1001 Pitfalls in Spanish (1001 Pitfalls)

Rating:
Summary: Tremendous reference for a select group
Review: 1001 Pitfalls in Spanish is a tremendous reference for a select group. Meaning it's extremely helpful to advanced students and educators of the Spanish language. It definitely fills in the gaps about the specifics that can possibly be found in other references but not as hands on. The grammar specifics covered are mostly pragmatic concepts about Spanish and usually they relate to the differences between English and Spanish, which make pitfalls so difficult to overcome. The book is well divided into three main sections: Parts of Speech, Sentence Structure and Special Topics. This book will definitely clarify some queries that you may have. It will prove beneficial once you keep in mind that it is not a grammar book but rather a grammar reference. This is a great reference for those who are natives, advanced students and teachers.

Rating:
Summary: a perfect tricky Spanish grammar reference
Review: After hoping I would find a book like this, I ran a search and happened across this excellent reference. It explains the little tricky gaps that are usually left mysteriously unfilled in Spanish classes. I found the book to be well-organized into sections such as verbs, nouns, and adjectives etc. The authors give an explanation of the grammar rule and then show you how that is broken by a pitfall. 1001 Pitfalls doesn't have any exercises to hold your hand, but it's still a great book for brushing up on the finer points of Spanish grammar. I think it would be great as a reference book for all students of Spanish, not just advanced ones (even though it is perhaps a little more geared to the advanced student). All in all, this is an amazing little Spanish grammar reference that every Spanish student should have.

Rating:
Summary: a perfect tricky Spanish grammar reference
Review: After hoping I would find a book like this, I ran a search and happened across this excellent reference. It explains the little tricky gaps that are usually left mysteriously unfilled in Spanish classes. I found the book to be well-organized into sections such as verbs, nouns, and adjectives etc. The authors give an explanation of the grammar rule and then show you how that is broken by a pitfall. 1001 Pitfalls doesn't have any exercises to hold your hand, but it's still a great book for brushing up on the finer points of Spanish grammar. I think it would be great as a reference book for all students of Spanish, not just advanced ones (even though it is perhaps a little more geared to the advanced student). All in all, this is an amazing little Spanish grammar reference that every Spanish student should have.

Rating:
Summary: Great reference for teachers!
Review: Finally a book that clearly goes over all those confusing little rules that leave you saying "it just sounds right, that's why". I lived and studied in Spain and got a BA in Spanish, but this book has given me rules for things I thought you just had to learn by memory. It is just what I was looking for: a review of the obscure grammar that isn't given much attention in normal studies. If you have been studying Spanish and want to refine your knowledge, this book is for you. If you are just starting out you need something with the basics, but this book is a MUST for teachers!

Rating:
Summary: Necessary above the intermediate level.
Review: First you learn basic Spanish, then you master this book. Unlike the French and German entries in this series you MUST know The Spanish information here presented in order to speak the language well.

I say this as a student of Spanish for sixteen years, an alumnus of the Universidad de Madrid, and as a Spanish teacher on the university level for nine years. A fallacy pervades the United States that Spanish is an easy language that can be mastered by "listening to some tapes." This is one reason that Americans speak the language notoriously badly, with their klunky pronunciation and poor word usage. This book can help prevent your becoming "un americano feo," an "ugly American."

Remember the motto of the Spanish Academy: Limpio, Fijo, y Da Esplendor. When used skilfully, the language radiates splendor and beauty; when used poorly ... well, let's not dwell on that.

Buy the book, study it, enjoy one of the world's great cultured languages.

Rating:
Summary: Not for Beginners
Review: I am using this book now along with the Learning Like Crazy Spansih lessons. www.learningspanishlikecrazy.com
So far the book is excellent. And I strongly recommend it. But definitely not for the complete beginner.
For the complete beginner I'd recommend Spanish - Verbs & Essentials of Grammar by Ina W. Ramboz.


Rating:
Summary: Fills in the gaps
Review: I have a zillion Spanish language books. This was the one that filled in all the gaps in my Spanish language education. I highly recommend it!

Rating:
Summary: May be a good reference for teachers, but not for students
Review: It seems to me that the authors' objective here was to cram in the 1001 examples in as few pages as possible. Yes, it is all there, but for me there are way too few examples and not nearly enough explanation.

I have found that the books that provide little quizzes where I get to apply what I just learned, then find the correct answers in the book, help me to learn much faster, much easier, and in a much more enjoyable way.

Perhaps if you are a teacher and already know 80% of these pitfalls, you will appreciate having all this information, neatly organized for a quick review. But if you are a student like me, you will probably find this pretty boring and very, very difficult to remember.

I would recommend to you "The Ultimate Spanish Review and Practice" by Gordon and Stillman or "Advanced Spanish Grammar" by Prado if you want comprehensive workbooks on grammar pitfalls. Both are loaded with examples and exercises you can do.

If you want to improve your Spanish and don't need one book that covers it all, I'd highly recommend both workbooks by Dorothy Richmond, "Spanish Verb Tenses" and "Spanish Pronouns and Prepositions." These both are interesting, fun, and presented with so many examples and practice exercises that you can really learn the material and REMEMBER it! I can't begin to say enough good things about these two workbooks.

Rating:
Summary: Fills in the gaps
Review: This book is extremely helpful, because it points out the right and wrong way to do things and gives you many rules to follow.

Rating:
Summary: Very good reference, requires basic knowledge of Spanish
Review: This is a very good book although the reader has to have a basic knowledge of Spanish, both in vocabulary and grammatical structures. This is because it is not a textbook but a reference as you can see from the construction of the book. First the parts of speech in Spanish are explained in alphabetical order, beginning from adjectives up to verbs. Then the sentence structure and special topics such as measurements and pronunciation are dealt with. It is not intended to be read from cover to cover, page by page, although it is still highly recommended to read it through at least once because, someday, you would want to make sure whether you should use imperfect or preterite in a particular situation and this book will sure come in handy. The topics are selected meticulously and explained in a structured and easy to understand way with abundant examples. If you are a learner who has a basic knowledge of Spanish this book will be useful and you will find yourself consulting it from time to time. But if you are a beginning learner who still has some grammatical issues to study you should wait buying it until you have become familiar with the language.