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 Customer Reviews
One of the best reference books ever released by Oxford University press, 30 Sep 2006
The book that I have eagerly rated at 5 stars is one of the most comprehensive pocket-edition grammar booklets I have ever purchased.
Consisting of one hundred and forty-eight pages, John Seely's reference book is divided into grammar and punctuation sections in alphabetical order . Each category is enriched by several examples that allow readers to understand how to apply a general rule within a context ; what is more, there is a very explicable sub-category dedicated to the commonest grammar mistakes many a student - and writer - may happen to commit during his/her writing .
Being an English major , I have come across a multitude of grammar books , and I have always had to operate a selection to discern which ones would be useful to me and which ones might be too prolific and superfluous .This edition represents a valid compromise to find when looking for a general grammar book : although the explanation for each rule is reduced to the classic pattern definition-example ,the explanation provided is concise and sufficient for any reader to grasp the meaning of each entry .
A good quick reference, 09 Aug 2005
The grammar is a little patchy but the punctuation entries are excellent as quick guides (to solve problems when writing or teaching without having to plough through hundreds of pages of 'exceptions' to rules).
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Customer Reviews
One of the best reference books ever released by Oxford University press, 30 Sep 2006
The book that I have eagerly rated at 5 stars is one of the most comprehensive pocket-edition grammar booklets I have ever purchased.
Consisting of one hundred and forty-eight pages, John Seely's reference book is divided into grammar and punctuation sections in alphabetical order . Each category is enriched by several examples that allow readers to understand how to apply a general rule within a context ; what is more, there is a very explicable sub-category dedicated to the commonest grammar mistakes many a student - and writer - may happen to commit during his/her writing .
Being an English major , I have come across a multitude of grammar books , and I have always had to operate a selection to discern which ones would be useful to me and which ones might be too prolific and superfluous .This edition represents a valid compromise to find when looking for a general grammar book : although the explanation for each rule is reduced to the classic pattern definition-example ,the explanation provided is concise and sufficient for any reader to grasp the meaning of each entry .
A good quick reference, 09 Aug 2005
The grammar is a little patchy but the punctuation entries are excellent as quick guides (to solve problems when writing or teaching without having to plough through hundreds of pages of 'exceptions' to rules).
Learning Spanish, 09 Oct 2008
An excellent book. Large pages and print and well laid out. It takes you through the basics of grammer whilst you learn the vocabulary. The vocabulary is laid out in sensible subject groups. There are masses of fairly straightforward exercises and this proves the theory that "Practice makes Perfect". A small point is that some of the questions are American "biased" and we Brits may not know the answers.
I would suggest that students start with this book before moving onto others in the series.
You can't learn a new language without the effort.
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Customer Reviews
One of the best reference books ever released by Oxford University press, 30 Sep 2006
The book that I have eagerly rated at 5 stars is one of the most comprehensive pocket-edition grammar booklets I have ever purchased.
Consisting of one hundred and forty-eight pages, John Seely's reference book is divided into grammar and punctuation sections in alphabetical order . Each category is enriched by several examples that allow readers to understand how to apply a general rule within a context ; what is more, there is a very explicable sub-category dedicated to the commonest grammar mistakes many a student - and writer - may happen to commit during his/her writing .
Being an English major , I have come across a multitude of grammar books , and I have always had to operate a selection to discern which ones would be useful to me and which ones might be too prolific and superfluous .This edition represents a valid compromise to find when looking for a general grammar book : although the explanation for each rule is reduced to the classic pattern definition-example ,the explanation provided is concise and sufficient for any reader to grasp the meaning of each entry .
A good quick reference, 09 Aug 2005
The grammar is a little patchy but the punctuation entries are excellent as quick guides (to solve problems when writing or teaching without having to plough through hundreds of pages of 'exceptions' to rules). Learning Spanish, 09 Oct 2008
An excellent book. Large pages and print and well laid out. It takes you through the basics of grammer whilst you learn the vocabulary. The vocabulary is laid out in sensible subject groups. There are masses of fairly straightforward exercises and this proves the theory that "Practice makes Perfect". A small point is that some of the questions are American "biased" and we Brits may not know the answers.
I would suggest that students start with this book before moving onto others in the series.
You can't learn a new language without the effort. Love the crazy associations, 12 May 2008
OK, so some of the associations are a bit dodgy, but I actually found this to be really funny, which ultimately helped me to remember the words.
With only 200 words you're not going to become fluent, however I found the vocab to be really useful when used in conjunction with Michel Thomas' 8 disc foundation course (which concentrates more on sentence structure and verbs). My husband didn't use Instant Recall (and only did 6 of the 8 Michel Thomas discs) and it was surprising how much I had to translate/communicate during our recent trip to Cuba.
It concentrates more on Latin American pronunciation, which was good for our purpose. I did find that the translation of a couple of the words didn't quite match up, but this was never a problem during our stay.
In short this is worth the money if you get it for a good price.
Instant Recall Spanish Vocab, 23 Dec 2007
This is a great CD set to learn around 200 Spanish words using word and imagery association. The product review on this page explain the methods quite well. I found the explanations very clear and I was able to picture the images very well, therefore storing the vocab in my memory. Like other reviewers here I suggest you listen to this with your eyes closed to really picture the images in your mind. Some of the links are a touch tenuous, and these are the words I fail to remember, I've found (and recommend) that using my own imagery works better for these words and I'm slowly starting to grasp the remaining few words that previously escaped me. Not only is this course good for learning basic vocab, but it is also good for your brain overall, encouraging memory techniques that can be transferred outside of this course. The speakers on the discs are clear and are pleasant to listen to. Some courses i've done previously have put me off straight away with cheesy music and terrible speakers; this course has none of that. Overall this is a great place to start if you want to learn Spanish to get by on holidays and if you want to get a good grounding before starting night classes. I'd also recommend Michael Grunbergs Spanish association book that compliments this course perfectly and which I picked up on amazon for 2.99. This course is well worth a try. Does exactly what it says on the.. eh... tin, 20 Jul 2007
If, like me, you spend a lot of time in the car and don't mind folk thinking you are barking mad because you're talking to yourself, this is a great way to learn some spanish vocab. The only reason why I only give it 4 stars not 5 is because I wish there was more of it.
I already had a fair knowledge of spanish thru the excellent Michel Thomas series (very grammar based), but needed to improve my vocab. This is much more fun and really, really works. You don't bneed to keep pausing the cd either, you just rattle thru it. MORE PLEASE! Excellent beginners tool, 23 Jul 2003
I was a complete beginner and this gave me the confidence to continue. It's quick, it's easy and I wish there was more of it. I can't recommend this enough if it's your very first tool for learning Spanish. A Quick Jab at Vocab!, 12 Mar 2003
... Instant Recall's definitely worth ... the price. While its offering of 200 words is a less than ideal, one can go through the course in about 4 hours realistically (including breaks, checking out the blooklet which includes spellings and pronounciations, and about 2 1/2 hours of listening, imagining and testing time). I found that closing my eyes while listening to the CD, helped in imagining the associations between the Eglish and corresponding Spanish words. While there're no verbs (which is where I think most people would need help) a quick shot of 200 words is bound to help any beginner's confidence. I picked up the words fast, it's not hard considering they're spilt in categories and fed one at a time, in sets of ten. A word is announced in English (by Alex) and then it's Spanish counterpart (by Isabella), after which Alex asks you to picture an association. Alex: The word for soup in spanish is...
Isabella: Sopa!
Alex: Imagine a soup that tastes like soap. You're given some time... enough to work your imagination, and then Alex & Isabella move on to the next word. After a set of ten in a particular category you're tested. I think the technique works pretty well, but then again that might depend on the individual. I recommend using this along with the Michel Thomas Spanish Audio CDs. Neither audio set substitute good one-on-one teaching, but they're definitely good supplements (and should be good for those short of time). Had it dealt with verbs it would definitely get five stars!
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Customer Reviews
One of the best reference books ever released by Oxford University press, 30 Sep 2006
The book that I have eagerly rated at 5 stars is one of the most comprehensive pocket-edition grammar booklets I have ever purchased.
Consisting of one hundred and forty-eight pages, John Seely's reference book is divided into grammar and punctuation sections in alphabetical order . Each category is enriched by several examples that allow readers to understand how to apply a general rule within a context ; what is more, there is a very explicable sub-category dedicated to the commonest grammar mistakes many a student - and writer - may happen to commit during his/her writing .
Being an English major , I have come across a multitude of grammar books , and I have always had to operate a selection to discern which ones would be useful to me and which ones might be too prolific and superfluous .This edition represents a valid compromise to find when looking for a general grammar book : although the explanation for each rule is reduced to the classic pattern definition-example ,the explanation provided is concise and sufficient for any reader to grasp the meaning of each entry .
A good quick reference, 09 Aug 2005
The grammar is a little patchy but the punctuation entries are excellent as quick guides (to solve problems when writing or teaching without having to plough through hundreds of pages of 'exceptions' to rules). Learning Spanish, 09 Oct 2008
An excellent book. Large pages and print and well laid out. It takes you through the basics of grammer whilst you learn the vocabulary. The vocabulary is laid out in sensible subject groups. There are masses of fairly straightforward exercises and this proves the theory that "Practice makes Perfect". A small point is that some of the questions are American "biased" and we Brits may not know the answers.
I would suggest that students start with this book before moving onto others in the series.
You can't learn a new language without the effort. Love the crazy associations, 12 May 2008
OK, so some of the associations are a bit dodgy, but I actually found this to be really funny, which ultimately helped me to remember the words.
With only 200 words you're not going to become fluent, however I found the vocab to be really useful when used in conjunction with Michel Thomas' 8 disc foundation course (which concentrates more on sentence structure and verbs). My husband didn't use Instant Recall (and only did 6 of the 8 Michel Thomas discs) and it was surprising how much I had to translate/communicate during our recent trip to Cuba.
It concentrates more on Latin American pronunciation, which was good for our purpose. I did find that the translation of a couple of the words didn't quite match up, but this was never a problem during our stay.
In short this is worth the money if you get it for a good price.
Instant Recall Spanish Vocab, 23 Dec 2007
This is a great CD set to learn around 200 Spanish words using word and imagery association. The product review on this page explain the methods quite well. I found the explanations very clear and I was able to picture the images very well, therefore storing the vocab in my memory. Like other reviewers here I suggest you listen to this with your eyes closed to really picture the images in your mind. Some of the links are a touch tenuous, and these are the words I fail to remember, I've found (and recommend) that using my own imagery works better for these words and I'm slowly starting to grasp the remaining few words that previously escaped me. Not only is this course good for learning basic vocab, but it is also good for your brain overall, encouraging memory techniques that can be transferred outside of this course. The speakers on the discs are clear and are pleasant to listen to. Some courses i've done previously have put me off straight away with cheesy music and terrible speakers; this course has none of that. Overall this is a great place to start if you want to learn Spanish to get by on holidays and if you want to get a good grounding before starting night classes. I'd also recommend Michael Grunbergs Spanish association book that compliments this course perfectly and which I picked up on amazon for 2.99. This course is well worth a try. Does exactly what it says on the.. eh... tin, 20 Jul 2007
If, like me, you spend a lot of time in the car and don't mind folk thinking you are barking mad because you're talking to yourself, this is a great way to learn some spanish vocab. The only reason why I only give it 4 stars not 5 is because I wish there was more of it.
I already had a fair knowledge of spanish thru the excellent Michel Thomas series (very grammar based), but needed to improve my vocab. This is much more fun and really, really works. You don't bneed to keep pausing the cd either, you just rattle thru it. MORE PLEASE! Excellent beginners tool, 23 Jul 2003
I was a complete beginner and this gave me the confidence to continue. It's quick, it's easy and I wish there was more of it. I can't recommend this enough if it's your very first tool for learning Spanish. A Quick Jab at Vocab!, 12 Mar 2003
... Instant Recall's definitely worth ... the price. While its offering of 200 words is a less than ideal, one can go through the course in about 4 hours realistically (including breaks, checking out the blooklet which includes spellings and pronounciations, and about 2 1/2 hours of listening, imagining and testing time). I found that closing my eyes while listening to the CD, helped in imagining the associations between the Eglish and corresponding Spanish words. While there're no verbs (which is where I think most people would need help) a quick shot of 200 words is bound to help any beginner's confidence. I picked up the words fast, it's not hard considering they're spilt in categories and fed one at a time, in sets of ten. A word is announced in English (by Alex) and then it's Spanish counterpart (by Isabella), after which Alex asks you to picture an association. Alex: The word for soup in spanish is...
Isabella: Sopa!
Alex: Imagine a soup that tastes like soap. You're given some time... enough to work your imagination, and then Alex & Isabella move on to the next word. After a set of ten in a particular category you're tested. I think the technique works pretty well, but then again that might depend on the individual. I recommend using this along with the Michel Thomas Spanish Audio CDs. Neither audio set substitute good one-on-one teaching, but they're definitely good supplements (and should be good for those short of time). Had it dealt with verbs it would definitely get five stars!
precise and straight to the point, 02 Nov 2008
Improve writing skills with this book. The book is direct and straight to the point, no blagging around.
Very instructive, and funny., 05 Jul 2008
The book is clear and concise. I learnt a lot, and the content is clearly applicable to more than English. But probably the crowning touch is that Mr. Cutts managed to write a book that is quite funny to read. Anybody having to write occasionally should have a copy.
Twenty-one excellent guidelines on Plain English, 19 Nov 2006
In everyday life, many a person may happen to come across documents that are written in an illegible and almost undecipherable form as a consequence of an incorrect choice of words, a misplaced punctuation and a disorganisation of the ideas by which the writer had intended to express himself or herself. The answer to such a troublesome matter is given by Plain English. According to the illustrious author of this reference book, Plain English is the means by which a writer conveys the reader a chance of understanding his writing at first reading, adding essential and concise information to his work.
Martin Cutts' `Guide to Plain English' consists of twenty-one chapters that provide guidelines on how to write documents in a language that is accessible to mainstream readers. In this reference book, there are tips on how to use terms that will allow writers to avoid writing documents that might be perceived as pompous and prolix. To help readers achieve such a goal, there is an all-embracing section of `Official-sounding' terms with their corresponding plain English equivalent. Furthermore, there are comprehensive guidelines about the usage of punctuation within a text, providing several examples on how to place marks within the flow of a sentence to understand its construction at first reading. In addition to that, there is a section dedicated to a correct organisation of ideas when writing e-mails, including a lexicon of abbreviations and a advice on adding personal comments in the e-mail text.
I would recommend this excellent reference book to customers who come across troublesome documents, devoid of proper punctuation and filled with terms that may result hard to comprehend for general readers. On the other hand, customers who attend writing courses may not find this booklet useful because the provided guidelines do not fix much attention on stylistic considerations such as the five-paragraph essay and the layout of academic papers and texts.
The best book on general writing skills, 27 May 2006
I have been running writing courses for over a decade and have looked through many books on clear writing. Overall, I think this is the most helpful. I recommend it to attendees.
It even has a section on how to manage colleagues' writing. Many people who come on a writing course want their boss to attend too; to learn the real 'rules'!
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Customer Reviews
One of the best reference books ever released by Oxford University press, 30 Sep 2006
The book that I have eagerly rated at 5 stars is one of the most comprehensive pocket-edition grammar booklets I have ever purchased.
Consisting of one hundred and forty-eight pages, John Seely's reference book is divided into grammar and punctuation sections in alphabetical order . Each category is enriched by several examples that allow readers to understand how to apply a general rule within a context ; what is more, there is a very explicable sub-category dedicated to the commonest grammar mistakes many a student - and writer - may happen to commit during his/her writing .
Being an English major , I have come across a multitude of grammar books , and I have always had to operate a selection to discern which ones would be useful to me and which ones might be too prolific and superfluous .This edition represents a valid compromise to find when looking for a general grammar book : although the explanation for each rule is reduced to the classic pattern definition-example ,the explanation provided is concise and sufficient for any reader to grasp the meaning of each entry .
A good quick reference, 09 Aug 2005
The grammar is a little patchy but the punctuation entries are excellent as quick guides (to solve problems when writing or teaching without having to plough through hundreds of pages of 'exceptions' to rules). Learning Spanish, 09 Oct 2008
An excellent book. Large pages and print and well laid out. It takes you through the basics of grammer whilst you learn the vocabulary. The vocabulary is laid out in sensible subject groups. There are masses of fairly straightforward exercises and this proves the theory that "Practice makes Perfect". A small point is that some of the questions are American "biased" and we Brits may not know the answers.
I would suggest that students start with this book before moving onto others in the series.
You can't learn a new language without the effort. Love the crazy associations, 12 May 2008
OK, so some of the associations are a bit dodgy, but I actually found this to be really funny, which ultimately helped me to remember the words.
With only 200 words you're not going to become fluent, however I found the vocab to be really useful when used in conjunction with Michel Thomas' 8 disc foundation course (which concentrates more on sentence structure and verbs). My husband didn't use Instant Recall (and only did 6 of the 8 Michel Thomas discs) and it was surprising how much I had to translate/communicate during our recent trip to Cuba.
It concentrates more on Latin American pronunciation, which was good for our purpose. I did find that the translation of a couple of the words didn't quite match up, but this was never a problem during our stay.
In short this is worth the money if you get it for a good price.
Instant Recall Spanish Vocab, 23 Dec 2007
This is a great CD set to learn around 200 Spanish words using word and imagery association. The product review on this page explain the methods quite well. I found the explanations very clear and I was able to picture the images very well, therefore storing the vocab in my memory. Like other reviewers here I suggest you listen to this with your eyes closed to really picture the images in your mind. Some of the links are a touch tenuous, and these are the words I fail to remember, I've found (and recommend) that using my own imagery works better for these words and I'm slowly starting to grasp the remaining few words that previously escaped me. Not only is this course good for learning basic vocab, but it is also good for your brain overall, encouraging memory techniques that can be transferred outside of this course. The speakers on the discs are clear and are pleasant to listen to. Some courses i've done previously have put me off straight away with cheesy music and terrible speakers; this course has none of that. Overall this is a great place to start if you want to learn Spanish to get by on holidays and if you want to get a good grounding before starting night classes. I'd also recommend Michael Grunbergs Spanish association book that compliments this course perfectly and which I picked up on amazon for 2.99. This course is well worth a try. Does exactly what it says on the.. eh... tin, 20 Jul 2007
If, like me, you spend a lot of time in the car and don't mind folk thinking you are barking mad because you're talking to yourself, this is a great way to learn some spanish vocab. The only reason why I only give it 4 stars not 5 is because I wish there was more of it.
I already had a fair knowledge of spanish thru the excellent Michel Thomas series (very grammar based), but needed to improve my vocab. This is much more fun and really, really works. You don't bneed to keep pausing the cd either, you just rattle thru it. MORE PLEASE! Excellent beginners tool, 23 Jul 2003
I was a complete beginner and this gave me the confidence to continue. It's quick, it's easy and I wish there was more of it. I can't recommend this enough if it's your very first tool for learning Spanish. A Quick Jab at Vocab!, 12 Mar 2003
... Instant Recall's definitely worth ... the price. While its offering of 200 words is a less than ideal, one can go through the course in about 4 hours realistically (including breaks, checking out the blooklet which includes spellings and pronounciations, and about 2 1/2 hours of listening, imagining and testing time). I found that closing my eyes while listening to the CD, helped in imagining the associations between the Eglish and corresponding Spanish words. While there're no verbs (which is where I think most people would need help) a quick shot of 200 words is bound to help any beginner's confidence. I picked up the words fast, it's not hard considering they're spilt in categories and fed one at a time, in sets of ten. A word is announced in English (by Alex) and then it's Spanish counterpart (by Isabella), after which Alex asks you to picture an association. Alex: The word for soup in spanish is...
Isabella: Sopa!
Alex: Imagine a soup that tastes like soap. You're given some time... enough to work your imagination, and then Alex & Isabella move on to the next word. After a set of ten in a particular category you're tested. I think the technique works pretty well, but then again that might depend on the individual. I recommend using this along with the Michel Thomas Spanish Audio CDs. Neither audio set substitute good one-on-one teaching, but they're definitely good supplements (and should be good for those short of time). Had it dealt with verbs it would definitely get five stars!
precise and straight to the point, 02 Nov 2008
Improve writing skills with this book. The book is direct and straight to the point, no blagging around.
Very instructive, and funny., 05 Jul 2008
The book is clear and concise. I learnt a lot, and the content is clearly applicable to more than English. But probably the crowning touch is that Mr. Cutts managed to write a book that is quite funny to read. Anybody having to write occasionally should have a copy.
Twenty-one excellent guidelines on Plain English, 19 Nov 2006
In everyday life, many a person may happen to come across documents that are written in an illegible and almost undecipherable form as a consequence of an incorrect choice of words, a misplaced punctuation and a disorganisation of the ideas by which the writer had intended to express himself or herself. The answer to such a troublesome matter is given by Plain English. According to the illustrious author of this reference book, Plain English is the means by which a writer conveys the reader a chance of understanding his writing at first reading, adding essential and concise information to his work.
Martin Cutts' `Guide to Plain English' consists of twenty-one chapters that provide guidelines on how to write documents in a language that is accessible to mainstream readers. In this reference book, there are tips on how to use terms that will allow writers to avoid writing documents that might be perceived as pompous and prolix. To help readers achieve such a goal, there is an all-embracing section of `Official-sounding' terms with their corresponding plain English equivalent. Furthermore, there are comprehensive guidelines about the usage of punctuation within a text, providing several examples on how to place marks within the flow of a sentence to understand its construction at first reading. In addition to that, there is a section dedicated to a correct organisation of ideas when writing e-mails, including a lexicon of abbreviations and a advice on adding personal comments in the e-mail text.
I would recommend this excellent reference book to customers who come across troublesome documents, devoid of proper punctuation and filled with terms that may result hard to comprehend for general readers. On the other hand, customers who attend writing courses may not find this booklet useful because the provided guidelines do not fix much attention on stylistic considerations such as the five-paragraph essay and the layout of academic papers and texts.
The best book on general writing skills, 27 May 2006
I have been running writing courses for over a decade and have looked through many books on clear writing. Overall, I think this is the most helpful. I recommend it to attendees.
It even has a section on how to manage colleagues' writing. Many people who come on a writing course want their boss to attend too; to learn the real 'rules'!
No mistakes - except in the reviews, 20 Dec 2007
In response to the person who wrote:
I haven't read this book but I was struck by the 'official review' apparently taken from the back cover of the book.
The French word for bread is "pain" not "pan" - the method may work but if the information being taught is inaccurate this is not a useful tool.
Well, I do own this, and the mistake is in the review, not the product.
The back of the box actually says:
The french for bread is pain. (PAHn)
Imagine putting loaves of bread in a pan.
(Because, although spelt pain, it is not pronounced pain).
This is indeed a good method of learning vocabulary.
This won't teach you French, on its own - its not meant to. What it is meant to do is teach vocabulary, and it does this well. This works really well with the Michel Thomas Foundation course. The latter is really good at teacing the structure of the language etc. This is good for adding some extra vocab.
Helpful as a refresher and for beginners, 05 Sep 2007
The cd uses word association and opportunities for you to practice phrases before moving onto the next phrase. The author speaks and explains things to you then gets 2 'students' (1 is quite good at french, the other is finding it tricky!) to repeat the word before you have a go. He points out what the students got right and wrong and clarifies any common pronunciation errors. I enjoyed practising my rather rusty pronunciation alongside the 'students' on the cd. My husband didn't know any french before listening and although he chose not to speak any french on holiday he could certainly recognise and understand spoken and written french better than he could previously. I liked the pace of the cd, the word association techniques may seem a bit tacky but they do actually work! It's not advanced and it wouldn't get you through a GCSE or a business environment but its a pleasant way to refresh your memory or practice your pronunciation of very useful words and phrases for everyday life and social situations.
Mistakes abound, 17 Aug 2007
I haven't read this book but I was struck by the 'official review' apparently taken from the back cover of the book.
The French word for bread is "pain" not "pan" - the method may work but if the information being taught is inaccurate this is not a useful tool.
I won't be buying it.
only for the feeble-minded, 05 Oct 2006
The writers/producers of this work must have assumed that their potential listeners are mentally retarded idiots. Long pauses are left to enable one to remember the most simple words. A breathless and over-enthusiastic American woman invites one to do things such as "imagine a toilet on top of the Eiffel tower", in an effort to assist one to remember that the French word is equivalent to the English word. At that point I decided to abandon the cd. There is, after all, a limit. In addition, the usefulnesss of the work is greatly reduced by the absence of articles before nouns. It assists one little to know that chair is 'chaise', without also knowing that it is 'la chaise'. Had the ratings permitted me, I would have rated this at a minus.
Instant Recall - It really works, 17 Sep 2003
These cd's are a real gem. Great fun to use and they really do work. I would highly recommend them as a fun way of increasing your Spanish vocabulary.
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Customer Reviews
One of the best reference books ever released by Oxford University press, 30 Sep 2006
The book that I have eagerly rated at 5 stars is one of the most comprehensive pocket-edition grammar booklets I have ever purchased.
Consisting of one hundred and forty-eight pages, John Seely's reference book is divided into grammar and punctuation sections in alphabetical order . Each category is enriched by several examples that allow readers to understand how to apply a general rule within a context ; what is more, there is a very explicable sub-category dedicated to the commonest grammar mistakes many a student - and writer - may happen to commit during his/her writing .
Being an English major , I have come across a multitude of grammar books , and I have always had to operate a selection to discern which ones would be useful to me and which ones might be too prolific and superfluous .This edition represents a valid compromise to find when looking for a general grammar book : although the explanation for each rule is reduced to the classic pattern definition-example ,the explanation provided is concise and sufficient for any reader to grasp the meaning of each entry .
A good quick reference, 09 Aug 2005
The grammar is a little patchy but the punctuation entries are excellent as quick guides (to solve problems when writing or teaching without having to plough through hundreds of pages of 'exceptions' to rules). Learning Spanish, 09 Oct 2008
An excellent book. Large pages and print and well laid out. It takes you through the basics of grammer whilst you learn the vocabulary. The vocabulary is laid out in sensible subject groups. There are masses of fairly straightforward exercises and this proves the theory that "Practice makes Perfect". A small point is that some of the questions are American "biased" and we Brits may not know the answers.
I would suggest that students start with this book before moving onto others in the series.
You can't learn a new language without the effort. Love the crazy associations, 12 May 2008
OK, so some of the associations are a bit dodgy, but I actually found this to be really funny, which ultimately helped me to remember the words.
With only 200 words you're not going to become fluent, however I found the vocab to be really useful when used in conjunction with Michel Thomas' 8 disc foundation course (which concentrates more on sentence structure and verbs). My husband didn't use Instant Recall (and only did 6 of the 8 Michel Thomas discs) and it was surprising how much I had to translate/communicate during our recent trip to Cuba.
It concentrates more on Latin American pronunciation, which was good for our purpose. I did find that the translation of a couple of the words didn't quite match up, but this was never a problem during our stay.
In short this is worth the money if you get it for a good price.
Instant Recall Spanish Vocab, 23 Dec 2007
This is a great CD set to learn around 200 Spanish words using word and imagery association. The product review on this page explain the methods quite well. I found the explanations very clear and I was able to picture the images very well, therefore storing the vocab in my memory. Like other reviewers here I suggest you listen to this with your eyes closed to really picture the images in your mind. Some of the links are a touch tenuous, and these are the words I fail to remember, I've found (and recommend) that using my own imagery works better for these words and I'm slowly starting to grasp the remaining few words that previously escaped me. Not only is this course good for learning basic vocab, but it is also good for your brain overall, encouraging memory techniques that can be transferred outside of this course. The speakers on the discs are clear and are pleasant to listen to. Some courses i've done previously have put me off straight away with cheesy music and terrible speakers; this course has none of that. Overall this is a great place to start if you want to learn Spanish to get by on holidays and if you want to get a good grounding before starting night classes. I'd also recommend Michael Grunbergs Spanish association book that compliments this course perfectly and which I picked up on amazon for 2.99. This course is well worth a try. Does exactly what it says on the.. eh... tin, 20 Jul 2007
If, like me, you spend a lot of time in the car and don't mind folk thinking you are barking mad because you're talking to yourself, this is a great way to learn some spanish vocab. The only reason why I only give it 4 stars not 5 is because I wish there was more of it.
I already had a fair knowledge of spanish thru the excellent Michel Thomas series (very grammar based), but needed to improve my vocab. This is much more fun and really, really works. You don't bneed to keep pausing the cd either, you just rattle thru it. MORE PLEASE! Excellent beginners tool, 23 Jul 2003
I was a complete beginner and this gave me the confidence to continue. It's quick, it's easy and I wish there was more of it. I can't recommend this enough if it's your very first tool for learning Spanish. A Quick Jab at Vocab!, 12 Mar 2003
... Instant Recall's definitely worth ... the price. While its offering of 200 words is a less than ideal, one can go through the course in about 4 hours realistically (including breaks, checking out the blooklet which includes spellings and pronounciations, and about 2 1/2 hours of listening, imagining and testing time). I found that closing my eyes while listening to the CD, helped in imagining the associations between the Eglish and corresponding Spanish words. While there're no verbs (which is where I think most people would need help) a quick shot of 200 words is bound to help any beginner's confidence. I picked up the words fast, it's not hard considering they're spilt in categories and fed one at a time, in sets of ten. A word is announced in English (by Alex) and then it's Spanish counterpart (by Isabella), after which Alex asks you to picture an association. Alex: The word for soup in spanish is...
Isabella: Sopa!
Alex: Imagine a soup that tastes like soap. You're given some time... enough to work your imagination, and then Alex & Isabella move on to the next word. After a set of ten in a particular category you're tested. I think the technique works pretty well, but then again that might depend on the individual. I recommend using this along with the Michel Thomas Spanish Audio CDs. Neither audio set substitute good one-on-one teaching, but they're definitely good supplements (and should be good for those short of time). Had it dealt with verbs it would definitely get five stars!
precise and straight to the point, 02 Nov 2008
Improve writing skills with this book. The book is direct and straight to the point, no blagging around.
Very instructive, and funny., 05 Jul 2008
The book is clear and concise. I learnt a lot, and the content is clearly applicable to more than English. But probably the crowning touch is that Mr. Cutts managed to write a book that is quite funny to read. Anybody having to write occasionally should have a copy.
Twenty-one excellent guidelines on Plain English, 19 Nov 2006
In everyday life, many a person may happen to come across documents that are written in an illegible and almost undecipherable form as a consequence of an incorrect choice of words, a misplaced punctuation and a disorganisation of the ideas by which the writer had intended to express himself or herself. The answer to such a troublesome matter is given by Plain English. According to the illustrious author of this reference book, Plain English is the means by which a writer conveys the reader a chance of understanding his writing at first reading, adding essential and concise information to his work.
Martin Cutts' `Guide to Plain English' consists of twenty-one chapters that provide guidelines on how to write documents in a language that is accessible to mainstream readers. In this reference book, there are tips on how to use terms that will allow writers to avoid writing documents that might be perceived as pompous and prolix. To help readers achieve such a goal, there is an all-embracing section of `Official-sounding' terms with their corresponding plain English equivalent. Furthermore, there are comprehensive guidelines about the usage of punctuation within a text, providing several examples on how to place marks within the flow of a sentence to understand its construction at first reading. In addition to that, there is a section dedicated to a correct organisation of ideas when writing e-mails, including a lexicon of abbreviations and a advice on adding personal comments in the e-mail text.
I would recommend this excellent reference book to customers who come across troublesome documents, devoid of proper punctuation and filled with terms that may result hard to comprehend for general readers. On the other hand, customers who attend writing courses may not find this booklet useful because the provided guidelines do not fix much attention on stylistic considerations such as the five-paragraph essay and the layout of academic papers and texts.
The best book on general writing skills, 27 May 2006
I have been running writing courses for over a decade and have looked through many books on clear writing. Overall, I think this is the most helpful. I recommend it to attendees.
It even has a section on how to manage colleagues' writing. Many people who come on a writing course want their boss to attend too; to learn the real 'rules'!
No mistakes - except in the reviews, 20 Dec 2007
In response to the person who wrote:
I haven't read this book but I was struck by the 'official review' apparently taken from the back cover of the book.
The French word for bread is "pain" not "pan" - the method may work but if the information being taught is inaccurate this is not a useful tool.
Well, I do own this, and the mistake is in the review, not the product.
The back of the box actually says:
The french for bread is pain. (PAHn)
Imagine putting loaves of bread in a pan.
(Because, although spelt pain, it is not pronounced pain).
This is indeed a good method of learning vocabulary.
This won't teach you French, on its own - its not meant to. What it is meant to do is teach vocabulary, and it does this well. This works really well with the Michel Thomas Foundation course. The latter is really good at teacing the structure of the language etc. This is good for adding some extra vocab.
Helpful as a refresher and for beginners, 05 Sep 2007
The cd uses word association and opportunities for you to practice phrases before moving onto the next phrase. The author speaks and explains things to you then gets 2 'students' (1 is quite good at french, the other is finding it tricky!) to repeat the word before you have a go. He points out what the students got right and wrong and clarifies any common pronunciation errors. I enjoyed practising my rather rusty pronunciation alongside the 'students' on the cd. My husband didn't know any french before listening and although he chose not to speak any french on holiday he could certainly recognise and understand spoken and written french better than he could previously. I liked the pace of the cd, the word association techniques may seem a bit tacky but they do actually work! It's not advanced and it wouldn't get you through a GCSE or a business environment but its a pleasant way to refresh your memory or practice your pronunciation of very useful words and phrases for everyday life and social situations.
Mistakes abound, 17 Aug 2007
I haven't read this book but I was struck by the 'official review' apparently taken from the back cover of the book.
The French word for bread is "pain" not "pan" - the method may work but if the information being taught is inaccurate this is not a useful tool.
I won't be buying it.
only for the feeble-minded, 05 Oct 2006
The writers/producers of this work must have assumed that their potential listeners are mentally retarded idiots. Long pauses are left to enable one to remember the most simple words. A breathless and over-enthusiastic American woman invites one to do things such as "imagine a toilet on top of the Eiffel tower", in an effort to assist one to remember that the French word is equivalent to the English word. At that point I decided to abandon the cd. There is, after all, a limit. In addition, the usefulnesss of the work is greatly reduced by the absence of articles before nouns. It assists one little to know that chair is 'chaise', without also knowing that it is 'la chaise'. Had the ratings permitted me, I would have rated this at a minus.
Instant Recall - It really works, 17 Sep 2003
These cd's are a real gem. Great fun to use and they really do work. I would highly recommend them as a fun way of increasing your Spanish vocabulary.
Good book, but not for beginners , 06 Aug 2007
I bought this book in order to improve my vocabulary and it has been being very useful. The writer goes inside the word, showing where it came from. I am just not quite sure if that book is useful for beginners. Otherwise, it is a very good book.
The bible for the virtuoso of etymology, 09 Jun 1998
This is the most incredibly wonderful book written on the subject of words. The approach is not like wordlists but is full of stories and anecdotes. This book is an eyeopener for the wonderful world of words. A must for anyone interested in words at any level.
More exciting than its title would suggest, 22 Jan 1998
I originally bought this book at a library used book sale some time ago and figured it might come in handy sometime. When I finally got around to reading it, I couldn't put it down. It is replete with effective ways of learning new words, recognizing how groups of words are related, and how to remember their meanings. But they make it fun with mini history lessons, tales of Greek gods and heroes, and humorous anecdotes of students' malapropisms as well as detailed etymologies. This terrific tome would make an ideal prep for the GRE or any standardized vocabulary test. There are also sections on common Latin, French, Italian, German, & Spanish phrases & expressions. This is way more than an antiseptic, desultory, unrelated listing of vocabulary words. I learned a great deal from this book and I considered myself to have a pretty good vocabulary before I read it. Enjoy!
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Customer Reviews
One of the best reference books ever released by Oxford University press, 30 Sep 2006
The book that I have eagerly rated at 5 stars is one of the most comprehensive pocket-edition grammar booklets I have ever purchased.
Consisting of one hundred and forty-eight pages, John Seely's reference book is divided into grammar and punctuation sections in alphabetical order . Each category is enriched by several examples that allow readers to understand how to apply a general rule within a context ; what is more, there is a very explicable sub-category dedicated to the commonest grammar mistakes many a student - and writer - may happen to commit during his/her writing .
Being an English major , I have come across a multitude of grammar books , and I have always had to operate a selection to discern which ones would be useful to me and which ones might be too prolific and superfluous .This edition represents a valid compromise to find when looking for a general grammar book : although the explanation for each rule is reduced to the classic pattern definition-example ,the explanation provided is concise and sufficient for any reader to grasp the meaning of each entry .
A good quick reference, 09 Aug 2005
The grammar is a little patchy but the punctuation entries are excellent as quick guides (to solve problems when writing or teaching without having to plough through hundreds of pages of 'exceptions' to rules). Learning Spanish, 09 Oct 2008
An excellent book. Large pages and print and well laid out. It takes you through the basics of grammer whilst you learn the vocabulary. The vocabulary is laid out in sensible subject groups. There are masses of fairly straightforward exercises and this proves the theory that "Practice makes Perfect". A small point is that some of the questions are American "biased" and we Brits may not know the answers.
I would suggest that students start with this book before moving onto others in the series.
You can't learn a new language without the effort. Love the crazy associations, 12 May 2008
OK, so some of the associations are a bit dodgy, but I actually found this to be really funny, which ultimately helped me to remember the words.
With only 200 words you're not going to become fluent, however I found the vocab to be really useful when used in conjunction with Michel Thomas' 8 disc foundation course (which concentrates more on sentence structure and verbs). My husband didn't use Instant Recall (and only did 6 of the 8 Michel Thomas discs) and it was surprising how much I had to translate/communicate during our recent trip to Cuba.
It concentrates more on Latin American pronunciation, which was good for our purpose. I did find that the translation of a couple of the words didn't quite match up, but this was never a problem during our stay.
In short this is worth the money if you get it for a good price.
Instant Recall Spanish Vocab, 23 Dec 2007
This is a great CD set to learn around 200 Spanish words using word and imagery association. The product review on this page explain the methods quite well. I found the explanations very clear and I was able to picture the images very well, therefore storing the vocab in my memory. Like other reviewers here I suggest you listen to this with your eyes closed to really picture the images in your mind. Some of the links are a touch tenuous, and these are the words I fail to remember, I've found (and recommend) that using my own imagery works better for these words and I'm slowly starting to grasp the remaining few words that previously escaped me. Not only is this course good for learning basic vocab, but it is also good for your brain overall, encouraging memory techniques that can be transferred outside of this course. The speakers on the discs are clear and are pleasant to listen to. Some courses i've done previously have put me off straight away with cheesy music and terrible speakers; this course has none of that. Overall this is a great place to start if you want to learn Spanish to get by on holidays and if you want to get a good grounding before starting night classes. I'd also recommend Michael Grunbergs Spanish association book that compliments this course perfectly and which I picked up on amazon for 2.99. This course is well worth a try. Does exactly what it says on the.. eh... tin, 20 Jul 2007
If, like me, you spend a lot of time in the car and don't mind folk thinking you are barking mad because you're talking to yourself, this is a great way to learn some spanish vocab. The only reason why I only give it 4 stars not 5 is because I wish there was more of it.
I already had a fair knowledge of spanish thru the excellent Michel Thomas series (very grammar based), but needed to improve my vocab. This is much more fun and really, really works. You don't bneed to keep pausing the cd either, you just rattle thru it. MORE PLEASE! Excellent beginners tool, 23 Jul 2003
I was a complete beginner and this gave me the confidence to continue. It's quick, it's easy and I wish there was more of it. I can't recommend this enough if it's your very first tool for learning Spanish. A Quick Jab at Vocab!, 12 Mar 2003
... Instant Recall's definitely worth ... the price. While its offering of 200 words is a less than ideal, one can go through the course in about 4 hours realistically (including breaks, checking out the blooklet which includes spellings and pronounciations, and about 2 1/2 hours of listening, imagining and testing time). I found that closing my eyes while listening to the CD, helped in imagining the associations between the Eglish and corresponding Spanish words. While there're no verbs (which is where I think most people would need help) a quick shot of 200 words is bound to help any beginner's confidence. I picked up the words fast, it's not hard considering they're spilt in categories and fed one at a time, in sets of ten. A word is announced in English (by Alex) and then it's Spanish counterpart (by Isabella), after which Alex asks you to picture an association. Alex: The word for soup in spanish is...
Isabella: Sopa!
Alex: Imagine a soup that tastes like soap. You're given some time... enough to work your imagination, and then Alex & Isabella move on to the next word. After a set of ten in a particular category you're tested. I think the technique works pretty well, but then again that might depend on the individual. I recommend using this along with the Michel Thomas Spanish Audio CDs. Neither audio set substitute good one-on-one teaching, but they're definitely good supplements (and should be good for those short of time). Had it dealt with verbs it would definitely get five stars!
precise and straight to the point, 02 Nov 2008
Improve writing skills with this book. The book is direct and straight to the point, no blagging around.
Very instructive, and funny., 05 Jul 2008
The book is clear and concise. I learnt a lot, and the content is clearly applicable to more than English. But probably the crowning touch is that Mr. Cutts managed to write a book that is quite funny to read. Anybody having to write occasionally should have a copy.
Twenty-one excellent guidelines on Plain English, 19 Nov 2006
In everyday life, many a person may happen to come across documents that are written in an illegible and almost undecipherable form as a consequence of an incorrect choice of words, a misplaced punctuation and a disorganisation of the ideas by which the writer had intended to express himself or herself. The answer to such a troublesome matter is given by Plain English. According to the illustrious author of this reference book, Plain English is the means by which a writer conveys the reader a chance of understanding his writing at first reading, adding essential and concise information to his work.
Martin Cutts' `Guide to Plain English' consists of twenty-one chapters that provide guidelines on how to write documents in a language that is accessible to mainstream readers. In this reference book, there are tips on how to use terms that will allow writers to avoid writing documents that might be perceived as pompous and prolix. To help readers achieve such a goal, there is an all-embracing section of `Official-sounding' terms with their corresponding plain English equivalent. Furthermore, there are comprehensive guidelines about the usage of punctuation within a text, providing several examples on how to place marks within the flow of a sentence to understand its construction at first reading. In addition to that, there is a section dedicated to a correct organisation of ideas when writing e-mails, including a lexicon of abbreviations and a advice on adding personal comments in the e-mail text.
I would recommend this excellent reference book to customers who come across troublesome documents, devoid of proper punctuation and filled with terms that may result hard to comprehend for general readers. On the other hand, customers who attend writing courses may not find this booklet useful because the provided guidelines do not fix much attention on stylistic considerations such as the five-paragraph essay and the layout of academic papers and texts.
The best book on general writing skills, 27 May 2006
I have been running writing courses for over a decade and have looked through many books on clear writing. Overall, I think this is the most helpful. I recommend it to attendees.
It even has a section on how to manage colleagues' writing. Many people who come on a writing course want their boss to attend too; to learn the real 'rules'!
No mistakes - except in the reviews, 20 Dec 2007
In response to the person who wrote:
I haven't read this book but I was struck by the 'official review' apparently taken from the back cover of the book.
The French word for bread is "pain" not "pan" - the method may work but if the information being taught is inaccurate this is not a useful tool.
Well, I do own this, and the mistake is in the review, not the product.
The back of the box actually says:
The french for bread is pain. (PAHn)
Imagine putting loaves of bread in a pan.
(Because, although spelt pain, it is not pronounced pain).
This is indeed a good method of learning vocabulary.
This won't teach you French, on its own - its not meant to. What it is meant to do is teach vocabulary, and it does this well. This works really well with the Michel Thomas Foundation course. The latter is really good at teacing the structure of the language etc. This is good for adding some extra vocab.
Helpful as a refresher and for beginners, 05 Sep 2007
The cd uses word association and opportunities for you to practice phrases before moving onto the next phrase. The author speaks and explains things to you then gets 2 'students' (1 is quite good at french, the other is finding it tricky!) to repeat the word before you have a go. He points out what the students got right and wrong and clarifies any common pronunciation errors. I enjoyed practising my rather rusty pronunciation alongside the 'students' on the cd. My husband didn't know any french before listening and although he chose not to speak any french on holiday he could certainly recognise and understand spoken and written french better than he could previously. I liked the pace of the cd, the word association techniques may seem a bit tacky but they do actually work! It's not advanced and it wouldn't get you through a GCSE or a business environment but its a pleasant way to refresh your memory or practice your pronunciation of very useful words and phrases for everyday life and social situations.
Mistakes abound, 17 Aug 2007
I haven't read this book but I was struck by the 'official review' apparently taken from the back cover of the book.
The French word for bread is "pain" not "pan" - the method may work but if the information being taught is inaccurate this is not a useful tool.
I won't be buying it.
only for the feeble-minded, 05 Oct 2006
The writers/producers of this work must have assumed that their potential listeners are mentally retarded idiots. Long pauses are left to enable one to remember the most simple words. A breathless and over-enthusiastic American woman invites one to do things such as "imagine a toilet on top of the Eiffel tower", in an effort to assist one to remember that the French word is equivalent to the English word. At that point I decided to abandon the cd. There is, after all, a limit. In addition, the usefulnesss of the work is greatly reduced by the absence of articles before nouns. It assists one little to know that chair is 'chaise', without also knowing that it is 'la chaise'. Had the ratings permitted me, I would have rated this at a minus.
Instant Recall - It really works, 17 Sep 2003
These cd's are a real gem. Great fun to use and they really do work. I would highly recommend them as a fun way of increasing your Spanish vocabulary.
Good book, but not for beginners , 06 Aug 2007
I bought this book in order to improve my vocabulary and it has been being very useful. The writer goes inside the word, showing where it came from. I am just not quite sure if that book is useful for beginners. Otherwise, it is a very good book.
The bible for the virtuoso of etymology, 09 Jun 1998
This is the most incredibly wonderful book written on the subject of words. The approach is not like wordlists but is full of stories and anecdotes. This book is an eyeopener for the wonderful world of words. A must for anyone interested in words at any level.
More exciting than its title would suggest, 22 Jan 1998
I originally bought this book at a library used book sale some time ago and figured it might come in handy sometime. When I finally got around to reading it, I couldn't put it down. It is replete with effective ways of learning new words, recognizing how groups of words are related, and how to remember their meanings. But they make it fun with mini history lessons, tales of Greek gods and heroes, and humorous anecdotes of students' malapropisms as well as detailed etymologies. This terrific tome would make an ideal prep for the GRE or any standardized vocabulary test. There are also sections on common Latin, French, Italian, German, & Spanish phrases & expressions. This is way more than an antiseptic, desultory, unrelated listing of vocabulary words. I learned a great deal from this book and I considered myself to have a pretty good vocabulary before I read it. Enjoy!
A book to dip into, 23 Apr 2008
A lot of research must have gone into preparing this book, which really is a hodge-podge of words over which the author has beavered away to find the sources of the original meanings. Some of the entries are fascinating, especially those where the original meaning has been completely lost, but we still use the word in a different context. Many of the words you won't have heard of and are so remote, and out of common use, that knowing their derivation is less entrancing. The book is nicely laid out with the key words in bold type, which makes skimming the text for words that interest you much easier. A book to dip into for a few minutes every now and again, rather than plough through from start to finish.
Quinion's Quirky Quodlibet, 30 Jan 2007
Gallimaufry (noun) - 1. a dish made up of leftovers 2. a miscellaneous jumble or medley
Yup, that pretty much defines the contents of British lexicographer Michael Quinion's fourth book of word stories. His previous book, Port Out, Starboard Home and Other Language Myths (2004) was a surprise big seller. It was no surprise to me because I've been following his work for years. He is the proprietor of a indispensable website, World Wide Words ( www.worldwidewords.org ) that is well-known to word-freaks like me.
'Gallimaufry' focuses on the stories behind words that are disappearing (or have disappeared) from the language. It is divided into sections on food and drink, health and medicine, entertainment and leisure, transport and fashion and concludes with a delightful section on names, employment, and communications. We get the stories behind such words as (to take examples only from the transport section) brougham (named for a former Lord Chancellor), landau, barouche, cab (née cabriolet), hansom, and taxi, among others. (Did you know that the original form of 'taxi' was 'taximeter cabriolet'? The 'taximeter' ('taxi', tariff; 'meter' measure) part of the name indicated that a cab was the first public vehicle to measure the distance a fare was taken and charge accordingly.
Quinion's style is lighthearted while learned. I found myself turning pages just to see what was next. Admittedly I'm fascinated by words, having been a reader for the Oxford English Dictionary for a number of years, but Quinion's way of explaining word histories is unfailingly delightful and I think this book could be as interesting to the non-word-freak as was, say, Bill Bryson's book, 'The Mother Tongue.' And it's a lot more factual.
Typography is attractive -- the subject words are in bold print, making browsing easy -- and there is a full index of the words treated in the text.
This book would make a fine birthday or other gift for the right sort of reader.
Scott Morrison
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Customer Reviews
One of the best reference books ever released by Oxford University press, 30 Sep 2006
The book that I have eagerly rated at 5 stars is one of the most comprehensive pocket-edition grammar booklets I have ever purchased.
Consisting of one hundred and forty-eight pages, John Seely's reference book is divided into grammar and punctuation sections in alphabetical order . Each category is enriched by several examples that allow readers to understand how to apply a general rule within a context ; what is more, there is a very explicable sub-category dedicated to the commonest grammar mistakes many a student - and writer - may happen to commit during his/her writing .
Being an English major , I have come across a multitude of grammar books , and I have always had to operate a selection to discern which ones would be useful to me and which ones might be too prolific and superfluous .This edition represents a valid compromise to find when looking for a general grammar book : although the explanation for each rule is reduced to the classic pattern definition-example ,the explanation provided is concise and sufficient for any reader to grasp the meaning of each entry .
A good quick reference, 09 Aug 2005
The grammar is a little patchy but the punctuation entries are excellent as quick guides (to solve problems when writing or teaching without having to plough through hundreds of pages of 'exceptions' to rules). Learning Spanish, 09 Oct 2008
An excellent book. Large pages and print and well laid out. It takes you through the basics of grammer whilst you learn the vocabulary. The vocabulary is laid out in sensible subject groups. There are masses of fairly straightforward exercises and this proves the theory that "Practice makes Perfect". A small point is that some of the questions are American "biased" and we Brits may not know the answers.
I would suggest that students start with this book before moving onto others in the series.
You can't learn a new language without the effort. Love the crazy associations, 12 May 2008
OK, so some of the associations are a bit dodgy, but I actually found this to be really funny, which ultimately helped me to remember the words.
With only 200 words you're not going to become fluent, however I found the vocab to be really useful when used in conjunction with Michel Thomas' 8 disc foundation course (which concentrates more on sentence structure and verbs). My husband didn't use Instant Recall (and only did 6 of the 8 Michel Thomas discs) and it was surprising how much I had to translate/communicate during our recent trip to Cuba.
It concentrates more on Latin American pronunciation, which was good for our purpose. I did find that the translation of a couple of the words didn't quite match up, but this was never a problem during our stay.
In short this is worth the money if you get it for a good price.
Instant Recall Spanish Vocab, 23 Dec 2007
This is a great CD set to learn around 200 Spanish words using word and imagery association. The product review on this page explain the methods quite well. I found the explanations very clear and I was able to picture the images very well, therefore storing the vocab in my memory. Like other reviewers here I suggest you listen to this with your eyes closed to really picture the images in your mind. Some of the links are a touch tenuous, and these are the words I fail to remember, I've found (and recommend) that using my own imagery works better for these words and I'm slowly starting to grasp the remaining few words that previously escaped me. Not only is this course good for learning basic vocab, but it is also good for your brain overall, encouraging memory techniques that can be transferred outside of this course. The speakers on the discs are clear and are pleasant to listen to. Some courses i've done previously have put me off straight away with cheesy music and terrible speakers; this course has none of that. Overall this is a great place to start if you want to learn Spanish to get by on holidays and if you want to get a good grounding before starting night classes. I'd also recommend Michael Grunbergs Spanish association book that compliments this course perfectly and which I picked up on amazon for 2.99. This course is well worth a try. Does exactly what it says on the.. eh... tin, 20 Jul 2007
If, like me, you spend a lot of time in the car and don't mind folk thinking you are barking mad because you're talking to yourself, this is a great way to learn some spanish vocab. The only reason why I only give it 4 stars not 5 is because I wish there was more of it.
I already had a fair knowledge of spanish thru the excellent Michel Thomas series (very grammar based), but needed to improve my vocab. This is much more fun and really, really works. You don't bneed to keep pausing the cd either, you just rattle thru it. MORE PLEASE! Excellent beginners tool, 23 Jul 2003
I was a complete beginner and this gave me the confidence to continue. It's quick, it's easy and I wish there was more of it. I can't recommend this enough if it's your very first tool for learning Spanish. A Quick Jab at Vocab!, 12 Mar 2003
... Instant Recall's definitely worth ... the price. While its offering of 200 words is a less than ideal, one can go through the course in about 4 hours realistically (including breaks, checking out the blooklet which includes spellings and pronounciations, and about 2 1/2 hours of listening, imagining and testing time). I found that closing my eyes while listening to the CD, helped in imagining the associations between the Eglish and corresponding Spanish words. While there're no verbs (which is where I think most people would need help) a quick shot of 200 words is bound to help any beginner's confidence. I picked up the words fast, it's not hard considering they're spilt in categories and fed one at a time, in sets of ten. A word is announced in English (by Alex) and then it's Spanish counterpart (by Isabella), after which Alex asks you to picture an association. Alex: The word for soup in spanish is...
Isabella: Sopa!
Alex: Imagine a soup that tastes like soap. You're given some time... enough to work your imagination, and then Alex & Isabella move on to the next word. After a set of ten in a particular category you're tested. I think the technique works pretty well, but then again that might depend on the individual. I recommend using this along with the Michel Thomas Spanish Audio CDs. Neither audio set substitute good one-on-one teaching, but they're definitely good supplements (and should be good for those short of time). Had it dealt with verbs it would definitely get five stars!
precise and straight to the point, 02 Nov 2008
Improve writing skills with this book. The book is direct and straight to the point, no blagging around.
Very instructive, and funny., 05 Jul 2008
The book is clear and concise. I learnt a lot, and the content is clearly applicable to more than English. But probably the crowning touch is that Mr. Cutts managed to write a book that is quite funny to read. Anybody having to write occasionally should have a copy.
Twenty-one excellent guidelines on Plain English, 19 Nov 2006
In everyday life, many a person may happen to come across documents that are written in an illegible and almost undecipherable form as a consequence of an incorrect choice of words, a misplaced punctuation and a disorganisation of the ideas by which the writer had intended to express himself or herself. The answer to such a troublesome matter is given by Plain English. According to the illustrious author of this reference book, Plain English is the means by which a writer conveys the reader a chance of understanding his writing at first reading, adding essential and concise information to his work.
Martin Cutts' `Guide to Plain English' consists of twenty-one chapters that provide guidelines on how to write documents in a language that is accessible to mainstream readers. In this reference book, there are tips on how to use terms that will allow writers to avoid writing documents that might be perceived as pompous and prolix. To help readers achieve such a goal, there is an all-embracing section of `Official-sounding' terms with their corresponding plain English equivalent. Furthermore, there are comprehensive guidelines about the usage of punctuation within a text, providing several examples on how to place marks within the flow of a sentence to understand its construction at first reading. In addition to that, there is a section dedicated to a correct organisation of ideas when writing e-mails, including a lexicon of abbreviations and a advice on adding personal comments in the e-mail text.
I would recommend this excellent reference book to customers who come across troublesome documents, devoid of proper punctuation and filled with terms that may result hard to comprehend for general readers. On the other hand, customers who attend writing courses may not find this booklet useful because the provided guidelines do not fix much attention on stylistic considerations such as the five-paragraph essay and the layout of academic papers and texts.
The best book on general writing skills, 27 May 2006
I have been running writing courses for over a decade and have looked through many books on clear writing. Overall, I think this is the most helpful. I recommend it to attendees.
It even has a section on how to manage colleagues' writing. Many people who come on a writing course want their boss to attend too; to learn the real 'rules'!
No mistakes - except in the reviews, 20 Dec 2007
In response to the person who wrote:
I haven't read this book but I was struck by the 'official review' apparently taken from the back cover of the book.
The French word for bread is "pain" not "pan" - the method may work but if the information being taught is inaccurate this is not a useful tool.
Well, I do own this, and the mistake is in the review, not the product.
The back of the box actually says:
The french for bread is pain. (PAHn)
Imagine putting loaves of bread in a pan.
(Because, although spelt pain, it is not pronounced pain).
This is indeed a good method of learning vocabulary.
This won't teach you French, on its own - its not meant to. What it is meant to do is teach vocabulary, and it does this well. This works really well with the Michel Thomas Foundation course. The latter is really good at teacing the structure of the language etc. This is good for adding some extra vocab.
Helpful as a refresher and for beginners, 05 Sep 2007
The cd uses word association and opportunities for you to practice phrases before moving onto the next phrase. The author speaks and explains things to you then gets 2 'students' (1 is quite good at french, the other is finding it tricky!) to repeat the word before you have a go. He points out what the students got right and wrong and clarifies any common pronunciation errors. I enjoyed practising my rather rusty pronunciation alongside the 'students' on the cd. My husband didn't know any french before listening and although he chose not to speak any french on holiday he could certainly recognise and understand spoken and written french better than he could previously. I liked the pace of the cd, the word association techniques may seem a bit tacky but they do actually work! It's not advanced and it wouldn't get you through a GCSE or a business environment but its a pleasant way to refresh your memory or practice your pronunciation of very useful words and phrases for everyday life and social situations.
Mistakes abound, 17 Aug 2007
I haven't read this book but I was struck by the 'official review' apparently taken from the back cover of the book.
The French word for bread is "pain" not "pan" - the method may work but if the information being taught is inaccurate this is not a useful tool.
I won't be buying it.
only for the feeble-minded, 05 Oct 2006
The writers/producers of this work must have assumed that their potential listeners are mentally retarded idiots. Long pauses are left to enable one to remember the most simple words. A breathless and over-enthusiastic American woman invites one to do things such as "imagine a toilet on top of the Eiffel tower", in an effort to assist one to remember that the French word is equivalent to the English word. At that point I decided to abandon the cd. There is, after all, a limit. In addition, the usefulnesss of the work is greatly reduced by the absence of articles before nouns. It assists one little to know that chair is 'chaise', without also knowing that it is 'la chaise'. Had the ratings permitted me, I would have rated this at a minus.
Instant Recall - It really works, 17 Sep 2003
These cd's are a real gem. Great fun to use and they really do work. I would highly recommend them as a fun way of increasing your Spanish vocabulary.
Good book, but not for beginners , 06 Aug 2007
I bought this book in order to improve my vocabulary and it has been being very useful. The writer goes inside the word, showing where it came from. I am just not quite sure if that book is useful for beginners. Otherwise, it is a very good book.
The bible for the virtuoso of etymology, 09 Jun 1998
This is the most incredibly wonderful book written on the subject of words. The approach is not like wordlists but is full of stories and anecdotes. This book is an eyeopener for the wonderful world of words. A must for anyone interested in words at any level.
More exciting than its title would suggest, 22 Jan 1998
I originally bought this book at a library used book sale some time ago and figured it might come in handy sometime. When I finally got around to reading it, I couldn't put it down. It is replete with effective ways of learning new words, recognizing how groups of words are related, and how to remember their meanings. But they make it fun with mini history lessons, tales of Greek gods and heroes, and humorous anecdotes of students' malapropisms as well as detailed etymologies. This terrific tome would make an ideal prep for the GRE or any standardized vocabulary test. There are also sections on common Latin, French, Italian, German, & Spanish phrases & expressions. This is way more than an antiseptic, desultory, unrelated listing of vocabulary words. I learned a great deal from this book and I considered myself to have a pretty good vocabulary before I read it. Enjoy!
A book to dip into, 23 Apr 2008
A lot of research must have gone into preparing this book, which really is a hodge-podge of words over which the author has beavered away to find the sources of the original meanings. Some of the entries are fascinating, especially those where the original meaning has been completely lost, but we still use the word in a different context. Many of the words you won't have heard of and are so remote, and out of common use, that knowing their derivation is less entrancing. The book is nicely laid out with the key words in bold type, which makes skimming the text for words that interest you much easier. A book to dip into for a few minutes every now and again, rather than plough through from start to finish.
Quinion's Quirky Quodlibet, 30 Jan 2007
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