German for Reading

by John R. Wendel, Karl C. Sandberg

German for Reading presupposes no previous acquaintance with German and can be used with equal effectiveness by graduate students in the arts and sciences who are preparing to pass a reading knowledge examination, or by undergraduates who are beginning to deal seriously with the problems of reading. Its programmed format permits it to be used either as a classroom text or by individuals working on their own.

The second edition builds on strengths of the first while updating outdated terminology, removing terms and phrases no longer in use, and incorporating many revisions made in light of suggestions from readers.

Genres: German Literature, Language

496 pages, Paperback

First published September 5, 2015

Reviews

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not quite as good as Sandberg's French for Reading, which features an additional 20 readings at the end of the text and comprehension questions for each passage, nonetheless this second edition is very welcome. I find the method and format quite superior to other German grammars (aimed at reading), much better to my taste than Jannach which I used in school. Highly recommended!

[Micah · Rating 5 out of 5]

unfortunately I'm not fluent in German as a result of reading this book but nonetheless I can now read it well enough to pretend that I am as long as no one else knows any German either

[Junqi Wan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book for language-reading exams. Its clear and structured grammar explanations helped me understand some of the long and confusing things in German grammar. It builds the skill of German-English translation bit by bit, explaining the words first, then building them into phrases and sentences, and eventually into complex paragraphs.

But the most precious thing I took from this book was not the vocabulary or the grammar. It was that it gave me hope, or perhaps the courage to hope, which I had scarcely allowed myself to have before. I remember how I felt after translating the first German article from this book: the feeling of understanding, and of knowing that it was possible.

I think I’ll remember that feeling whenever I am faced with some seemingly impossible task, of which I believe I’ll have plenty this year. This is also partly the reason why I had to move this book to “unfinished” for now. But I definitely will finish it one day.

[Anna White · Rating 4 out of 5]

The section on possessives as predicate adjectives and nouns is outdated, and the section on indirect discourse does not stand on its own well and benefits from outside supplementation. Otherwise, an enjoyable read and generally solid grammar resource.