Product Description

This book is designed to meet the needs of any student of Russian, from the complete beginner through to the intermediate and advanced, who wants a quick and easy-to-use reference grammar, with exercises and answers.

The grammar is presented in easily accessible double-page-spread units, with grammar explanations on the left-hand page and exercises to practise and check understanding on the facing right-hand page. The reader can either dip in and out of the short sections for quick reference or work through the book for comprehensive and systematic coverage of the main grammar points.

A key at the end of the book gives the answers to all the practice questions in the body of the text. A 'Taking it Further' section gives websites and information on where to find a wide variety of different kinds of texts and materials available in Russian and how to find out more about Russian culture.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #169220 in Books
• Published on: 2003-01-01
• Binding: Paperback
• 208 pages

Synopsis
This book is designed to meet the needs of any student of Russian, from the complete beginner through to the intermediate and advanced, who wants a quick and easy-to-use reference grammar, with exercises and answers. The grammar is presented in easily accessible double-page-spread units, with grammar explanations on the left-hand page and exercises to practise and check understanding on the facing right-hand page. The reader can either dip in and out of the short sections for quick reference or work through the book for comprehensive and systematic coverage of the main grammar points. A key at the end of the book gives the answers to all the practice questions in the body of the text. A 'Taking it Further' section gives websites and information on where to find a wide variety of different kinds of texts and materials available in Russian and how to find out more about Russian culture.

About the Author
Teacher of Russian to school pupils and adult students for more than twenty years, Daphne West is the author of six publications on the Russian language. Formerly Head of Modern Languages and a Chief Examiner at A-level, she is now Headmistress of the Maynard School in Exeter (where she still teaches Russian); in 1993 she was awarded the Pushkin Medal by the Pushkin Institute, Moscow, for contributions to the teaching of Russian.

Customer Reviews

Good for starts - ish!
If I can offer any advice, buy another non pure grammar book along with this one. Of course grammar knowledge is essential but when you first start out you should concentrate on the alphabet etc and not confuse yourself with too much grammar. I promise you, if this is your first book on Russian, it will confuse you. Buy it to accompany another one, but not as your sole starting point.

Good, but limited
Daphne West's book is an excellent reference for beginners, up to about GCSE level or equivalent (it covers most, if not all, of the required topics for GCSE). Presenting grammar rules and usages in a simple, clear and effective manner (with one particular topic per page), with exercises covering the rules on the opposing pages, 'Teach Yourself Russian Grammar' is good for grasping the basics, or for refreshing the fundamental concepts.

Its value is limited, however, much past the beginner's stage - it doesn't, for example, cover gerunds or participles, and many of the different topics fail to cover some of the more complex rules or exceptions.

If you're new to Russian, and are baffled by the seeming impossibility of the grammar, this book is invaluable, however, and is a far cry from the complex minefields contained in many Russian grammars. It is simplicity and clarity - much like the language itself when you get to know it.