Dictionary Reviews

After all comments i found over internet i concluded that this book must be probably the best way to learn grammar. You are not sure ? If you are really interested as i am, access the URLs below for a consistent revision (i'm not the author). Note: The reason why the text is not copied here is due to text length constraints.

Note: Just to avoid influencing the actual rate i gave it five stars in advance. Be warned that i'm just a buyer and did not read the book until now. Sure i'll correct the rating after reading it...

In the first three pages, I learned things about English that I never learned in school. Everyone should read this book from cover to cover. They wouldn't need all those huge grammar books (that no one ever uses or learns from). This is all they need.

This little book has everything that anyone needs to really understand how English works. Even spelling! It's worth the purchase price for the spelling section alone!

The publishers in all those other countries that are publishing it obviously know something....

As an active certified court interpreter, I have found this dictionary a great help. In contrast to anything I had seen before, it is up-to-date, relevant, and practical. The translations of court forms provided at the end of the dictionary are a wonderful aid, not only for an interpreter like me who happens to work in Multnomah County, but for any interpreter or interested party, since the forms are similar in other jurisdictions. The only real deficit is space; there is so much legal terminology one could include, but obviously there were restrictions on space and size.

"English-Russian Dictionary of American Criminal Law should be of great benefit to law enforcement officers and criminal investigators in their interactions with the Russian speaking community in the United States. It is critical to our work with Russian crime victims, witnesses and suspects that we have resources to assist us in accurately translating written communications. This Dictionary provides us an excellent reference for interacting with the Russian speaking community.

I am a criminal defense attorney practicing in Los Angeles, California. I also write a monthly criminal law column for a nationally distributed Russian newspaper.

As a native speaker of the Russian language, I found the inaccuracies contained in other dictionaries quite frustrating at times.

This dictionary is like no other I have seen or used in the past. Finally, someone has put together a collection of accurately translated criminal legal terms. My complements to the authors.

I find this book indispensable whether I am dealing with clients that speak only Russian, or writing for the paper. I wholeheartedly recommend this dictionary.

This book is an excellent compilation of German Grammer. I have used it extensively in the three years I have been studying the language. Its compact and easy layout are wonderful when you need to find information on any sort of grammer snafu. I heartily recommend it to anyone.

Only with this book at hand, should you dare to study German. The ultimate reference guide, especially for those using textbooks for German classes that seem more concerned about German culture and glossy pages than thorough explanation of grammar. Forget if a preposition is dative or accusative ? ... EGG is here to help. Thank you Guy Stern and E.F> Bleiler.

I bought this book with little knowledge of the German language. It's very organized and well thought out. It is for the beginner with a limited amount of time. These 120 some pages contain EVERY BASIC thing you would need to learn about German grammar. I wouldnt recommend using this book alone. I use language tapes with this book. A downfall is it doesnt show how to pronounce the words. But otherwise, there is no other book for a beginner to use to grasp a basic understanding of the German language than "Essential German Grammar" --Peace Out

If there's anything that drives me insane, it's the fact that 99% of all language courses bombard you with subjects such as "at the hotel," "at the train station," "at the airport," etc, blindly assuming that the only reason you want to learn a language is because you've got a trip coming up.

I'm a native German speaker, and my girlfriend wanted to learn so as to be able to impress my parents (not necessary, but I digress). When I found this and saw that travel vocab wasn't the focus of the course (or anything close to it), I couldn't buy it fast enough. She loves this course and has progessed amazingly quickly (admittedly, with some help on my part).

I admit that I laughed at the title "German in THREE MONTHS," but I've looked over this course and am amazed at what it contains. Since my girlfriend is French and we're in an already extremely long-term relationship, I bought Hugo's French course today (hey, let her return the favor!).

I'll review that one when I'm done with it, but as for this course, take the word of a native speaker: you will NOT find a better value for your money than this course unless you're buying a survival course strictly for travel. If you are, you've got 50,000 or so choices at your disposal - if you actually want to learn the language, this course is THE place to start.

Hugo courses are some of the best I've seen (and I've checked out, bought and tried many) for anyone trying to learn a language without the help of a classroom course or actually living in a foreign country. These tapes and book helped me to become proficient enough that by the time I went to Germany I was delighted to discover I could hold intelligent conversations with non-english speaking Germans. The non-english speaking Germans were usually the older WWII generation since younger Germans have many years of compulsory english and thus most whom I met were excellent english speakers. Speaking to younger Germans was somewhat disappointing for me since it gave little opportunity to practice my language skills as they were far superior at speaking English than I was at German (3 1/2 months of speaking German doesn't begin to stand up to years of compulsory study and practice in speaking English). Despite this gap in years of foreign-language fluency - everyone I conversed with, young and old alike, agreed that I spoke German surprisingly well - particularly when they learned I'd only been studying it for 3 1/2 months with virtually NO other tools and NO ONE to practice with.

I was delighted to understand many of the newspapers, magazines, radio broadcasts and tv shows. And I had only been working with this exact course for about 3 1/2 months prior to going there. I followed the author and publisher's recommendations for studying effectively - i.e. 1 hour study sessions every night at home - but I also added listening to the tapes in my car when driving to/from work or errands. I used every spare moment I had when driving to listen to these tapes and practice speaking and it was always fun. I never found it a drudge or a bore.

I was so pleased with the easy and intelligent way this course was presented that I bought the Swedish and Japanese Hugo courses as well and have experienced similar results.

This book starts off easy and gradually works it's way up in a very easy manner. I must warn you that you should not just look over the vocabulary and grammer. I kept memorizing it until I knew it well and then I moved on. My Berliner friend who used to not speak any German to me now talks small sentences to me and says that I have improved dramatically. It's only been two weeks! You have to get this book if you want to learn German quickly. I also recommend Pronounce It Perfectly In German. Hugo's German in Three Months has a good pronunciation section, but this one leaves you talking like a native. They're the best!

I used this text in 1st year Greek at seminary. Phenomenal method that simply works. I can still picture the "absurd" (author's words) diagrams and that's the reason this was a fantastic tool for learning a difficult language. Now in my Greek studies, I keep having "Greek to Me" flashbacks of the diagrams.
My only concern - I'm almost embarassed to show my friends what I used to study Greek because it looks like a text for Mrs. Johnson's 2nd graders.
Ah well, it works.

It has been about a year since I read it and I can still remember every single cartoon and thus each of the 21 different endings and most all the tenses. It seems to me that this book is conducive to very high retention. I would like to see it brought back to print as well.

I have studied greek twice. The first time was unbearibly hard for me. I have dyslexia, and learning a langauge with so many strange and confusable endings was very difficult to me. I quickly forgot much of what I crammed into my head. The second time was with this wonderful book. I did not have to memorize the strange endings by looking at them. Story's helpful cartoon gave me the pegs I needed to hang the language on. Wonderful, wonderful book. The publishers must bring this book back into print!

An excellent addition to the literature on Yugoslav and Serbian history. A must for anyone who would like to learn more about the region. Concise and easy to read. The entries on events and important individulas and institutions have not been burdened by the subjective interpretations and judgements. Highly recommended reading for general public and Yugoslav scholars.

Finally, we have a comprehensive and coherent masterwork on Yugoslavia from a Balkan expert and an IPE scholar. The post-Cold War literature on international relations of Yugoslavia's demise, in its substance and method, for the most part, has not discriminated between truth and opinion. It has not discriminated between what is true objectively and rationally, supported by evidence and illuminated by reason, and what is only a subjective judgment, separated from the facts, unrealistic, and informed by prejudice.

Information and knowledge about the Balkans, Yugoslavia, and Serbia,have often been created and disseminated through uncorroborated reports and teleological research prone to errors: accepting a (policy) claim when it was false, rejecting it when it was true, or solving the wrong problem instead of the right one. Serious readers, scholars, and policy makers engaged in the Balkan affairs and U.S. foreign policy, therefore, should pose several questions:

(1) has the so-called "advocacy journalism" based on the reports from conflict stakeholders -- past, current, or prospective clients and proxies provided information or disinformation?

(2) has the "advocacy journalism" cultivated (a) ignorance and cognitive closure about causal links and their effects; (b) stirred input/output discrepancies that led to cognitive dissonance and suppression of reasoned judgment; or has it enhanced our understanding of causes and consequences of internal conflicts and interstate wars?

(3) have we improved our learning skills, and advanced our knowledge with briefings, statements, and judgments provided by bureaucrats, staff members, and policy makers in a ministry or agency?

Answers to these questions suggest that research and management of international affairs, so far, have been adverse for the study of history and policy. We have discovered fallacies and errors in the intelligence process and planning ex postfacto. We have had to contend with policy advocacy and policy application that stem from these fallacies and errors. Serious and much needed research to discourage the use of fallacies and to avoid costly conceptual and policy errors,so far, has been insufficient and inadequate.

Suster's "Historical Dictionary of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia" in the English-speaking world has long been overdue. Since the end of the Cold War, the public was satiated with the literature on ethnic and regional conflict. This literature, with few exceptions, lacked the precision and depth required for serious social research. Academic and policy discourse has been in need of a discriminate and balanced evidence and inference. We make history and theory synthesis possible through this intellectual production of discriminate and balanced evidence and inference.

Zeljan Suster's book fills the large factual and analytical gap that exists in the contemporary literature on Yugoslavia. Besides the comprehensive lexicon of the names, events, and processes, the book's introductory chapter provides a concise but inclusive analytical background for the main period covered in the book. This analysis is refreshing and stimulating. It makes prospects for serious research on this and similar topics important and feasible. The "Historical Dictionary of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia" is a standard reference for scholars, students, and policy makers.

S. B. M. Pesic, University of Pittsburgh

Finally, a comprehensive and coherent volume on Yugoslavia from a Balkan expert and an IPE scholar. The post-Cold War literature on international relations of Yugoslavia's demise, in its substance and method, for the most part, has not discriminated between truth and opinion -- between what is true objectively and rationally, supported by evidence and illuminated by reason, and what is only a subjective judgment, separated from the facts, unrealistic, and informed by prejudice.

Regrettably, information and knowledge about Serbia, Yugoslavia, and the Balkans have often been created and distributed by media generated and / or by media forwarded pictures, reports, and commentaries. This type of evidence has largely been based on leaks from known and unknown sources. Therefore serious readers, scholars, and policy makers engaged in the Balkan affairs and U.S. foreign policy should pose several questions.

(1) Has the so-called "advocacy journalism" based on the reports from conflict stakeholders -- past, current, or prospective clients and proxies -- provided information or disinformation?

(2) Has the advocacy journalism cultivated (a) ignorance and cognitive closure about causal links and their effects; (b) stirred input-output discrepancies that led to cognitive dissonance and suppression of reasoned judgment; or (c) has it enhanced our understanding of causes and consequences of internal conflicts and interstate wars?

(3) Have we improved our learning skills, and advanced our knowledge with briefings, statements, and judgments provided by bureaucrats, staff members, and policy makers in a ministry or agency?

Answers to these questions and the outcome of such a research and management of international affairs have been adverse for history, theory, and policy. We have discovered ex ante and the ex postfacto fallacies and errors in the intelligence process, and planning. We have had to contend with policy advocacy and implementation that stem from these fallacies and errors. Serious and much needed research to discourage the use of fallacies and to avoid costly conceptual and policy errors, so far has been insufficient and inadequate.

Suster's Historical Dictionary of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the English-speaking world has long been overdue. Since the end of the Cold War, the public was satiated with the literature on ethnic and regional conflict. This literature, with few exceptions, lacked the precision and depth required for serious social research. Academic and policy discourse has been in need of a discriminate and balanced evidence and inference. We make history and theory synthesis possible through this intellectual production of discriminate and balanced evidence and inference.

Zeljan Suster's book fills the large factual and analytical gap that exists in the contemporary literature on Yugoslavia. Besides the comprehensive lexicon of the names, events, and processes, the book's introductory chapter provides a concise but inclusive analytical background for the main period covered in the book. This analysis is refreshing and stimulating. It makes prospects for serious research on this and similar topics important and feasible. The Historical Dictionary of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia should be a standard reference for scholars, students, and policy makers.

Boban S. M. Pesic, University of Pittsburgh

nunca sabemos demasiado ni suficiente.
Con este manual puedes hacer lo que necesites:
Aprender desde el principio o mejorar

came to live in the US, THIS BOOK TAUGHT US TO SPEAK, READ AND WRITE ENGLISH...
It's really good...Like my English... LOL... Right?
Now, I have bunchs of friends at school...

SI REALMENTE TE INTERESA aprender inglés bien y pronto !

This guide made conversing with Parisians very easy.

I think this tiny book is a great way to get started learning French. It was my first dive into the French language, and it
really helped me out with the basics. It's ideal for travelers who do not know much or any French. It even had specific needs covered. For example, it gave several ways to say: "I'm a vegetarian." I also like the simple and easy-to-read layout of the book. It's very visually pleasing.

To communicate simply and effectively on your next trip to France, take the French Phrase Book with you and listen to the tape before you go. The book supplies words and phrases and the tape brings them to life. You can play the cassette several times and even take it with you on the plane.

You will hear the English word first and then the French equivalent. There is a pause so you can say the word. Not every word or phrase is covered in the book.

You will start on page 6 and learn useful everyday phrases like yes (Oui) and no (non). Then you will move to Greetings and Introductions. The speaker also gives you little clues to the language and introduces cultural nuances.

Take a step past "Bonjour" and move to Comment allez-vous? Then, take another step to "Pouvez-vous parler plus lentement, s'il vous plait?"

This was like stepping back to French class in the days of high school. The book is divided up into sections. You can learn useful everyday phrases, colloquialisms, the days, months, seasons, and numbers. Then go on to learn staying in hotels or ordering when eating out. There is a handy menu guide. It is easy to keep the phrase book in your purse or pocket, it is that small. In the back of the book, there is a mini-dictionary.

If you are heading for France on a vacation, enjoy! The food is fantastique! Do try to take a tour when you go to Paris. I could have spent a week in Paris and the surrounding areas. There is so much to see. If you get a chance, go down to Cassis, there is a bakery there with the most delicious choux pastries. You can have dinner right out by the water. While a tour to Paris is wonderful, nothing compares to finding little treasures when you take a wrong turn!

Cassis will easily seduces you with its cafés and restaurants. A privately owned 13th century castle overlooks Cassis and was built by Hughes de Baux. It is surrounded by a garden filled with uncommon, scarce plants and flowers emitting even rarer fragrances.

While on my first trip to France I was only a teenager, my second trip was the year after I got married. Hopefully since I am now older and wiser, I will actually learn a great deal of French before my next visit. It is really essential, especially if you are not on a tour. You will still want to know basic phrases so you can be polite and can enjoy your trip all the more.

Not one to read in large portions, this
unique book is absolutely recommended to anyone
who loves the English language.
Mr. Kacirk has done a wonderful service
to Anglophiles and 's virtues
are many. He takes each word separately; gives
a brief historical description; adds a few excerpts
from where the word was used; and polishes it off
with a lovely line illustration (printed in green ink which
makes for a perfect contrast to the black ink of
the text) to give a visual referent to sharpen the
reader's focus. I've seen other books similar
to this ( is an example) but
they usually give you long lists or unnecessary
variations and such, that frankly are tiresome
to read. Not so with , which has
been delivered with perfection. Another
strong point about Kacirk is that
he is a humble man who doesn't
try to wow you with clever anecdotes and provocative
statements, a tendency which mars the work
of Bill Bryson, in his book.
This one is superbly laid out, and a joy to
thumb through (but do it slowly -- quality before quantity)
and should provide no end of joy and satisfaction.

Received my copy yesterday and am very impressed with the uncommon wealth of ancestral language! After only 30 minutes of reading I purchased a 2nd copy for a family member --didn't want to keep this treasure a secret! Entertaining and educational. Highly recommended!!!

"Forgotten English" is a delightful look at archaic words, expressions, and the societies that spawned them. The author does not simply define terms, but explains how they arose and what societal customs or beliefs they reflect. If you enjoy this book, you might also like the "Forgotten English" desk calendar.

This is a good course, but you should know that there is no English on the tapes. So you have to sit down in front of the tape deck with the book in hand. That is the down side for me. I was looking for a way to learn Spanish during my daily commute - check out Pimsleur Quick and Simple Spanish. That being said what I have come to recognize from simply listening and repeating the phrases and words is that it's also nice to be able to look at how the word is spelled. So I'm glad I have both.

Hugo's does what many other self-study language programs don't. It builds up your basics with simple nouns before moving on to basic sentences and verbs, then verb conjugation. Instead of memorizing phrases, you're given the bits of speech so you learn the actual rules of the language, rather than parrot back simple phrases. This helps you to actually communicate, and your command of the language improves quickly. The cassettes are helpful in that you actually hear pronunciation by native speakers, but they are by no means necessary. I rarely use them except when I hit a lesson I need more help on, and aural study does help in this way. In the back is a Spanish-English/English-Spanish dictionary (my beef with this was it doesn't contain nearly enough words other than ones commonly used in this course). Therefore, I recommend buying a nice thick Spanish/English dictionary in addition.

If you can't afford the time or money for a class, Hugo's is definitely one of the best alternatives I've found. In addition, however, I'd recommend "Cliffs QuickReview: Spanish 1". What bothered me about Hugo's is, while it does a great job of explaining the basics/intermediate things about Spanish, it glosses over little things that a newbie wouldn't understand (ex: "Why do I put an accent here but not here?"). Cliffs QuickReview is a great reference for every tiny bit that Hugo's sometimes forgets to mention (and all organized nicely for easy reference ... as Hugo's is organized in lesson plans, it's not easy to find that one thing you want to review i.e. irregular verbs or BOTH past tenses).

In conclusion, Hugo's is the best I've found so far, and in two months' time it's definitely increased my fluency (this from a non-Spanish-speaking native). Just get Cliffs QuickReview and a Spanish dictionary to supplement Hugo's and you're set.

This is a good course - I'm definitely enjoying it - but I don't recommend you use it alone if you can afford any supplemental books. Almost all of the Hugo * In Three Months courses have a book and 4 accompanying cassettes - which this one does (a few like Hugo's Welsh in Three Months only have 2 cassettes).

The positive points about this set are the clear explanations of various points of grammar, numerous drills and the dialogues that end each chapter. There are vocabulary lists to learn immediately before each dialogue or drill and a mini Spanish-English dictionary at the back. There is also a key in the back to each exercise to check for accuracy. I also liked the approach taken with the drills. It is expected that you will work through them as both oral and written exercises. I liked that the author did not downplay reading or writing ability compared to speaking. The last chapter offers a section titled Reading Practice and offers excerpts from books and magazines by modern authors. Even at this late stage the author mentions to take note of new vocabulary words. By the time you've finished the book you should have a good working knowledge of Spanish and be able to be understood reasonably well in any Spanish speaking country. You won't be fluent since that takes years of practice but you will be able to be understood. Overall, I'm even more pleased with this Latin-American Spanish course than I am with their German set.

Even a course as good and thorough as this one can not cover everything a serious student will need to learn if he/she wants true proficiency. For one thing, even with all the oral exercises and dialogues on the tapes (and there are many) most people will need more repetition and practice than what it can provide. The simple fact that the book is only 255 pages also means the author must move rather quickly. Each page may have several new grammar points introduced and illustrated with only 1 to 3 sentences before moving on. These were just not enough examples for me to really feel like I was making all the progress I wanted. If you just want to get by while on vacation then this course will be more than enough. But if you're like me and wanting to learn for the joy of conversing intelligently in a foreign language you will need something more.

Fortunately there are 3 books which I believe are excellent complements to this course. The first is the Berlitz Self-Teacher:Spanish. The second is Margarita Madrigal's Magical Key to Spanish. The third, of course, is the all important Spanish-English/English-Spanish dictionary. Each reinforces your learning in different ways and your Spanish will be better than when using any one method alone. Use them together and amaze yourself and your friends with your newfound ability to speak Spanish.