Grammaire essentielle du français B1 par Ludivine Glaud, Yves Loiseau, et Élise Merlet (review)

Reviews 261 independent learners in mind. Indeed, each lesson allows for the student to selfdiscover the grammar point through observations and reflexing. The grammar rule is then given synthetically, with very simple language, and finally, progressive exercises are set for practice, as well as tests that allow for self-evaluation through corrections provided at the end of the manual. The assets of this manual are the use of the grammar in daily life situations and a communicative intent in the exercises and other activities given. There is a push for grammar used in oral comprehension and production , and consequently what the students learn can be applied in real-life situations. Also included is a nice set of examples linked to contrasting French grammar to that of English and Spanish, so native speakers of these languages can compare and contrast and understand the differences in grammar.Within each chapter are indications about other grammatical topics and how to find them in the manual, and finally, there are conjugation charts and lists of verbs that take prepositions for reference. The book is entirely in French, except for the contrasting grammar section, which is in English and Spanish. The French immersion of the rest of the manual is very valuable, as the students are immersed in the target language from the beginning to the end of a particular grammar point. This also means that, if used in a language classroom, especially at a lower level, students will need some guidance from an instructor, as some nuances in the language may not be evident to the beginning learner. The book is accompanied by a CD with recordings of the dialogues and a selection of the exercises. There are also ten tests that students can take and self-correct, and the book comes with a website: the whole book is available in a digitized form and all the audio is available on that site as well. This manual would be great as a complement for an introductory-level grammar class: it covers the basic topics such as nouns, determiners, adjectives, pronouns, tenses, prepositions, moods, adverbs, types of phrases (interrogation and negation), and complex sentences (indirect speech, for example). However, it is a little too simple in its settings and explanations for an Advanced Grammar class. It allows well for communicative activities, self-assessment and self-improvement, as well as immersion in the target language. Armstrong State University (GA) Dorothée Mertz-Weigel Glaud, Ludivine,Yves Loiseau, et Élise Merlet. Grammaire essentielle du français B1. Paris: Didier, 2015. ISBN 978-2-278-08103-5. Pp. 288 + CD. 20 a. The content is much like what the title suggests, as thirty-seven lessons cover essential grammar points needed when gaining proficiency in French. The volume begins with lessons on nouns and their singular and plural forms, then reviews articles and other determiners. The textbook authors move on to adjectives, pronouns, tenses, moods, adverbs, and prepositions sequentially. For many students these particular topics require practice for mastery, as they are the smaller pieces of the bigger puzzle they are working toward putting together. The remaining lessons address types of phrases and the building of complex sentences. There are bilans for each group of lessons and comparisons of English to French, which is always helpful for those students who are English speakers or proficient in the language. The answers to all exercises, a conjugation table, and a list of verbs that take the preposition à or de round out the volume. Each lesson begins with a contextualized use of the grammar in the form of a dialogue that is available on the accompanying CD. A variety of exercises follow that allow students to practice and hone their use of new information or previously learned concepts in a more sophisticated way. The lessons generally work from known material to examples and exercises with increasingly complex structures. The bilan sections provide additional practice; since students have the answer key, they can self-correct and prepare autonomously. This volume could be a useful text in an intermediate level composition or conversation course where students work independently to prepare the lessons and expand their use of vocabulary and structures . This preparation would be...