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Living German: A Grammar-Based Course (A Hodder Arnold Publication)
Do you want to learn German or brush up what you already know? Are you planning a holiday in Germany or preparing for an exam? Are you looking for a course with a traditional approach to language learning, based on solid grammatical foundations, translation skills and practical vocabulary? If so, this is the course for you. The material covers a variety of everyday topics in a simple, concise manner. There are many examples and explanations to illustrate how the language works and to build confidence. Each unit, designed to build systematically on what you have already learned, contains:
reading material consisting of passages or dialogues
vocabulary lists
clear grammar explanations
exercises.
At the back of the book, an exercise key enables you to check your answers while grammar and vocabulary sections provide a useful reference. The accompanying CD will help you with listening and speaking. In addition to a full pronunciation section, it contains reading passages or dialogues from the course book, followed by comprehension questions in German, together with model answers.
reading material consisting of passages or dialogues
vocabulary lists
clear grammar explanations
exercises.
At the back of the book, an exercise key enables you to check your answers while grammar and vocabulary sections provide a useful reference. The accompanying CD will help you with listening and speaking. In addition to a full pronunciation section, it contains reading passages or dialogues from the course book, followed by comprehension questions in German, together with model answers.
379 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1994
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65 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 29, 2021
I just figured out what book it was I bought back then, circa 1989, an earlier edition than any so far entered here, and that properly got me started off on learning German. The subtitle 'a grammar-based course' would put me off nowadays, and I'm unsure how much that fits, but probably it does, just that the main thing about the book is not how 'grammar-based' or whatever it is in theory, but how it actually approached language via comprehension; that really is the main thing.
As a language learner since (I went on to study German and Russian at university, and to spend a little time in Germany, and a lot in Russia), and as a language teacher, I've seen again and again that simply engaging in derivation of meaning from language and that constant process of almost unconsciously fusing meaning with the language via reading and listening for comprehension, leading naturally into speaking and writing as your understanding develops, is the only real way to learn. People are so hung up on 'understanding' in the sense of being able to explain the grammar, or to translate the language, etc., etc., but what language actually is is a direct comprehension and expression of meaning via the language, and that's what you need to engage in, and therefore to actually aim at getting away from all the rest of it, and letting it take only a secondary role as a part of reflection as you more and more comprehend the language via actual engagement.
I can't think how many times someone told me they'd started to 'learn' a language, and explained what really great book they've got, 'which explains all the grammar really well', and when I've said, 'put it aside for a while, use it as a reference at most, and just find something to read and/or listen to in the language that you are interested in and can deal with'. And to this day, not one person can tell me they 'learned a language' via those books they'd bought. And also I've taught so many students who have 'studied the language' for so many years (a decade or more often), but can't really understand or express themselves beyond an elementary level.
As I remember it, this book took me from a simple text in German, putting in basic vocabulary and grammar at first, letting me comprehend it from context, and making me make more and more sense of it, and then, with each chapter, worked from that base to add more and more, but always in context, always with me seeing it and comprehending it in context; in short: with the main focus on actually comprehending; i.e. being able to actually use the language, albeit initially 'passively' (receptively, in reading, not 'actively' or 'productively' in speaking or writing). I went on, at first at least, to use this kind of approach in learning further, making myself read and listen and make sense of the language from context, and learn what I needed to gradually over time via that process. I've used the same type of process more and more over the years in teaching too, sometimes encountering resistance from students and management, they thinking this isn't 'proper teaching', but then with those who accept it actually having the best results.
And nowadays you can check out all the polyglots on YouTube and see that they all use a similar process. I wish back then I'd learned the lesson this approach taught me about learning languages (and other things too, like 'just start it, do it, learn from the process and context', which I think you can apply to learning an instrument too, and to much else). So, simple as it might be in hindsight, and me not being sure how similar the later editions are, this was a rare example decades ago of a self-teaching language book that actually took a 'learner-centred' and 'meaning-based' and 'context-embedded' and 'communicative' approach to language learning, which, in fact, to this day, sadly, many language-learning books, courses, apps, websites, etc., etc., still are not.
As a language learner since (I went on to study German and Russian at university, and to spend a little time in Germany, and a lot in Russia), and as a language teacher, I've seen again and again that simply engaging in derivation of meaning from language and that constant process of almost unconsciously fusing meaning with the language via reading and listening for comprehension, leading naturally into speaking and writing as your understanding develops, is the only real way to learn. People are so hung up on 'understanding' in the sense of being able to explain the grammar, or to translate the language, etc., etc., but what language actually is is a direct comprehension and expression of meaning via the language, and that's what you need to engage in, and therefore to actually aim at getting away from all the rest of it, and letting it take only a secondary role as a part of reflection as you more and more comprehend the language via actual engagement.
I can't think how many times someone told me they'd started to 'learn' a language, and explained what really great book they've got, 'which explains all the grammar really well', and when I've said, 'put it aside for a while, use it as a reference at most, and just find something to read and/or listen to in the language that you are interested in and can deal with'. And to this day, not one person can tell me they 'learned a language' via those books they'd bought. And also I've taught so many students who have 'studied the language' for so many years (a decade or more often), but can't really understand or express themselves beyond an elementary level.
As I remember it, this book took me from a simple text in German, putting in basic vocabulary and grammar at first, letting me comprehend it from context, and making me make more and more sense of it, and then, with each chapter, worked from that base to add more and more, but always in context, always with me seeing it and comprehending it in context; in short: with the main focus on actually comprehending; i.e. being able to actually use the language, albeit initially 'passively' (receptively, in reading, not 'actively' or 'productively' in speaking or writing). I went on, at first at least, to use this kind of approach in learning further, making myself read and listen and make sense of the language from context, and learn what I needed to gradually over time via that process. I've used the same type of process more and more over the years in teaching too, sometimes encountering resistance from students and management, they thinking this isn't 'proper teaching', but then with those who accept it actually having the best results.
And nowadays you can check out all the polyglots on YouTube and see that they all use a similar process. I wish back then I'd learned the lesson this approach taught me about learning languages (and other things too, like 'just start it, do it, learn from the process and context', which I think you can apply to learning an instrument too, and to much else). So, simple as it might be in hindsight, and me not being sure how similar the later editions are, this was a rare example decades ago of a self-teaching language book that actually took a 'learner-centred' and 'meaning-based' and 'context-embedded' and 'communicative' approach to language learning, which, in fact, to this day, sadly, many language-learning books, courses, apps, websites, etc., etc., still are not.
May 23, 2024
4.0/5.0
It is exactly what it is in the subtitle. There are 43 short chapters, no more than 5-10 pages. Each chapter begins with a short passage in German, covering various topics, some being stories, others being more informational passages. They then introduce the relevant vocab, and then introduce some concepts about the grammar used in the passage. Finally, the chapter ends with exercises to practice the grammar concept, as well as your comprehension of the short passage.
I didn't really do much of the exercises. I mostly just read through each section to get a general feel of the German language and grammar before diving into it in the future. I particularly also like the grammar summary section at the end, that I will revisit as a reference to refresh.
It is exactly what it is in the subtitle. There are 43 short chapters, no more than 5-10 pages. Each chapter begins with a short passage in German, covering various topics, some being stories, others being more informational passages. They then introduce the relevant vocab, and then introduce some concepts about the grammar used in the passage. Finally, the chapter ends with exercises to practice the grammar concept, as well as your comprehension of the short passage.
I didn't really do much of the exercises. I mostly just read through each section to get a general feel of the German language and grammar before diving into it in the future. I particularly also like the grammar summary section at the end, that I will revisit as a reference to refresh.
April 21, 2018
This book is an amazing way to learn German. This book builds the language in every paragraph. Feminine, masculine, plurals, etc are strategically placed to give the reader an opportunity to build vocabulary and sentence structure understanding. I didn't realize how amazingly well this was done until I started reading old chapters once I was halfway through the book. If you combine vocabulary without the help of this book (I suggest Duolingo), then you'll be reading simple German in no time. Highly, highly, highly recommend.
June 30, 2018
Excellent for brushing up on your German and making a jump from basic conversations to more professional interactions. Still actively using it.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews