Grammatika v kontekste: Russian Grammar in Literary Contexts Review

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(More customer reviews)This textbook is like Russian "matryoshka" dolls (nested dolls) because it gives students and teachers Russian grammar and vocabulary, practice reading and listening, pronunciation and intonation exercises, all together with excerpts from beautiful works of Russian literature.
Grammatika v kontekste has 25 chapters, each of which presents a particular grammar point systmatically (Russian cases, conjugation, verbal aspect, verbs of motion, participles, verbal adverbs, pronominal constructions, etc.) and illustrates its use in works of classic poetry (e.g., Pushkin, Lermontov, Tsvetaeva, Akhmadulina, Akhmatova, Pasternak), prose fiction (Tolstoy, Belyi, Grossman), and proverbs that Russians use in everyday life. As you read (and listen to the poetry), as you memorize the proverbs, you learn the grammar as well as the culture.
The exercises start off very easy (in the textbook) and build to greater challenges in the workbook. The workbook also teaches vocabulary in topical units and listening comprehension exercises based on the vocabulary help learners get used to recognizing and understanding the vocabulary in authentic contexts.
Phonetics exercises help American learners focus on the most challenging sounds (and sound combinations) of Russian, with special attention paid to intonation and the reduction of unstressed vowels. Grammatika v kontekste is a great reference book students can use long afer the course is over (don't forget to look at the appendices!).
If you're a teacher, you will really enjoy the modular approach to the textbook's design that allows you to skip back and forth to cover the materials you want, in the order you want, while you're doing other things outside the textbook.


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Grammatika v kontekste: (Grammar in Context) is an instructional program designed to help students review, systematize, and add to the knowledge of Russian that they acquired in previous courses. Appropriate for use in intermediate or advanced Russian courses, the text covers the essential topics and functions of Russian. Grammatical points are illustrated in reading texts that include non-literary, as well as literary selections. The complete package includes a text, workbook/laboratory manual, audiocassette program, and an instructor's manual.

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Russian Intermediate Reader (Language - Russian) Review

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(More customer reviews)I was very impressed with this book! It has a great variety of various Russian-language authors, in many genres and styles. Not only does it present authentic Russian literature to the intermediate student, it also includes a study guide section with questions for discussion. Each selection has footnotes with unusual glosses (such as archaic words), but they don't bog you down. Plus, there's a great Russian glossary at the back to help the reader. The only thing that could improve this book would be if the selections were in order of difficulty (instead they're in chronological order) -- it would be nice to start out slow & gradually get more difficult. However, it's still very worthwhile. Highly recommended!!

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A reader for intermediate Russian studentsRussian Intermediate Reader (Michalchenko) helps your intermediate students of Russian improve their reading skills and vocabulary while learning about life in contemporary Russia. The reading selections include pieces by Pushkin and Solzhenitsyn. Following each selection, there are questions for classroom discussion and oral reports. This reader is softcover, 6" × 9", and 228 pages in length.

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Schaum's Outline of Russian Grammar Review

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(More customer reviews)I started using Schaum's Outline of Russian Grammar after I already knew the basics of Russian grammar and found it very useful. One of the difficulties with Russian grammar is remembering all the rules and applying them correctly. This book is ideal for practice as it contains hundreds of grammar exercises with answers. The author, James S. Levine, begins each section of the book with a clear explanation of the grammar point to be studied. The exercises then test the learner's understanding of this point. The key to using the book successfully is to do all the exercises. This requires a certain amount of discipline, as it has to be said, this is a fairly dull book. There are no stories and no pictures, just grammar and more grammar. It is for this reason that I would not recommend this book for someone who has no knowledge of Russian at all. Moreover, although all aspects of Russian grammar are covered thoroughly including the basics, Levine often assumes the reader already has a reasonable Russian vocabulary and has a fair grasp of Russian sentence structure. A complete beginner would find doing some of the exercises almost impossible.
The key to speaking Russian correctly and fluently is for the grammar rules to become automatic. If you constantly have to work out the case of the noun, the aspect of the verb and so on, you'll never get anywhere. With practice even the complexities of Russian grammar become a matter of routine. Any reasonably serious student of Russian will benefit from Levine's book and will also gain a good degree of satisfaction from completing the exercises. This book will definitely improve your Russian.


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Each point of grammar and structure is explained simply, and illustrated with examples, in this powerful study guide. The next-best thing to a private tutor, this book makes even difficult topics like declensions clear. Students begin by mastering the Cyrillic alphabet and correct pronunciation. The many practice exercises start readers using this.language in everyday situations.

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