Japanese Verbs and Essentials of Grammar : A Practical Guide to the Mastery of Japanese Review

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(More customer reviews)If you look at a new language like a big puzzle to be fit together, you will love this book!
This is not a phrase book (though it contains hundreds of excellent examples), nor a dictionary. Instead, it is a revealing yet amazingly concise summary of how Japanese is assembled. For me, it has been a huge aid toward understanding.
Every page here contains a big "Ahah!". The completely logical discussion of verbs helped me hear and recognize elements of tense and nuance that I had not understood earlier (e.g. How do the Japanese construct a complex form like "If I had not had breakfast, I would be tired while eating lunch").
These are short chapters, but *packed* with information, each piece illustrated by an example. The sections on noun expressions, particles (a troublesome subject for english-speakers), conjunctions, adjectives and adverbs were very clear.
Much of the information is organized in tables where it makes sense to do so: relative times, demonstrative forms, counters, numbers, times, seasons/weather, etc. These were well-ordered and enlightening. There are also useful summaries of common expressions, honorifics, holidays, etc.
This book is not centered on vocabulary. There is a brief vocabulary list, but no pictures; you won't learn your colors or the names of kitchen appliances. You will definitely want a good dictionary as a companion volume. However, the biggest single benefit I got was a new appreciation of how to use my dictionary effectively. Now I can recognize the root ("dictionary") forms of verbs, noun expressions, adjectives, etc. that I didn't get before. This helps me go right to the appropriate word when I hear something new. Even more, I can imagine interesting new forms built from the "raw material" therein.
This book will have you appreciating the richness of the Japanese language without being overwhelmed by it. Japanese is, after all, an orderly and expressive language that just follows different rules. Ms. Lampkin reveals the rules in a tidy and accessible way. A great bargain.

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Japanese Verbs and Essentials of Grammar offers you two books in one. It is both a complete guide to Japanese verbs and a compact guide to the basics of Japanese grammar, so all the information you need is right at your fingertips in one volume! Each verb tense and each aspect of grammar is presented in its own individual chapter, which makes finding what you need easier and quicker. Every entry includes clear explanations and helpful examples that lead you on your way to mastering the Japanese language.

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