Practice Makes Perfect: Complete French Grammar, Premium Fifth Edition Paperback – Student Edition, 27 Dec. 2023

Paper not the best but as a workbook for study not going to keep using forever. Easy to recycle or donate. Exercises are clearly structured. Delivery was prompt.

Entirely lived up to expectations. Very clear, comprehensive and easy to understand textbook.

Definitely not for an absolute beginner, but if you have some background (intermediate) and don’t know where to start, it speeds up the process, planning to buy other books of this series or else support it with a different publishers books as well.

This is a very clear and easy to use beginners guide which also covers quite complicated constructions. Thoroughly recommend.

I am a graduate in French but that was 40 years ago. Found this an effective and quick way of revising old knowldge and skills.

For me the jury is out at the moment on this book. I am probably an intermediate learner. I go to classes, but classes tend to concentrate on a lot of ‘tourist’ French and I want to be able to talk normal everyday French conversations . I have researched French grammar books and the practice makes perfect books kept coming up. Also in the past I’ve bought a part one of a dual language book, only to find a ‘complete’ book of four parts for the same price. So when I saw this complete book I thought I’d buy it rather than several individual books. Best price here on Amazon. Not a bad price for the 5th latest edition. However, I would say the quality is shocking. It’s a very flimsy paperback. The pages are like rice paper sooooo thin. You can see the writing of the next pages through the page. Luckily only having looked at a few pages I’ve managed not to tear any…yet! I would say looking at the first few pages you need to be more than a beginner. It does say it gives you access to flash cards, audio, recordings etc if you download the free app which I have yet to do.Remarks about some of the content…..I can see what it is that the book is doing from the start. Starting with the pronouns and er verb endings. Fine. However , It explains ‘on’ as meaning one, we or they depending on how it is used….it then gives an example….’Ici, on parle japonais ‘ I would have translated it (before reading this book) as, ‘here one speaks or we speak Japanese ‘. However, totally ignoring the fact it already said ‘on’ translates as one, we or they, the book translates it as ‘Japanese is spoken here’. Which to a total beginner would be very confusing. The other examples are better, but of course anyone studying French will know it doesn’t always translate word for word and can be confusing. However, it does in this instance give you the English translation something which further on is lacking. It then gives you a lot of er verb examples, listed as ‘common’ which in my mind are more unusual er verbs not ones you may expect if aiming at beginners. Eg. Augmenter to increase, dessiner to draw, exprimer to express, prêter to lend…hardly everyday words. As the pages turn you then see these verbs used in the practice sentences for conjugation. The practice sentences ‘titles’ are in French, again if you are a beginner it would help if in brackets it had the translation in English . Mettre les verbes entre parenthèses au présent….I don’t think many beginners would understand words like parenthèse. I doubt if many would understand the word in English!!! The practice sentences are also completely in French, again for beginners it would mean a lot of looking up words, something I know I find tedious. It isnt as if there is not enough room as the pages are very sparse in content.The practice sentences…There are blank spaces for you to put in your answer , I would be very careful what kind of pen you use as it may pierce the paper or come through on the other side, would recommend pencil! Anyway, I always say repetition is good, if I go over what I already know it reinforces it. There may be as I get more into the book some bits and pieces I can pick up, remember and use! I find that especially places like You Tube there will be several lessons on one area of learning, but it only takes one person to explain it in a different way for you to understand it, for it to click like a lightbulb moment of understanding!! So this book may have some lightbulb moments waiting for me!! Fingers crossed.

Useful grammatical exercises.