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 enlarge | Author: Brandon Simpson
Publisher: Small Town Press
Category: Book
List Price: $13.95
Buy New: $12.55
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Avg. Customer Rating:  15 reviews
Sales Rank: 250640
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 112
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.5
ISBN: 0981646603
EAN: 9780981646602
ASIN: 0981646603
Publication Date: March 17, 2008
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| Customer Reviews:
 Excellent Tool Created by Author Brandon Simpson. August 8, 2008
I am a Spanish major. I am in the process of finishing my last four classes for my B.A. in Spanish. I own too many Spanish reference books to even count. And, I know which areas of grammar usually give non native speakers of the language problems when they write or speak.
A few days ago I recieved this thin, green book in the mail. The title made me curious. I asked myself "Is it possible that this author can demystify Spanish grammar?" Well, the answer is yes. The author, Brandon Simpson, has managed to present and clarify written accents, ser/estar, para/por, the imperfect/preterit, and yes, the dreaded Spanish subjunctive in a very fresh and very user friendly way.
I especially like the way the author uses acronyms like HIDE/STARS to help inforce the usage of the imperfect and the preterit. These types of acronyms along with practice exercises are used throughout the book. And, they do what they were designed to do, they help the learner to remember and understand these often troublesome grammar areas. Mr. Simpson presents all of the above grammar topics in a very precise fashion. His book is a gem for all intermediate to advanced Spanish learners. His creativity and his ability to actually help learners is commendable.
Please note that this book does not cover every aspect of Spanish grammar. The areas mentioned above are the topics of focus. And, if you are studying Spanish, you already know why a focus on these areas and an easy to carry book like this one is necessary.
Brandon Simpson, you did a fine job. I recommend your book to all Spanish learners who want to fine tune their fluency and comprehension of the Spanish language.
Thanks for a wonderful tool!
 A handy guide -- not too technical July 19, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
This little book is a handy summary of a number of tricks that will help intermediate students to understand some of the points of Spanish orthography and grammar that they are unlikely to have mastered at the beginning level. Simpson explains such matters as accent use, por/para, ser/estar and the subjunctive with simple rules, memorable acronyms and a minumum of technical language, so that the average reader of the book won't get bogged down in the terminology-laden presentations of advanced grammars.
I give the book four stars rather than five because, while it accomplishes its task well for its intended audience, it does have a few errors and some decidedly non-native examples. Overall, though, I recommend this book for high school students in the second year or above, or college students who have finished at least one semester of Spanish.
A revised version of this book with a little polishing would be most welcome.
Just right... June 23, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I find this little book very helpful in doing just what the title claims it will do: demystification. The author has taken "los temas mas traumaticos" (for us norteamericanos, anyway) and put them into one streamlined, to the point, non-bloated volume. Yes, you can find this info scattered in other Spanish learning resources, but you won't find it this compact and you won't find some of the slick ideas introduced to explain and remember the concepts and rules presented.
Digging through a thick reference grammar is fine. But let's face it: there is something to be said for getting more than just a dry definition and/or usage rules. And the author has done an admirable job at it here. The rules are explained. The examples are there. Nothing is lacking, yet, nothing is overdone either. There is no kicking a dead horse, as some authors tend to do, NOR is there any brushing over the details without sufficient explanation. It's just right.
I can't see this book not being useful for anyone whose native language is not Spanish. Even if you are familiar with the topics covered, chances are you will see things that cause you to say, "Yeah cool, I've never really thought of it quite like that--very helpful."
"Demystifying" good as its word June 13, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
At 112 pages, Brandon Simpson's DEMYSTIFYING SPANISH GRAMMAR isn't bulky, but it is almost worth its weight in "oro puro" -- pure gold. Which verb to use if you are upset, versus a different verb if you're a "Norteamericano(a)"? One calls for "ser," another "estar," but how can we tell the difference? What if you went to the movies yesterday but went to the movies once a week when you were a child? Calls for different verb tenses.
Mr. Brandon is a kind and patient teacher and offers real-world examples of the classic pratfalls for the new student of Spanish. When he teaches us how to distinguish "ser" from "estar," say, or using the imperfect instead of the preterit, he gently debunks old textbook "theories" and opens up better and clearer uses. The examples from native speakers (who don't always follow the theories but know just what 'feels right') are highly lluminating and useful.
DEMYSTIFYING SPANISH GRAMMAR has certainly helped me. I think almost any student of Spanish will be helped by it too.
"I can see clearly now, the rain is gone"----GREAT BOOK, BRANDON SIMPSON !!! June 5, 2008
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
Demystifying Spanish Grammar is quite a good book for Spanish students everywhere. At first I wondered if the book would be able to cover much ground as it is a shorter book than I expected it to be. Wow, was I ever wrong! This Spanish grammar book covers lots of territory and works wonders for helping students of Spanish like me understand basic yet critical concepts about nouns, verbs, prepositions and much more including those pesky Spanish accents. Great!
Here is a list of what the book covers very well:
1) Written accents in Spanish
2) Understanding Ser and Estar
3) Understanding Para and Por (worth the price of admission alone!)
4) Understanding the Imperfect and the Preterit (the simple past tense)
5) Two lengthy sections on understanding the Spanish Subjunctive (excellent)
There are answers to the exercises; a list of other recommended books (wow); an English-Spanish Glossary; extra information on Spanish nouns and even definitions of grammatical terms.
Author Brandon Simpson has an excellent writing style that spells things out remarkably clearly and the overall "feel" of the book is a "user-friendly" one and this book is not difficult to understand. You also still have the ability to re-read parts of the book that are particularly troublesome for you if, for example, you're having trouble differentiating between para and por--this certainly does throw many, many students of Spanish grammar--even the best of students can stumble and fall on this topic.
Overall, I highly recommend this book for people who wish to pursue the formal study of the Spanish language at the entry and intermediate levels. It's also a good book for people who wish to use it to review or refresh their understanding of certain concepts even when they are at the more advanced levels of study. In addition, this book is designed in such a way that you can use it for independent study or you can refer to it when a topic in class just isn't clearly understandable to you. Brandon Simpson has made a huge contribution to the study of the Spanish language; and we are better off for it.
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