Schaum's Outline of Russian Grammar Reviews

• Good practice

  
  By A2H9LUUCYE0KJC on 2005-09-12
  I started using Schaum's Outline of Russian Grammar after I already knew the basics of Russian grammar and found it very useful. One of the difficulties with Russian grammar is remembering all the rules and applying them correctly. This book is ideal for practice as it contains hundreds of grammar exercises with answers. The author, James S. Levine, begins each section of the book with a clear explanation of the grammar point to be studied. The exercises then test the learner's understanding of this point. The key to using the book successfully is to do all the exercises. This requires a certain amount of discipline, as it has to be said, this is a fairly dull book. There are no stories and no pictures, just grammar and more grammar. It is for this reason that I would not recommend this book for someone who has no knowledge of Russian at all. Moreover, although all aspects of Russian grammar are covered thoroughly including the basics, Levine often assumes the reader already has a reasonable Russian vocabulary and has a fair grasp of Russian sentence structure. A complete beginner would find doing some of the exercises almost impossible.
  
  The key to speaking Russian correctly and fluently is for the grammar rules to become automatic. If you constantly have to work out the case of the noun, the aspect of the verb and so on, you'll never get anywhere. With practice even the complexities of Russian grammar become a matter of routine. Any reasonably serious student of Russian will benefit from Levine's book and will also gain a good degree of satisfaction from completing the exercises. This book will definitely improve your Russian.
  
  
  

• Excellent just like the math outlines

  
  By A1MJMYLRTZ76ZX on 2003-11-12
  I'd used quite a few of Schaum's other Outline series titles in various math courses, ranging from statistics to calculus and differential equations, but this is the first one I've tried in a non-quanititative area, and I was pleased to see the quality shines through here also.

  This is a great outline and review of Russian grammar. Russian has some major pitfalls for the English language speaker, such as the complex case system, which has six cases just like Latin; three genders, male, female, and neuter; and a verb classification system that is foreign to us. This is the concept of directed vs. non-directed motion.

  For example, in Russian there are two words for walking. If you were just strolling aimlessly around, such as walking in a park, you would use one verb. But if you were walking with a specific goal in mind, such as you were heading somewhere and had a specific destination in mind, you'd use the other verb. Many Russian verbs have this dual feature, which means you have to learn two verbs to do what in English you'd do with one verb and an adverb.

  The other major way the Russian verbal system differs from English and many other Indo-European languages is that it is built primarily on the concept of aspect rather than tense. This means Russian verbs are more concerned with whether the action was complete or is incomplete, rather than whether the action took place at a certain point in time, as in the familar past, present, and future tenses. In grammar this is known as the perfective-imperfective dimension, "perfective" referring to completed action, and "imperfective" referring to an action that is still going on or hasn't been completed yet. An example in English of the perfect indicative is "I spoke." An example of the imperfect indicative is "I was speaking."

  In this context I'm reminded of the example of Japanese, which doesn't have a very detailed tense system either, and in fact lacks the future tense, and has to use the progressive present to express that, if I remember correctly. However, it has instead a complex system of moods or modal verbs, which express such notions as the probability of an action, doubt, the attitude of the speaker toward the subject or person, and so on. This book discusses these complex features of Russian grammar along with many others, and has some of the clearest explanations on these topics that I've seen.

  I thought I'd mention one more aspect of Russian grammar, actually phonetics, that I didn't see in the book, since it's very interesting too. This is the phenomenon in Russian of a consonant tending to assimilate the sounds that come before it, as in the sentence, "Ya yedu va gorody," where the "g" sound affects the prononciation of "va" word in front of it. English has just the opposite tendency, as in word, "dogs," where the "s" sounds like a "z" instead of the normal "s" sound because of the affect of the voiced g. Hence, English has forward or anterograde assimilation of consonants, and Russian has the opposite, or regressive assimilation of consonants.

  Overall this is another outstanding study outline from Schaum that I can recommend especially to first year Russian students, or anyone needing a quick review of this subject.
  
  

• Excellent Teacher Resource

  
  By A3BCVH1WC607ZR on 2003-08-24
  I teach Russian at the high school level.

  The Schaum's Russian Grammar outline has the clearest explanation of the difficult subject of Russian motion verbs that I have ever seen.

  The author, Dr. James Levine, divides the Russian subjunctive into The Conditional (260) and The Subjunctive (262). I think this approach is very helpful for students because it is less confusing.

  The discussion and exercises of the difficult Russian Indefinite Pronouns (134-136) was well-organized and highlighted when the particles "to" or "nibud" should be used.

  The text is careful to use a vocabulary that is remarkably consistent with what students are learning in their main text.

  The explanations and the exercises in the text can be used as a supplement to a regular text. Many high school and university texts today have video and audio materials, but the grammar analysis is not as developed as it might be. This modestly-priced text is an excellent way to bridge this gap. The grammar explanations are clearer for an English-speaker than the Russian-published texts.

  The rules for Russian grammar are very carefully and logically explained; the words are accented; and the exercises have an answer key that is helpful for students studying independently.

  This is the best Russian grammar book on the market.
  
  

• Excellent resource for the serious student of Russian

  
  By A2JA7C0WEMB1M7 on 2004-04-04
  This Schaum isn't for the faint of heart, it's for serious students of the language. As such it's excellent. A very comprehensive grammar trainer it will work your grammar skills to a fairly high level. The key of course is to actually do the grammar exercises, something I sometimes lagged behind on.

  Great for students or those who work in areas that deal with Russia. I highly recommend it.
  
  

• Not for the casual student, but an excellent grammar text

  
  By AEBOD21JROJ4G on 2004-05-31
  This is my second Russian grammar book. I started out with Teach Yourself Russian Grammar by Daphne West, and while it's a great grammar text for the casual self student, Schaum's is better and will take you farther.

  To get the most from this you'll need to really work at it, but I hope to graduate from this to Terence Wade's grammar text and workbook.
  
  

• RUSSIAN GRAMMAR MADE EASY
  By A7X0XI2LV9UJP on 2005-07-29
  This is one of the best grammar books I have used!
  Having studied Latin, French, Spanish, Hebrew, German, Russian and English, there is no doubt in my mind that Russian grammar is up there in the first or second place in difficulty. This book does an excellent job of presenting complex material in a clear and straightforward manner. Dr. Levine organized the material so you can use the book as a study aid and as a reference book. He introduces each topic with definitions and general rules, and follows with numerous examples with corresponding English translations. He summarizes the topic with appropriate tables and a thorough review, using extensive exercises, with answers in the back of the book.
  Worth mentioning is the particular sensitivity of Dr. Levine to the English-speaking student. Subtle points which are common pitfalls for English speakers learning Russian are brought up and examples given.
  
  
  
• If your studying Russian, this will your best friend!
  By A6Y02XTYPC7VC on 2003-12-27
  I can't rave enough about this book. I've gotten several grammars and do-it-yourself courses, but this book lays it all out on the line in simple, easy to follow language. The accents are marked, exceptions are explained, and rules are given in a format ideal for memorization. Combine that with the vocabulary that can be gleaned from the text, and you have your key to the russian language. I just wish that Professor Levine had writted the vocabulary guide, then the accents would have been marked. I wish I could give it 6 stars!
  
  
• One of the best ways to learn Russian grammar...
  By AN8PIKL1HLVTW on 2005-05-10
  I recently went on an Amazon.com shopping spree and purchased about 10 different books designed for learning Russian. It is now almost a month later, and I can honestly say that Schaum's Outline of Russian Grammar is head and shoulders above the rest in terms of how useful it is for an independent, self-studying student like myself.
  
  The book is organized into several chapters, each covering a major part of speech (Nouns, Pronouns, Adjectives and Adverbs, Prepositions, etc) and each of these chapters contains MANY practice exercises so you can test yourself on the things you've learned. Each of the 239 practice exercises is made up of between 10 and 20 questions that review the grammatical concepts discussed in each particular section. They vary in format, from fill-in-the-blank, to combining two sentences into one, indetifying the case of underlined words, changing the tense/case/number of words, and more.
  
  So in summation, if you are learning Russian then BUY THIS BOOK! For the serious independent student it will give an extremely thorough grounding in Russian grammar with practice and drills exactly like you'd find in a standard Russian course at a school. And for those taking Russian courses at a school, it will prove to be a very valuable reference and practice book to help brush up for exams.
  
  
  
  
• A terrific, fun supplement
  By A2EDSY9G3X3PFM on 2006-03-10
  I recently bought this book along with the New Penguin Russian Course, and the two complement each other very well. The way the Schaum's Outline of Russian Grammar is set up, you could use it with just about any type of Russian lessons, but I think it would be particularly helpful with conversation heavy systems like Pimsleur or Immersion method. The concepts are presented matter of fact and the exercises are very useful to use as self-drill. The overall layout, from a "this is how we'll break down the grammar rules" perspective is also very easy to understand, without skimping on the complexity of certain issues like verb aspect, or uses of the conditional mood, or irregular case endings. It even has stress marks (inexplicably omitted from Schaum's Vocabulary Outline) which are certainly the most important thing after learning the alphabet in terms of learning Russian pronunciation and intonation. Also, there are many explanation of shades of meaning implied by slight changes in grammatical usage. This book has been so helpful and useful that I just can't imagine a serious Russian student, particulary a do-it-yourselfer, not having it on hand.
  
  
• Need some quick revision? Get this!
  By A12ZVTCWE0BBYA on 2001-11-11
  As I am currently studying for my university Russian exams, this book is an absolute goldmine for practice exercises and simple explanations into noun endings, cases, numerals, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, etc. Very helpful!
  
  
• ..An "OK" source
  By AM9BDZ7MIJOJT on 2005-07-07
  Schaums outline of Russian Grammer is structured like a workbook, with brief explanations of different aspects of Russian grammer, followed by numerous exercises. It is helpful if you are taking a Russian language course as well, but if you are not taking a course, this book alone cannot help you. I have used many of the grammer books, and the source that has worked best for me is Master the Basics by Natalia LUsin. For people taking a language course, it is a great study guide, and simply the best for teaching grammer to yourself if you are not enrolled in a class.
  
  
• A good, solid book
  By A1O1T6J5DHY75U on 2001-02-06
  This book is very clear in its explanations, but it is for intermediate students, and not for beginners. Other than that, I highly recommend it. If you are a beginning Russian student, I suggest you review your English grammar before purchasing this book.
  
  
• An excellent comprehensive and easy-to-understand book.
  By A24Q72FN75A5RT on 2001-02-28
  Russian Grammar, by James Levine, and a Rusian dictionary should be the next books a beginning student should buy after a primary textbook. It is well organized and complete; it will be useful for advanced students, as well as beginners.

  The clear presentation is supported by side-by-side examples of Russian and English sentences illustrating each point. There are also exercises, with answers in the back.

  It is a good choice for students at all levels.
  
  

• perfect resource!
  By A3JI7FDL1G8J2 on 2003-01-05
  I have been studying Russian independently for two years now, and this is the best book I have found. It explains all aspects of Russian grammar very clearly, and is perfect for all levels of study. If I had one book other than my dictionary (I recommend Katzner for American students, Oxford for English), this would be it.
  
  
• A "must have" for all student of Russian!
  By A1C2UFDK0ASOD5 on 2004-12-08
  I frequently refer back to my copy of Schaum's Outline of Russian Grammar. It is an outstanding source of information. I have owned, borrowed and used a plethora of Russian language study/text books, this one undoubtedly takes the cake! It covers everything that a beginner to an advanced student of Russian could ever need. I have used this book for independent study of Russian and while attending class... It proved to be the best for both! I would highly recommend this book to everyone who has an interest in Russian!
  
  
• Know what you're buying - this is a great 'outline' of Russian grammar
  By A336AMU87JHHVJ on 2007-11-30
  As a second-year Russian student I purchased this book based on the 5-star ratings reported here.
  
  At that time I was looking for a book that would teach me Russian grammar, and I was quite disappointed during the first week of reading. It doesn't explain the grammar rules in a simplified manner, and uses a linguistic vocabulary that seemed foreign to me at first.
  
  For example (p. 182), "Adjectival nouns, like regular adjectives, are in the genitive plural (due to an implicit masculine head noun) or nominative plural (with implicit feminine head noun)".
  
  And (p. 183), "Numbers decline exactly like feminine nouns of the third declension"
  
  Of course this does make sense, but it certainly isn't suited to a beginner.
  
  I gave this book 4 stars because as an outline and reference book it does the job really well. I don't pick it up as often as some of my other Russian books, such as the New Penguin course or Farmer's Teach Yourself Russian, but it's handy as a grammar reference.
  
  Organisation of chapters seems pretty logical, and the exercises at the end of each section are directly related to the material that was discussed.
  
  A significant amount of the Russian (Cyrillic) text is written in lower-case (italics) ...just so you know! Some people (like me) can read upper-case with ease, but become frustrated with lower-case.
  
  As the topic of this review states, it's a great book, just be aware of what you're buying.
  
  
  
• Great supplement to college instruction
  By A3NIISL9U9FV0K on 2005-02-27
  I am only giving this book 4 stars instead of 5 because the front cover says "Ideal for independent study" and I think an individual who wants to begin learning the Russian language will have a hard time with this book. It is hard to find a stopping point in the chapters.
  If you are taking university classes this will help you understand anything you might miss in class. The MANY drills and exercises help your brain convert its thinking into a different alphabet.
  Also, the binding and page size make it easy to photocopy if you don't want to write in the book or you want extra copies for yourself.
  Overall, this book is great.
  
  
• Straight Foreward
  By AZXKHDVR724BF on 2008-02-18
  It is a very well written and well explained rules of this difficult language. It is staight foreward to the point explantion of all the grammatical rules that are needed to learn or even master the Russian Language. It makes a perfect complementary book for a textbook of learning the language. The only thing that I wish it had was if it had come with an audio cd as an outline of all the rules to hear how words especially at the end,change pronounciation under different cases. The price was right given how good the book was.
  
  
• A very difficult book to follow
  By A19P08091FP5OG on 2007-12-12
  A good book, but...why does the author use italics to highlight the words he is trying to make some grammatical point about? I know I need to eventually learn italics (5 small Russian letters don't look anything like the standard letters) but not now.
  
  
• A good reference.
  By APU2KJXUJ9C27 on 2006-03-14
  Schaum's Outline of Russian Grammar is good reference for a 1st year Course in Russian. The subject is explained clearly and the contents are well indexed. Given the extensiveness of the subject further studyt would require more specialized texts.
  
  

• The New Penguin Russian Course: A Complete Course for Beginners (Penguin Handbooks)
• English-Russian, Russian-English Dictionary
• Russian Stories: A Dual-Language Book
• Roots of the Russian Language: An Elementary Guide to Wordbuilding (NTC Russian Series)
• The Big Silver Book of Russian Verbs (Big Books)