- Paperback: 232 pages
- Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (24 Sep 1998)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0415160375
- ISBN-13: 978-0415160377
- Product Dimensions: 23 x 15.4 x 1.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
651,190 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #20 in Books > Languages > By Language > Chinese > Grammar & Vocabulary
- #27 in Books > Languages > By Language > Chinese > Level > Introduction
- #30 in Books > Languages > By Language > Chinese > By Publisher > Routledge
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Product Description
Review
Praise for the first edition:
‘Very well structured and clearly explained’ Dr Qian Kan, Open University
--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.Product Description
An introduction to the essentials of Chinese syntax. Each of the 25 units deals with a particular grammatical point and provides associated exercises. Features include: a clear, accessible format; many useful language examples; jargon-free explanations of grammar; drills and exercises; and a key to exercises. All Chinese entries are presented in both "pinyin" romanisation and Chinese characters, and are accompanied, in most cases, by English translations to facilitate self-tuition in both spoken and written Chinese. "Basic Chinese" is designed for complete beginners. Together with its sister volume, "Intermediate Chinese", it seeks to form a compendium of the essentials of Chinese syntax.
Inside This Book
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The book starts with the simplest principles, and actually continues to advanced topics such as the 'le' particle, by the end of the book. Therefore it gives a very solid grounding in Chinese grammar, supported by plenty of exercises ranging from the traditional prose translation type, to error-correction style activities. Full of detail presented very concisely, it's ideal for an ab initio uni student, or anyone interested in getting a good grasp on how the language works, rather than the casual holiday maker after a minimal working knowledge.
Some of the example sentences are a bit odd - not that it's a bad thing, since a bit of humour (intended or otherwise) never did learning any harm! Try 'before she went to England she had never seen a squirrel'. Lovely! Now I know what a songshu is.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A friend recommended this to me, but unfortuately it was a long time before I got my hands on it and had waded through other texts beforehand - some useful, most cumbersome. Some explanations get a bit metalingual, but the examples are friendly and the exercises do the job of consolidating well. Incidentally, the last time I was in England it was the first time my friend had seen a squirrel, and very exciting it was too!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The layout is good. The explanations and examples and directions are good. I struggle with the terminology/descriptive terms used of the English grammar terms. I have often had to look up a definition of a grammar term in order to use the work in the book effectively. This may be a reflection on the quality of my own education (which was a Grammar School and is beyond first degree)but it has hindered my enjoyment of the book. It could be written with fewer academic grammar terms so that of us who are not linguists and not students of grammar but do want to learn another language beyond just learning phrases might find it easier to use.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Simply the best
This book is NOT for beginners. I think this book is perfect for those Mandarin learners who already know pinyin and have a good grasp of Mandarin grammar & hanzi. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Jonathan
Not For Beginners! But A Great Book.
I have been learning Chinese for a number of years now and fancied this book because of the Workbook Exercises in it. Read more
Published on 4 May 2010 by Mr. Tim Brogan-shaw
Double Dutch, not Chinese
This is totally misleading: it certainly is not basic. The approach taken is about a century behind the times and the book is of little help to the absolute beginner. Read more
Published on 31 Oct 2009 by C. B. Tomkinson
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