EXCELLENT BOOK, 26 Oct 2008
ABSOLUTELY WORTH EVERY PENNY.
I PURCHASED THIS BOOK A GOOD FEW YEARS AGO. I USE IT ALL THE TIME IN BETWEEN MY CLASSES AT NIGHT SCHOOL AND ALWAYS REFER BACK TO IT WHEN WE MOVE TO DIFFERENT USES OF VERBS IN CLASS.
I DO THE EXERCISES IN A A4 SCRAP PAD THAT WAY THE BOOK CAN BE USED OVER AND OVER AGAIN, THEN I CHECK THE ANSWERS FROM THE BACK OF THE BOOK.
I HAVE EVEN BOUGHT THIS BOOK FOR A GOOD FRIEND AND HE AND HIS CO WORKER THINK IT IS EXCELLENT.
PRONOUNS AND PREPOSITIONS .....COMPLETE SPANISH GRAMMAR ....AND SPANISH VOCABULARY ....ARE ALL VERY USEFUL BOOKS IN THE LEARNING RANGE ALSO.

Spanish Verbs, 15 Sep 2008
Excellent basic text on Spanish verbs. I refer to it time and time again, even after years of study.

Know Spanish Verbs Inside and Out!!!, 21 Jul 2008
This book on Spanish verb tenses is the best I've ever seen. In fact, it is probably the only book of its kind. I haven't seen any other books like this one, probably because it would be a waste of time for someone else to write a book like this.

The book first explains the present tense in great detail. It explains how the present tense is used in every possibleway. Although, it doesn't explain that the present tense is often used to convey a future action more often than the actual future is.

Richmond's explanation of the past tenses is also very good, but I didn't like how the imperfect and the preterit were explained. What I did like was how the author explains that the irregular preterit conjugations have predictable patterns.

The subjunctive is explained towards the end, which is one of the most difficult things to master in Spanish grammar. I didn't particularly care for the author's explanation of the subjunctive because it seems to be a "regurgitation" of how other books explain it.

All in all, this book is well worth its price. Every Spanish student (and teacher) should have a copy of "Practice Makes Perfect: Spanish Verb Tenses."

Brandon Simpson

This book is the best, 04 Jul 2008
I have read a few books on Spanish verb tenses and grammar, but this one has got to be the best of them all. If you read through this book step by step and do the written exercises as you proceed, you will understand verbs in no time at all.It is easy to follow and set out in a reader friendly way.

clear and practical help for the student of spanish, 08 Jun 2008
In support of the many enthusiastic reviews of this book, I must agree that this is one of the clearest and easiest to understand guides to spanish verbs avaialble. As a very keen student of spanish I have an extensive collection of relevant books, but the Practice Makes Perfect series are refreshingly easy and pleasant to use. The grammar is divided into distinct sections with plenty of explanations, examples and exercises for practice, as well as answers for checking. There are also exercises in the writing of short passages which incorporate the verb conjugations learnt and introduce much new and useful vocabulary. This is a very useful book, not only for learners who attend classes and who would like a little more clarification, but especially for those trying to teach themselves. The relatively large size of print and good layout also enhance the pleasure of using this book.

EXCELLENT BOOK, 26 Oct 2008
ABSOLUTELY WORTH EVERY PENNY.
I PURCHASED THIS BOOK A GOOD FEW YEARS AGO. I USE IT ALL THE TIME IN BETWEEN MY CLASSES AT NIGHT SCHOOL AND ALWAYS REFER BACK TO IT WHEN WE MOVE TO DIFFERENT USES OF VERBS IN CLASS.
I DO THE EXERCISES IN A A4 SCRAP PAD THAT WAY THE BOOK CAN BE USED OVER AND OVER AGAIN, THEN I CHECK THE ANSWERS FROM THE BACK OF THE BOOK.
I HAVE EVEN BOUGHT THIS BOOK FOR A GOOD FRIEND AND HE AND HIS CO WORKER THINK IT IS EXCELLENT.
PRONOUNS AND PREPOSITIONS .....COMPLETE SPANISH GRAMMAR ....AND SPANISH VOCABULARY ....ARE ALL VERY USEFUL BOOKS IN THE LEARNING RANGE ALSO.

Spanish Verbs, 15 Sep 2008
Excellent basic text on Spanish verbs. I refer to it time and time again, even after years of study.

Know Spanish Verbs Inside and Out!!!, 21 Jul 2008
This book on Spanish verb tenses is the best I've ever seen. In fact, it is probably the only book of its kind. I haven't seen any other books like this one, probably because it would be a waste of time for someone else to write a book like this.

The book first explains the present tense in great detail. It explains how the present tense is used in every possibleway. Although, it doesn't explain that the present tense is often used to convey a future action more often than the actual future is.

Richmond's explanation of the past tenses is also very good, but I didn't like how the imperfect and the preterit were explained. What I did like was how the author explains that the irregular preterit conjugations have predictable patterns.

The subjunctive is explained towards the end, which is one of the most difficult things to master in Spanish grammar. I didn't particularly care for the author's explanation of the subjunctive because it seems to be a "regurgitation" of how other books explain it.

All in all, this book is well worth its price. Every Spanish student (and teacher) should have a copy of "Practice Makes Perfect: Spanish Verb Tenses."

Brandon Simpson

This book is the best, 04 Jul 2008
I have read a few books on Spanish verb tenses and grammar, but this one has got to be the best of them all. If you read through this book step by step and do the written exercises as you proceed, you will understand verbs in no time at all.It is easy to follow and set out in a reader friendly way.

clear and practical help for the student of spanish, 08 Jun 2008
In support of the many enthusiastic reviews of this book, I must agree that this is one of the clearest and easiest to understand guides to spanish verbs avaialble. As a very keen student of spanish I have an extensive collection of relevant books, but the Practice Makes Perfect series are refreshingly easy and pleasant to use. The grammar is divided into distinct sections with plenty of explanations, examples and exercises for practice, as well as answers for checking. There are also exercises in the writing of short passages which incorporate the verb conjugations learnt and introduce much new and useful vocabulary. This is a very useful book, not only for learners who attend classes and who would like a little more clarification, but especially for those trying to teach themselves. The relatively large size of print and good layout also enhance the pleasure of using this book.

Not very castellano, 16 Jul 2007
Book is a good on getting refresh on verbs but I found there quite a many "errors" (not really errors but weird way of putting sentence together, looked like it was translated directly from English. I am not native English speaker so I spotted those). There was sentences is Spanish that you wouldn't say in castellano perhaps something that is common in Latin America.
IMHO If you want to learn castellano find some book written by Spanish but if you just want to play around verbs and get some refresh on Spanish I think this is ok.

One part of an excellent 3-book set., 14 Mar 2007
I also have the other two books in this series, 'Spanish Verb Tenses' and 'Spanish Prepositions & Pronouns'. The three together form a really first class set. This book, covering grammar, unavoidably duplicates considerable amounts of the other two but I wouldn't dissuade you from getting this one if you already have either or both of the others. Buy all three.

The tuition and exercises are presented clearly and in well structured form. There are answers to the questions in the back of the books. TIP! Don't do the exercises on the pages provided for your answers! I did - in pencil, fortunately - and spent ages rubbing out my answers when I realised I wanted to revise/recap. I would have needed an ocean of Tippex if I'd done them in ink.

No: do the tests on loose sheets or your pc. The answer pages in the back are perforated. This is very handy [other publishers note - do the same] because it means you can tear them all out, put them in a folder and avoid endless flipping back and forth between questions and answers. If you do your exercises on loose sheets, you can file them with the answer pages and monitor how well you're progressing.

I like the large format, too. It has enabled the publisher to lay the text out in a clear and logical way. The Oxford U.P. books are good, but the small format leads to a very dense and cramped presentation. These books are far superior in that respect.

I thoroughly recommend them.

EXCELLENT , 02 Dec 2006
I FIND THIS BOOK EXCELLENT FOR ALL THE LISTS OF VOCABULARY ...IT IS NICE TO REFRESH ON THE VOCABULARY SIDE OF THINGS AT TIMES AND THIS BOOK IS NICE AND STEADY.
I HAVE "SPANISH VERB" AND "PRONOUN AND PREPOSITIONS" AND FIND THEM ALL VERY USEFUL TO REFER BACK TO.
ALSO IF DOING THE EXERCISES IN THESE BOOKS USE AN A4 WRITING PAD THEN YOU CAN USE THE BOOKS OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

Another learner, 05 Aug 2006
My level of Spanish is advanced -not fluent by any means- and I can say that this is a superbly laid out book from start to finish both for the complete beginner and the advanced student. However, I would suggest that if you're looking to learn Spanish make sure this is not your sole teacher. As you would expect it is full of grammar exercises which could become tiresome if like me you prefer to speak the language. But I divulge.. For what it is -a grammar book- it's very good indeed.

Fantastic!, 02 Feb 2005
This book is so good. The grammar points are explained very well and not in a 1,000 words, just enough for us to get the most of it. Plenty of exercises put the lessons in practice and when they are all done the lesson is understood and can be applied easily.
Moreover a lot of vocabulary is provided as well, so it is not a boring grammar book!
This book is perfect for poeple who want to master Spanish or just to catch the key feature of the grammar.

EXCELLENT BOOK, 26 Oct 2008
ABSOLUTELY WORTH EVERY PENNY.
I PURCHASED THIS BOOK A GOOD FEW YEARS AGO. I USE IT ALL THE TIME IN BETWEEN MY CLASSES AT NIGHT SCHOOL AND ALWAYS REFER BACK TO IT WHEN WE MOVE TO DIFFERENT USES OF VERBS IN CLASS.
I DO THE EXERCISES IN A A4 SCRAP PAD THAT WAY THE BOOK CAN BE USED OVER AND OVER AGAIN, THEN I CHECK THE ANSWERS FROM THE BACK OF THE BOOK.
I HAVE EVEN BOUGHT THIS BOOK FOR A GOOD FRIEND AND HE AND HIS CO WORKER THINK IT IS EXCELLENT.
PRONOUNS AND PREPOSITIONS .....COMPLETE SPANISH GRAMMAR ....AND SPANISH VOCABULARY ....ARE ALL VERY USEFUL BOOKS IN THE LEARNING RANGE ALSO.

Spanish Verbs, 15 Sep 2008
Excellent basic text on Spanish verbs. I refer to it time and time again, even after years of study.

Know Spanish Verbs Inside and Out!!!, 21 Jul 2008
This book on Spanish verb tenses is the best I've ever seen. In fact, it is probably the only book of its kind. I haven't seen any other books like this one, probably because it would be a waste of time for someone else to write a book like this.

The book first explains the present tense in great detail. It explains how the present tense is used in every possibleway. Although, it doesn't explain that the present tense is often used to convey a future action more often than the actual future is.

Richmond's explanation of the past tenses is also very good, but I didn't like how the imperfect and the preterit were explained. What I did like was how the author explains that the irregular preterit conjugations have predictable patterns.

The subjunctive is explained towards the end, which is one of the most difficult things to master in Spanish grammar. I didn't particularly care for the author's explanation of the subjunctive because it seems to be a "regurgitation" of how other books explain it.

All in all, this book is well worth its price. Every Spanish student (and teacher) should have a copy of "Practice Makes Perfect: Spanish Verb Tenses."

Brandon Simpson

This book is the best, 04 Jul 2008
I have read a few books on Spanish verb tenses and grammar, but this one has got to be the best of them all. If you read through this book step by step and do the written exercises as you proceed, you will understand verbs in no time at all.It is easy to follow and set out in a reader friendly way.

clear and practical help for the student of spanish, 08 Jun 2008
In support of the many enthusiastic reviews of this book, I must agree that this is one of the clearest and easiest to understand guides to spanish verbs avaialble. As a very keen student of spanish I have an extensive collection of relevant books, but the Practice Makes Perfect series are refreshingly easy and pleasant to use. The grammar is divided into distinct sections with plenty of explanations, examples and exercises for practice, as well as answers for checking. There are also exercises in the writing of short passages which incorporate the verb conjugations learnt and introduce much new and useful vocabulary. This is a very useful book, not only for learners who attend classes and who would like a little more clarification, but especially for those trying to teach themselves. The relatively large size of print and good layout also enhance the pleasure of using this book.

Not very castellano, 16 Jul 2007
Book is a good on getting refresh on verbs but I found there quite a many "errors" (not really errors but weird way of putting sentence together, looked like it was translated directly from English. I am not native English speaker so I spotted those). There was sentences is Spanish that you wouldn't say in castellano perhaps something that is common in Latin America.
IMHO If you want to learn castellano find some book written by Spanish but if you just want to play around verbs and get some refresh on Spanish I think this is ok.

One part of an excellent 3-book set., 14 Mar 2007
I also have the other two books in this series, 'Spanish Verb Tenses' and 'Spanish Prepositions & Pronouns'. The three together form a really first class set. This book, covering grammar, unavoidably duplicates considerable amounts of the other two but I wouldn't dissuade you from getting this one if you already have either or both of the others. Buy all three.

The tuition and exercises are presented clearly and in well structured form. There are answers to the questions in the back of the books. TIP! Don't do the exercises on the pages provided for your answers! I did - in pencil, fortunately - and spent ages rubbing out my answers when I realised I wanted to revise/recap. I would have needed an ocean of Tippex if I'd done them in ink.

No: do the tests on loose sheets or your pc. The answer pages in the back are perforated. This is very handy [other publishers note - do the same] because it means you can tear them all out, put them in a folder and avoid endless flipping back and forth between questions and answers. If you do your exercises on loose sheets, you can file them with the answer pages and monitor how well you're progressing.

I like the large format, too. It has enabled the publisher to lay the text out in a clear and logical way. The Oxford U.P. books are good, but the small format leads to a very dense and cramped presentation. These books are far superior in that respect.

I thoroughly recommend them.

EXCELLENT , 02 Dec 2006
I FIND THIS BOOK EXCELLENT FOR ALL THE LISTS OF VOCABULARY ...IT IS NICE TO REFRESH ON THE VOCABULARY SIDE OF THINGS AT TIMES AND THIS BOOK IS NICE AND STEADY.
I HAVE "SPANISH VERB" AND "PRONOUN AND PREPOSITIONS" AND FIND THEM ALL VERY USEFUL TO REFER BACK TO.
ALSO IF DOING THE EXERCISES IN THESE BOOKS USE AN A4 WRITING PAD THEN YOU CAN USE THE BOOKS OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

Another learner, 05 Aug 2006
My level of Spanish is advanced -not fluent by any means- and I can say that this is a superbly laid out book from start to finish both for the complete beginner and the advanced student. However, I would suggest that if you're looking to learn Spanish make sure this is not your sole teacher. As you would expect it is full of grammar exercises which could become tiresome if like me you prefer to speak the language. But I divulge.. For what it is -a grammar book- it's very good indeed.

Fantastic!, 02 Feb 2005
This book is so good. The grammar points are explained very well and not in a 1,000 words, just enough for us to get the most of it. Plenty of exercises put the lessons in practice and when they are all done the lesson is understood and can be applied easily.
Moreover a lot of vocabulary is provided as well, so it is not a boring grammar book!
This book is perfect for poeple who want to master Spanish or just to catch the key feature of the grammar.

Simply the Best!, 25 Aug 2008
The Elements of Style is a short, timeless and foundational book on writing style and grammar. It is exceptionally well written and an essential writers desk reference. The authors stripped away all the fluff and kept the best of the best to help anyone write more clearly and concisely.

The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide To: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking

The Best Little Book About English, 17 Jan 2008
This little book is considered classic and timeless by many professors and students. I find it very helpful. It inspired me to write my own book about English.


Brandon Simpson

An important little book..., 28 Nov 2007
"The Elements of Style" was recommended to me by Stephen King in his book "On Writing". I see it as basically filling in the gaps that King left in his book. King's book was more concerned with the practical matters of writing, whereas, TEOS is all about LANGUAGE and how to use it, which King only touched upon.

And this book certainly packs a lot of information and advice, especially given that it is only 85 pages long. It has five chapters. The first chapter is called ELEMENTARY RULES OF USAGE and contains eleven grammatical tips, from the use of commas and semi-colons to structuring of a sentence. The second chapter, ELEMENTARY PRINCIPLES OF COMPOSITION, is more about writing style and ways to keep your writing punchy and fresh. Chapter 3, A FEW MATTERS OF FORM, mostly concerns physical presentation of your work and may be more suitable to formal letter writing that fiction, but may be useful to other forms nonetheless. Chapter 4 is about WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS COMMONLY MISUSED and includes some of my pet hates, including those who turn "I couldn't care less" into "I could care less", thus completely destroying the meaning of the phrase. I also learned a few new things from this section. The fifth chapter is called AN APPROACH TO STYLE and contains 21 general tips, or "reminders", about how to keep your writing consistent and stop it going bad. A lot of my description here sounds very general and vague, and makes most of the sections sound the same, but trust me that it all makes sense and has a point in the book that I just can't quite explain - I need a bigger vocab!

There are one or two minor problems with the book. For example, as Stephen King points out, it says that the most important part of a sentence should always go at the end - but is "With a hammer he killed Frank" really better than "He killed Frank with a hammer"? I don't think so, either. Also, it seems to me that a lot of this advice, particular when it comes to grammar, depends on your own comforts and preferences and those of your editor and/or publisher. That doesn't mean we should pay it no heed, but I do believe that you can quite easily get away with ignoring half of this book's advice and still be a respected, published writer.

But overall, an excellent little book that I think every writer should read, whether they are beginners or highly experienced. The writing style of Strunk himself is straightforward and formal, occasionally venturing into humour and informality, which means that you are likely to learn something by reading it, but unlikely to be bored while doing so.

Highly recommended to writers of all talents.

Must have for all writers...informative and very readable, 13 Sep 2007
Superb book. Teaches (or reminds) you of grammatical devices and the rules of language, which may sound dull but it's actually very readable and dare I say it- fun. An ideal present to anyone studying english, or any aspiring writer...or you could treat yourself, you will be glad you did.

Good for read, 25 Jul 2007
This book taught me write how to do it good and clarity.

Recommends itself.

EXCELLENT BOOK, 26 Oct 2008
ABSOLUTELY WORTH EVERY PENNY.
I PURCHASED THIS BOOK A GOOD FEW YEARS AGO. I USE IT ALL THE TIME IN BETWEEN MY CLASSES AT NIGHT SCHOOL AND ALWAYS REFER BACK TO IT WHEN WE MOVE TO DIFFERENT USES OF VERBS IN CLASS.
I DO THE EXERCISES IN A A4 SCRAP PAD THAT WAY THE BOOK CAN BE USED OVER AND OVER AGAIN, THEN I CHECK THE ANSWERS FROM THE BACK OF THE BOOK.
I HAVE EVEN BOUGHT THIS BOOK FOR A GOOD FRIEND AND HE AND HIS CO WORKER THINK IT IS EXCELLENT.
PRONOUNS AND PREPOSITIONS .....COMPLETE SPANISH GRAMMAR ....AND SPANISH VOCABULARY ....ARE ALL VERY USEFUL BOOKS IN THE LEARNING RANGE ALSO.

Spanish Verbs, 15 Sep 2008
Excellent basic text on Spanish verbs. I refer to it time and time again, even after years of study.

Know Spanish Verbs Inside and Out!!!, 21 Jul 2008
This book on Spanish verb tenses is the best I've ever seen. In fact, it is probably the only book of its kind. I haven't seen any other books like this one, probably because it would be a waste of time for someone else to write a book like this.

The book first explains the present tense in great detail. It explains how the present tense is used in every possibleway. Although, it doesn't explain that the present tense is often used to convey a future action more often than the actual future is.

Richmond's explanation of the past tenses is also very good, but I didn't like how the imperfect and the preterit were explained. What I did like was how the author explains that the irregular preterit conjugations have predictable patterns.

The subjunctive is explained towards the end, which is one of the most difficult things to master in Spanish grammar. I didn't particularly care for the author's explanation of the subjunctive because it seems to be a "regurgitation" of how other books explain it.

All in all, this book is well worth its price. Every Spanish student (and teacher) should have a copy of "Practice Makes Perfect: Spanish Verb Tenses."

Brandon Simpson

This book is the best, 04 Jul 2008
I have read a few books on Spanish verb tenses and grammar, but this one has got to be the best of them all. If you read through this book step by step and do the written exercises as you proceed, you will understand verbs in no time at all.It is easy to follow and set out in a reader friendly way.

clear and practical help for the student of spanish, 08 Jun 2008
In support of the many enthusiastic reviews of this book, I must agree that this is one of the clearest and easiest to understand guides to spanish verbs avaialble. As a very keen student of spanish I have an extensive collection of relevant books, but the Practice Makes Perfect series are refreshingly easy and pleasant to use. The grammar is divided into distinct sections with plenty of explanations, examples and exercises for practice, as well as answers for checking. There are also exercises in the writing of short passages which incorporate the verb conjugations learnt and introduce much new and useful vocabulary. This is a very useful book, not only for learners who attend classes and who would like a little more clarification, but especially for those trying to teach themselves. The relatively large size of print and good layout also enhance the pleasure of using this book.

Not very castellano, 16 Jul 2007
Book is a good on getting refresh on verbs but I found there quite a many "errors" (not really errors but weird way of putting sentence together, looked like it was translated directly from English. I am not native English speaker so I spotted those). There was sentences is Spanish that you wouldn't say in castellano perhaps something that is common in Latin America.
IMHO If you want to learn castellano find some book written by Spanish but if you just want to play around verbs and get some refresh on Spanish I think this is ok.

One part of an excellent 3-book set., 14 Mar 2007
I also have the other two books in this series, 'Spanish Verb Tenses' and 'Spanish Prepositions & Pronouns'. The three together form a really first class set. This book, covering grammar, unavoidably duplicates considerable amounts of the other two but I wouldn't dissuade you from getting this one if you already have either or both of the others. Buy all three.

The tuition and exercises are presented clearly and in well structured form. There are answers to the questions in the back of the books. TIP! Don't do the exercises on the pages provided for your answers! I did - in pencil, fortunately - and spent ages rubbing out my answers when I realised I wanted to revise/recap. I would have needed an ocean of Tippex if I'd done them in ink.

No: do the tests on loose sheets or your pc. The answer pages in the back are perforated. This is very handy [other publishers note - do the same] because it means you can tear them all out, put them in a folder and avoid endless flipping back and forth between questions and answers. If you do your exercises on loose sheets, you can file them with the answer pages and monitor how well you're progressing.

I like the large format, too. It has enabled the publisher to lay the text out in a clear and logical way. The Oxford U.P. books are good, but the small format leads to a very dense and cramped presentation. These books are far superior in that respect.

I thoroughly recommend them.

EXCELLENT , 02 Dec 2006
I FIND THIS BOOK EXCELLENT FOR ALL THE LISTS OF VOCABULARY ...IT IS NICE TO REFRESH ON THE VOCABULARY SIDE OF THINGS AT TIMES AND THIS BOOK IS NICE AND STEADY.
I HAVE "SPANISH VERB" AND "PRONOUN AND PREPOSITIONS" AND FIND THEM ALL VERY USEFUL TO REFER BACK TO.
ALSO IF DOING THE EXERCISES IN THESE BOOKS USE AN A4 WRITING PAD THEN YOU CAN USE THE BOOKS OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

Another learner, 05 Aug 2006
My level of Spanish is advanced -not fluent by any means- and I can say that this is a superbly laid out book from start to finish both for the complete beginner and the advanced student. However, I would suggest that if you're looking to learn Spanish make sure this is not your sole teacher. As you would expect it is full of grammar exercises which could become tiresome if like me you prefer to speak the language. But I divulge.. For what it is -a grammar book- it's very good indeed.

Fantastic!, 02 Feb 2005
This book is so good. The grammar points are explained very well and not in a 1,000 words, just enough for us to get the most of it. Plenty of exercises put the lessons in practice and when they are all done the lesson is understood and can be applied easily.
Moreover a lot of vocabulary is provided as well, so it is not a boring grammar book!
This book is perfect for poeple who want to master Spanish or just to catch the key feature of the grammar.

Simply the Best!, 25 Aug 2008
The Elements of Style is a short, timeless and foundational book on writing style and grammar. It is exceptionally well written and an essential writers desk reference. The authors stripped away all the fluff and kept the best of the best to help anyone write more clearly and concisely.

The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide To: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking

The Best Little Book About English, 17 Jan 2008
This little book is considered classic and timeless by many professors and students. I find it very helpful. It inspired me to write my own book about English.


Brandon Simpson

An important little book..., 28 Nov 2007
"The Elements of Style" was recommended to me by Stephen King in his book "On Writing". I see it as basically filling in the gaps that King left in his book. King's book was more concerned with the practical matters of writing, whereas, TEOS is all about LANGUAGE and how to use it, which King only touched upon.

And this book certainly packs a lot of information and advice, especially given that it is only 85 pages long. It has five chapters. The first chapter is called ELEMENTARY RULES OF USAGE and contains eleven grammatical tips, from the use of commas and semi-colons to structuring of a sentence. The second chapter, ELEMENTARY PRINCIPLES OF COMPOSITION, is more about writing style and ways to keep your writing punchy and fresh. Chapter 3, A FEW MATTERS OF FORM, mostly concerns physical presentation of your work and may be more suitable to formal letter writing that fiction, but may be useful to other forms nonetheless. Chapter 4 is about WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS COMMONLY MISUSED and includes some of my pet hates, including those who turn "I couldn't care less" into "I could care less", thus completely destroying the meaning of the phrase. I also learned a few new things from this section. The fifth chapter is called AN APPROACH TO STYLE and contains 21 general tips, or "reminders", about how to keep your writing consistent and stop it going bad. A lot of my description here sounds very general and vague, and makes most of the sections sound the same, but trust me that it all makes sense and has a point in the book that I just can't quite explain - I need a bigger vocab!

There are one or two minor problems with the book. For example, as Stephen King points out, it says that the most important part of a sentence should always go at the end - but is "With a hammer he killed Frank" really better than "He killed Frank with a hammer"? I don't think so, either. Also, it seems to me that a lot of this advice, particular when it comes to grammar, depends on your own comforts and preferences and those of your editor and/or publisher. That doesn't mean we should pay it no heed, but I do believe that you can quite easily get away with ignoring half of this book's advice and still be a respected, published writer.

But overall, an excellent little book that I think every writer should read, whether they are beginners or highly experienced. The writing style of Strunk himself is straightforward and formal, occasionally venturing into humour and informality, which means that you are likely to learn something by reading it, but unlikely to be bored while doing so.

Highly recommended to writers of all talents.

Must have for all writers...informative and very readable, 13 Sep 2007
Superb book. Teaches (or reminds) you of grammatical devices and the rules of language, which may sound dull but it's actually very readable and dare I say it- fun. An ideal present to anyone studying english, or any aspiring writer...or you could treat yourself, you will be glad you did.

Good for read, 25 Jul 2007
This book taught me write how to do it good and clarity.

Recommends itself.

Usefull and good problem with the quality of the paper, 01 Sep 2008
I buy this book based in the advise of a friend that is an english teacher and the reviews that I read from amazon uk and amozon US. the book is very usefull for me. I never learn english from Class I learn english from HBO and Cinemax. Because of this I have a lot of problems with my grammar, I have quite a good vocabulary and my pronuntiation is pretty well, bt when I am writing... The problems appear this book help me a lot with that the study guide make me realize witch are my major mistakes and the cd is also pretty good. I recomend this book to all the people that think that they know enough english to not take classes again or for those who already take it but need an extra help in grammar, easy to follow and very clear. The only but is the quality of the paper... Is not bad, quite the opposite, too good, so if you are doing the book by your own ou will find almost imposible to erase in the pages, be carfull on that, from the rest... you will love it.

Excellent Grammar Book, 14 Apr 2008
Excellent intermediate grammar book with simple explanations / examples and exercises. Great for teachers and sudents!

Dangerous. It can make you waste years of your life., 03 Mar 2007
I've been studying English for the most part of my life and I've always be frustrated with English grammar. I thought that English grammar had no clear-cut rules and, therefore, was difficult to explain and understand. I was wrong.

The problem wasn't English grammar. The problem is this book (that I've been using all my life). This book has confuse explanations and Raymond Murphy knows English but he doesn't know which are the rules and how to explain them.

Of course, English grammar is hard (because there are so many rules) but it is easy to understand IF you read the RIGHT book. I recommend you Swan's Basic English Usage. If you want to know how to use English, please buy it. You won't be disappointed.

But don't buy "English Grammar in Use". I have wasted whole years of my life because of this book. If you don't want to do that, please skip this book. It deserves -10 stars.

The Best!, 21 Jul 2006
After 20 years of teaching EFL I have to say, this is probably the best grammar book for intermediate students. Clear, concise, yet comprehensive, it doesn't leave anything to chance, giving and explaining alternative answers - and you can be completely confident that you're teaching the 'correct' grammar - which sadly isn't so for all grammar books.

One of the best grammar books I ever had., 21 Sep 2004
Having aproximately 30 books of English Grammar, this is on of the best, I learned English on this one. After seen this brillian new version in colour and CDROM, I bought it and it is better than ever. This is one of the starts in my collection, simple, practical , with theory and exercises what else can we ask? Covers all the basic aspects of English grammar in different chapters, well presented, organized and simple to understand.

EXCELLENT BOOK, 26 Oct 2008
ABSOLUTELY WORTH EVERY PENNY.
I PURCHASED THIS BOOK A GOOD FEW YEARS AGO. I USE IT ALL THE TIME IN BETWEEN MY CLASSES AT NIGHT SCHOOL AND ALWAYS REFER BACK TO IT WHEN WE MOVE TO DIFFERENT USES OF VERBS IN CLASS.
I DO THE EXERCISES IN A A4 SCRAP PAD THAT WAY THE BOOK CAN BE USED OVER AND OVER AGAIN, THEN I CHECK THE ANSWERS FROM THE BACK OF THE BOOK.
I HAVE EVEN BOUGHT THIS BOOK FOR A GOOD FRIEND AND HE AND HIS CO WORKER THINK IT IS EXCELLENT.
PRONOUNS AND PREPOSITIONS .....COMPLETE SPANISH GRAMMAR ....AND SPANISH VOCABULARY ....ARE ALL VERY USEFUL BOOKS IN THE LEARNING RANGE ALSO.

Spanish Verbs, 15 Sep 2008
Excellent basic text on Spanish verbs. I refer to it time and time again, even after years of study.

Know Spanish Verbs Inside and Out!!!, 21 Jul 2008
This book on Spanish verb tenses is the best I've ever seen. In fact, it is probably the only book of its kind. I haven't seen any other books like this one, probably because it would be a waste of time for someone else to write a book like this.

The book first explains the present tense in great detail. It explains how the present tense is used in every possibleway. Although, it doesn't explain that the present tense is often used to convey a future action more often than the actual future is.

Richmond's explanation of the past tenses is also very good, but I didn't like how the imperfect and the preterit were explained. What I did like was how the author explains that the irregular preterit conjugations have predictable patterns.

The subjunctive is explained towards the end, which is one of the most difficult things to master in Spanish grammar. I didn't particularly care for the author's explanation of the subjunctive because it seems to be a "regurgitation" of how other books explain it.

All in all, this book is well worth its price. Every Spanish student (and teacher) should have a copy of "Practice Makes Perfect: Spanish Verb Tenses."

Brandon Simpson

This book is the best, 04 Jul 2008
I have read a few books on Spanish verb tenses and grammar, but this one has got to be the best of them all. If you read through this book step by step and do the written exercises as you proceed, you will understand verbs in no time at all.It is easy to follow and set out in a reader friendly way.

clear and practical help for the student of spanish, 08 Jun 2008
In support of the many enthusiastic reviews of this book, I must agree that this is one of the clearest and easiest to understand guides to spanish verbs avaialble. As a very keen student of spanish I have an extensive collection of relevant books, but the Practice Makes Perfect series are refreshingly easy and pleasant to use. The grammar is divided into distinct sections with plenty of explanations, examples and exercises for practice, as well as answers for checking. There are also exercises in the writing of short passages which incorporate the verb conjugations learnt and introduce much new and useful vocabulary. This is a very useful book, not only for learners who attend classes and who would like a little more clarification, but especially for those trying to teach themselves. The relatively large size of print and good layout also enhance the pleasure of using this book.

Not very castellano, 16 Jul 2007
Book is a good on getting refresh on verbs but I found there quite a many "errors" (not really errors but weird way of putting sentence together, looked like it was translated directly from English. I am not native English speaker so I spotted those). There was sentences is Spanish that you wouldn't say in castellano perhaps something that is common in Latin America.
IMHO If you want to learn castellano find some book written by Spanish but if you just want to play around verbs and get some refresh on Spanish I think this is ok.

One part of an excellent 3-book set., 14 Mar 2007
I also have the other two books in this series, 'Spanish Verb Tenses' and 'Spanish Prepositions & Pronouns'. The three together form a really first class set. This book, covering grammar, unavoidably duplicates considerable amounts of the other two but I wouldn't dissuade you from getting this one if you already have either or both of the others. Buy all three.

The tuition and exercises are presented clearly and in well structured form. There are answers to the questions in the back of the books. TIP! Don't do the exercises on the pages provided for your answers! I did - in pencil, fortunately - and spent ages rubbing out my answers when I realised I wanted to revise/recap. I would have needed an ocean of Tippex if I'd done them in ink.

No: do the tests on loose sheets or your pc. The answer pages in the back are perforated. This is very handy [other publishers note - do the same] because it means you can tear them all out, put them in a folder and avoid endless flipping back and forth between questions and answers. If you do your exercises on loose sheets, you can file them with the answer pages and monitor how well you're progressing.

I like the large format, too. It has enabled the publisher to lay the text out in a clear and logical way. The Oxford U.P. books are good, but the small format leads to a very dense and cramped presentation. These books are far superior in that respect.

I thoroughly recommend them.

EXCELLENT , 02 Dec 2006
I FIND THIS BOOK EXCELLENT FOR ALL THE LISTS OF VOCABULARY ...IT IS NICE TO REFRESH ON THE VOCABULARY SIDE OF THINGS AT TIMES AND THIS BOOK IS NICE AND STEADY.
I HAVE "SPANISH VERB" AND "PRONOUN AND PREPOSITIONS" AND FIND THEM ALL VERY USEFUL TO REFER BACK TO.
ALSO IF DOING THE EXERCISES IN THESE BOOKS USE AN A4 WRITING PAD THEN YOU CAN USE THE BOOKS OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

Another learner, 05 Aug 2006
My level of Spanish is advanced -not fluent by any means- and I can say that this is a superbly laid out book from start to finish both for the complete beginner and the advanced student. However, I would suggest that if you're looking to learn Spanish make sure this is not your sole teacher. As you would expect it is full of grammar exercises which could become tiresome if like me you prefer to speak the language. But I divulge.. For what it is -a grammar book- it's very good indeed.

Fantastic!, 02 Feb 2005
This book is so good. The grammar points are explained very well and not in a 1,000 words, just enough for us to get the most of it. Plenty of exercises put the lessons in practice and when they are all done the lesson is understood and can be applied easily.
Moreover a lot of vocabulary is provided as well, so it is not a boring grammar book!
This book is perfect for poeple who want to master Spanish or just to catch the key feature of the grammar.

Simply the Best!, 25 Aug 2008
The Elements of Style is a short, timeless and foundational book on writing style and grammar. It is exceptionally well written and an essential writers desk reference. The authors stripped away all the fluff and kept the best of the best to help anyone write more clearly and concisely.

The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide To: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking

The Best Little Book About English, 17 Jan 2008
This little book is considered classic and timeless by many professors and students. I find it very helpful. It inspired me to write my own book about English.


Brandon Simpson

An important little book..., 28 Nov 2007
"The Elements of Style" was recommended to me by Stephen King in his book "On Writing". I see it as basically filling in the gaps that King left in his book. King's book was more concerned with the practical matters of writing, whereas, TEOS is all about LANGUAGE and how to use it, which King only touched upon.

And this book certainly packs a lot of information and advice, especially given that it is only 85 pages long. It has five chapters. The first chapter is called ELEMENTARY RULES OF USAGE and contains eleven grammatical tips, from the use of commas and semi-colons to structuring of a sentence. The second chapter, ELEMENTARY PRINCIPLES OF COMPOSITION, is more about writing style and ways to keep your writing punchy and fresh. Chapter 3, A FEW MATTERS OF FORM, mostly concerns physical presentation of your work and may be more suitable to formal letter writing that fiction, but may be useful to other forms nonetheless. Chapter 4 is about WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS COMMONLY MISUSED and includes some of my pet hates, including those who turn "I couldn't care less" into "I could care less", thus completely destroying the meaning of the phrase. I also learned a few new things from this section. The fifth chapter is called AN APPROACH TO STYLE and contains 21 general tips, or "reminders", about how to keep your writing consistent and stop it going bad. A lot of my description here sounds very general and vague, and makes most of the sections sound the same, but trust me that it all makes sense and has a point in the book that I just can't quite explain - I need a bigger vocab!

There are one or two minor problems with the book. For example, as Stephen King points out, it says that the most important part of a sentence should always go at the end - but is "With a hammer he killed Frank" really better than "He killed Frank with a hammer"? I don't think so, either. Also, it seems to me that a lot of this advice, particular when it comes to grammar, depends on your own comforts and preferences and those of your editor and/or publisher. That doesn't mean we should pay it no heed, but I do believe that you can quite easily get away with ignoring half of this book's advice and still be a respected, published writer.

But overall, an excellent little book that I think every writer should read, whether they are beginners or highly experienced. The writing style of Strunk himself is straightforward and formal, occasionally venturing into humour and informality, which means that you are likely to learn something by reading it, but unlikely to be bored while doing so.

Highly recommended to writers of all talents.

Must have for all writers...informative and very readable, 13 Sep 2007
Superb book. Teaches (or reminds) you of grammatical devices and the rules of language, which may sound dull but it's actually very readable and dare I say it- fun. An ideal present to anyone studying english, or any aspiring writer...or you could treat yourself, you will be glad you did.

Good for read, 25 Jul 2007
This book taught me write how to do it good and clarity.

Recommends itself.

Usefull and good problem with the quality of the paper, 01 Sep 2008
I buy this book based in the advise of a friend that is an english teacher and the reviews that I read from amazon uk and amozon US. the book is very usefull for me. I never learn english from Class I learn english from HBO and Cinemax. Because of this I have a lot of problems with my grammar, I have quite a good vocabulary and my pronuntiation is pretty well, bt when I am writing... The problems appear this book help me a lot with that the study guide make me realize witch are my major mistakes and the cd is also pretty good. I recomend this book to all the people that think that they know enough english to not take classes again or for those who already take it but need an extra help in grammar, easy to follow and very clear. The only but is the quality of the paper... Is not bad, quite the opposite, too good, so if you are doing the book by your own ou will find almost imposible to erase in the pages, be carfull on that, from the rest... you will love it.

Excellent Grammar Book, 14 Apr 2008
Excellent intermediate grammar book with simple explanations / examples and exercises. Great for teachers and sudents!

Dangerous. It can make you waste years of your life., 03 Mar 2007
I've been studying English for the most part of my life and I've always be frustrated with English grammar. I thought that English grammar had no clear-cut rules and, therefore, was difficult to explain and understand. I was wrong.

The problem wasn't English grammar. The problem is this book (that I've been using all my life). This book has confuse explanations and Raymond Murphy knows English but he doesn't know which are the rules and how to explain them.

Of course, English grammar is hard (because there are so many rules) but it is easy to understand IF you read the RIGHT book. I recommend you Swan's Basic English Usage. If you want to know how to use English, please buy it. You won't be disappointed.

But don't buy "English Grammar in Use". I have wasted whole years of my life because of this book. If you don't want to do that, please skip this book. It deserves -10 stars.

The Best!, 21 Jul 2006
After 20 years of teaching EFL I have to say, this is probably the best grammar book for intermediate students. Clear, concise, yet comprehensive, it doesn't leave anything to chance, giving and explaining alternative answers - and you can be completely confident that you're teaching the 'correct' grammar - which sadly isn't so for all grammar books.

One of the best grammar books I ever had., 21 Sep 2004
Having aproximately 30 books of English Grammar, this is on of the best, I learned English on this one. After seen this brillian new version in colour and CDROM, I bought it and it is better than ever. This is one of the starts in my collection, simple, practical , with theory and exercises what else can we ask? Covers all the basic aspects of English grammar in different chapters, well presented, organized and simple to understand.

MR C. CLAY, 08 Feb 2008
I am currently doing a intermediate level of italian but find it always useful to remember the key verbs. I have used a lot of italian books in order to understand italian and this one explains and does what it says ''drills'' those verbs into your mind with a good set of exercises. A well organized easy to understand book perfect for beginners of Italian! I would seriously recommend it.

Watch out for errors, 19 Jan 2008
I like these series of books. I have used the French one before.
They have helped me improve my grammar retention. However, I have got to the section on -ire verbs (Pg. 21) and have found it lacking in accuracy. Four of the standard -ire verbs have an inaccurate or misleading English meaning. For example avvertire is described as meaning "to announce". It actually means "to warn". In addition, other verbs are described as being standard -ire verbs but are not. Benedire for example, is an irregular verb even in the present tense.

Will post more feedback if it gets better.



Brilliant!!, 27 Nov 2007
This is a very good book. I used this shortly after finishing the 'Michel Thomas series' and it strengthened my ability to conjugate verbs enormously. It also gives help on a lot of the important irregular verbs that Italian has. I really do recommend this book, especially at this price.

Note: This book is not intended for any other area of Italian grammar other than VERBS!!! As the title suggests. If you want in depth grammar help, buy `Italian grammar drills'.


Great for Revision and New Work, 08 Feb 2003
I have found Italian Verb Drills invaluable. It has been excellent both in learning new work - verb endings, different tenses, etc, and also for revisiting and revising. The book is clearly laid out and the answer section enables one to check work at the end, or during the exercise to make sure one has the right idea. I would recommend it to anyone taking up Italian.

Italian Verb Drills, 28 Apr 2002
Overall, this book is very informative and relatively good value for money. However, its biggest flaw in my opinion is that it does not explain the grammar as much as I had hoped. I would've liked more examples of the different tenses and pronoun usage, particularly reflexive pronouns and impersonal pronouns such as si. For anyone that is not too well educated in English Grammar, (the book goes into all kinds of tenses)I would suggest buying this book and also a very comprehensive English Grammar guide.
Having said that, this book is a valuable resource for learning verbs, particularly in their infinitive form. I use this book in conjunction with other Italian books and Internet research, so don't expect it to stand alone as a means of helping you learn Italian.

EXCELLENT BOOK, 26 Oct 2008
ABSOLUTELY WORTH EVERY PENNY.
I PURCHASED THIS BOOK A GOOD FEW YEARS AGO. I USE IT ALL THE TIME IN BETWEEN MY CLASSES AT NIGHT SCHOOL AND ALWAYS REFER BACK TO IT WHEN WE MOVE TO DIFFERENT USES OF VERBS IN CLASS.
I DO THE EXERCISES IN A A4 SCRAP PAD THAT WAY THE BOOK CAN BE USED OVER AND OVER AGAIN, THEN I CHECK THE ANSWERS FROM THE BACK OF THE BOOK.
I HAVE EVEN BOUGHT THIS BOOK FOR A GOOD FRIEND AND HE AND HIS CO WORKER THINK IT IS EXCELLENT.
PRONOUNS AND PREPOSITIONS .....COMPLETE SPANISH GRAMMAR ....AND SPANISH VOCABULARY ....ARE ALL VERY USEFUL BOOKS IN THE LEARNING RANGE ALSO.

Spanish Verbs, 15 Sep 2008
Excellent basic text on Spanish verbs. I refer to it time and time again, even after years of study.

Know Spanish Verbs Inside and Out!!!, 21 Jul 2008
This book on Spanish verb tenses is the best I've ever seen. In fact, it is probably the only book of its kind. I haven't seen any other books like this one, probably because it would be a waste of time for someone else to write a book like this.

The book first explains the present tense in great detail. It explains how the present tense is used in every possibleway. Although, it doesn't explain that the present tense is often used to convey a future action more often than the actual future is.

Richmond's explanation of the past tenses is also very good, but I didn't like how the imperfect and the preterit were explained. What I did like was how the author explains that the irregular preterit conjugations have predictable patterns.

The subjunctive is explained towards the end, which is one of the most difficult things to master in Spanish grammar. I didn't particularly care for the author's explanation of the subjunctive because it seems to be a "regurgitation" of how other books explain it.

All in all, this book is well worth its price. Every Spanish student (and teacher) should have a copy of "Practice Makes Perfect: Spanish Verb Tenses."

Brandon Simpson

This book is the best, 04 Jul 2008
I have read a few books on Spanish verb tenses and grammar, but this one has got to be the best of them all. If you read through this book step by step and do the written exercises as you proceed, you will understand verbs in no time at all.It is easy to follow and set out in a reader friendly way.

clear and practical help for the student of spanish, 08 Jun 2008
In support of the many enthusiastic reviews of this book, I must agree that this is one of the clearest and easiest to understand guides to spanish verbs avaialble. As a very keen student of spanish I have an extensive collection of relevant books, but the Practice Makes Perfect series are refreshingly easy and pleasant to use. The grammar is divided into distinct sections with plenty of explanations, examples and exercises for practice, as well as answers for checking. There are also exercises in the writing of short passages which incorporate the verb conjugations learnt and introduce much new and useful vocabulary. This is a very useful book, not only for learners who attend classes and who would like a little more clarification, but especially for those trying to teach themselves. The relatively large size of print and good layout also enhance the pleasure of using this book.

Not very castellano, 16 Jul 2007
Book is a good on getting refresh on verbs but I found there quite a many "errors" (not really errors but weird way of putting sentence together, looked like it was translated directly from English. I am not native English speaker so I spotted those). There was sentences is Spanish that you wouldn't say in castellano perhaps something that is common in Latin America.
IMHO If you want to learn castellano find some book written by Spanish but if you just want to play around verbs and get some refresh on Spanish I think this is ok.

One part of an excellent 3-book set., 14 Mar 2007
I also have the other two books in this series, 'Spanish Verb Tenses' and 'Spanish Prepositions & Pronouns'. The three together form a really first class set. This book, covering grammar, unavoidably duplicates considerable amounts of the other two but I wouldn't dissuade you from getting this one if you already have either or both of the others. Buy all three.

The tuition and exercises are presented clearly and in well structured form. There are answers to the questions in the back of the books. TIP! Don't do the exercises on the pages provided for your answers! I did - in pencil, fortunately - and spent ages rubbing out my answers when I realised I wanted to revise/recap. I would have needed an ocean of Tippex if I'd done them in ink.

No: do the tests on loose sheets or your pc. The answer pages in the back are perforated. This is very handy [other publishers note - do the same] because it means you can tear them all out, put them in a folder and avoid endless flipping back and forth between questions and answers. If you do your exercises on loose sheets, you can file them with the answer pages and monitor how well you're progressing.

I like the large format, too. It has enabled the publisher to lay the text out in a clear and logical way. The Oxford U.P. books are good, but the small format leads to a very dense and cramped presentation. These books are far superior in that respect.

I thoroughly recommend them.

EXCELLENT , 02 Dec 2006
I FIND THIS BOOK EXCELLENT FOR ALL THE LISTS OF VOCABULARY ...IT IS NICE TO REFRESH ON THE VOCABULARY SIDE OF THINGS AT TIMES AND THIS BOOK IS NICE AND STEADY.
I HAVE "SPANISH VERB" AND "PRONOUN AND PREPOSITIONS" AND FIND THEM ALL VERY USEFUL TO REFER BACK TO.
ALSO IF DOING THE EXERCISES IN THESE BOOKS USE AN A4 WRITING PAD THEN YOU CAN USE THE BOOKS OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

Another learner, 05 Aug 2006
My level of Spanish is advanced -not fluent by any means- and I can say that this is a superbly laid out book from start to finish both for the complete beginner and the advanced student. However, I would suggest that if you're looking to learn Spanish make sure this is not your sole teacher. As you would expect it is full of grammar exercises which could become tiresome if like me you prefer to speak the language. But I divulge.. For what it is -a grammar book- it's very good indeed.

Fantastic!, 02 Feb 2005
This book is so good. The grammar points are explained very well and not in a 1,000 words, just enough for us to get the most of it. Plenty of exercises put the lessons in practice and when they are all done the lesson is understood and can be applied easily.
Moreover a lot of vocabulary is provided as well, so it is not a boring grammar book!
This book is perfect for poeple who want to master Spanish or just to catch the key feature of the grammar.

Simply the Best!, 25 Aug 2008
The Elements of Style is a short, timeless and foundational book on writing style and grammar. It is exceptionally well written and an essential writers desk reference. The authors stripped away all the fluff and kept the best of the best to help anyone write more clearly and concisely.

The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide To: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking

The Best Little Book About English, 17 Jan 2008
This little book is considered classic and timeless by many professors and students. I find it very helpful. It inspired me to write my own book about English.


Brandon Simpson

An important little book..., 28 Nov 2007
"The Elements of Style" was recommended to me by Stephen King in his book "On Writing". I see it as basically filling in the gaps that King left in his book. King's book was more concerned with the practical matters of writing, whereas, TEOS is all about LANGUAGE and how to use it, which King only touched upon.

And this book certainly packs a lot of information and advice, especially given that it is only 85 pages long. It has five chapters. The first chapter is called ELEMENTARY RULES OF USAGE and contains eleven grammatical tips, from the use of commas and semi-colons to structuring of a sentence. The second chapter, ELEMENTARY PRINCIPLES OF COMPOSITION, is more about writing style and ways to keep your writing punchy and fresh. Chapter 3, A FEW MATTERS OF FORM, mostly concerns physical presentation of your work and may be more suitable to formal letter writing that fiction, but may be useful to other forms nonetheless. Chapter 4 is about WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS COMMONLY MISUSED and includes some of my pet hates, including those who turn "I couldn't care less" into "I could care less", thus completely destroying the meaning of the phrase. I also learned a few new things from this section. The fifth chapter is called AN APPROACH TO STYLE and contains 21 general tips, or "reminders", about how to keep your writing consistent and stop it going bad. A lot of my description here sounds very general and vague, and makes most of the sections sound the same, but trust me that it all makes sense and has a point in the book that I just can't quite explain - I need a bigger vocab!

There are one or two minor problems with the book. For example, as Stephen King points out, it says that the most important part of a sentence should always go at the end - but is "With a hammer he killed Frank" really better than "He killed Frank with a hammer"? I don't think so, either. Also, it seems to me that a lot of this advice, particular when it comes to grammar, depends on your own comforts and preferences and those of your editor and/or publisher. That doesn't mean we should pay it no heed, but I do believe that you can quite easily get away with ignoring half of this book's advice and still be a respected, published writer.

But overall, an excellent little book that I think every writer should read, whether they are beginners or highly experienced. The writing style of Strunk himself is straightforward and formal, occasionally venturing into humour and informality, which means that you are likely to learn something by reading it, but unlikely to be bored while doing so.

Highly recommended to writers of all talents.

Must have for all writers...informative and very readable, 13 Sep 2007
Superb book. Teaches (or reminds) you of grammatical devices and the rules of language, which may sound dull but it's actually very readable and dare I say it- fun. An ideal present to anyone studying english, or any aspiring writer...or you could treat yourself, you will be glad you did.

Good for read, 25 Jul 2007
This book taught me write how to do it good and clarity.

Recommends itself.

Usefull and good problem with the quality of the paper, 01 Sep 2008
I buy this book based in the advise of a friend that is an english teacher and the reviews that I read from amazon uk and amozon US. the book is very usefull for me. I never learn english from Class I learn english from HBO and Cinemax. Because of this I have a lot of problems with my grammar, I have quite a good vocabulary and my pronuntiation is pretty well, bt when I am writing... The problems appear this book help me a lot with that the study guide make me realize witch are my major mistakes and the cd is also pretty good. I recomend this book to all the people that think that they know enough english to not take classes again or for those who already take it but need an extra help in grammar, easy to follow and very clear. The only but is the quality of the paper... Is not bad, quite the opposite, too good, so if you are doing the book by your own ou will find almost imposible to erase in the pages, be carfull on that, from the rest... you will love it.

Excellent Grammar Book, 14 Apr 2008
Excellent intermediate grammar book with simple explanations / examples and exercises. Great for teachers and sudents!

Dangerous. It can make you waste years of your life., 03 Mar 2007
I've been studying English for the most part of my life and I've always be frustrated with English grammar. I thought that English grammar had no clear-cut rules and, therefore, was difficult to explain and understand. I was wrong.

The problem wasn't English grammar. The problem is this book (that I've been using all my life). This book has confuse explanations and Raymond Murphy knows English but he doesn't know which are the rules and how to explain them.

Of course, English grammar is hard (because there are so many rules) but it is easy to understand IF you read the RIGHT book. I recommend you Swan's Basic English Usage. If you want to know how to use English, please buy it. You won't be disappointed.

But don't buy "English Grammar in Use". I have wasted whole years of my life because of this book. If you don't want to do that, please skip this book. It deserves -10 stars.

The Best!, 21 Jul 2006
After 20 years of teaching EFL I have to say, this is probably the best grammar book for intermediate students. Clear, concise, yet comprehensive, it doesn't leave anything to chance, giving and explaining alternative answers - and you can be completely confident that you're teaching the 'correct' grammar - which sadly isn't so for all grammar books.

One of the best grammar books I ever had., 21 Sep 2004
Having aproximately 30 books of English Grammar, this is on of the best, I learned English on this one. After seen this brillian new version in colour and CDROM, I bought it and it is better than ever. This is one of the starts in my collection, simple, practical , with theory and exercises what else can we ask? Covers all the basic aspects of English grammar in different chapters, well presented, organized and simple to understand.

MR C. CLAY, 08 Feb 2008
I am currently doing a intermediate level of italian but find it always useful to remember the key verbs. I have used a lot of italian books in order to understand italian and this one explains and does what it says ''drills'' those verbs into your mind with a good set of exercises. A well organized easy to understand book perfect for beginners of Italian! I would seriously recommend it.

Watch out for errors, 19 Jan 2008
I like these series of books. I have used the French one before.
They have helped me improve my grammar retention. However, I have got to the section on -ire verbs (Pg. 21) and have found it lacking in accuracy. Four of the standard -ire verbs have an inaccurate or misleading English meaning. For example avvertire is described as meaning "to announce". It actually means "to warn". In addition, other verbs are described as being standard -ire verbs but are not. Benedire for example, is an irregular verb even in the present tense.

Will post more feedback if it gets better.



Brilliant!!, 27 Nov 2007
This is a very good book. I used this shortly after finishing the 'Michel Thomas series' and it strengthened my ability to conjugate verbs enormously. It also gives help on a lot of the important irregular verbs that Italian has. I really do recommend this book, especially at this price.

Note: This book is not intended for any other area of Italian grammar other than VERBS!!! As the title suggests. If you want in depth grammar help, buy `Italian grammar drills'.


Great for Revision and New Work, 08 Feb 2003
I have found Italian Verb Drills invaluable. It has been excellent both in learning new work - verb endings, different tenses, etc, and also for revisiting and revising. The book is clearly laid out and the answer section enables one to check work at the end, or during the exercise to make sure one has the right idea. I would recommend it to anyone taking up Italian.

Italian Verb Drills, 28 Apr 2002
Overall, this book is very informative and relatively good value for money. However, its biggest flaw in my opinion is that it does not explain the grammar as much as I had hoped. I would've liked more examples of the different tenses and pronoun usage, particularly reflexive pronouns and impersonal pronouns such as si. For anyone that is not too well educated in English Grammar, (the book goes into all kinds of tenses)I would suggest buying this book and also a very comprehensive English Grammar guide.
Having said that, this book is a valuable resource for learning verbs, particularly in their infinitive form. I use this book in conjunction with other Italian books and Internet research, so don't expect it to stand alone as a means of helping you learn Italian.

Worth Buying if Limitations Understood, 02 Sep 2006
I use this book in my work as an English as a second language teacher. It is one of several books I use.

Basically it is a set of grammar rules along with exercises. I find it valuable as it helps students to learn basic English language concepts. There are concise summaries of different parts of the language (e.g. prepositions, verbs, plurals, etc.) students can read. These are followed by exercises students can use to practice what they've read. For this, it is one of the best I've found (and I've spent a lot of hours in bookstores looking over material).

Teachers and students who use this book might want to keep in mind that it is dated in places and culturally biased. For example the exercise "The Right Word in the Right Place" uses idioms and fails to identify them as such. The General Knowledge exercise has 259 questions and should be revised - many questions are of the type that require a knowledge of English culture if one is to answer them successfully. To be effective in communicating in English I don't think such knowledge is essential (e.g., does the average student need to know the name for a clergyman's house?).

The English language has many versions - all valid. Everyone needs to understand that there is no one right way. Being consistent in one's own grammar and spelling is about the most that can be strived for. For example, according to Bryson in "Mother Tongue" it's OK to end a sentence in a preposition - the rule that you can't was created by one person and then perpetuated by successive waves of misinformed English teachers.

I recommend the purchase of this book. However, anyone who uses it for learning English will need help in interpreting some of the dated and biased language.


The best companion you may ever need!, 03 Jun 2006
I was schooled on this book in the Caribbean some 30 years ago. It enhances learning, is very easy to understand and is definitely the perfect companion for any student over 5 years old. This book is a good investment for parents and teachers.

A classic text, 12 Feb 2006
Like other reviewers, I was schooled on this book - what a great foundation for a primary education. I am fortunate enough to have a thorough command of the conventions and 'rights and wrongs' of written and spoken English, and that I ascribe in no small measure to the surprisingly comprehensive and pertinent information packed into this book. Suitable for students of all ages.

The First Aid in English, 30 Nov 2001
My first throes with the preliminary academics of the English language happened when I was about 5 years of age. Mother insisted that I study off "The First Aid in English" - I obviously returned menacing looks! Since then, I have referred to this book a million and one times when writing reports, articles, and short stories. I think it is a "must have" for anyone who wants to learn English well. Enjoy!

First Aid in English - brilliant, so don't trip up!, 20 Jan 2001
First Aid in English books have been around for years - I've got copies of the other versions (from about the 70s onwards), and I thought it necessary to buy an up-to-date version to help me with my reports (I am studying media). The book exceeded my expectations, and it is VITAL for anyone studying at school, or any parents who want to help their children. At such a low price, why haven't you got one already?!

EXCELLENT BOOK, 26 Oct 2008
ABSOLUTELY WORTH EVERY PENNY.
I PURCHASED THIS BOOK A GOOD FEW YEARS AGO. I USE IT ALL THE TIME IN BETWEEN MY CLASSES AT NIGHT SCHOOL AND ALWAYS REFER BACK TO IT WHEN WE MOVE TO DIFFERENT USES OF VERBS IN CLASS.
I DO THE EXERCISES IN A A4 SCRAP PAD THAT WAY THE BOOK CAN BE USED OVER AND OVER AGAIN, THEN I CHECK THE ANSWERS FROM THE BACK OF THE BOOK.
I HAVE EVEN BOUGHT THIS BOOK FOR A GOOD FRIEND AND HE AND HIS CO WORKER THINK IT IS EXCELLENT.
PRONOUNS AND PREPOSITIONS .....COMPLETE SPANISH GRAMMAR ....AND SPANISH VOCABULARY ....ARE ALL VERY USEFUL BOOKS IN THE LEARNING RANGE ALSO.

Spanish Verbs, 15 Sep 2008
Excellent basic text on Spanish verbs. I refer to it time and time again, even after years of study.

Know Spanish Verbs Inside and Out!!!, 21 Jul 2008
This book on Spanish verb tenses is the best I've ever seen. In fact, it is probably the only book of its kind. I haven't seen any other books like this one, probably because it would be a waste of time for someone else to write a book like this.

The book first explains the present tense in great detail. It explains how the present tense is used in every possibleway. Although, it doesn't explain that the present tense is often used to convey a future action more often than the actual future is.

Richmond's explanation of the past tenses is also very good, but I didn't like how the imperfect and the preterit were explained. What I did like was how the author explains that the irregular preterit conjugations have predictable patterns.

The subjunctive is explained towards the end, which is one of the most difficult things to master in Spanish grammar. I didn't particularly care for the author's explanation of the subjunctive because it seems to be a "regurgitation" of how other books explain it.

All in all, this book is well worth its price. Every Spanish student (and teacher) should have a copy of "Practice Makes Perfect: Spanish Verb Tenses."

Brandon Simpson

This book is the best, 04 Jul 2008
I have read a few books on Spanish verb tenses and grammar, but this one has got to be the best of them all. If you read through this book step by step and do the written exercises as you proceed, you will understand verbs in no time at all.It is easy to follow and set out in a reader friendly way.

clear and practical help for the student of spanish, 08 Jun 2008
In support of the many enthusiastic reviews of this book, I must agree that this is one of the clearest and easiest to understand guides to spanish verbs avaialble. As a very keen student of spanish I have an extensive collection of relevant books, but the Practice Makes Perfect series are refreshingly easy and pleasant to use. The grammar is divided into distinct sections with plenty of explanations, examples and exercises for practice, as well as answers for checking. There are also exercises in the writing of short passages which incorporate the verb conjugations learnt and introduce much new and useful vocabulary. This is a very useful book, not only for learners who attend classes and who would like a little more clarification, but especially for those trying to teach themselves. The relatively large size of print and good layout also enhance the pleasure of using this book.

Not very castellano, 16 Jul 2007
Book is a good on getting refresh on verbs but I found there quite a many "errors" (not really errors but weird way of putting sentence together, looked like it was translated directly from English. I am not native English speaker so I spotted those). There was sentences is Spanish that you wouldn't say in castellano perhaps something that is common in Latin America.
IMHO If you want to learn castellano find some book written by Spanish but if you just want to play around verbs and get some refresh on Spanish I think this is ok.

One part of an excellent 3-book set., 14 Mar 2007
I also have the other two books in this series, 'Spanish Verb Tenses' and 'Spanish Prepositions & Pronouns'. The three together form a really first class set. This book, covering grammar, unavoidably duplicates considerable amounts of the other two but I wouldn't dissuade you from getting this one if you already have either or both of the others. Buy all three.

The tuition and exercises are presented clearly and in well structured form. There are answers to the questions in the back of the books. TIP! Don't do the exercises on the pages provided for your answers! I did - in pencil, fortunately - and spent ages rubbing out my answers when I realised I wanted to revise/recap. I would have needed an ocean of Tippex if I'd done them in ink.

No: do the tests on loose sheets or your pc. The answer pages in the back are perforated. This is very handy [other publishers note - do the same] because it means you can tear them all out, put them in a folder and avoid endless flipping back and forth between questions and answers. If you do your exercises on loose sheets, you can file them with the answer pages and monitor how well you're progressing.

I like the large format, too. It has enabled the publisher to lay the text out in a clear and logical way. The Oxford U.P. books are good, but the small format leads to a very dense and cramped presentation. These books are far superior in that respect.

I thoroughly recommend them.

EXCELLENT , 02 Dec 2006
I FIND THIS BOOK EXCELLENT FOR ALL THE LISTS OF VOCABULARY ...IT IS NICE TO REFRESH ON THE VOCABULARY SIDE OF THINGS AT TIMES AND THIS BOOK IS NICE AND STEADY.
I HAVE "SPANISH VERB" AND "PRONOUN AND PREPOSITIONS" AND FIND THEM ALL VERY USEFUL TO REFER BACK TO.
ALSO IF DOING THE EXERCISES IN THESE BOOKS USE AN A4 WRITING PAD THEN YOU CAN USE THE BOOKS OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

Another learner, 05 Aug 2006
My level of Spanish is advanced -not fluent by any means- and I can say that this is a superbly laid out book from start to finish both for the complete beginner and the advanced student. However, I would suggest that if you're looking to learn Spanish make sure this is not your sole teacher. As you would expect it is full of grammar exercises which could become tiresome if like me you prefer to speak the language. But I divulge.. For what it is -a grammar book- it's very good indeed.

Fantastic!, 02 Feb 2005
This book is so good. The grammar points are explained very well and not in a 1,000 words, just enough for us to get the most of it. Plenty of exercises put the lessons in practice and when they are all done the lesson is understood and can be applied easily.
Moreover a lot of vocabulary is provided as well, so it is not a boring grammar book!
This book is perfect for poeple who want to master Spanish or just to catch the key feature of the grammar.

Simply the Best!, 25 Aug 2008
The Elements of Style is a short, timeless and foundational book on writing style and grammar. It is exceptionally well written and an essential writers desk reference. The authors stripped away all the fluff and kept the best of the best to help anyone write more clearly and concisely.

The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide To: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking

The Best Little Book About English, 17 Jan 2008
This little book is considered classic and timeless by many professors and students. I find it very helpful. It inspired me to write my own book about English.


Brandon Simpson

An important little book..., 28 Nov 2007
"The Elements of Style" was recommended to me by Stephen King in his book "On Writing". I see it as basically filling in the gaps that King left in his book. King's book was more concerned with the practical matters of writing, whereas, TEOS is all about LANGUAGE and how to use it, which King only touched upon.

And this book certainly packs a lot of information and advice, especially given that it is only 85 pages long. It has five chapters. The first chapter is called ELEMENTARY RULES OF USAGE and contains eleven grammatical tips, from the use of commas and semi-colons to structuring of a sentence. The second chapter, ELEMENTARY PRINCIPLES OF COMPOSITION, is more about writing style and ways to keep your writing punchy and fresh. Chapter 3, A FEW MATTERS OF FORM, mostly concerns physical presentation of your work and may be more suitable to formal letter writing that fiction, but may be useful to other forms nonetheless. Chapter 4 is about WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS COMMONLY MISUSED and includes some of my pet hates, including those who turn "I couldn't care less" into "I could care less", thus completely destroying the meaning of the phrase. I also learned a few new things from this section. The fifth chapter is called AN APPROACH TO STYLE and contains 21 general tips, or "reminders", about how to keep your writing consistent and stop it going bad. A lot of my description here sounds very general and vague, and makes most of the sections sound the same, but trust me that it all makes sense and has a point in the book that I just can't quite explain - I need a bigger vocab!

There are one or two minor problems with the book. For example, as Stephen King points out, it says that the most important part of a sentence should always go at the end - but is "With a hammer he killed Frank" really better than "He killed Frank with a hammer"? I don't think so, either. Also, it seems to me that a lot of this advice, particular when it comes to grammar, depends on your own comforts and preferences and those of your editor and/or publisher. That doesn't mean we should pay it no heed, but I do believe that you can quite easily get away with ignoring half of this book's advice and still be a respected, published writer.

But overall, an excellent little book that I think every writer should read, whether they are beginners or highly experienced. The writing style of Strunk himself is straightforward and formal, occasionally venturing into humour and informality, which means that you are likely to learn something by reading it, but unlikely to be bored while doing so.

Highly recommended to writers of all talents.

Must have for all writers...informative and very readable, 13 Sep 2007
Superb book. Teaches (or reminds) you of grammatical devices and the rules of language, which may sound dull but it's actually very readable and dare I say it- fun. An ideal present to anyone studying english, or any aspiring writer...or you could treat yourself, you will be glad you did.

Good for read, 25 Jul 2007
This book taught me write how to do it good and clarity.

Recommends itself.

Usefull and good problem with the quality of the paper, 01 Sep 2008
I buy this book based in the advise of a friend that is an english teacher and the reviews that I read from amazon uk and amozon US. the book is very usefull for me. I never learn english from Class I learn english from HBO and Cinemax. Because of this I have a lot of problems with my grammar, I have quite a good vocabulary and my pronuntiation is pretty well, bt when I am writing... The problems appear this book help me a lot with that the study guide make me realize witch are my major mistakes and the cd is also pretty good. I recomend this book to all the people that think that they know enough english to not take classes again or for those who already take it but need an extra help in grammar, easy to follow and very clear. The only but is the quality of the paper... Is not bad, quite the opposite, too good, so if you are doing the book by your own ou will find almost imposible to erase in the pages, be carfull on that, from the rest... you will love it.

Excellent Grammar Book, 14 Apr 2008
Excellent intermediate grammar book with simple explanations / examples and exercises. Great for teachers and sudents!

Dangerous. It can make you waste years of your life., 03 Mar 2007
I've been studying English for the most part of my life and I've always be frustrated with English grammar. I thought that English grammar had no clear-cut rules and, therefore, was difficult to explain and understand. I was wrong.

The problem wasn't English grammar. The problem is this book (that I've been using all my life). This book has confuse explanations and Raymond Murphy knows English but he doesn't know which are the rules and how to explain them.

Of course, English grammar is hard (because there are so many rules) but it is easy to understand IF you read the RIGHT book. I recommend you Swan's Basic English Usage. If you want to know how to use English, please buy it. You won't be disappointed.

But don't buy "English Grammar in Use". I have wasted whole years of my life because of this book. If you don't want to do that, please skip this book. It deserves -10 stars.

The Best!, 21 Jul 2006
After 20 years of teaching EFL I have to say, this is probably the best grammar book for intermediate students. Clear, concise, yet comprehensive, it doesn't leave anything to chance, giving and explaining alternative answers - and you can be completely confident that you're teaching the 'correct' grammar - which sadly isn't so for all grammar books.

One of the best grammar books I ever had., 21 Sep 2004
Having aproximately 30 books of English Grammar, this is on of the best, I learned English on this one. After seen this brillian new version in colour and CDROM, I bought it and it is better than ever. This is one of the starts in my collection, simple, practical , with theory and exercises what else can we ask? Covers all the basic aspects of English grammar in different chapters, well presented, organized and simple to understand.

MR C. CLAY, 08 Feb 2008
I am currently doing a intermediate level of italian but find it always useful to remember the key verbs. I have used a lot of italian books in order to understand italian and this one explains and does what it says ''drills'' those verbs into your mind with a good set of exercises. A well organized easy to understand book perfect for beginners of Italian! I would seriously recommend it.

Watch out for errors, 19 Jan 2008
I like these series of books. I have used the French one before.
They have helped me improve my grammar retention. However, I have got to the section on -ire verbs (Pg. 21) and have found it lacking in accuracy. Four of the standard -ire verbs have an inaccurate or misleading English meaning. For example avvertire is described as meaning "to announce". It actually means "to warn". In addition, other verbs are described as being standard -ire verbs but are not. Benedire for example, is an irregular verb even in the present tense.

Will post more feedback if it gets better.



Brilliant!!, 27 Nov 2007
This is a very good book. I used this shortly after finishing the 'Michel Thomas series' and it strengthened my ability to conjugate verbs enormously. It also gives help on a lot of the important irregular verbs that Italian has. I really do recommend this book, especially at this price.

Note: This book is not intended for any other area of Italian grammar other than VERBS!!! As the title suggests. If you want in depth grammar help, buy `Italian grammar drills'.


Great for Revision and New Work, 08 Feb 2003
I have found Italian Verb Drills invaluable. It has been excellent both in learning new work - verb endings, different tenses, etc, and also for revisiting and revising. The book is clearly laid out and the answer section enables one to check work at the end, or during the exercise to make sure one has the right idea. I would recommend it to anyone taking up Italian.

Italian Verb Drills, 28 Apr 2002
Overall, this book is very informative and relatively good value for money. However, its biggest flaw in my opinion is that it does not explain the grammar as much as I had hoped. I would've liked more examples of the different tenses and pronoun usage, particularly reflexive pronouns and impersonal pronouns such as si. For anyone that is not too well educated in English Grammar, (the book goes into all kinds of tenses)I would suggest buying this book and also a very comprehensive English Grammar guide.
Having said that, this book is a valuable resource for learning verbs, particularly in their infinitive form. I use this book in conjunction with other Italian books and Internet research, so don't expect it to stand alone as a means of helping you learn Italian.

Worth Buying if Limitations Understood, 02 Sep 2006
I use this book in my work as an English as a second language teacher. It is one of several books I use.

Basically it is a set of grammar rules along with exercises. I find it valuable as it helps students to learn basic English language concepts. There are concise summaries of different parts of the language (e.g. prepositions, verbs, plurals, etc.) students can read. These are followed by exercises students can use to practice what they've read. For this, it is one of the best I've found (and I've spent a lot of hours in bookstores looking over material).

Teachers and students who use this book might want to keep in mind that it is dated in places and culturally biased. For example the exercise "The Right Word in the Right Place" uses idioms and fails to identify them as such. The General Knowledge exercise has 259 questions and should be revised - many questions are of the type that require a knowledge of English culture if one is to answer them successfully. To be effective in communicating in English I don't think such knowledge is essential (e.g., does the average student need to know the name for a clergyman's house?).

The English language has many versions - all valid. Everyone needs to understand that there is no one right way. Being consistent in one's own grammar and spelling is about the most that can be strived for. For example, according to Bryson in "Mother Tongue" it's OK to end a sentence in a preposition - the rule that you can't was created by one person and then perpetuated by successive waves of misinformed English teachers.

I recommend the purchase of this book. However, anyone who uses it for learning English will need help in interpreting some of the dated and biased language.


The best companion you may ever need!, 03 Jun 2006
I was schooled on this book in the Caribbean some 30 years ago. It enhances learning, is very easy to understand and is definitely the perfect companion for any student over 5 years old. This book is a good investment for parents and teachers.

A classic text, 12 Feb 2006
Like other reviewers, I was schooled on this book - what a great foundation for a primary education. I am fortunate enough to have a thorough command of the conventions and 'rights and wrongs' of written and spoken English, and that I ascribe in no small measure to the surprisingly comprehensive and pertinent information packed into this book. Suitable for students of all ages.

The First Aid in English, 30 Nov 2001
My first throes with the preliminary academics of the English language happened when I was about 5 years of age. Mother insisted that I study off "The First Aid in English" - I obviously returned menacing looks! Since then, I have referred to this book a million and one times when writing reports, articles, and short stories. I think it is a "must have" for anyone who wants to learn English well. Enjoy!

First Aid in English - brilliant, so don't trip up!, 20 Jan 2001
First Aid in English books have been around for years - I've got copies of the other versions (from about the 70s onwards), and I thought it necessary to buy an up-to-date version to help me with my reports (I am studying media). The book exceeded my expectations, and it is VITAL for anyone studying at school, or any parents who want to help their children. At such a low price, why haven't you got one already?!

Perfect for GCSE/A-level, 06 Jun 2006
Speaking from expereince, the realisation that you really don't know the pluperfect passive subjunctive (the supine of the verb plus essem etc. if you were wondering) and your going to have to possibly write or at least be aware that it exists for prose composition can be quite a surprise a week before the exam. For all those who have ever been in a sticky latin grammar situation or need help getting through an Ovid translation for homework, this book is for you. It is clear, the expamples are exactly what you need (well, at least more often than not) and it's not a daunting grammar book that uses strange words you have never seen or will ever see again. If you need a grammar book, stop looking and buy this.

A practical and concise grammar for students, 11 Feb 2002
The author's long experience of teaching at both school and university level is reflected in the great clarity of this book. It begins with an admirably clear glossary of grammatical terms. The emphasis is on the practical application of the constructions, which are illustrated with a wealth of examples. Practice sentences for translation into both languages enable the student to consolidate his knowledge. There are useful appendices on Roman money and dates and a clear guide to the pronunciation of Latin.

Grammatical tables take up far less space than in Kennedy but are nevertheless more than adequate. The lay-out of some of the tables of verbs could be improved - but this is a very minor fault in an excellent primer.