Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)(I have just started to use this book, and am a few chapters in, so keep in mind that this is a review of the format and structure of the book, not of every detail.)
I am trying to revive my French after seven years of dormancy, and I thought this book might help me to produce the French that, these days, I can only read. I was not wrong. One of the broad, general advantages of this book is that all of the verbs appear in full sentences (both in examples and in exercises). That means that working on the verbs doesn't mean just practicing declensions: it means expressing full thoughts.
One of the other reviewers also mentioned the question of register, and this is another of the book's major strengths. Since I mostly read French, the vagaries of spoken French are still mysterious to me. The authors not only discuss the different ways of using verbs and constructing phrases in formal, colloquial, or general speech, but they also do little things like giving pointers on words with difficult pronunciation. Brilliant!
Strength number three: the authors' attention to idiomatic expressions. While they do give lists of verbs, they also often teach verbs in ways that make it easier to remember and use those words. For example, when teaching "prendre" for irregular verbs, they also give a list of expressions (like, "prendre son temps") and later, a list of compounds like "apprendre" and "surprendre". I really believe that teaching words in related groups like this will make them mean more to a student and "stick" in the student's mind.
Since others have talked about the general structure of the book, I'll mention finally one superficial aspect. When it comes to language-learning books, they're not much use unless you actually use them. Superficial matters like layout, paper quality, and type are really important. This workbook is lovely. The paper is of better quality then those old disposable workbooks I used in my high school French class. The layout incorporates lots of white space, so I can concentrate on the words and even make notes beside them. I say this because I also looked at the authors' first book (Ultimate French Grammar Review and Practice) after I fell in love with this one, and that one looked a lot busier, and didn't have spaces for the exercise solutions! They clearly made some improvements this time around.
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Learn verb skills and communicate confidently in a new language
Building on the authors' bestselling The Ultimate Review and Practice series, this book is your best bet to mastering the often tricky verb forms and key sentence structures of the French language. The Ultimate French Verb Review and Practice offers a step-by-step program for experienced beginners through advanced learners to understand how different verb forms work and use that knowledge to build increasingly sophisticated sentences in French. No other book on the market combines guidance and practice in verb formation and usage with tips on the 18 most commonly used sentence models.
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