<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: A great find
Review: I am an American studying Mandarin in Shanghai. Another student in my class found this book and recommended it to the rest of us. The book covers the questions that I have as a beginning student of Mandarin, and that our Chinese teachers don't always explain fully. I have found the explanations in this book to be clear and concise.
Rating:
Summary: Great PCR companion
Review: Regarding other reviews of this book, please keep in mind that the content of this book was strictly dictated by being a companion to the first two volumes in the "Practical Chinese Reader" series which regardless of its faults is a very popular series of textbooks for _non-Chinese speakers_. Yes, when you are a beginning student you learn mostly stupid stuff. That's not the book's fault. Shall we teach folks to compare and contrast Nietzche and Mozi in chapter 5? How about discussing string theory in chapter 18? Of course not, so the sentences are a little lacking. But the explanations (of the PCR material) are excellent. Lucid with a capital L! Even of very much use to users of other textbooks.
Rating: 
Summary: Over-rated
Review: This book has been rather over-rated. It isn't really that well written, and the examples and explanations, though decent, aren't too well organised and chosen, at least to the eyes of a native Chinese speaker. I don't know if there're better books in the market, but this isn't entirely satisfactory.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent resource!
Review: This large (500+ pages) paperback is a companion volume to the 'Practical Chinese Reader' series. PCR, which is available with accompaning cassette tapes, is said to be one of the more popular teaching / learning series for Mandarin Chinese. (I'm enjoying it a lot!) The grammar explanations in PCR leave a lot to be desired, however. (They're terse to a fault; obviously intended to be fleshed out by a teacher.) This book matches the first two books of PCR, lesson by lesson, and supplements them by giving clear, detailed explanations of the grammar points brought up. There is a wealth of sample sentences provided (simplified characters, pinyin romanization, and English translation) that clarify the grammar. Sophisticated analysis, yet accessible to beginners - this grammar shouldn't be missed.
<< 1 >>
| 
