking (American) english for 32 years. I don't know how that's been possible after getting into this book.

CELTA pre-course work study book
Good book that really breaks down teaching and teaching English into easy terms for the beginner. Each chapter uses bold face type to identify the different teaching and grammar terms. Nice easy to use conclusion at the end of each chapter. There is a great "WHAT IF" chapter at the end that really explains how to handle the difficult and unpleasant sides of teaching!!!

Excellent Book
Excellent book which communicates ideas for every type of teaching. This book is a must for anyone who wishes to teach the English language

Excellent Info
Required to read this book for a language school in Prague.Wealth of information so far.

Serviceable
Of course, the only way one really learns to teach English is by actually doing it.But you have to start somewhere and this book gives a pretty good general overview of how to go about it.I think it could also help the prospective teacher avoid a lot of pitfalls.My main objection to it is that it's British, with British grammatical usage, British spellings, and British sensibilities.I personally found the DVD a bit disturbing because the teachers had substandard pronunciation.But most of my classmates and my professor disagreed with me.They feel that English is English.Maybe that's okay if the students are going to stay in one location and always work at lower level jobs.But if the students are ambitious, they're going to want to move beyond mere communication of basic needs and substandard speech is going to hold them back.But if that doesn't bother you, you may find that this book will suit your needs. ... Read more

Product Description

Bestselling language courses now with audio CDs !

From Catonese to Thai, Gaelic to Modern Persian, learning the languages of the world is attainable for any beginning student. Learners can use the Teach Yourself Language Courses at their own pace or as a supplement to formal courses. These complete courses are based on thievery latest learning methods and designed to be enjoyable and user-friendly.

Prepared by experts in the language, each course begins with the basics and gradually promotes the student to a level of smooth and confident communication, including:

• Up-to-date, graded interactive dialogues
• Graded units of culture notes, grammar, and exercises
• Step-by-step guide to pronunciation
• Practical vocabulary
• Regular and irregular verb tables
• Plenty of practice exercises and answers
• Bilingual glossary

The new editions also feature:

• Clear, uncluttered, and user-friendly layout
• Self-assessment quizzes to test progress
• Website suggestions to take language study further

Customer Reviews (35)

Pronunciation guide needs work
Gaelic pronunciation is so different from English that a CD is absolutely necessary to be able to figure it out.However, the pronunciation guide on this CD is inadequate.I can hear that there are more ways to pronounce certain letters than are given in the guide (For example, the letter L pronounced as V), which leaves me pretty much at sea with getting into the exercises themselves.Even with memorization of the sounds, it may be difficult to begin.

I think they could improve the CD by including any odd pronunciations that were left out, and perhaps by giving some attention to pairs of vowels within words, which sounded like diphthongs to me.A glossary with phonetic (IPA) key would possibly be useful.But maybe that's another book :)

Not for beginners!
This book is definitely not for beginners. There's little in the way of explaining pronunciation, or anything else for that matter. I'd return it if I could. Better look elsewhere.

Dedication will pay off
While the older version by Roderick MacKinnon may be better for all the fine points of grammar, this is the version you want for learning conversational Gaelic.The lessons build upon each other gradually, so you'll want to master each one before preceding.With dedication, you'll do just fine.

Some very good points, a few areas to work on.
One thing I very much appreciated about this course (though it is likely to be a point that turns off inexperienced and first-time language learners)is the way in which the book plunges straight into quite sophistocated language.The approach of providing "lexical chunks" rather than single words or endless grammar examples is, in my opinion very useful and very appropriate to such an idiomatic language as Gaelic.

On the down side, I have to agree with other reviewers that felt the pronunciation section of the book was severely lacking.A more detailed description of what to expect would enable learners, not only to better follow the CD, but also attempt to more accurately pronounce new vocab learned from reading independently outside the course.Way too much detective work is necessary to build up a picture of pronunciation rules from the CDs and a more comprehensive overview would really be immensely helpful- especially given how complex the pronunciation of Gaelic is!

Regarding the CD moreover, personally, I wish the speed of delivery were a little more natural- the stilted word-word-word delivery is a little annoying.It is possible to speak clearly yet naturally and I don't feel it is much help to get used to turtle-speed speech when normal spoken Gaelic is much faster.Clear speech is essential but overly slow speech is unnatural.

Finally, I really wish that the grammar index was more comprehensive so that it would be possible to refer to grammar as necessary without feeling bound by the course structure- it is, after all, a self-instruction course and I need something that will enable me to reach the language I need when I need it.On a related point, it would also be a great help to have an English-Gaelic glossary as well as the Gaelic-English one to avoid having to search through the units looking for forgotten vocabulary.

Overall, with some revision, this could really be a good course.I have enjoyed using it and it has been a great help but with some improvements it could be much better.

job well done
I bought this pack without high expectations but because it looked better than the alternatives.

Let me say at the outset that the book by itself is useless for teaching anybody Gaelic. I have yet to see any useful written material on Gaelic pronunciation, and this book does not even try. My guesses, even as an experienced linguist, were far off the mark. With the CD's however it is another matter - they are excellent, though the learning curve is steep at first and a few written tips of things to look out for would have been helpful.

Each unit contains (primarily) a dialogue, with key expressions collected at the end, a grammar section and a useful selection of exercises. All this material is professionally organized, and the level of the grammar explanations is probably about right for most learners - clear and thorough enough without any danger of overload. For the first half of the book there are also sections on Gaelic terms against their cultural background.

After working through about half of the book, I can say that I am pleased with the purchase, and feel that I am already getting the hang of this language far more quickly than I would have imagined. But don't forget the CD's. ... Read more

Product Description
Bring Chinese language learning alive with this 32-page brilliantly illustrated book with companion audio CD. Listen, learn and sing along with classic songs for children in this new dual language format. A perfect place to start exploring the Chinese language with children of all ages! ... Read more

Product Description

Learn Croatian in just 10 lessons!

Perfect for complete beginners or those who want to brush up on the language, Teach Yourself Croatian Conversation encourages you to speak out loud from the very start. It features 10 topics that include 15 key words, three useful phrases, and one grammar point. Two sample conversations bring all those elements together correctly. There are plenty of review opportunities, so you can gauge your progress and reinforce what you have learned. In addition, the third CD provides invaluableguidance on holding two-way conversations, addressing such issues as speaking with people who talk very fast or use words and phrases you do not know.

Product Description
Hieroglyphs are pictures used as signs in writing. When standing before an ancient tablet in a museum or visiting an Egyptian monument, we marvel at this unique writing and puzzle over its meaning. Now, with the help of Egyptologists Mark Collier and Bill Manley, museum-goers, tourists, and armchair travelers alike can gain a basic knowledge of the language and culture of ancient Egypt.

Collier and Manley's novel approach is informed by years of experience teaching Egyptian hieroglyphs to non-specialists. Using attractive drawings of actual inscriptions displayed in the British Museum, they concentrate on the kind of hieroglyphs readers might encounter in other collections, especially funerary writings and tomb scenes. Each chapter introduces a new aspect of hieroglyphic script or Middle Egyptian grammar and encourages acquisition of reading skills with practical exercises.

The texts offer insights into the daily experiences of their ancient authors and touch on topics ranging from pharaonic administration to family life to the Egyptian way of death. With this book as a guide, one can enjoy a whole new experience in understanding Egyptian art and artifacts around the world.Amazon.com Review
You need no previous experience reading hieroglyphs to benefitfrom this book. This is a hieroglyphs guide for the layperson,tourist, or museum enthusiast who'd like to have more of a clue whenit comes to understanding Egyptian hieroglyphs. Focusing on thefunerary symbols one would be likely to see in Egypt or at a museum,and illustrated with hieroglyphs that are on display in the BritishMuseum (drawn by Richard Parkinson, curator in the Department ofEgyptian Antiquities at the British Museum), How to Read EgyptianHieroglyphs makes possible a deeper appreciation not just ofmuseum displays but of the Egyptian culture that used this writingsystem.

Both experts in Egyptology (Collier teaches Egyptology at theUniversity of Liverpool, and Manley teaches the subject at theUniversity of Glasgow), they explain how most hieroglyphs are used toconvey the sound of the ancient Egyptian language, then go onto teach, in easily digestible segments, the basic phonograms(sound-signs) used in inscriptions a traveler or museum-goer would bemost likely to encounter. Each chapter teaches a new portion ofhieroglyphic script and a new aspect of the Middle Egyptian grammar,with a section to practice the new reading skills and exercises tosolidify the lessons taught. It provides a wonderful opportunity tosit at home and learn about the pharaonic administration, ancientEgyptian family life, and the Egyptian way of death, while building afirm understanding of the most common features of hieroglyphs.--Stephanie Gold ... Read more

Customer Reviews (77)

How to Read Egyptian Hieroglyps
I've been a student of ancient Egyptian history and hieroglyphs for many, many years and find this one of the most comprehensive tomes of Egyptian Hieroglphic writing and language around. I have a lot of material of this subject and highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to get a taste of this form of writing and literature before investing in other materials. It's written for the modern student in the Modern American language.

It Sucks and No Egyptologist Would Dare Be Seen Using It
I'm no Egyptologist, but I've lived in Egypt and studied many languages, including Egyptian. This book sucks on so many levels. The author himself admits that it's not really for people who are that serious about learning to read Egyptian. It's got that orientalist zeitgeist feel to it. Gardiner's Middle Egyptian is a much better book to buy. This one is just a bunch of commentary and squiggles. I hate the fact that most libraries would buy it before buying Gardiner's book.

How to read Egyptian Hieroglyphics
Excellent work book to begin the transliteration of Egyptian Hieroglyphics. Each chapter progresses onwards on knowledge and there are exercises to help practice this language. You will only achieve a basic understanding of this topic but this book is a valuable place to start.

The best introduction available
I studied Middle Egyptian as an undergraduate 30 years ago using Gardiner's Egyptian Grammar, written in 1927, and find Collier & Manley a refreshing way to review. It gets you reading inscriptions right away, which really boosts the ego. I am terrible at languages, and I enjoyed this book because it lets you hit the ground running. That said, there still is a lot of rote memorization, as there is in any language. You've got to learn many, many hieroglyphs. The easiest way is to learn new hieroglyphs as part of vocabulary, and drill them with flash cards. Collier and Manley generally provides for this.

Once you're done, the authors suggest other texts to continue, like James Allen's Middle Egyptian. I haven't read Allen but people tell me that it doesn't have quiz answers in the back (neither does Gardiner), which makes it tough for self-study. So I hope the authors will follow up with a sequel on texts: "How to Learn More Ancient Egyptian."

One problem: This book was not proofread very well. I see a lot of variant writings and typos, even in the second edition. This is a worry in a linguistics book. But students should know early on that there are a lot of variant writings in Egyptian; there doesn't seem to have been a scribal corps of copy editors, and the language was used for thousands of years and evolved over time.

Ignore the Pedantic Twits - This Book is a Great Stepping-Stone
Some of the negative reviews here strike me like a math professor coming to my grandma's book club to blazingly ridicule "Calculus for Dummies".

The book focuses on Middle Egyptian inscriptions, mostly formulaic, enabling the student to become familiar with basic phonetics, formulae and some phrase structures. It is NOT a comprehensive grammar, nor a general scholarly introduction, nor a reference manual in any way; it is a self-contained world with the goal of rewarding curiosity and passion with the ability to read some basic things.

After completing this book, one may want to consider some of the critiques. While there were a few basic errors in the original version, most of the 'errors' other reviewers have pointed out are actually well within the scope of scholarly license and these kinds of disagreements are very common in ancient-language scholarship - as is thick-headed and dismissive opposition to new analyses.

In any case, I have studied a dozen or so languages in my day and this book enabled me to begin a serious foray into Egyptology and I am eternally grateful to Mr. Collier and Mr. Manley for making it a fun and rewarding experience. ... Read more

Product Description

From Cantonese to Thai, Gaelic to Modern Persian, learning the languages of the world isattainable for any beginning student. Learners can use the Teach Yourself Complete LanguageCourses at their own pace or as a supplement to formal courses.

All Teach Yourself Complete Language Courses include:

• Up-to-date, graded interactive dialogues
• Graded units of culture notes, grammar, andexercises
• Step-by-step guides to pronunciation
• Practical vocabulary
• Regular and irregular verb tables
• A bilingual glossary
• A clear, uncluttered, and user-friendly layout
• Self-assessment quizzes to test progress
• Fully updated audio recordings on CD foreasy access and review

Customer Reviews (18)

NOT for beginners by any stretch of the imagination
Let me begin this first by explaining my experience with the Swedish language.
Before attempting to learn Swedish I had already had a very high level of knowledge in Bokmål Norwegian (which is probably the closest language in the world to Swedish) due to the fact that I had a great friend from the area and wanted to intigrate myself into the culture of Scandinavia. Obviously, I developed a great respect and fascination for Scandinavia (as anybody would) and was very excited to learn Swedish from this series, as this was the only Scandinavian language taught at my university, and it was going to be a couple of years before I had the time in my schedule to enroll in this class.
I used Teach Yourself Norwegian (from the same series as the book in question) and was very pleased. Each of the 16 chapters contained maybe 100 or so new words to learn, and the grammar was clearly explained while not going overboard and overdoing it. By the end of the course I could say comfortably that I was well of my way to fluency.
Teach Yourself Swedish provides over 200 new words and idiomatic phrases in each of its 18 chapters. Obviously learning a new language is going to take some time, however this was too much. And the words were not explained clearly at all in tearms of inflexion and case. And I also feel that the words introduced early on were inappropriate for the level (for example, in chapter three you learn to say "Light travels at a speed of...kilometers per hour." and "The distance to the moon is...kilometers.") For almost every new word or phrase present, I was forced to consult a dictionary for full information about how the word was used/constructed. It took me a good two and a half years to finish this course, whereas Teach Yourself Norwegian took me maybe a little over 8 months.
Perhaps it was my own fault in thinking that Swedish was be fairly simple after learning Norwegian, but I feel that it still should be. This book I feel is aimed towards linguists who possess full comprehension of grammatical structure, yet at the same time there is huge lack as far the structure of words are concerned.
I have not tried other products out there, and I realize that there are VERY few geared towards learning any of the Scandinavian languages, but if you choose to work with this book, be prepared to put A LOT of time and effort into it and have a good dictionary at the ready!!!
Overall, the book was overdone, unorganized, and difficult to use.

A Very Helpful Course
Teach Yourself Swedish seems like an at-home or on-the-go class. It helps build vocabulary rather fast for me, although I sometimes have to look up verb infinitives elsewhere. I like how Vera Croghan goes through dialogues and some activities on the CDs. I think this course is for those that want to learn Swedish or develop fluency in that language.

LOVE IT
Yes, this is for people who have at least 2 languages under their belts! AND since I am fluent in English and German, Swedish is very easy for me to grasp!!! I FIND THIS SERIES IS FOR PEOPLE who are more advanced in language studies and really want to learn (or die trying)! FYI, I have also used this series for Italian and Portuguese all with great success!!!
The trick is to learn the words!!!

Not for Absolute Beginners
From page 1 of the introduction, Teach Yourself Swedish claims to be for absolute beginners, however I would disagree. There is nothing wrong with fast pace dialogs once you already have the basics of pronunciation down but this book never helps with that.

You don't get word by word pronunciation of the vocabulary or phrases leaving you in a bit of a dazed in a sea of sounds trying to pull apart the words to be able to later form your own sentence.

From chapter one, dialog one the pace is pretty fast for someone with no previous knowledge of even one word of Swedish. The progression of the grammar points leaves a lot to be desired. Basically it is a poor or rather frustrating course if you are an absolute beginner.

I am glad I didn't buy this book but rather rented it from the library.But I would say that it would be great for someone with previous knowledge of Swedish because the dialogs would be good listening practice.

To advance
This is far to advance for a beginners level. No help at all if your a beginner. I recommend Pimslers... ... Read more

Product Description
The Teach Yourself Language Grammar series brings the languages of the world within the reach of any beginning student. Prepared by experts in the language, each course begins with the basics and gradually elevates the student to a level of confident communication. Enjoyable and user-friendly, the new editions and titles feature improved page designs and even clearer explanations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Keep this one around for reference...
"Teach Yourself Spanish Grammar" provides a great overview of the Spanish language replete with examples, exercises, and illustrations. Nearly every grammatical aspect of the language receives treatment somewhere in this book. As such, it makes a great reference. Keep it on the shelf for those inevitable moments of confusion when verb tenses seem coagulated or when grammatical nuances feel obscure. That said, this book serves better as a reference than as a teaching tool. Those already possessing Spanish skills will get far more out of it than those with little or none. The book's length (232 pages including exercises, dictionary and index) necessitates a compromise of breadth for detail. Most subjects receive cursory treatment. The later discussions on the subjunctive tenses are particularly brief and do not allow enough study for mastery (though they provide decent introductions). This will only present a problem for absolute newcomers, though, who should start with more detailed resources such as "Practice Makes Perfect: Spanish Verb Tenses" or "Teach Yourself Beginner's Spanish, 3rd Edition (Book & 2 CDs) (Teach Yourself Language)." Those with more Spanish knowledge, from late beginner or early intermediate, will find a rich and brisk refresher course in the totality of Español. The examples help reinforce verb tense usage and pronoun disambiguation. The book's comprehensiveness also gives a bird's-eye view of the language's entire structure in a quick read. For more experienced readers, "Teach Yourself Spanish Grammar" will increase aptitude and grammatical acumen. It remains a fun and easy read throughout, just don't start learning Spanish with this book without extra help. But definitely return to it again and again for a great review and honing of grammatical knowledge.

Great concept...
I was a bit skeptical when I first noticed that there was a "grammar reference section" in this book--why would a grammar book need a grammar reference section??? It soon made sense, though.

It turns out that this TY grammar book is presented and arranged a bit differently than most. It's generally broken down into usage, function, and application, rather than abstract parts of speech as most grammar books are. It has chapter titles such as, Expressing Existence and Availability, Expressing Location, Describing Process and Procedure, rather than the typical headings such as present tense, preterit, subjunctive, etc. All the concepts are in there, but they are grouped according to task, idea, or usage.

For example, the Talking About Habitual Actions chapter covers reflexive verbs, position of reflexive pronouns, common reflexive verbs, adverbs ending in -mente, frequency adverbs, soler + infinitive, and acostumbrar + infinitive. So these are grammatical constructs you would use for Talking About Habitual Actions. Make sense? It's a nice idea.

I find this a refreshing change. It's much easier to read. I have lots of Spanish grammar books and they are great, but none present the material quite like this book does. This format is very handy to look something up quickly and get a brief answer (including good examples) of the concepts. The grammar reference section in the back lists topics more like a standard grammar text would and goes into a bit more depth.

Systematic but brief
I used this book after I had learned some Spanish from tapes. I was going to a Spanish speaking country, and I needed to see what the words actually looked like, as well as to get an idea of how the language is structured. Here's the thing you need to know: although it says "Teach Yourself Spanish *Grammar*", this book is extremely useful as a practical guide to speaking the language. It's organised according to functions (for example: expressing wants, likes, giving opinions, describing the past). This makes it about a thousand times more useful than an ordinary phrasebook. A phrasebook only teaches you how to ask for, say, fruits at a market. If you're lucky, it'll teach you how to ask for vegetables too. With this book, you can just look up "expressing wants" and learn querer and preferir, and how you can use them with a noun, a verb, or a pronoun.

It's really a more "building blocks" approach to language, but it still provides sample sentences for each idea, so you can see how it's done. This book won't have you speaking fluent, advanced idiomatic Spanish (nor is it a good reference grammar for advanced learners), but it will definitely prepare you to say a wide range of things in basic Spanish.

By the way, I've lent it to two other friends who have also used it to get a basic knowledge of Spanish for reading or travel. One of them refused to give it back to me until he'd finished it!

Clear, concise, GREAT tool!
For any student, I would recommend this book. When I teach my classes, I often reference it for a second or third way to present the material, and have recommended it to any student wishing to review.

It starts off with conversational help, and then the chapters delve into more grammatical lessons, always chock full of examples to help the information make sense.

It would be an excellent textbook if there were exercises, but it's not intended for that purpose. I would say the ages are mature high school students and up.

Sra. Gose
Author of Flip Flop Spanish: Ages 3-5: Level 1 & Flip Flop Spanish: Ages 3-5: Level 2

Easy to Understand, Concise
This is a fabulous tool for anyone studying the Spanish Language! It is explains Spanish grammer in a simple concise form which is much easier to understand that many textbooks! Everyone studying Spanish should pick up this bargain of a supplemental tool!! ... Read more