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

by Ronni L. Gordon, David M. Stillman

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.

Genres: Spanish Literature, Language, Reference, Nonfiction, Textbooks

480 pages, Paperback

First published December 7, 2010

Reviews

[Myka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent review for someone like me, who studied Spanish and high school and felt fairly comfortable in the language... But that was ten years ago! This book provides great refresher explanations of grammatical points (given in English) and then follows them with useful exercises that drive them home with repetition. Newer editions have more modern Spanish; verbs for surfing the net, using cellphones, etc. The authors also give good cultural explanations in sidebars. Unfortunately, each edition seems to contain multiple publishing errors-- the same exercise appears twice, spelling errors in English and Spanish, and a few grammatical errors. My Spanish-speaking friends also tell me that certain idiomatic expressions are described very poorly or are wrong outright. I take this with a grain of salt because the Spanish-speaking world is large and diverse; native speakers from different regions often disagree on pronunciation and meaning. Their objections tell me that the authors should label the origin of their definitions more explicitly or perhaps omit certain phrases because they are too complex to be given simple English equivalents. Those might be better served in another text. At any rate, I find the book a worthwhile investment for someone who wants to speak Spanish well, beyond what's needed for a two-week vacation in Cancun (which is nothing, btw).

[Brandon "Buddy" Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was provided to me by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when I was serving as a volunteer, full-time missionary in Mexico. With a study of one hour per day, I was far better equipped than I otherwise would have been to become proficient in the Spanish language. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wishes to learn to speak Spanish.

[Vendla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the way the book is set up, but found it confusing for students because it combines different vocab and grammar in the same activities. It is very academic but good for advanced language learners.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

At Library

[Alan Gerstle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good Spanish review for the intermediate-advanced learner. Explains some of the subtlety in meanings, especially in verbal forms only seems to be more 'European Spanish' oriented.

[Matthew Wilcox · Rating 5 out of 5]

I guarantee this is the best book out there to learn Spanish. Perfectly crafted curriculum and easy to understand explanations.

[Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very, very good. This one clicked with me much more than Complete Spanish Step-By-Step.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is fantastic because it reviews in detail really advanced grammar. That is the bulk of the book. Even so, they have included the basic grammar because I have to return to that occasionally. Most importantly, it includes relevant and up-to-date cultural notes.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book assumes a fairly strong base of knowledge. Not for the absolute beginner but it is very comprehensive

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is AMAZING. It is the textbook they use to teach Spanish-speaking LDS missionaries in the Missionary Training Center. Absolutely excellent.

[Jony Bassett · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very excellent review for someone who wants to learn more extensively the grammar of Spanish, a lot more extensive than what you might learn in high school.