Rating: 
Summary: decent but sloppy
Review: this book is very small -- 125 pages, large print. considering this, it's well organized and gets the basics across. however, there is not that much more information than you find in the section on verbs in the back of "teach yourself arabic", and the "essentials of grammar" part [apart from the verbs] is practically a joke, since there's so little information. even worse, this book is just rife with editing mistakes, both in the english and especially the arabic. for a reference book, especially a basic one like this, this is inexcusable.in my opinion, someone who is ready to use a book like this would not be satisfied, as they'd find it little more than a rehash of what already appears in their textbooks. instead, buy the other arabic verbs/grammar book by john mace, which is more thorough and has far fewer errors in it.
Rating:
Summary: decent but sloppy
Review: this book is very small -- 125 pages, large print. considering this, it's well organized and gets the basics across. however, there is not that much more information than you find in the section on verbs in the back of "teach yourself arabic", and the "essentials of grammar" part [apart from the verbs] is practically a joke, since there's so little information. even worse, this book is just rife with editing mistakes, both in the english and especially the arabic. for a reference book, especially a basic one like this, this is inexcusable. in my opinion, someone who is ready to use a book like this would not be satisfied, as they'd find it little more than a rehash of what already appears in their textbooks. instead, buy the other arabic verbs/grammar book by john mace, which is more thorough and has far fewer errors in it.
Rating:
Summary: has potential
Review: This book tries to tackle the ever difficult arabic verbs. It does an above average job however there are some holes. There are not too many examples on how to apply the verbs and how they affect the sentence. It does however touch on the past and present verb but that is rather simple anyways, but after that it gets complicated due to its lack of examples and fully explaing how the verb affects the sentence. For exmaple the shhada on the middle of the verb or the 'alif preceeding the verb. I would have found it much more benificial if it was much more indepth, arabic verbs need to be looked at carefully!
Rating: 
Summary: Good "quick and dirty" guide to Verb formation
Review: This is a nice outline of Arabic verb structures, but is not by any stretch of the imagination what the back cover suggests that it is (i.e. something to the effect that it is a "one-stop-shop" for Arabic Grammar). It should be noted that it does absolutely nothing with noun structures (cases etc.) If you already have a grasp of verb structures and just want a basic-review / memory-refresher in one slim volume, this is the book for you. For someone who is newer to the language, but has the alphabet down already, I would look to Schulz's "Standard Arabic - An Elementary-Intermediate Course" [these guys really cut to the proverbial chase and get going quickly, I reccomend this one more for folks with an existing background in linguistics and who already speak at least one other foreign language] or Brustad's "Al-Kitaab" series [the latter goes at a slower pace that many will find more digestable, especially if one doesn't have some background in linguistics jargon]. With either of these, I cannot reccomend strongly enough that you get the accompanying audio materials.
Rating:
Summary: Good "quick and dirty" guide to Verb formation
Review: This is a nice outline of Arabic verb structures, but is not by any stretch of the imagination what the back cover suggests that it is (i.e. something to the effect that it is a "one-stop-shop" for Arabic Grammar). It should be noted that it does absolutely nothing with noun structures (cases etc.) If you already have a grasp of verb structures and just want a basic-review / memory-refresher in one slim volume, this is the book for you. For someone who is newer to the language, but has the alphabet down already, I would look to Schulz's "Standard Arabic - An Elementary-Intermediate Course" [these guys really cut to the proverbial chase and get going quickly, I reccomend this one more for folks with an existing background in linguistics and who already speak at least one other foreign language] or Brustad's "Al-Kitaab" series [the latter goes at a slower pace that many will find more digestable, especially if one doesn't have some background in linguistics jargon]. With either of these, I cannot reccomend strongly enough that you get the accompanying audio materials.
Rating:
Summary: Definitely Essential
Review: This is the one book you will return to again and again. It's user friendly, concise, and offers solid examples of usage. It's the reference book that is so simple yet needed. I brought this to class one day and a few people asked to look at it. Now over half the class has bought one. The problem with many Arabic textbooks is they don't offer an explanation for the grammar, structure or usage. The philosphy is students will pick it up and figure it out. I like knowing why things are the way they are and how it all compares to English. This is one of a couple of books that anyone who is serious about learning arabic needs. It makes things less confusing and can be used as a quick reference when no one offers an explanation.
Rating: 
Summary: Must have for new students
Review: This is the one book you will return to again and again. It's user friendly, concise, and offers solid examples of usage. It's the reference book that is so simple yet needed. I brought this to class one day and a few people asked to look at it. Now over half the class has bought one. The problem with many Arabic textbooks is they don't offer an explanation for the grammar, structure or usage. The philosphy is students will pick it up and figure it out. I like knowing why things are the way they are and how it all compares to English. This is one of a couple of books that anyone who is serious about learning arabic needs. It makes things less confusing and can be used as a quick reference when no one offers an explanation.
Rating:
Summary: Definitely Essential
Review: Very easy to read and understand...as someone else said...it is Arabic grammar at an English pace. The chapters are easy to follow and will assist both beginning students and those in higher levels of study. If you are taking Arabic at the University level (which is still basic--even at the 300 level) get this book.
| 
