Reviews (3)

Easy-to-read introduction
This is an excellent introduction to American culture, and easy enough to read to be used with foreign students.The follow-up and supplementary exercises and suggestions at the end of each chapter are particularly helpful.I only wish I had enough time to use more of them.

Fascinating read for anyone living in the U.S.
The American Ways is an easy to read, well-organized, comprehensive book discussing how the U.S. developed its value system.It builds from the history behind the values to how these values are exhibited in today'spolitical system, religion, ethnic assimilation, business, home and familylife, education, sports, and leisure time.The reader can easilyunderstand or recognize the value placed on activities in these variousareas of American life, both in the past and present. good start
This book is good in a sense that it gives you a general idea about the American culture. Also, it provides a list of references (books and movies) at the end of each chapter for people who want to learn more about thesubject presented on that chapter.Read more

Subjects:  1. Civilization    2. English as a Second Language    3. English language    4. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    5. General    6. History    7. History: World    8. Problems, exercises, etc    9. Readers    10. Textbooks for foreign speakers    11. United States    12. Foreign Language Study / English as a Second Language    13. USA   

Reviews (9)

Short Quck Laughs
In a hurry stressed out... just read a couple quick definitions it will lighten your mood it does mine

Not what I was expecting.
This book is set up as a dictionary.If you enjoy reading dictionaries, then please purchase this book.The humor was lost on me because of the format.

Hilarious fun for an Anglophile
As said previously, this book (and the sibling) are hilarious fun for anglophiles and wordsmiths alike... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. English language    2. English wit and humor    3. Form - Essays    4. General    5. Humor    6. Terms and phrases    7. Humor / General   

Reviews (7)

Excellent for Teachers and students
If you are giving English l�essons this is the right book. Divided into simple steps the book provides you an excellent gide to your classes or self study.

Alan guarantees satisfaction...
Wow, Alan, what do we get in return if we aren't sastisfied?
Excellent!
Improving your grammatical skills may be very important for several reasons, one of which is to foster your overall language competence. The primary strength of this book is the fact it cotains both lucid explanations and numerous exercises to check your comprehension. In order to ensure understanding, simple explanations of rather advanced elements of grammar have been provided. By the time you master this book, you will have dramatically improved your grammatical skills. I guarantee that! Are you unsure when to use the past perfect vs past simple? What about the proper use of auxiliaries and modal verbs? Pronouns and prepositions? Gerunds and participles? Word order? Definitely a valuable book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. English as a Second Language    2. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    3. Foreign Language Study    4. Language    5. ELT grammars & grammar practice    6. English    7. Foreign Language Study / English as a Second Language   

Reviews (15)

Where We Were In Vietnam
I have had Mike's book for some time now and have found it to be of great use to me.I served in Vietnam as an infantryman in the Australian Army and he has covered many of our battle sites as well as our base areas so for that I say well done..I currently live and work in Vietnam so I can use it as a constant reference whenever I travel throughout the country visiting the old battlefields and other sites of interest. With all grid references given in the military grid system and the ready availability of military maps for most areas it is a most usefull piece of work.

Where We Were in Vietnam
I served 3 consecutive tours in Vietnam and I must tell you, as a vietnam Veteran, I find this Book PerticulerlyAluminating. I still am in the process of comeing to terms with many things dealing with Vietnam. This Book puts many of them into perspective.
Simply Outstanding!Resonates with living history!
Michael P. Kelley has exceeded all expectations with this volume. He has put his heart and soul into this resource, one that resonates with the living history of a long series of wars in 20th Century Vietnam. A primary resource for all interested in the conflict in Vietnam. A First Rate effort! Reread all those Vietnam-era works and see if those firebase names jive up to the action described. Is it fact, or else some sorry assed tale passed on down? Now we know. This is a must for any and all public libraries. We simply must have this work in the public record. HATS OFF,Mister Kelley! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - Southeast Asia    2. Dictionaries    3. History    4. History - General History    5. Maps    6. Military    7. Military - Vietnam War    8. Military History - Vietnam Conflict    9. Military Organization And Administration    10. Military Science    11. Military bases, American    12. Vietnam    13. Vietnam War, 1961-1975    14. Vietnamese Conflict, 1961-1975   

Reviews (2)

what are you talking about?
I am already cancelled a book I ordered because you did not send me a book until estimate delivery day 2, Sep.

Good example of grammar in context
This book gives thestudent and teacher an opportunity to work with strenghts and weaknesses.The layout with readings and follow up for comprehnsion and grammmatical structure is supportive and informative. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. English as a Second Language    2. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    3. Grammar    4. Language    5. Language Arts & Disciplines    6. American English    7. ELT: Learning Material & Coursework    8. Foreign Language Study / English as a Second Language   

Reviews (20)

tip on using the accompanying CD
Copy it onto your hard drive, and play it in Windows Media Player, using the Play/Pause button to give yourself a little extra time to repeat what you hear. It's not as clumsy as it sounds.

Good Book
I used Colloquial Korean and Teach Yourself Korean before this. By comparison this is by far the best book of its kind for English readers, if you already have some basics.
One of the best
For those of you who have tried to study Korean using the books available in the marketplace you already understand there is a dearth of good learning materials. I think the reason why so many people give this book 5 stars is it is a relative value compared to other textbooks available.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    2. Foreign Language Study    3. Korean    4. Language    5. Language teaching & learning material & coursework   

Reviews (18)

A Horrible Book
This book deals just with Ancient Greek Grammar.It can be used only as part of a University Course or as part of any teaching process involving a teacher.It is a book for ...professors of Ancient Greek!
Serious Introduction to Attic Greek
Mastronarde's book is an immensely useful and well-written introduction into Attic Greek.Now, Mastronarde does not bold-face important concepts or provide nice illustrations to guide the reader.However, if you are diligent enough to read the book thoroughly and do the exercises, you will have quite a thorough understanding of this language.
More praise, with some additions
I used Mastronarde's book to teach myself Attic Greek several years ago (and _before_ I knew Latin).I was adrift until I bought the ANSWER KEY.Nowadays, Mr. Mastronarde has a *(free) online website* which supplements this textbook, offering among other things versatile electronic flashcards keyed to the units (and is easily findable on Google). Of other textbooks I've seen, I also recommend Hanson and Quinn's "Intensive", which I think is a little stronger with respect to teaching the Subjunctive and the Optative Moods, but less good for solo learners.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Ancient Languages - Classical Greek    2. Attic Greek dialect    3. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    4. Language    5. Ancient (Classical) Greek    6. History / Ancient / General    7. Language & Linguistics    8. Language learning: specific skills   

Reviews (7)

Beginner Student of the French Language
Suzanne A. Hershfield - Haims has written a clear, lucid and comprehensive text-book for people who want to start learning French.It is the best text-book on French I have come across for helping the student build a strong and sound foundation from which to pursue further study.I recommend this book highly to those who want to master French.

A good self-teaching guide
If you want to learn french and use this book as your only resource, expect to spend several hours working on different sentences and excercises throughout the book. However, all the effort is worthwhile, as the authors use daily speeches and conversations to take you from learning the basics of French, starting a conversation, to learning to speak French confidently and starting your own conversations in French also.

Great Adjunct
I purchased this book after satisfactorily using the Italian book of the same series in a beginning Italian class.I wanted a book in French without the cutsy pictures and the comic book mentality of some of the more well-known workbooks on the market and focused mainly on the desire of obtaining a no-nonsense review of the French language that I could use as a self-learning tool. I found this book provided a good initial overview that I could use in conjunction with other French learning tools and a native French teacher.It is by no means the only book I would use. Read more

Subjects:  1. English    2. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    3. Foreign Language Study    4. French    5. French language    6. Grammar    7. Language    8. Self-instruction    9. Textbooks for foreign speakers    10. Foreign Language Study / French    11. Language teaching & learning material & coursework   

Reviews (6)

Probably the best spanish pocket dictionary
I have been studying spanish for five years and have supplemented my study by reading at least 60 spanish books and although I own about 10 spanish dictionaries the one I use 90% of the time due to its size and reliability isel diccionario del espanol moderno. Es el mejor de todos.

Spanish-Spanish dictionary
My granddaughter is taking advanced Spanish as an adult after living in Spain for a while. Her teacher insisted on this book and it is carried in her book bag as it is just the right size and very helpful

Great because it's entirely in Spanish!
The reason I bought this book is because I believe that the best way for me to learn Spanish is without constant reference to English.Show me the word, give me the Spanish definition.Don't translate.I wanted a Spanish ONLY diccionario.All other dictionaries are really "translationaries." This is the only one of its kind I found and I love it and use it frequently. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Dictionaries    2. Dictionaries - General    3. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    4. Reference    5. Spanish    6. Spanish language    7. Spanish: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    8. Reference / Dictionaries   

Editorial Review

How would you define "bump" for a 6-year-old? The Read more

Reviews (2)

Disappointing...
I purcjased this dictionary for my daughter last year when she was in first grade.It does not have basic words such as "Christmas", "decorate", "build".We are ordering a different children's dictionary tonight, and hope to have better luck!The photos are nice, but there are too few words and watered down definitions...

Scholatic First Dictionary
Teaching my child to read has been a great experience. To teach him to look up the meaning of new words has become a fun time activity.This bookis essential for faimlies with school age children. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 4-8 - Reference    2. Children: Grades 3-4    3. Dictionaries, Juvenile    4. English language    5. Juvenile English Language    6. Juvenile Nonfiction    7. Reference - Dictionaries    8. Juvenile Nonfiction / Reference / Dictionaries   

Features

• Box set

Reviews (12)

Excellent learning tool
I was toying with the idea of making my own flash cards to aid my learning, but then I ran across these flash cards.I am so glad I purchased them along with the work book 250 Everyday Characters, also by Philip Yungkin Lee.The flash cards are handy to take with me and also show the proper stroke order for each character.I will definately be purchasing the other sets of flash cards once I finish learning this set.

Not for absolute beginners
The flashcards are fine, but I would recommend them only as supplementary material once you are acquainted with some of the principles of character formation (there are several fine books for this), like character roots, and the more you know about this, the easier it will be to remember the characters. The booklet that comes with the flashcards is only a very shallow introduction to this. I think that, if I had begun to study characters with these flashcards, I would have been completely overwhelmed. (By the way, if you are an absolute beginner and still have not acquired basic pronunciation skills, I would reccomend not starting to learn characters right away, but instead trying to get some speech proficiency first, using Pimsleur for example)

Do not buy these cards from this publisher - they may be defective
I bought volume one of Chinese in a Flash, and - what can I say? - I was impressed. The cards were well made (I don't have the problems with sturdiness that other customers have) and well-put together. The only problem I had with Volume One was that I needed more - more characters, more information, more flashcards.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Chinese    2. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    3. Foreign Language Study    4. Language    5. Language self-study & phrasebooks   

Reviews (1)

A lovely little treat
This is an inexpensive and enjoyable little book that you can absorb in an afternoon, but spend months returning to enjoy.Some of the words are common, some are uncommon, and some I had never heard before.
Read more

Subjects:  1. English language    2. Etymology    3. Reference    4. Vocabulary    5. Word Lists    6. Reference / General   

Reviews (2)

Indispensable
I am writing this review from the viewpoint of someone who already speaks French and wanted to learn how to translate.The sad fact is that skill in the former does not necessarily promise skill in the latter.Stack asks: are you accurately translating ALL of the ideas in the original text into the next language?Does the result sound like natural English as written by a native speaker?His lessons in French grammar as well as translation exercises make this book a definite keeper (and while I already spoke French before I picked up this book, it was recommended to me by an engineer who had minimal French under his belt and merely wanted to be able to understand some written French that kept cropping up on the job).
A little dry in content, but I learned how to read French!
I used this book as a textbook for an undergraduate course in Reading French.Not speaking, just reading.Since I already knew Spanish and was familiar with Portuguese, it was not hard for me to understand thelanguage.However, my speaking ability is still non-existent.I justcannot wrap my mouth around French pronunciation.Read more

Subjects:  1. English    2. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    3. Foreign Language Study    4. French    5. French language    6. Grammar    7. Language    8. Readers    9. Textbooks for foreign speakers    10. Language learning: specific skills    11. Language readers   

Editorial Review

You'll find everything you forgot from school--as well asplenty you never even learned--in this all-purpose reference book, aninstant classic when it first appeared in 1987. The updated versiontakes a whirlwind tour through 12 different disciplines, from Americanstudies to philosophy to world history. Along the way, Judy Jones andWilliam Wilson provide a plethora of useful information, from the plotof Read more

Reviews (59)

More Here Than You Can Ever Know
No, you probably didn't learn all of these 3,684 tidbits. If you had you would have been an excellent player of 'Trivial Persuit' but your brain would probably have been fried.
Study this curricum and have fun doing so!
I just finished the taped version of AN INCOMPLETE EDUATION
A Great Book
This book can be viewed as either a repository of interesting knowledge or as a way to one up people in conversation at cocktail parties.There are chapters to correspond with the major departments in a liberal arts college (art, literature, economics, etc.)This is a guide to everything that you learned in college and forgot (or everything you should have learned but skipped out on).If you are still in high school, read this book--you will be able to easily impress your teachers with college-level knowledge.I cannot wait for the new edition to be released! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Education (General)    2. Encyclopedias    3. Encyclopedias and dictionaries    4. Handbooks, vade-mecums, etc    5. Questions & Answers    6. Reference    7. Reference / Encyclopedias   

Reviews (2)

A Bit Too Concise
I like the size, but I prefer the definitions and content of the American Heritage Dictionary.

why can't this dictionary be as good as Concise OED?
I bought this dictionary hoping to find it as useful and thorough as Concise OED (ISBN: 0198608640)or even better. I was mistaken.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Dictionaries - General    2. Reference    3. Reference / Dictionaries    4. Reference | English Dictionaries   

Reviews (6)

A fun way to learn some Spanish
As intended by William C. Harvey, this book and the 3 CD's are a fun way to learn some Spanish.I am still enjoying the products.They are great for the non-serious student who just wants to learn some useful ways of communicating with Spanish speakers.
The Best Spanish Learning Tool Yet
I have purchased many books and tapes over the years in order to learn Spanish, but they were all in Spanish and I had to sit for hours with the book in front of me to make any sense out of it.Then my boss told me about Spanish for Gringos with Compact Discs.It's the best yet!The teacher on the CD speaks so clearly that it's easy for me to both understand and repeat his words.He believes in repetition -- the best way to learn -- and he explains what he's saying both in Spanish and English.The book comes with 3 disks, so I keep one in my car, one in my kitchen CD player, and one in my bedroom CD player.I pick one phrase each day and write it down and memorize it, so my ability to speak the language is growing daily.I listen to at least one tape every day while cooking, and when I am driving back and forth to work.I am learning quickly, both to speak and understand Spanish. One can learn with just the CD's alone, although the book is very clear also.I recommend this book to anyone who wants to communicate with the Hispanic community.It's easy and fun!

What a great place to start.
As a small business owner I desparately needed to break through to the Spanish-speaking community.I began with this book, then over a few more years I ended up with a BS in Spanish and fluency in the language.But when I entered the first class at the university, I was WAY ahead of the rest of the students and stayed that way because of this book.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    2. Foreign Language Study    3. Spanish    4. Spanish: Adult Nonfiction    5. English Language Teaching (ELT)    6. Foreign Language Study / Spanish    7. Language teaching & learning material & coursework    8. Teaching of a specific subject   

Reviews (14)

The Perfect Little Helper
I went to Haiti this year and before I left I had bought this book. Thank goodness I did. It was my bible the whole time I was there and it helped me get by very easily and the back of the book has a very useful dictionary that is easy to interprate.

Kreyol phraseologist.
This is THE book if you have heard the CD, of the same name and/or have some understanding of how words are phrased and the ennunciation of the Haitian Kreyol alphabet.If you do not have those basics down, you might be lost.Some of the pronunciation might be familiar, if you have had French, but since some of the Haitian Kreyol words are pronounced completely opposite of what you might think, you and the person you're speaking to, still may not understand.
need the whole package
Haitian Creole is a fun language, especially if you know Fench and can see the correspondances.However, you'd be best served getting the entire package - this book plus the CD and the workbook.The workbook provides an excellent expansion on the meager detail in the book.No where does any of the books provide a section on greetings - these have to be gleaned from the dialogues (Bonjou, etc.).I guess that's what the Hippocrene phrasebook is for.Othrwise, it's a fun set of books that will give you the base you'll need if going to Haiti (or Miami) and want to start communicating in Kreyol. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cooking    2. Foreign Language Study / Miscellaneous    3. Foreign Language Study / Polyglot Dictionaries    4. Creole dialects    5. Dictionaries    6. English    7. Foreign Language Study    8. Haiti    9. Miscellaneous    10. Reference   

Reviews (12)

English and its Foibles
Bill Bryson's dictionary is a wonderful frolic through the foibles of the English language.The misused, the misunderstood and even the mis-spelled are treated with great humour and insight.
Hilarious and useful, but some problems
That about says it all. Bill Bryson is a hilarious writer. I like reading grammar books anyway, but I was always excited to read this book, as it's so entertaining.
An enjoyable reference not just for editors
If you are one of those people who actually care about your writing, then this book is for you. I picked up a copy recently at a bookstore and I've browsed through most of it. I'm embarrassed to say that I found a few words that I had been using incorrectly!
Read more

Subjects:  1. Dictionaries    2. Dictionaries - General    3. Dictionaries - Synonyms/Antonyms    4. English language    5. Language    6. Language Arts & Disciplines    7. Reference    8. Usage    9. Vocabulary    10. Vocabulary Development    11. Language Arts & Disciplines / Vocabulary   

Reviews (3)

Very clear and legible Arabic typeface
Still a beginning student not yet qualified to comment on many aspects of this dictionary, I am however very pleased with the large, clear, easy-on-the-eyes Arabic font in this full-size edition. I steered away from the smaller formatted and much cheaper edition for fear that as a new reader I would not be able to make out the intricate script. [Years ago as a student of Khmer, another fairly intricate writing system, I first found myself reading documents with a magnifying glass, but once I reached a more advanced level everything seemed clear enough. I imagine it takes most students a while to adjust to what at first seems to be very strange and tiny scribbles.] Most Arabic entries seem fully voweled, so I do not see the need for the English phonetics that another reviewer demanded. I used the "Fun with Arabic" CD-ROM to get past the phonetics. I'm pleased at what I got for my money. I also followed another reviewer's suggestion and ordered the Al Mawrid dictionary as well. If you are going to put in the huge amount of time required to learn a foreign language, you'd best invest early in the game.

ATTENTION SELF STUDY! No English pronunciation!!!
I have used an English/Japanese dictionary that had the Japanese pronuciation in English characters as well as in Japanese. This book contains no such function. If you don't read Arabic, this book is of very limited use. You will have no way of determining the pronunciation. THIS BOOK DOES NOT SUPPORT SELF STUDY! Such an obvious oversight by the Editors and Publishers of this book is deeply disappointing.

the best english -arabic dictionary
its the best and most useful dictionary i have ever rea ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Arabic    2. Dictionaries    3. English language    4. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    5. Foreign Language Study / Arabic    6. Language & Linguistics    7. Reference | Bilingual Dictionaries | Other   

Reviews (19)

Good exercise, but only as reinforcement
The author seems to have her heart in the right place and the book is well organized, but I really doubt anyone will learn more than number, colors, or other such items.
Finally:A guide that makes sense!
After many books on Italian, French, Spanish, I finally found a learning guide that makes sense. Chapter 1: the alphabet.Chapter 2: key question words (who, what, where, when, why, how, how much).Chapter 3: Odds 'n ends (the words for "the" and "a").And so on.All words are shown phonetically, as well as how they are spelled in the native German.Tear-out sheets for reviewing on the go.Peel-off stickers to put around the house.This one seems to have it all.

Sorry, this book is not a good way to learn German
I've been learning Russian by self study for the last couple of years and recently decided to brush up on my German as well.I've purchased a LOT of language learning products as of late, and I've found that the quality and effectiveness of learning materials can vary greatly.I bought the Russian version of this text and was incredibly disappointed.I was in a bookstore recently and checked out the German version.Yup, more of the same.This book might be okay for kids, but it's not a serious learning tool. Learning a language in ten minutes a day may be a fun fantasy, but the resources available in this series of books won't do much to help you learn German.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Conversation and phrase books    2. English    3. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    4. Foreign Language Study    5. German    6. German language    7. Language    8. Travel / Europe / Germany    9. Europe - Germany    10. Language self-study & phrasebooks    11. Self-instruction    12. Textbooks for foreign speakers    13. Travel