Modern Russian: An Advanced Grammar Course (Russian Studies) (Russian Studies)

By Derek Offord

Book Overview

This course book is aimed primarily at students in higher education who have some prior knowledge of Russian. It is divided into 64 lessons covering all the main areas of Russian, including the declension of nouns, the conjugation of verbs, the use of cases, the forms and use of adjectives; pronouns, numerals and verbs of motion; verbal prefixes; gerunds and participles. It provides the solid grammatical foundation which is essential for students go on to read, write and speak Russian well.

The book includes many exercises and over 500 examples taken from the recent Soviet/Russian press, introducing useful contemporary vocabulary in areas such as politics, economics, social problems, ecology, medicine, and cultural and military affairs.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1853993611
• ISBN13: 9781853993619
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: Bristol Classical Press
• Length: 472 Pages
• Weight: 1.52 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.7" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

No other Grammar Book Compares

I first started using this book when I was living in Siberia for a year. I love it! I've had exposure to many other grammar books, but I'm always coming back to Modern Russian. It's the most in-depth, comprehensive grammar book I've found. Granted, it does depend on your learning style. Other grammar books may be suited for a different person, but I love this book! I just wish they had this book for other languages as well. It's the best!

Wish this had been my textbook all along!!

This book is simply excellent. Though it takes some knowledge of Russian grammar to begin with, it really nails and drives home solid points and it's incredibly easy to follow. I think it's safe to say that I'll continue to use this book to polish my Russian even past graduation, that's just how useful and friendly the format is.

Very good advanced grammar reference.

As stated before, this book provides an excellent reference for students of Russian who already have a firm grasp on basic prinicles of grammar. If you're new to Russian, or if you're anything below an upper-level intermediate student, then you may want a more basic text. Furthermore, "Modern Russian" is strictly grammar, and although it does grammar very well, it should be supplemented by vocabulary building activities (either book-based or otherwise) for a more complete language study. Otherwise, this book does an excellent job of addressing all important areas of Russian grammar, including many [MANY] of the irregulars, in a straightforward manner, with plenty of examples. Despite being what is, in my opinion, one of the best grammar texts for the language, the book is very compact and could easily be thrown in a backpack or handbag next to a pocket dictionary.

Overpriced, but an Excellent Reference

This book was given to me by a friend, and I'm glad I didn't have to pay for it. The price would be more reasonable if it were cut in half.I first started reading this book in Januaray or February of 1998, when I was living in Ufa, the largely Muslim capital of the Bashkirian province in southern Russia. At that time I spoke the language reasonably well, and I hadn't studied grammar in depth in over a year. I picked this book up thinking it would be a good review, and was surprised at how little I really knew.The chapters are well organized and full of good information. Especially helpful are the numerous sentences shown in both Russian and English to demonstrate how various Russian words are used in context. There are even exercises at the end of each chapter, but unfortunately there is no answer key to check yourself by. There are several indexes at the back of the book to make for a convenient reference. One thing that struck me about this book is how it glosses over basic principles and instead goes into remarkable depth on exceptions to the rules. If you want the basics, this is not the book for you. But if you're looking for a treatment of the numerous exceptions to the rules, this book is well worth reading.The book lives up to its title--it's an advanced grammar course. Beginners would do better working from the New Penguin Russian Course, by Nicholas J. Brown. But for those who already know the basics and are looking to deepen their understanding of Russian grammar, this book is excellent.