Showing posts with label self-directed learning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label self-directed learning. Show all posts

Thursday, May 17, 2012

The Ultimate French Review and Practice with CD-ROM (UItimate Review & Reference Series) Review

The Ultimate French Review and Practice with CD-ROM (UItimate Review and Reference Series)
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I have loved the French language since I studied it in college and have tried to practice it whenever possible, traveling, seeing French films, reading newspapers in French. I bought French language books for review but always felt I was at a standstill, never really improving. It wasn't until my daughter started studying French in high school and I was looking for books for her that I began to make progress. That was the day I found The Ultimate French Review and Practice in a bookstore.
The book explains all the grammar points of the language so clearly and concisely and the exercises use real situations and everyday, authentic language. The culture notes are fascinating and connected thematically to the exercises. The articles and ads from French language newspapers with their accompanying exercises have really helped me to read and understand. I have been so motivated and inspired by this book.
I couldn't imagine anything better until I was in a bookstore and voilà, there was The Ultimate French Review and Practice with a CD-ROM. Several weeks into my use of the interactive CD-ROM I'm so excited that I have to write in to let people know about it. I'm working my way through the hundreds of exercises that are all new and different from the exercises in the book. I can practice all the grammar points of French and the exercises are referenced to the chapters in the book so it's easy to check my answers and find explanations. The diagnostic and review tests are extremely helpful.
What I especially love about the CD-ROM are the Audio Modules which are great for improving your listening comprehension skills. They have dialogues or narrations spoken by native French speakers. If I don't know a word I can consult the Glossary or the pop-up definitions. I find it very helpful to repeat after the speaker the Ten Key Words and Expressions that precede the audio passages. The topics of the audio passages are very varied and there's a wealth of idiomatic vocabulary based on the topics. My daughter, who is now studying French in college, is dazzled by what I can say about shopping, choosing a career, traveling by plane, eating in a restaurant, even falling in and out of love. She says she hasn't learned nearly as much in her courses and plans to borrow my CD-ROM! Je crois que je vais avoir un succès fou (as one dialogue character says)!


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Gain confidence in your French-language communication using the method trusted by more than 200,000 students

The Ultimate French Review and Practice gives you a good grasp of grammar so you can build your skills and confidence in communication. Each grammatical concept is explained and illustrated with engaging sentence examples; you'll also get extensive exercises offer practice at applying this knowledge in everyday conversation.

This book/CD-ROM package includes:

More than 400 exercises, in addition to 200 exercises on the accompanying CD-ROM
A Pre-Test that identifies your strengths and weaknesses and a Post-Test that helps you review your progress, both on the CD-ROM
Bonus online content, including audio exercises as well as internet-based activities focused on key cultural website across the French-speaking world

Topics include: Verbs--Basic Forms and Uses, Present Tense, Present Tense of Irregular Verbs, Negative Sentences, Interrogative Sentences, Imperative, Passé Composé,Imperfect, Imperfect versus Passé Composé, Reflexive Verbs, Future and Conditional, Conditional Sentences, Pluperfect, Future Perfect, and Past Conditional, Passe Simple, Present Participles, Uses of the Infinitive, Nouns and Their Modifiers, Pronouns, Nouns: Gender, Number and Articles, Uses of Articles, Stressed Pronouns, Subject-Verb Agreement, Possessive and Demonstrative Adjectives and Pounouns, Interrogative Adjectives and Pronouns,Adjectives, Comparative and Superlative, Object Pronouns, Numbers, Time, Dates, Adverbs, Negatives and Indefinites, Prepositions, Prepositions with Geographical Names, Verbs in Two-Clause Sentences, Relative Clauses, The Present Subjunctive, The Past Subjunctive, Literary Subjunctives, The Subjunctive, Idiomatic Usage, The Passive Voice and Substitutes for the Passive, Important Idioms and Proverbs, Verb Charts


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Monday, April 30, 2012

The Ultimate French Review and Practice: Mastering French Grammar for Confident Communication Review

The Ultimate French Review and Practice: Mastering French Grammar for Confident Communication
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I bought this book to relearn all the grammar I used to know. Having had six years of French (last class was ten years ago), I needed something that would take me through grammar lessons fairly quickly. This book does that.
This is a handbook on grammar and conjugations. It follows a simple pattern for presenting material--it provides short lessons with examples, and then gives 8-12 practice exercises (with answers in the back of book), and so on.
This book emphasizes grammar over vocabulary, but translations are provided for the words that are used in examples and exercises. Translations also appear for idiomatic phrases.
I learned of this book by researching the materials used in upper level French composition classes at various universities. This one came up several times as a companion to the literature that students were required to obtain.
Here are the contents of Ultimate French Review and Practice:
Part I, Verbs--Basic Forms and Uses: 1. Present tense, 2. Present tense of irregular verbs, 3. Negative sentences, 4. Interrogative sentences, 5. Imperative, 6. Passe compose, 7. Imperfect; imperfect versus passe compose, 8. Reflexive verbs, 9. Future and conditional; conditional sentences, 10. Pluperperfect, future perfect, and past conditional; conditional sentences, 11. Passe simple, 12. Present participles; uses of the infinitive.
Part II, Nouns and Their Modifiers Pronouns: 13. Nouns: gender, number, and articles; uses of articles, 14. Stress pronouns; subject-verb agreement, 15. Possessive and demonstrative adjectives and pronouns, 16. Interrogative adjectives and pronouns, 17. Adjectives; comparative and superlative, 18. Object pronouns.
Part III, Other Elements of the Sentence: 19. Numbers; time; dates, 20. Adverbs, 21. Negative and indefinites, 22. Prepositions; prepositions with geographical names.
Part IV, Verbs in Two-Clause Sentences: 23. Relative clauses, 24. The present subjunctive, 25. The past subjunctive; literary subjunctives, 26. The subjunctive (continued).
Part V, Idiomatic Usage: 27. The passive voice and substitutes for the passive, 28. Important idioms and proverbs.
Don't be fooled by the price. This is a great resource.

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A good grasp of grammar enables the foreign-language learner to build skill and confidence in communication.Here's the "ultimate," painless way for intermediate and advanced learners to brush up on the rules.Each grammatical concept is explained and then illustrated with lively sentence examples; extensive exercises offer practice at applying this knowledge in everyday conversation.Also included are "culture notes," authentic documents, vocabulary boxes, and verb charts, as well as a full answer key and index.


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Sunday, April 1, 2012

The Blue Pocket Book of French Verbs : 333 Fully Conjugated Verbs Review

The Blue Pocket Book of French Verbs : 333 Fully Conjugated Verbs
Average Reviews:

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I purchased this 333 Verb book after using the Big Blue Book with 555 French Verbs, principally because this smaller version is lighter to carry and I can refer to it with one hand as I read French-language literature.
This volume has most of the best of the Big Blue Book 555 Verbs (which I have also reviewed) -- it seems basically only to be smaller (type size as well as the book itself) and has fewer of what it identifies as Top Verbs, 30 as opposed to the Top 50 in the larger volume.
I have also reviewed the 555 Verb book.


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Based on the popular language "bibles," The Blue Pocket Book of French Verbs and The Red Pocket Book of Spanish Verbs are the most comprehensive, clearest, and easiest-to-use sources for beginning and intermediate learners. Now these books are even more convenient for school or home use thanks to their smaller trim size. But these pocket-sized guides are still mightier than all of the competition in this format.

These portable guides offer smooth sailing through the turbulent seas of a new grammar with:

333 fully conjugated verbs, listed alphabetically
Current idioms and expressions for each verb
Full facing page of usage examples for the top50 verbs
One-stop, at-a-glance verb-tense profiles
More than 2,200 verbs cross-referenced to models
A handy guide to deciphering irregular verb forms
English index to the model verbs


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Monday, November 28, 2011

Tune Up Your French: Top 10 Ways to Improve Your Spoken French Review

Tune Up Your French: Top 10 Ways to Improve Your Spoken French
Average Reviews:

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"Tune Up Your French" is not your ordinary French book. The theme of the book does not emphasize the normal grammar structures or verb drills nor does it highlight naughty French gros mots. Instead, author Natalie Shorr extends an informative welcome to enter the inner circle of native French speakers in both understanding and imitation. She hits upon ten topics that will bring your formal textbook French to a more comfortable level where you and the person to which you are speaking are more in tune with each other, resulting in less cultural misunderstanding. Her hints cover a wide spectrum from nonverbal cues, sound effects and interjections, through manners, table talk, practical idioms, slang to the all important use of wit and improvisation in language (think the magnificient French film "Ridicule"). By explaining the French response to certain expressions used by an unsuspecting native American speaker, the student reader becomes aware of the nuance behind his conveyed mannerisms, his words, the intended meaning and actual interpretation of any of the numerous expressions detailed by Schorr. The text demystifies many all-important ideas like how the French use more words to convey one word ideas in English, the French idea of food and a meal, the way slang is interpreted more negatively when used by a non-native speaker and the very European way of expressing the positive while using negative expressions. Schorr unlocks the door to understanding this centuries-old civilization by illustrating that language is alive and changing through numerous examples that are gastronomical, historical, philosophical and above all uniquely French and hence somewhat alien to the average American listener and observer. She stresses that once realizatiion of what the recipient of your dialogue understands and interprets,dawns, the non-native will be better equipped to use the right phrases, expressions and gestures to ensure that the correct point is being transmitted.
"Tune Up Your French" is by no means a diatribe about language. On the contrary, the information for each tune-up or chapter is presented in the following easy-to-read manner: a preview, explanation, list of top ten expressins and some reheasal time to review.
The book includes a wonderful CD which runs for about an hour which contains listening and repeating of expressions; the male and female French speakers will review some of the text's highlights and then use dialogue to allow you to practice usage. Very enjoyable.
This book is not for the beginner. The student purchasing this book must be pretty well versed in French basics. Some of the phrases used as examples are not translated; others are. The dialogue portion of the CD is rapid fire (spoken as French is truly spoken) without translation and without repetition.
Nevertheless, I most whole-heartedly recommend this very readable and enjoyable departure from most language textbooks. I would love to see a "Tune Up Your French II" with another fun-to-listen-to CD. Tres Bien, Madame Schorr! Please, McGraw Hill, do a "Tune Up Your Italian" also, s'il vous plait!

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Readers can tune up their conversation skills with Tune Up guides--the next best thing to a year abroad!

Getting beyond sounding like a beginner is more than just a matter of learning more vocabulary and grammar. It's also about understanding the culture and developing the right mind set for thinking, listening, and talking like a native.

The next best thing to a year abroad, the books in this exciting new series offer language learners an entertaining and practical way to hone their foreign-language conversation skills. Tune Up books are structured around 10 key areas for improvement, covering everything from tricky grammatical structures to gestures, slang, and humor. In each area, key phrases are presented in "Top Ten" lists, including everyday expressions for filling pauses, icebreakers, and more. An excellent brushup for learners returning to a language they studied in high school or college, Tune Up books feature:

Practical advice on improving conversation skills
Valuable insights into how difficult verbs and structures work
Tips on how to avoid taboos and common faux pas
A 60-minute audio CD with key phrase lists and exercises


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Wednesday, November 23, 2011

101 French Verbs with MP4 Video Disc (101... Language Series) Review

101 French Verbs with MP4 Video Disc (101... Language Series)
Average Reviews:

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I own this same book but the Spanish version. Other than that these books are the same and are great for Beginners to Advance beginners. Intermediate users can also benefit by using this book. Look at the reviews for 101 Spanish Verbs with 101 Videos for Your iPod (101... Language Series) and it will give you an idea about what to expect with this book.

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Robots and mechanical bees bring verbs to life andan accompanying disc puts infinitives in motion

With nothing but drills and rote memorization, there's never been anything fun about conjugating Frenchverbs--until now! 101 French Verbs inspires you to study verb conjugations with its full-color charts and charming, fun illustrations. Quirky robots, buzzy robo-bees, and amischievous canine present the 101 commonly used verbs, with each verb's infinitive cleverly incorporated into a drawing for further reinforcement. For even more help with remembering theconjugations, each book comes with an MP3 disc packed with downloadable animations and pronunciations, easily loaded onto your iPod.


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Friday, October 7, 2011

Easy French Reader Review

Easy French Reader
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I really enjoy this book. The texts are fun to read as well as easy to absorb. In a short time, i feel that my reading comphrehension skill level has shot up dramatically. There are a few reasons why this book is successful:
(1) Unlike other language programs which gives you set conversational pieces (which quickly becomes boring and too regimental), the stories in this book built on each other. Key phrases are repeated in different chapters to reinforce learning.
(2) the stories are memorable and fun to read. I've also found that in a very short time i've become very familiar with how phrases/sentences should be put together - something i had not experienced with other French learning materials. This teaching method is remarkably effective.
(3) Because the stories are so interesting, i want to read them over and over again. I would also recommend that you should read them aloud.
(4) Finally, it teaches you a lot about French culture and history. You will learn about all the important periods in French history, French kings, famous French authors and their works.
All in all, it is a very good book to supplement your French studies. Bonne chance, mes amis!!

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A fun and easy new way to quickly acquire or enhance basic reading skills

These unique guides are based on the premise that the best way to learn a language is to start reading it, immediately. Suitable for raw beginners to intermediate-level language learners, the new editions of these popular titles feature engaging readings of progressive difficulty that allow learners to rapidly build comprehension.

Easy French Reader begins with the adventures of two friends, an American and a Parisian, as they learn about their respective cultures. This is followed by readings on the history of France, from ancient Gaul to the present. The final section features four abridged short stories by famous French authors.

Similarly, Easy Spanish Reader begins with the story of two high school seniors involved with their Spanish Club, followed by a history of Mexico, from the Conquistadors to the present, and an abridged version of the classic story of "Lazarillo de Tormes."

Progressive format makes it easy to quickly build comprehension
Marginal word glossaries conveniently present new words and phrases
Exercises challenge comprehension and build reading skills

Attractive new editions, fully updated and featuring appealing new artwork and expanded exercises


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