Disappointing in use
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The first 150 pages are a Spanish grammar . The other 275 pages are instructions about when to use selected phrases .
Perhaps , a very modern approach : a grammar book which avoids a lot of tiresome old explanations .
Useless to me though .
For example to explore all of the possibilities for the word "que" , you'll need to consult : 11.1,26.1.1,27.1.5,27.2.130.3.2,33.5 .
There are about 20 references for the indexed word "subjuntive" .
In other words , the information is there , but it is scattered all over the place , leading to a confusion of cross referencing throughout the text . Even if the authors had had the sense just to stick to good old page numbers instead of these idiotic "31.3.2" references .....
A far better , more complete and easier to use grammar (which is much cheaper) is John Butt's Oxford Spanish Grammar .
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Please more for Latin America
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Publicity on this grammar highlights that differences are explained between Peninsular Spanish and Latin American varieties, but these explanations are skimpy and unclear. This is still a grammar for Castilian. The promised explanations on Latin American language variants would have been particularly useful in the chapters 'Social contacts and communication strategies', 'Expressing emotional attitudes', 'The language of persuasion', but unless yours destination is Spain you are left very much in the dark. I bought this grammar hoping it would help me in my translation work for Latin America and it would help me understand, be understood and function socially in the Mexican society. It has been a disappointment in that it does not give you much for that. It is also a bit dated, there is no reference to email, mobiles, text messages, etc. Not all bad, but it could be much better. Above all, pitty it does not keep the Latin American promise!
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Please more for Latin America
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Publicity on this grammar highlights that differences are explained between Peninsular Spanish and Latin American varieties, but these explanations are skimpy and unclear. This is still a grammar for Castilian. The promised explanations on Latin American language variants would have been particularly useful in the chapters 'Social contacts and communication strategies', 'Expressing emotional attitudes', 'The language of persuasion', but unless yours destination is Spain you are left very much in the dark. I bought this grammar hoping it would help me in my translation work for Latin America and it would help me understand, be understood and function socially in the Mexican society. It has been a disappointment in that it does not give you much for that. It is also a bit dated, there is no reference to email, mobiles, text messages, etc. Not all bad, but it could be much better. Above all, pitty it does not keep the Latin American promise!
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Accessible reference grammar - a great investment
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I looked at a lot of grammar books - including books published in Spain - before buying this book. This is by a long way the most accessible I have seen (although I must admit I haven't I haven't compared it to the Butt/Benjamin New Reference Grammar). The book has two parts - the first is a concise traditional-style reference grammar. This is well-organised and clear. It is intended to be a reference grammar but the authors go out of their way to explain grammatical concepts in accessible terms: for example the opening chapter is a glossary that explains things like what an adjective is, what an auxiliary verb is etc. the explanations are clear and accompanied by lots of examples. It certainly doesn't assume that you have a GCSE. The second part (which takes up over half of the book) is organised around specific activities and tasks eg 'asking and giving opinions', 'expressing agreement and disagreement', expressing desires and preferences'. Again clear explanations and lots of examples. It is a reference grammar. It is intended to be consulted as needed. If you want to learn Spanish grammar then there are other books such as the 'Uso de la gramatica espagnol' series or the 'Paso a paso' series - and their English-language equivalents. I'm very pleased with my purchase - I think it will prove to be a great investment and I expect to be using it for a long time to come.
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Good explanations, but expects too much from it's viewers
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This is a very good book and has the potential too be excellent, but for the fact that it assumes you have already a very good understanding of the Spanish language. This book was required reading on my 1st year university course, one of my options being Essential Spanish, this was basically Spanish for beginners, all you had to do was prove you had an A level in a modern foreign language, I do, French! The book explains things as if you have AT LEAST GCSE Spanish, and as a mature student, I do not even have GCSEs, I think we called them O levels! Only buy this book if you have spoken to your tutor/teacher and it is absolutely necessary, and you have someone who can easily explain everything that you are not going to understand!
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