Practice Makes Perfect: French Pronouns and Prepositions
by Annie Heminway
|
List Price: $11.95
Our Price: $4.39
Your Save: $ 7.56 ( 63% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
|
Average Customer Rating:   
|
|
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 448.2421
EAN: 9780071453912
ISBN: 0071453911
Label: McGraw-Hill
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 212
Publication Date: 2006-08-07
Publisher: McGraw-Hill
Studio: McGraw-Hill
|
|
|
|
|
|
Spotlight customer reviews:
|
Customer Rating:
Summary: too superficial to be useful
Comment: I'm an intermediate speaker of French (native English speaker). While I wouldn't normally buy a book written in English to learn French, I thought it might show me where I was erroneously applying English sentence structures to French sentences. I was wrong.
My main issue is that this book does not delve very deep. If you know enough French vocabulary to complete the exercises, you already know the basics of French prepositions, which is what this book will give you in the preposition section. But it's more a set of lists than an explanation of the logic underlying preposition choice. Consider this bizarre excerpt:
=============
To describe how to do something, with is translated by de:
Jé l'ai remercié d'un sourire.
I thanked him with a smile.
Il a quitté la salle d'un air triste.
He left the room with a sad look.
D'un geste, elle lui indiqua la porte.
With a gesture, she showed him the door.
The preposition with is left untranslated when describing a way of doing things or carrying oneself.
Il avance vers eux, les manches retroussées.
He is walking toward them with his sleeves rolled up.
Elle le regarde, les yeux écarquillés.
She is looking at him with wide eyes.
============
So, if you're describing a way of doing things, do you use the preposition "de" or no preposition at all? Are both always grammatically correct? If not, what makes "with wide eyes" a no-preposition expression whereas "with a smile" merits a "de?" Annie Hemmingway and her editors at McGraw Hill obviously didn't think it was very important, because you won't find the answer in this book.
My other issue, along a related vein, is the answer key gives a single answer for each exercise, when there are in many cases two or more answers that are correct. So you might understand how to phrase a sentence correctly in French, only to unlearn that correct sentence structure to replace it with another that is no more correct.
I wanted to give this book one star, but it isn't wholly without merit, since it does provide lists of prepositions, albeit with very sparse explanation, that some students might find useful. Nevertheless, I don't think you should waste your money on this dubious text.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Useful Though Not Perfect
Comment: Working through this book brings back memories of junior high school when I first struggled with many of the concepts covered here. I wish that resources like this had been available back then -- my life would have been easier.
I only have a couple of qualms about this volume, which is why I assigned only four stars.
First, it has errors that should have been caught before publication, such as this example sentence on page 11:
"Je ne n'ai pas ceux dont tu as besoin."
A native French proofreader would instantly have spotted the superfluous "ne" above.
Second, some of the examples, while technically correct, sound awkward and not at all like any actual French person would speak or write. Thus, from page 76:
"Les lui avons-nous communiqués?"
But the pronoun information is generally helpful, and I understand that it's necessary to contrive examples to illustrate various rules.
The second part of the book, addressing prepositions, is competent, and acknowledges with refreshing candor that much of the material simply must be memorized -- there is no particular logic, for instance, to why certain verbs normally are followed by "Ã " whereas others are followed by "de" and still others by no preposition at all.
There are a number of exercises throughout with answer keys in the back.
All in all, a fairly inexpensive tool that offers useful help with two of the more significant bêtes noires of students of French.
Customer Rating:
Summary: filling in the spaces
Comment: I've found this book very useful. I'm fluent in both English and Spanish so I understand verb conjugation and have a fairly broad vocab. Yet I felt like a three year old grasping to make sentences. This book helps fill in the spaces, making you sound more fluent and boosting confidence. The workbook style is effective in helping you to remember. I would definitely recommend to anyone willing to put in the effort needed to learn french. It's well worth it.
|
|
|
Editorial Reviews:
|
Customer Rating:
Summary: too superficial to be useful
Comment: I'm an intermediate speaker of French (native English speaker). While I wouldn't normally buy a book written in English to learn French, I thought it might show me where I was erroneously applying English sentence structures to French sentences. I was wrong.
My main issue is that this book does not delve very deep. If you know enough French vocabulary to complete the exercises, you already know the basics of French prepositions, which is what this book will give you in the preposition section. But it's more a set of lists than an explanation of the logic underlying preposition choice. Consider this bizarre excerpt:
=============
To describe how to do something, with is translated by de:
Jé l'ai remercié d'un sourire.
I thanked him with a smile.
Il a quitté la salle d'un air triste.
He left the room with a sad look.
D'un geste, elle lui indiqua la porte.
With a gesture, she showed him the door.
The preposition with is left untranslated when describing a way of doing things or carrying oneself.
Il avance vers eux, les manches retroussées.
He is walking toward them with his sleeves rolled up.
Elle le regarde, les yeux écarquillés.
She is looking at him with wide eyes.
============
So, if you're describing a way of doing things, do you use the preposition "de" or no preposition at all? Are both always grammatically correct? If not, what makes "with wide eyes" a no-preposition expression whereas "with a smile" merits a "de?" Annie Hemmingway and her editors at McGraw Hill obviously didn't think it was very important, because you won't find the answer in this book.
My other issue, along a related vein, is the answer key gives a single answer for each exercise, when there are in many cases two or more answers that are correct. So you might understand how to phrase a sentence correctly in French, only to unlearn that correct sentence structure to replace it with another that is no more correct.
I wanted to give this book one star, but it isn't wholly without merit, since it does provide lists of prepositions, albeit with very sparse explanation, that some students might find useful. Nevertheless, I don't think you should waste your money on this dubious text.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Useful Though Not Perfect
Comment: Working through this book brings back memories of junior high school when I first struggled with many of the concepts covered here. I wish that resources like this had been available back then -- my life would have been easier.
I only have a couple of qualms about this volume, which is why I assigned only four stars.
First, it has errors that should have been caught before publication, such as this example sentence on page 11:
"Je ne n'ai pas ceux dont tu as besoin."
A native French proofreader would instantly have spotted the superfluous "ne" above.
Second, some of the examples, while technically correct, sound awkward and not at all like any actual French person would speak or write. Thus, from page 76:
"Les lui avons-nous communiqués?"
But the pronoun information is generally helpful, and I understand that it's necessary to contrive examples to illustrate various rules.
The second part of the book, addressing prepositions, is competent, and acknowledges with refreshing candor that much of the material simply must be memorized -- there is no particular logic, for instance, to why certain verbs normally are followed by "Ã " whereas others are followed by "de" and still others by no preposition at all.
There are a number of exercises throughout with answer keys in the back.
All in all, a fairly inexpensive tool that offers useful help with two of the more significant bêtes noires of students of French.
Customer Rating:
Summary: filling in the spaces
Comment: I've found this book very useful. I'm fluent in both English and Spanish so I understand verb conjugation and have a fairly broad vocab. Yet I felt like a three year old grasping to make sentences. This book helps fill in the spaces, making you sound more fluent and boosting confidence. The workbook style is effective in helping you to remember. I would definitely recommend to anyone willing to put in the effort needed to learn french. It's well worth it.
Become a pro using French pronouns and prepositions This volume in the bestselling Practice Makes Perfect series treats French pronouns and prepositions systematically in a workbook/text format. Containing concise, user-friendly explanations with many practice exercises, Practice Makes Perfect: French Pronouns and Prepositions helps you develop your knowledge of how and why pronouns and prepositions are used, and, more important, how to incorporate them into everyday conversations.
|
|
|
- Ask about this education product "Practice Makes Perfect: French Pronouns and Prepositions" in the forum
- Give review on this education product "Practice Makes Perfect: French Pronouns and Prepositions" in the forum
- Search related information in the forum
|
|
|
|
|
| OOEN Referral Program Spotlight |
 | | Eastwick Colleges
Interested in a career in nursing, business, allied health, ultrasound, welding or electronics? Eastwick Colleges, including HoHoKus Schools and RETS Institute, offer five convenient New Jersey locations for your career or future degree. With a commitment to your success, Eastwick Colleges offer practical, skill-focused programs, as well as tutoring services at no additional cost. Post-graduation career placement services work with you to find the job that fits your lifestyle. Financial aid is available for those who qualify. Take advantage of Eastwick Colleges’ reputation for excellence in career training and placement. | |  | |
 | | Florida Career College
Train for a successful career in healthcare or information technology—two of today’s hottest fields—with real-world skills from Florida Career College. Earn your degree, diploma, or certificate at times convenient for you. Our flexible day, night, and weekend classes allow you to achieve your dreams without altering your lifestyle. Our state-of-the-art facilities expose you to the latest technology and healthcare equipment, giving you an edge on the competition from other colleges. We offer individual tutoring to help you choose the best career, and to help you achieve success in your chosen career. Get started today! | | | |
 | | Florida Technical College
Florida Technical College realizes that a successful education requires a lot more than just reading books and taking tests - especially in today’s highly competitive job market. That’s why they’ve structured their Health Care, Technology, and Programming curricula to achieve one thing for their students: success in the real world. Students benefit from personal attention from experienced instructors and hands-on training in fully equipped lab classrooms. | | | |
|
What is OOEN Referral Program Spotlight?
OOEN provides comprehensive listing of online courses, degree programs, colleges and universities.
Also OOEN provides links to their information request pages; if you want to find out more about any course,
degree program, college or university, you can just fill out the form linked from OOEN and request information.
It is completely free for anyone to request information, and you can request information from as many colleges
and universities as you'd like. We list featured schools and their brief information
in this "OOEN Referral Program Spotlight" section of OOEN Store for Education,
in case that you are interested in taking a class or two or even pursuing degree program
through these featured schools.
|
|
|
