Reviews (13)

Good place to start
I am a native speaker trying to teach my hubby a few words for our trip to Brazil.I found the book very easy to use.Most nights he practiced by himself and I reviewed the material.He was able to get pretty good pronunciation using the books guidelines, but emphasis was harder.It think this is true anytime you are studying language through a book.The stickers were fun to use, we did label items around the house.After getting this book down we moved on to a CD ROM package which has been useful as well.My husband felt that the book did not do a very good job with teaching tenses and conjugating words.This is true, the books aim was to teach you useful phrases and words, you would still be limited in your ability to understand a native speakers anwers to your questions.However, after only one month he definitelty learned quite a bit.Even though I am fluent it is easier to work from a program, as learning from me is hit or miss, this way we have the basics covered.
Great product
I enjoyed this book a lot. It is a great way for a beginner to pick up the basic words and phrases needed to communicate in Portuguese. When you actually follow the directions and spend the 10 minutes a day, you really pick up the language quickly! I like the way the book is written and found it easy to follow and understand. Great way to learn!

Trying to Learn
This is a wonderful book if you are going to be in Brazil for a very short time. It is also a good beginner book. Unfortunately the pronunciations (esp at the end of words) is hard to understand. My husband is from Brazil and we will be going there soon. He had to correct me the majority of the time when I was pronouncing the words how this book has outlined how they should be pronounced. Overall it is a nice book but you might want need a tutor as well to get the sounds right.If you are going to be staying in Brazil for a longer time you will need a better book for sure. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. English    2. Europe - Spain & Portugal    3. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    4. General    5. Grammar    6. Language    7. Portuguese    8. Portuguese language    9. Reference    10. Self-instruction    11. Textbooks for foreign speakers    12. Conversation and phrase books    13. Language self-study & phrasebooks    14. Portugal    15. Spain   

Reviews (19)

How Effective is Barron's "Drill" Method of Teaching Spanish?
As the editor of the Learning Spanish Products Reviews (LearningSpanishProductsReviews) site, one of my responsibilities is to review learning Spanish books, courses and software that are listed on Amazon. I am also a native Spanish speaker from Argentina and a professional private Spanish instructor.
Great course, but only for the serious student
The most important thing that I can tell you about this course is that it is not for the casual traveler. It is strictly for very serious students of Spanish. I am talking about people that are just passionate about learning the language. If you are studying Spanish for any reason other than the joy of learning-Spanish, you will not enjoy this course.
Good Supplement to Spanish Classes
The "Barron's Mastering Spanish: Level 1" course is a great supplement for anyone who wants to learn Spanish, and has had some exposure to the language.The tapes are immensely helpful for getting the proper intonation of the spoken language.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Audio - Language    2. Audio Adult: Language    3. Spanish   

Reviews (14)

We want more of the kind...
Probably the most pleasant book you will use, not just to learn about hieroglyphs, but also, to learn about ancient egyptian culture.

Excellent Book...but Gardiner still worth it!!

An good text book!
If you want to learn the basics of hieroglyphs. Dont buy this book first. Buy "How to Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs: A Step-By-Step Guide to Teach Yourself". Then buy the text book by Allen. Read more

Subjects:  1. African Languages    2. Ancient - Egypt    3. General    4. History - General History    5. Language    6. Language Arts & Disciplines    7. Egyptian    8. Egyptian language--Grammar    9. Language & Linguistics    10. Language Arts & Disciplines / General    11. Language teaching & learning material & coursework   

Reviews (4)

One of the better small Spanish-English dictionaries
My Master's thesis was a review and rating of Spanish-English dictionaries. I find this dictionary, like all the other Larousse dictionaries, to be a good choice.
Very good beginner dictionary, but I don't see 45,000 translations
This dictionary is really good for beginners.I agree with all the comments in the reviews posted by others about the usefulness of this dictionary, its layout, its print size and spacing, the use of words in a phrase or sentence, etc.
Larousse Student Dictionary Spanish-English/English Spanish
This is a great reference book. The words are highlighted so they are easy to find and the print is large enough for easy reading. The picture section in the middle gives great visual support for the words being illustrated. The sample sentences given for each word really help with the understanding of the word. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Dictionaries    2. Dictionaries - General    3. English    4. English language    5. Reference    6. Spanish    7. Spanish language    8. Spanish: Adult Nonfiction    9. Reference / Dictionaries   

Features

• Abridged
• Audiobook

Reviews (5)

Loaded with errors.
I am suprised at some of the reviewers that gave this program good reviews. The text is loaded with errors and for the beginner, this is a real disservice. If you buy this program, be prepared to be confused when some words and phrases are written several different ways.

I like it
I studied MSA arabic sometime back and then changed my strategy to learning spoken eastern arabic. Part of that decision was based on the fact that I wanted not just to be understood, but to understand what was said to me. If you go to an arab country and speak MSA they will understand you and answer in the local dialect, then you wont understand them. (see the problem). So It was a nice suprise to have a book that taught you MSA and gave a good intro to several regional dialects in the M.E.

Disappointed
I was very disappointed with the product, because I had different expectations, based on the advertisement of it.It was utterly different from what I thought it would be, and now it's no use for me. The four cds it has, are in four different dialects of the arabic language, so, only one is useful, since you can not use all four of them in your conversations, and the other four cds are only in the formal arabic language which is used only in writing.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Arabic    2. Arabic Language    3. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    4. Foreign Language Study    5. Language    6. Foreign Language Study / Arabic    7. Language self-study & phrasebooks   

Subjects:  1. Audio Adult: Language    2. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    3. Foreign Language Study    4. Spanish    5. Foreign Language Study / Spanish    6. Language learning: audio-visual & multimedia    7. Language readers   

Reviews (9)

Poorly Made
Although many people use this dictionary for their classes, I have noticed that they do no spend enough time to update the dictionary.There are many current words that are not in, like blog. However, the most unappeling thing is that their books as poorly make.They one section of the dictionary in one font, and oter sections in another, it looke like they just put pieces together.
Varying Dialects
It is quite complete with all the verb forms, comjugations and tenses that we learned in High School. But, because of the varying dialects, there were a few words I could not find. Living in the Southwest, the Mexican influence over the Spanish is marked. For instance the word 'estraner'or 'te estrano', for "I Miss You"is not in this dictionary which made it a disappointment for me.

Great for basic levels
I've had this dictionary for about eight years.I would have to say that if you are in the basic levels of learning spanish or maybe reading a simple novel in spanish, this would be your best bet.It is easy to use and easy to read although a little bulky.The only complaint that I have about it is that as I began reading more difficult novels and encountering words that are less common, this dictionary did not come into as great a use as it has in years past.But, like I said if you are doing beginning or intermediate levels of spanish, this would probably be your best bet. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Dictionaries    2. Dictionaries - General    3. English    4. English as a Second Language    5. English language    6. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    7. Foreign Language Study    8. Multi-Language Dictionaries    9. Spanish    10. Spanish language    11. Spanish: Adult Nonfiction    12. ELT: Learning Material & Coursework    13. Foreign Language Study / Spanish    14. Language Teaching & Learning (Other Than ELT)   

Reviews (8)

A personal account with interesting anecdotes
Although this is a little old fashioned in its style and content (particularly the photos and graphic style), I was sufficiently engaged with the content and anecdotes to read it right through in one evening. I learnt some new facts and had an insight into the style and ideas of someone who approaches fine lectures and presentations with great care. This made it worthwhile. It is a delightful change not to be assaulted by ego or self assurance. There is one irritating characteristic of style - the repeated use of "granted".

Should be required reading for engineers
After decades of sitting through terrible technical presentations by hapless fellow engineers (who, to be fair, had never been given the time or opportunity for the proper training), I'd had enough. With plenty of examples of misguided slides to serve as comic relief, I created a one-hour seminar containing the essentials of an effective scientific presentation. Since 1999, I've offered the seminar a few times a year at East Coast and California sites of our (very large) corporation for free at lunchtime, for anyone who cared to attend. So far, nearly 1500 people have done so.
A must for scientists and engineers!
This book details a history of scientists and engineers that have made excellent presentations and why. The book then effectively contrasts those styles with poor presentation techniques. The author also presents readers with different methodologies for presenting to diverse audiences.Every suggestion is supported with historical instances of presenters that communicated their ideas effectively. The book proved not to be another "how to make cool PowerPoint slide book." The majority of the text is invested in the structure of the presentation. The book serves as a "how to" for undergraduates, post doctoral fellows and speech trainers alike. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Chemistry - General    2. Communication in science    3. Communication of technical inf    4. Communication of technical information    5. Composition & Creative Writing - Academic    6. General    7. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    8. Lectures and lecturing    9. Physics    10. Research & Methodology    11. Science    12. Science/Mathematics    13. Scientific Communication    14. Business communication & presentation    15. Language for specific purposes    16. Science / Physics    17. Science: General Issues   

Reviews (6)

Helped sooth my nerves about being a first-time ESL teacher
Although there wasn't much directly useful to my situation (Public middle school in Korea. I have classes of nearly 40 students and see each class once per week), the book helped me get an idea of what my role was going to be and what I needed to do in order to prepare. I have even been able to adapt a few of the activity ideas into my monster-sized classes. Personally, I would like to see a longer discussion about having large class sizes, and strategies for dealing with them, but obviously no one can write a book perfectly catered to everyone.

An excellent, no nonsense book
This book is essential reading for all English teachers.It has been great for me as I have used it daily with my TEFL course, and will be referring to it for many months I guess.I'm sure though that there are many English teachers who already feel they are experienced but would benefit from Harmer's book as "every day's a school day!"

User-Friendly Into to ESL
This is IT! The best introductory text you can buy on the subject of teaching English as a Second Language. Seems like everybody and their brother are writing ESL books these days, so do yourself a favor and start with one by an extremely knowledgeable author. Mr. Harmer makes the basics of teaching ESL sound easy and more importantly FUN. Enjoy it... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Education    2. General    3. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    4. ELT: teaching theory & methods    5. English    6. Language & Linguistics   

Reviews (12)

Languae Learning is a PROCESS
The problem with any "book" of language learning is that it over looks a very import distinction between language acquisition and language learning. There is a difference and it is not too difficult concept.
One of My Best Kept Secrets to Learning Spanish
With respect to my qualifications, I am the founder of Learning Spanish Like Crazy, and the author of several articles on the topic of How to Learn Spanish. And I have also purchased nearly every Learning-Spanish course and book sold on the market. And now for my review of this book. . .
The course tailord to one's needs
The book proves that it is posible to benefit from a highly practical course without leaving the house or paying for classes. The topics reflect subjects students usually ask for: hotel, restaurant, airport. Grammar is presented clearly and in the context, it's like having class with a native speaker. I strongly recomend Practical Spanish Grammar. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    2. Foreign Language Study    3. Grammar    4. Language    5. Self-instruction    6. Spanish    7. Spanish language    8. Foreign Language Study / Spanish    9. Grammar & vocabulary    10. Language self-study & phrasebooks   

Subjects:  1. English    2. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    3. Foreign Language Study    4. Language    5. Spanish    6. Spanish language    7. Textbooks for foreign speakers    8. Foreign Language Study / Spanish    9. Language Teaching & Learning (Other Than ELT)    10. Language teaching & learning material & coursework   

Features

• Audiobook

Reviews (2)

Still the best for beginners
I have tried a lot of audio methods, and Pimsleur is still the best by far. It is more expensive than most other audio methods, but it really works and it is enjoyable. Perhaps if you learn a language with family and friends and share the material, you can share the cost and practice with others! Or after you have completed the lessons, sell them (if you are generous, donate them to your library). Pimsleur really helps with proper pronunciation and uses a technique that makes what you learn stick in your brain - not any gimmicky memory tricks. Pimsleur covers a lot of basic material, but it does not overload the beginner with vocabulary or grammar - a case of less being more. However, I do wish Pimsleur included a print version of the audio material. At the end of 90 lessons (French I,II, and III), you will not speak at an intermediate level - no audio method can do that - but you will speak easily and well at a beginner level. Doing Pimsleur first, before taking a formal foreign language class, is the best way to go. I can't recommend Pimsleur highly enough.

By far the best
Pimsleur are absolutely the best.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Audio Adult: Language    2. Foreign Language Study    3. French    4. Unabridged Audio - Misc.Nonfiction    5. Foreign Language Study / French   

Subjects:  1. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    2. Foreign Language Study    3. French    4. French Language    5. Language    6. Foreign Language Study / French    7. Language self-study & phrasebooks   

Reviews (11)

too many mistakes
This pocket guide has several APA Style mistakes. The example paper is the most misleading.The text says one thing and the example shows another. e.g. putting the short title on the figure page.My students were very frustrated with it.

No examples of aggregated databases
I realize a "pocket guide" cannot cover everything, but the lack of examples for aggregated databases such as libraries provide is a glaring omission. These databases (e.g., EBSCO, InfoTrac) are very important for college and university research today, and I can't understand why they were omitted. Otherwise, I love this book. I hope the author will correct this omission in the next edition.

Quite useful.
This book was very useful in writing college papers in APA format. Since it is a pocket guide it doesn't have everything in it but I found it very useful and helpful. I would highly recommend this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    3. Reference    4. ELT: Learning Material & Coursework    5. English Language Teaching (ELT)   

Reviews (1)

Handbook of Research in Second Language Teaching and Learning
Incredibly useful!Exactly what I need all in one place! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. English language    2. Foreign speakers    3. Language    4. Language Arts & Disciplines    5. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    6. Language and languages    7. Linguistics    8. Research    9. Second language acquisition    10. Study & Teaching    11. Study and teaching    12. Education / Bilingual Education    13. Language acquisition   

Features

• Audiobook
• Unabridged

Reviews (6)

Alright but Behind the Wheel Italian Revised with Text is Better!!
Converational Italian by Pimsleur is alright if you wish to simply learn some limited vocabulary and gain confidence in speaking Italian.
Great if you need "pick up lines"
I am taking my family to Italy this year and wanted to know the basics like "where is...." "how much...." "do you speak English?" etc.The first five chapters were very good but by chapter six, they were concentrating on "do you want beer or wine at your place or mine...."This theme continued throughout the remainder of the 16 chapters.I would have prefered to order soda or tea at a restaurant or cafe.With all this talk about beer and wine, they never once mentioned how to find a bathroom.Their learning style was fine, but I would have preferred the "family version".

Too Little, Too Boring
Repetitive, boring, but sometimes effective. This set of CDs skirts around essentials, offerring too little to stand on its own as an introduction to Italian. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Audio - Language    2. Foreign Language Study    3. Italian    4. Italian Language    5. Language    6. Unabridged Audio - Misc.Nonfiction    7. Foreign Language Study / Italian   

Reviews (14)

Agreement!
I have to voice agreement with those who praise this as the best but I wonder how much of our love for the book is because it has sat on our desks for so many years and is the first place we go to check something!

Clear, Concise, and Perfect for Handy Reference
The Middle Liddell, as distinguished from the practically useless Little Liddell and the unwieldy Big Liddell, is the best reference work for beginning to intermediate students of Greek.I always advise learners to get this dictionary.It is not that much bigger or more expensive than the Little Liddell, but it is vastly more useful.I also make a point of advising beginners not to get the Big Liddell for everyday use.Even professional classicists use the Middle Liddell for its clarity and conciseness, wading through the enormity of the Big Liddell only when necessary.I'M NOT KIDDING.Start here.Every learner gets the Big Liddell, thinking, "Better too much information than not enough," and they always regret their decision.
Fair as a star when only one/Is shining in the sky
Dictionaries, however much we feel the need for them, always have to be handled with a certain amount of caution. Anyone involved in the compilation of such a work of reference has to be a jack of rather too many trades for total reliability. In even the best modern English dictionaries the derivation of words can often be seen to be dubious or even plain wrong by someone who has the requisite academic linguistic grounding. Such a grounding is infrequent, those working on the chain-gangs producing the dictionary are often not aware that there is anything lacking, but the general public are prone to believe that everything in so august a publication must flow directly from some fount of all wisdom and knowledge. Lewis and Short's Latin dictionary, the standard work of its kind for English-speaking readers of Latin, exhibits at one point the glaring and elementary error of stating that the feminine adjective Libyssa, Latinised from Greek, has some corresponding masculine formation Libyssus, and when I last saw the book nobody seemed to have picked the error up.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Ancient Languages - Classical Greek    2. General    3. Reference    4. Ancient (Classical) Greek    5. Bilingual dictionaries    6. Dictionaries    7. English    8. Foreign Language Study / Ancient Languages    9. Reference | Language Learning & Instruction | Greek   

Reviews (7)

My ESL thinks it's great!
I used this with a group of adult students from West Africa.They were the ones who decided to purchase the book out of their own pockets because they found it so helpful.They speak French and very little English.I do not speak French.The book was quite valuable.

Great
This is great for English language learners. It's organized by sections and is easy to understand. The only drawback is it's ehtnocentric towards the USA and this wouldnt be good for english learners living in Britain.

Oxford Picture Dictionary
This is an excellent volume. It covers words, translations and
Read more

Subjects:  1. Dictionaries    2. Dictionaries - General    3. English as a Second Language    4. English language    5. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    6. Foreign Language Study    7. Language    8. Picture dictionaries    9. Picture dictionaries, English    10. Teaching Methods & Materials - Foreign Language    11. Textbooks for foreign speakers    12. ELT dictionaries & reference    13. English Language Learning (ESL) | Picture Dictionary Programs | Oxford Picture Dictionary Program    14. Foreign Language Study / English as a Second Language    15. Russian   

Features

• Audiobook
• Unabridged

Reviews (6)

Excellent Course
This is really a splendid introduction to Farsi. The pronunciation is clear, voices interesting and indigenous, and material pertinent to a commencement in Farsi. I really do not understand why this course's reputation is MUCH less than any other of Pimsleur respectable courses. Whatever Pimsleur teaches in one language, it teaches EXACTLY the same thing in each of its other ones. What you learn in Farsi is precisely what you learn in Italian, Spanish, German, etc. It is not illogical to expect that the ratings of each Pimsleur set should all be the same. Apparently I was mistaken in that regard. If you're interested in Farsi Pimsleur series and are skeptical concerning this course's efficacy, check the reviews regarding Pimsleur's publications in major languages (French, Italian, Spanish, German, and Japanese). The reviewers there at least know what they're talking about. Again, Pimsleur is a perfectly approachable and preliminary first taste of modern Farsi.

It's not Farsi it is Persian
Remember that if a book doesn't even know the proper language name (Persian) then it most definately not worth looking at it. People want to learn Persian, which corresponds to Persia/Iran. I have never heard English Farsi dictionary! it is English PERSIAN dictionary. Pimsleur should've known that.

Intuitive Beginner Immersion
The Pimsleur system pretty much uses the same language lesson and teaching technique and translates it into as many foreign languages as they could hire speakers willing to make the recordings.The Farsi course is a slimmed down "beginner" version of this language learning course.It is excellent for training you in pronouncing the words correctly and in mastering a limited vocabulary of "essential conversation" terms.However, all conversations use theformal "you" form.Pretty much, it's set to give you enough skills for a quick business trip.If you want a more extensive understanding of the language, supplement the Pimsler course with a book and or another tape/cd course. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Audio - Language    2. Foreign Language Study    3. Indic & South Asian Languages - Persian/Farsi    4. Indo-Iranian Languages    5. Language    6. Miscellaneous    7. Unabridged Audio - Misc.Nonfiction    8. Foreign Language Study / Miscellaneous   

Reviews (5)

Very helpful
I host foreign exchange students and the first few weeks this helps them out till they get just a better grasp of the English language.Most come with a very good understanding, but if they need to go to the doctor's or something this picture dictionary is just the thing to help out.It is useful around the house also.

Very Highly Recommended
One of my specialties is vocabulary, so I'm always looking good visual dictionaries.I've bought half I've found, and most of the rest are on my shopping list.This is a very close second to the Oxford Picture Dictionary as my favorite.It's not as comprehensive and the illustrations are not as good, but the topical arrangement is better and it's easier on your budget.The authors have written several other excellent ESL books.Two of their vocabular books include a basic version of this one and Day By Day: English For Employment Communication.Their Foundations is a conversation book but is also a good vocabulary builder.

Ultimate ESL Resource - - I Love It, My Students Love It ! !
By the authors of SIDE BY SIDE this is a much more colorful and better organized picture dictionary than the formerly more popular OXFORD PICTURE DICTIONARY. Whenever I bring it to class, if the students don't have it, the first thing atleast 70% will ask me is "Where can I get it ?" - - used with the accompanying flash cards (not included) you can teach entire (and substantive) lessons with just those two things alone... and even without it, you can use it to expand amply from whatever text book you're using.The chapters on the household, occupations, places around town, work activities are especially useful.In my begining classes we learn how to ask each other questions about these subjects, and begin all our classes discussing what we did over the weekend, what we did at work etc. etc. We talk about our house, our family... and all these topics are with Level 1 students, eye to eye (pair work, group work, class discussion)and facilitated by lessons from this book.- - Pictures get students talking and open them up and this is the ultimate resource ! ! !Read more

Subjects:  1. Dictionaries - General    2. English as a Second Language    3. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    4. General    5. Language    6. Language Arts & Disciplines    7. ELT dictionaries & reference    8. English