Reviews

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Intermediate Polish: I Like the Book Design

Polish, Books

I confess I did not get far at all in Intermediate Polish: A Grammar and Workbook (my Polish unit ended before I got past page 10), but I was enjoying it in any case and found it similar in…

Modern Brazilian Portuguese Grammar Workbook: Get the Accompanying Practical Guide, Too!

4 Portuguese, Books

If you buy Modern Brazilian Portuguese Grammar Workbook by John Whitlam, I recommend you also buy the companion text, Modern Brazilian Portuguese Grammar: A Practical Guide. They go together! The workbook comes with an answer…

Portuguese Reference Manual: This Book Is No Joke!

4 Portuguese, Books

This is, as the title indicates, principally a reference book and not something one would normally use to learn a language. If you are brave, however, and unafraid of grammar and piles of language data, Portuguese: A Reference Manual<…

The French Subjunctive Up Close: For an Intimate Look at the Subject

4 French, Books

This book begins with the following question: “Are you ‘subjunctophobic’?” The author herself is obviously not. “Verbs conjugated in the subjunctive make up a wonderful and captivating tribe,” writes Annie Heminway, “rich in mysteries, nuances, and conundrums, a wandering tribe…

German Grammar Drills: Not the Most Grammar Fun I've Ever Had

3 German, Books

German Grammar Drills by Ed Swick does indeed provide the drills that its title promises, but the exercises could be better at developing skills and encouraging retention. There is just too much mindless repetition. For example,…

French Pronouns and Prepositions: For Help with Those Short Little Difficult Words

4-5 French, Books

I haven’t consistently liked McGraw-Hill’s Practice Makes Perfect books on pronouns and prepositions (which are offered for multiple languages), but I thoroughly enjoyed this one for French. The exercises were helpful, and the vocabulary used…

Buy the Modern Brazilian Portuguese Grammar Workbook, Too, So You Get to Practice!

4 Portuguese, Books

This book is very thorough. I like when books are thorough, though unfortunately Modern Brazilian Portuguese Grammar: A Practical Guide is thorough enough to be too heavy to tow around comfortably in a purse, especially since all the…

Oxford Essential Polish Dictionary: I Really Like This One!

5 Polish, Books, Dictionaries

The Oxford Essential Polish Dictionary is extremely usable and useful. I am picky about dictionaries. I like the aesthetics of this one: the readability of the print, the weight of the book (light), and its dimensions (small-purse…

Pimsleur Portuguese: Great for Developing Speaking Skills

5 Portuguese, Audio Lessons

I loved Pimsleur Brazilian Portuguese. A Pimsleur lesson is a roughly 30-minute, highly interactive audio experience focusing on the development of oral skills, and there are a total of 90 lessons for Portuguese.  The pacing is good. I mention this…

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