When I first purchases this book, I did so because it was only a [price] when I purchased 501 spanish verbs for my Spanish II class. I figured, "Why not?" When I recieved it I was suprised and impressed what a wonderful learning tool it is. For any begining spanish students, there are very useful words that you won't find in 1st and 2nd year textbooks that are quite important. The sentences they use really do bring quite a bit of clarity to the use of the word. Also the sentences themselves have many words to help increase your vocabulary. Buy this book. It is very much worth it.

This book is the best book I have found to help you review and expand your knowledge of Spanish. It is meant for someone who already has a basic command of the language. There are short, easy lessons in practical grammar and vocabulary that are combined with exposure to Spanish literature. The lessons are followed by brief quizzes with the answers provided in the back of the book.

I read through this book a few times to help me recall and extend my ability in French grammar. I found it very useful in helping me attain a decent level of proficiency in a short period of time; however, it lacked certain elements of French grammar. Ultimately this deficiency led me to buy Berlitz's French Grammar Handbook.

I don't agree with the cover of the book when it states that it contains everything needed for speaking and comprehension. It would have been helpful if it contained such elements as the pronoun usage of y and en as well as a mention of the past historic tense. When I tried to read _Le Petit Prince_ with the aid of this Resnick's book, I had trouble making out some of the sentences, but after purchasing the Berlitz book, I didn't have any problems.

"The purpose of this book is to enable you to achieve greater fluency with the phrase approach, not to teach you to construct sentences from rules and vocabulary," says Professor Seymour Resnick, in the Introduction of "Essential French Grammar." He goes on to say that his book is not supposed to be used as a primary text for a university course but for adult self-study. First, read the entire book--it is short but pithy. After this quick overview, one will be familiar with the areas in which one needs to concentrate. This little grammar book is designed to help one speak French better: "On apprend à parler en parlant." (One learns to speak by speaking.) Yes, one does make mistakes, especially with verbs and verb tenses, but with practice one can improve.

"Essential Grammar" is such a handy little book. It reviews all the parts of speech with practical examples of usage. There are sections on vocabulary-building techniques and tips on how to build a specialized vocabulary based on one's immediate needs, such as travel or business communication. There is a list of 2,500 cognates (the most often used words that share French and English forms); the author recommends several methods for easy memorization of these words. The book concludes with a glossary and index.

Highly recommended as an aide to learning or reviewing French grammar and vocabulary!

I recently spent two weeks taking an immersion course in French - in France. As a complete beginner to the language the classes were difficult at best since they were taught exclusively in French! While this method may be best for learning vocabulary, pronunciation and general speaking methods its not so good for grammar! I spent my evenings reading this book and it completely filled in the gaps about grammar rules, etc. In fact I highly recommend this book at a necessary supplement to any self study approach.

A light (and I really mean light - the book weighs about 2 ounces) and helpful book for anyone trying to build their Spanish vocabulary. Printed by the good people at Dover Publications, the book lacks the fancy designs, illustrations, and other graphics that books are generally well known for, however it is a very resourceful book to have around.

Author Seymour Resnick does a great job in compiling the 1,001 most used words in the Spanish language, however there is one negative thing about this book. There is not a pronunciation guide throughout the whole book. Although it's not a dictionary, it is always helpful to have this reference mentioned in a foreign-language book. Besides this fault, this book will make excellent reading material for anyone trying to brush up on their Spanish before a trip, meeting, or just to chat with a friend or relative.

1001 Most Useful Spanish Words is great for what it's intended for - beginners, i.e. me. If you're advanced, you'll probably laugh at this book. That being said, I found it very useful with its 1001 useful words listed in alphabetical order in Spanish with an example sentence and its English translation next to each one. Also helpful are the sections at the conclusion of the book delineating family members, numbers, days of the week, lots of food, colors, stores, animals, etc. Overall, a great tool for beginners that won't cut into your pocketbook.

With only 55 pages, it packs a ton of vocabulary! It's so thin I can put it almost anywhere, even inside another book! Wonderful for building vocabulary on the go. It has the Spanish word, it's definition, then it has A SENTENCE IN SPANISH to show context, AND the English translation!!! If that wasn't enough, the last few pages it has groupings of words under various subjects. AND some vocabulary tips!!! I can't say enough about this little book. And did everybody see the price??! Unheard of!! Every new student of Spanish should own one.

P.S. I think the person who gave this book a poor rating was being extremely unkind. This book never says it's anything other than it is. A book to build vocabulary. It's not a dictionary. Dictionaries cost a lot more, and are heavy. (This book weighs 2 oz.!)

This book isn't bad if you consider how thin and cheap it is. It sacrifices completeness, emphasizing learning in a short time "what you'd be most likely to use." It completly omits using "tu", claiming that one only essentially needs "ustedes" (a bit annoying). Overall, it does serve its stated purpose of serving those with limited learning time.

I bought this guide after purchasing Resnick's 1001 Most Useful Spanish Words, which is an incredibly bargain at [price]. Essential Spanish Grammar, at [price], isn't so bad either EXCEPT for a critical need for updating in terms of pronouns and verb conjugations. In the 1950s, when this guide was written, it was a given that one did not use the familiar "you," so Resnick ignores it completely. Of course, these days it's "tu" not "Usted," and someone, perhaps Resnick's editor, needs to acknowledge that with a revised edition.