Helpful and interesting. | Breaking Out of Beginner's Spanish

ah ha! Now THIS was the spanish book I was looking for | Breaking Out of Beginner's Spanish | Joseph J. Keenan

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	• Breaking Out of Beginner's Spanish Joseph J. Keenan University of Texas Press, 1994 - 229 pages average customer review:based on 112 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Great book

Well, I think a lot of people have said it, so I will keep it brief. I wish there was an index. There is a lot of English explaining and no exercises or memorization drills, so the information is just thrown out there. There is a LOT of information and good tips on when and how to use things, and it's very readable. Maybe some day they will add an index???

Helpful and interesting.

Very readable, informative and interesting. Snappy chapters like Ten Ways to Avoid Being Taken for a Gringo make this a fun read. Well worth the price for anyone wanting to get beyond textbook Spanish.

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ah ha! Now THIS was the spanish book I was looking for

This is the bridge from classroom spanish to Real World spanish. Spanish teachers should take a cue from Mr. Keenan and add this to their intermediate spanish curriculum.

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Hidden Gem

I loved reading this book! Wish Keenan had more titles to choose from, as he is a very engaging author!

EVERY re-read is great!

After entering a rather discouraging stage in my attempt to learn Spanish, I picked up my copy of BREAKING OUT OF BEGINNER'S SPANISH, once again. It is still, as it was when I first read it years ago, amazing! The author has a knack for talking to us, almost individually, and I get the sense that he actually understands my personal struggles with learning Spanish. As such, the book has taken me out of my phase, and I am reinvigorated. I have bought lots of books on learning Spanish, but this is most certainly my most valued. I won't even lend it to anyone, for fear that it will be lost.

One favorite part, on this re-read, is from the introduction, pages 5-6: Joseph Keenan writes:

"It took me 10 years to reach a level that I am still reluctant to call 'fluency'--though friends, family...are easily wowed by my prowess. Even kind-hearted native-speakers will tell me that I have 'no accent'.... But deep down I know better. I still make little mistakes, even frequently when tired or in a hurry....I'm fluent enough for most purposes, but I know there's a next level, and I'm striving to get there."

I, too, live in Mexico, and am surprised that so many of my fellow ex-pats do not understand this "next level" idea.

Thanks so much, Mr. Keenan.

Alinde OMalley

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Many language books are boring--this one is not. Written by a native English speaker who learned Spanish the hard way--by trying to talk to Spanish-speaking people--it offers English speakers with a basic knowledge of Spanish hundreds of tips for using the language more fluently and colloquially, with fewer obvious "gringo" errors. Writing with humor, common sense, and a minimum of jargon, Joseph Keenan covers everything from pronunciation, verb usage, and common grammatical mistakes to the subtleties of addressing other people, "trickster" words that look alike in both languages, inadvertent obscenities, and intentional swearing. He guides readers through the set phrases and idiomatic expressions that pepper the native speaker's conversation and provides a valuable introduction to the most widely used Spanish slang. With this book, both students in school and adult learners who never want to see another classroom can rapidly improve their speaking ability. Breaking Out of Beginner's Spanish will be an essential aid in passing the supreme language test--communicating fluently with native speakers.

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