Rating: 
Summary: The best advanced grammar available
Review: I have over 20 years experience as a college teacher of Spanish and as a federally certified Spanish court interpreter and, in my opinion, this volume is without equal among Spanish grammars. What you find here is not available anywhere else: an empirical, scholarly presentation of Spanish as it is spoken throughout the Spanish-speaking world.This is not an intermediate grammar as some reviewers have asserted. It is not a repetition of conventional grammar rules as they have been handed down for generations. There are much simpler books that explain the use of the subjunctive, the mechanics of noun-adjective agreement, verb conjugation etc. Rather, this book describes how literate people in different countries (or regions of countries) use the language in real life. It tells you to what extent they respect the traditional academic rules of grammar, and to what extent they break them and change them. In other words, it tells you what the living rules of the language are in distinct places. All of this is supported by copious citations from the writings of novelists, scholars, journalists, etc. making it an eminently readable book. It's very easy to pick it up to search for the answer to a specific question and end up reading for an hour because it contains so much fascinating information. In short, it is a superb and eminently useful piece of scholarship, which belongs on the shelf of any serious student of the language.
Rating:
Summary: The best advanced grammar available
Review: I have over 20 years experience as a college teacher of Spanish and as a federally certified Spanish court interpreter and, in my opinion, this volume is without equal among Spanish grammars. What you find here is not available anywhere else: an empirical, scholarly presentation of Spanish as it is spoken throughout the Spanish-speaking world. This is not an intermediate grammar as some reviewers have asserted. It is not a repetition of conventional grammar rules as they have been handed down for generations. There are much simpler books that explain the use of the subjunctive, the mechanics of noun-adjective agreement, verb conjugation etc. Rather, this book describes how literate people in different countries (or regions of countries) use the language in real life. It tells you to what extent they respect the traditional academic rules of grammar, and to what extent they break them and change them. In other words, it tells you what the living rules of the language are in distinct places. All of this is supported by copious citations from the writings of novelists, scholars, journalists, etc. making it an eminently readable book. It's very easy to pick it up to search for the answer to a specific question and end up reading for an hour because it contains so much fascinating information. In short, it is a superb and eminently useful piece of scholarship, which belongs on the shelf of any serious student of the language.
Rating:
Summary: it is really five stars
Review: i think it is norm of modern spanish it is very punctual and examples are abundant i recommend this book who wants to be serious student of spanish .i think it will be best choice
Rating:
Summary: excellent book for the serious student
Review: I wish I read this book before I wasted a lot of time reading all those other Spanish books. This book is perfect for the serious student of Spanish who wants to know the details and fine nuances of speaking the language. This book is not for the casual Spanish speaker or tourist who wants a quick fix because his plane to Spain leaves tomorrow. My frustration level is a lot lower now than before. I found this book in a public library and now I am going to buy it and use it as a reference
Rating: 
Summary: Thorough but Complicated
Review: I would classify myself as an intermediate Spanish student. But this book is aimed at those at a higher level or knowledge of Spanish. But even as an intermediate student, I found this book frustrating because of its layout. I wanted to learn more about the Impersonal "Se" and I found myself reading from cross reference to cross reference. Frustrating. If you are interested in the fine details of Spanish (and I like grammar), then this is the book for you. But if you are still acquiring the language, may I recommend "Manuel De Gramatica: Grammar Reference for Students" by Eleanor Dozier and Zulma Iguina. I hope this helps others. Kevin
Rating: 
Summary: Lifelong Student of Spanish Linguistics
Review: Not only is this book the best most exhaustive reference for Spanish grammer that I have encounterd for peninsular or latin american spanish, it is also really fun to read. The rules are often illustred with compelling quotes from famous authors, newspapers, or conversation. Emphasis on defining spanish through its daily usage is what makes this book invaluable. I highly reccomend it.
Rating:
Summary: Engaging and Exhaustive
Review: Not only is this book the best most exhaustive reference for Spanish grammer that I have encounterd for peninsular or latin american spanish, it is also really fun to read. The rules are often illustred with compelling quotes from famous authors, newspapers, or conversation. Emphasis on defining spanish through its daily usage is what makes this book invaluable. I highly reccomend it.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best Spanish references available on the market.
Review: This is a tremendous Spanish grammar reference for very advanced speakers, teachers and professors in my opinion. If you are not at any of the mentioned levels this reference will appear complicated and unmeaningful. This reference covers all the principal grammar topics and goes into detail with examples of structures and concepts that traditionally present difficulty. There are no practice exercises so for application of concepts you would have to ascertain a grammar book. The book is divided in chapters by grammar topic and of course there is a great deal of dedication to verbs and the various moods and tenses. I found this grammar reference to include the specifics about Spanish that goes beyond general knowledge as well as many pragmatic concepts that are hard to research and reference. I honestly recommend this reference for clarification of unusual Spanish grammar concepts, some explanation of pragmatic usage and for overall improvement of your Spanish grammar at a very advanced level.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent reference if you know your grammar terms!
Review: This is an extremely comprehensive reference; I haven't yet come up a with a grammar question that it doesn't answer. However, I do want to warn prospective buyers that this book is a reference, not a textbook. The information is densely packed, and assumes that you are familiar with grammar terms in English. If you don't know the difference between a gerund and a participle, or what a "non-restrictive relative clause" is, finding what you need from this book will be difficult.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent reference if you know your grammar terms!
Review: This is an extremely comprehensive reference; I haven't yet come up a with a grammar question that it doesn't answer. However, I do want to warn prospective buyers that this book is a reference, not a textbook. The information is densely packed, and assumes that you are familiar with grammar terms in English. If you don't know the difference between a gerund and a participle, or what a "non-restrictive relative clause" is, finding what you need from this book will be difficult.
| 
