Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 77
 Love the "Practice Makes Perfect" series! November 24, 2009
K. Jones (Portland, OR)
I have been studying Spanish on my own for the last year or so, using various books, audio, and computer programs. I'm at an intermediate level and have been finding it hard to get out of beginning Spanish and move comfortably to more advanced levels. Thank goodness I finally found the "Practice Makes Perfect" series. I wasted my time with most of those other books and programs. These books provide excellent explanations and enough exercises to allow you to truly learn and understand the language. Of course you might have to buy more than one, since they each focus on different aspects of the language, but it's worth it. So far I've purchased Practice Makes Perfect: Spanish Pronouns And Prepositions, Practice Makes Perfect: Spanish Verb Tenses, and Practice Makes Perfect: The Spanish Subjunctive Up Close. I'm working with the first two at the same time--I've found that they supplement each other pretty well.
Completely Satisfied--But You May Not Be October 2, 2009
19topaz19
I only recently discovered the "Practice Makes Perfect" series (my introduction was "Spanish Verb Tenses"). These are by far the best language books I've used. However, I'd studied Spanish before, so they may be too challenging for a beginner, especially if you don't feel you pick up language quickly. Explanations are brief and the focus is on examples and lots of practice. If you're good at acquiring language, these are perfect books for learning a lot of vocab and grammar rules quickly. If you prefer a slower pace or are just studying Spanish for the first time, you may be better off beginning with another series. This isn't your typical "Spanish for the traveler" beginner course with dialogues about ordering food, checking into a hotel, and doing other tourist stuff--that's why I like it, and why a lot of other people may be disappointed. If you want a lot of practice using Spanish to express all sorts of things, though, this is a great series. But, no matter who you are, don't do what I did--start with the pronouns and prepositions book, NOT the verb tenses one!
It only feels good when you finish September 16, 2009
K. Friesenhahn (San Antonio, tx United States)
This is exactly what I needed to learn Spanish. I hate verbs and pronouns and love these books. I now feel confident with my grasp of the fundamentals of the language. I kept telling myself "just do it". My first copies have been rendered unreadable by my notes and underlinings so I am ordering new copies and to my amazement I can't wait for them to come! I sorta consider this book to be a marathon for my brain and the real rush comes when you finish!
Another Winner for Students of Spanish August 11, 2009
Eric W. Vogt, Ph.D., Author of The Spanish Subjunctive Up Close, Spanish Pronouns Up Close and Spanish Past Tenses Up Close (Seattle, WA)
Dorothy Richmond has produced a very useful general grammar of Spanish for intermediate students. This is quite a feat.
A class of intermediate students of Spanish is always problematic because they come with disparate problems, although a few generalizations can be made. Ms. Richmond obviously comes at the problem from years of experience and in her book has addressed a wide variety of problems. One reviewer correctly points out, however, that she could have been a bit more mindful of the fact that many students using her book are doing so independently and thus her explanations need to be more thorough. For many students, this will not be a problem because they will be "thinking with the text" and will grasp her reasoning.
This is a great point of departure for students in need of a review of all the most important aspects of Spanish grammar, but they will likely need much more in-depth work with three areas that no textbook or general grammar text can do because of space limitations.
Sincerely,
Eric W. Vogt, Ph.D.
great learning tool July 5, 2009
Bruce E. Enos (Culver City, CA USA)
This book , and all the other books by this author, have been indispensible aids in learning spanish for me. The instructions given in each lesson are written so that you can really learn how to write and speak spanish correctly. The explanations of language usage are far better than those given in any standard textbook that I have read. There are tons of exercises which you can do immediately after reading the lessons contained in each chapter, and the correct answers are given at the back of the book so that you can correct yourself immediately. I recommend this book without reservation.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 77
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