Instruction Books

Easy Spanish Phrase Book: Over 770 Basic Phrases for Everyday Use (Dover Easy Phrase)

Amazon Price: $2.00 List Price: $2.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Dover Publications Amazon Marketplace: 46 new & used starting at $0.01

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 114 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Better with Behind the Wheel Spanish 8 CDs & Book 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

No question that Easy Spanish Phrase Book is an inexpensive and relevant way to learn useful basic Spanish phrases. The problem is that most of these phrases are canned and not original.
I recommend you use this handy little booklet along with Macmillan Audio's
Behind the Wheel Spanish 8 CDs and book. Behind the Wheel - Spanish 1 (Behind the Wheel) which will teach you how to create your own sentences.
Great combo for the money!

Waste of money 2 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Very small book that gives you such bare essentials that you really get nothing at all. If you have to go to Mexico tonight and this was the only book you had then maybe take it because its better than zilch.

strange and outdated 2 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book was certainly cheap and it is certainly easy to carry. But it was also almost entirely useless. I know only a little Spanish, but enough that this book was not useful to me, because I already knew how to say anything in it that was meaningful to our travels. My husband, on the contrary, knows almost no Spanish. When attempting to shop on his own, he discovered that this book will tell you how to buy gold cufflinks, scarves, gloves, and almost every item of apparel except shirts and pants. It contains a very strange collection of phrases and does not appear to have been updated since its first publication in the 50s. Not useful if you want to ask the location of an internet cafe.

Editorial Review:

More than 770 basic phrases for everyday use enable you to communicate instantly on a host of topics: health and medical situations; essential services; boat, plane, and train travel; much more.

501 Spanish Verbs: with CD-ROM (Barron's Foreign Language Guides)

Christopher Kendris, Theodore Kendris

Amazon Price: $11.55 List Price: $16.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Barron's Educational Series Amazon Marketplace: 92 new & used starting at $9.90

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Subjects -> Reference -> Dictionaries & Thesauruses -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 235 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Barron’s is today and always has been the Number-One reference source for verb usage in virtually every major language. With more than 1.5 million copies in print, the all-time best selling 501 Spanish Verbs beats all less well-established rivals with its brand-new 6th edition. It’s printed in two colors, it features tinted page edges for ease of reference, and it comes with extra help for Spanish language students in the form of a CD-ROM. The book presents the most important and most commonly used Spanish verbs arranged alphabetically with English translations in chart form, one verb per page, and conjugated in all persons and tenses, both active and passive. The accompanying CD-ROM gives students practice exercises in verb conjugation plus a concise grammar review. This combined book and software package is a comprehensive guide to Spanish verb usage with a wealth of reference material and language tips, including a bilingual list of more than 1,250 additional Spanish verbs, helpful expressions and idioms for travelers, and verb drills and short tests with all questions answered and explained.

1001 Most Useful Spanish Words (Beginners' Guides)

Seymour Resnick

Amazon Price: $2.00 List Price: $2.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Dover Publications Amazon Marketplace: 51 new & used starting at $0.01

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 100 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Outstanding value 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Particularly useful for intermediate-level speakers of the Spanish language. This book very concisely presents a wealth of vocabulary and demonstrates the grammar of each palabra introduced. For a very small price, it represents a terrific value.

Why Is This Book Useful? 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

After learning German from scratch, I realized about eight months later that my unwieldy and large German-English dictionaries were a drag. They were slow and clunky. When I decided to learn Spanish, the first thought I had was to find the right reference book for starting out with the basic vocabulary. This book has the perfect form and function for the beginning student. When I'm doing exercises, I can find the word I need in this book without skipping a beat or losing my train of thought. Buy this book if you're looking for efficiency. It has, for the most part, all the vocabulary a beginning student needs without the clutter of word entries a student doesn't need. It's easy to work with because I know from the moment I need it whether it will have the word I need or not. It's a two dollar workhorse that's a pleasure to use.

Editorial Review:

Indispensable learning aid includes definitions of common Spanish words arranged by such categories as foods, numbers, days of the week, months, colors, seasons and family. At the book's heart is a dictionary, from a to zapato, where each word is used in a Spanish sentence (with English translation) demonstrating its proper use.

Practice Makes Perfect: Spanish Verb Tenses

Dorothy Richmond

Amazon Price: $8.76 List Price: $10.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: McGraw-Hill Amazon Marketplace: 79 new & used starting at $5.44

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Subjects -> Reference -> Education -> General AAS
Subjects -> Reference -> Foreign Languages -> Instruction -> Spanish

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 128 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Learning Spanish basics 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I began learning Spanish 16 months ago on a very informal basis, largely due to my changing work environment. I have purchased some instrtuctional CD's and Spanish for Dummies and Spanish Verbs for Dummies. The 'dummies' series does offer information about culture and provides an excellent phonetic reference for correct pronunciation of words. Both were interesting and pragmatic.

This book, [Spanish Verb Tenses] was recommended by Amazon. I read the reviews and found the price to be reasonable enough to try the book. I have found the book to be very user friendly. The concepts and gramatical basics are covered, but the exercises are enjoyable. I have since purchased Ms. Richmond's other two books: one for vocabulary and the other for pronouns. Each have delivered the exceptional discussion of language. They highlight both the similarities between english and spanish as well as the decisive differences. I feel that these books will provide me with skills to be more confident to speak spanish to native speakers in a gramatically correct manner. Thank you--

Editorial Review:

This convenient worktext gives students a unique approach to learning, remembering, and reviewing how to use Spanish verbs correctly. The book provides a systematic presentation and review of Spanish verb forms and explains when and why a certain verb tense should be used. Practice Makes Perfect: Spanish Verb Tenses includes an impressive number of exercises and open-ended questions, numerous conjugation charts, a list of verbs and their prepositions, and Spanish-English and English-Spanish vocabulary lists.

Merriam-Webster's Spanish-English Dictionary

Amazon Price: $6.50 List Price: $6.50 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Merriam-Webster Amazon Marketplace: 97 new & used starting at $2.50

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Subjects -> Reference -> Dictionaries & Thesauruses -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 48 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Good content but not the highest quality printing 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I use this dictionary quite a bit as it is small enough to be light and easy to carry and big enough to contain most everyday words. I think that the content is good but I compared to my other (larger) dictionary by Harper Collins the paper is somewhat gray and the words don't stand out as well. Also the ink is not the most permanent so if you are not careful you can end up with gray stains on your fingertips. I would recommend spending slightly more to get something with a higher quality of paper and printing.

For Spanish Language Dictionary 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Great little pocket dictionary for those who don't want to carry around a heavier full-sized eng/span diction. It's not 'quite' as complete, but it's about 99% there. It's going to have all of the important words

Editorial Review:

Merriam-WebsterÆs Spanish-English Dictionary is a completely new dictionary designed to meet the needs of English and Spanish speakers in a time of ever-expanding communication among the countries of the Western Hemisphere. It is intended for language learners, teachers, office workers, tourists, business travelersùanyone who needs to communicate effectively in the Spanish and English languages as they are spoken and written in the Americas.

Kaplan TOEFL iBT with CD-ROM 2008-2009 (Kaplan Toefl Ibt)

Kaplan

Amazon Price: $23.10 List Price: $35.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Kaplan Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 62 new & used starting at $19.90

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

PROS AND CONS 4 out of 5 stars.
14 of 14 people found this review helpful.

I bought Cracking the TOEFL IBT with Audio CD, 2009 Edition (College Test Prep)( Princeton Review) and Kaplan TOEFL iBT with CD-ROM 2008-2009 (Kaplan Toefl Ibt) .i read both of them for one month and passed the ibt by 97. This is what I think about these two books on all four part of ibt:
Princeton Review
Reading 3 out of 5: good strategies but the readings are simpler than the real exam
Writing 5 out of 5: great strategies and samples with good drills
Speaking 4 out of 5: good strategies and drills but difficult to use on exam
Listening 4 out of 5: good strategies and sample but limited number
Overall 4 out of 5: the most important negative point is that it comes only with audio cd and you can not experience the real exam condition.
Kaplan
Reading 5 out of 5: great strategies and samples
Writing 2 out of 5: some useful techniques but not so helpful
Speaking 2 out of 5: some useful techniques but too general
Listening 4 out of 5: good strategies and examples
Overall 3.5 out of 5: the most important positive point is that you can create the real exam condition by its cd-rom at home.

Editorial Review:

Includes:

-4 practice tests on CD-ROM in iBT format

-Audio CD and transcripts of authentic-language conversations for listening comprehension

-8 comprehensive chapters of reading, writing, listening, and speaking practice

-Hundreds of strategies for answering integrated skills questions

Practice Makes Perfect: Spanish Pronouns And Prepositions

Dorothy Richmond

Amazon Price: $8.76 List Price: $10.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: McGraw-Hill Amazon Marketplace: 65 new & used starting at $5.00

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 72 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

highly recommended. Answers in back. 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is a very useful book. Plenty of practice with answers in the back of the book.
I will buy other books in this series.

Highly recommended - the best! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

To put it simple, this book is great, clear, concise and complete. Plenty of examples, samples and answers. Unlike other Spanish language books, this book gets down to little details.

bulky 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Although the content & delivery of the product was perfect, I am very disappointed in the size. I thought I had ordered a pocketsized, compact Spanish guide; especially since so many of the reviews stated it was the ideal companion on an international trip. However, as it is even bigger than my Spanish book, I have yet to use it in my current course....refund!

Editorial Review:

This bestselling book in the Practice Makes Perfect series treats Spanish pronouns and prepositions systematically in a worktext format. Containing concise, user-friendly explanations with generous and varied practice, the book helps students develop their knowledge of how and why pronouns and prepositions are used. Plus it encourages students to use the pronouns and prepositions in real-life contexts.

Painless Grammar (Painless Series)

Rebecca Elliott Ph.D.

Amazon Price: $8.99 List Price: $8.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Barron's Educational Series Amazon Marketplace: 62 new & used starting at $3.80

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Subjects -> Children's Books -> Reference & Nonfiction -> Language Arts -> Grammar
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Subjects -> Reference -> Foreign Languages -> Instruction -> Phrasebooks - General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 24 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

To help prevent the dumbing down of America 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This book's title jumped out at me at my local bookstore. I had to have it for myself, but mostly to see IF this was a book I could recommend to others.

Now I know: Every household, office and student should have this book--if you want to write correctly, with confidence.

Written for middle grade and high school age, the book is designed "so grammar doesn't hurt," -no matter your age.

Painless Grammar covers:

- Parts of speech.
- Building and punctuating sentences.
- Agreement (between subject and verb; between pronoun and antecedent).
- Words: Misused, one word or two and confusing pairs.
- Editing.
- Email guidelines.

So, do you ever find yourself at home or at work wondering whether "its" or "it's," is correct, or how to use " and ` -or whatever your "grammar challenge is? The down-to-earth examples make Painless Grammar fun and a learnable moment for any age.

As an editor, I find frequent misuse of certain words, commas and semi-colons, plus run-on sentences--many things we learned in middle or high school, but forgot or need a refresher. Read a few pages a day, or use it as a resource when you aren't sure. However, I have found that many people "think" they remember the rule, but don't-so keep this book handy.

I recommend you buy several copies for your kids, home office or work. The clarity of the examples are complemented (yes, it is an "e") by the ease of finding answers.

Armchair Interviews says: Almost everyone can use this useful resource.

Editorial Review:

This very approachable text combines instruction in parts of speech and sentence structure with down-to-earth examples, funny illustrations, and examination of some of the more amusing and peculiar words in the English language. A chapter on clear e-mail communication and etiquette is brand new in this edition, as are many of the author’s challenging “Brain Ticklers.” Her helpful chapter on how to edit a school paper has also been heavily revised and updated.

Barron’s popular Painless Series of study guides for middle school and high school students offer a lighthearted, often humorous approach to their subjects, transforming details that might once have seemed boring or difficult into a series of interesting and mentally challenging ideas. Most titles in the series feature many fun-to-solve “Brain Tickler” problems with answers at the end of each chapter.

American Accent Training (Book and Audio CD, 2nd Edition)

Ann Cook

Amazon Price: $26.37 List Price: $39.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Barron's Educational Series Amazon Marketplace: 37 new & used starting at $21.90

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 85 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A fantastic, often nefarious theme made easy! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I have to say this book is for us people who would like to master American English Pronunciation...This book is fantastic in the whole theme. The way it explain the letters: There's a chapter tha deals with the "T", which Ann Cook explains very extensively, has more than five different sounds in American English. The final chapter (an appendix) deals with the most usual problems people from different etnicities face up to when trying to talk English.

Before coming to this material I "THOUGHT" I Knew English. But, confronting the issues presented, I deducted I knew just Spanish in English (What I call literally speaking a language). More or less, speaking English with a Spanish base.

I have these CDs on my car and here them over and over. I use to hear one for weeks and the turn it over to the other...and then circle back to the first...

I certainly recommend this book to anyone who has not been born in USA and would like to talk a better English (American Accent).

A WORD OF CAUTION: As everything in life, the whole thing is just as good as you prove yourself you are capable: MEANING? It require you to "work it out" and try the different accents, rythms and tones variation proposed by Ann. It's certainly not amateur stuff!!!

Editorial Review:

The second edition of the highly acclaimed American Accent Training, now on 5 audio CDs, is for foreign-born students and business people working, traveling or studying in the United States and Canada. Through extensive intonation and pronunciation exercises, students learn how to speak with a standard American Accent. At the same time, listening comprehension improves dramatically. Supplementary materials included detailed nationality guides for eight languages (Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Spanish, French, German, Russian and Korean), access to a comprehensive website, and referral to a qualified telephone analyst for an individual diagnostic speech analysis. Also included are colored markers for written exercises, and a mirror to practice accurate pronunciation.

Practice Makes Perfect: Complete Spanish Grammar

Gilda Nissenberg

Amazon Price: $8.76 List Price: $10.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: McGraw-Hill Amazon Marketplace: 50 new & used starting at $5.98

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 24 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Spanish Grammer 3 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Practice Makes Perfect is good but being a beginner found it a little difficult to follow and understand all workbook assignment short quizes. The intermediate student would have no problem.

Editorial Review:

Now beginners can master Spanish grammar with the proven Practice Makes Perfect method!

Combining clear presentation, exercises, and a focus on practical conversational skills has proven a winning formula for the Practice Makes Perfect workbook series. Practice Makes Perfect: Complete Spanish Grammar builds on the series' success with a similarly interactive approach, embracing all aspects of Spanish grammar that you need to master. This engaging guide offers:

• An extensive grammar review, highlighted by illustrative examples
• Dozens of exercises, including fill-ins, translations, and creative writing
• Time saving thematic vocabulary panels to cut down on dictionary drudgery
• Boxed summaries of key grammar points for focused learning
• Detailed answer keys for progress checks