How to use Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar

[Shi Guangli]

你好！

 

I've been using New Practical Chinese Reader as a textbook (workbooks, audio and all). I also got my hands on Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar, but I'm not sure how it is supposed to be used. I understand it is divided in two parts, one focusing on more concise aspects of grammar, the other one concerning more everyday and practical usage of Chinese. Vocabulary is also only provided through literal translations of phrases and expressions, no information on individual characters. It comes with a workbook, so I wonder what's the best way to take advantage of it, since it seems complete and a possible good complement to NPCR

[Shelley]

Hello and welcome to the forums.

 

I also use these two texts and find them very good.

 

I have also recently discover Chinese Grammar Wiki here: http://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/

 

This has lots of really helpful grammar information but also there are links to most of the popular textbooks and gives further explanations lesson by lesson. It includes NPCR and MMCG.

 

Give it a look, it may help, I have found it useful.

 

I find MMCG a bit heavy on the grammatical terms, I have taken to using it to compliment NPCR by looking up things brought up in NPCR and using the workbook to help remember things.

 

Hope this helps.

[Shi Guangli]

Thank you for your welcome! 

 

I guess it does help! I've been taking more serious looks at it, and I find it works much like any other grammar, and not exactly a textbook, for the amount of text is limited and only present in copious but short examples. While looking for advice on textbooks, I saw Perapera recommended this as a must have, and I quote: "If you buy only one book for Chinese, get this one". It seems to me that approaching Chinese through there would mean having to seek out for vocabulary and text in other sources, when I think it actually should be the other way around. My experience with Latin and Greek tells me you can know every rule and exception of a whole grammar book and still fail in reading most simple texts if you lack progressive reading experience, vocabulary and knowledge of common expressions.

 

As for grammatical terms, I have read through them extensively in the glossary available in the book and I can understand them (they seem far more simple than the Greek grammar I have to put up with in college  ). Though, I believe that for anyone not quite used to studying grammar from textbooks of more academic nature the book may be a bit out of reach. Not all books can be perfectly fit for everyone, unfortunately.

 

I guess I'll do it just like you do, MMCG sure seems like an excellent tool!

[stapler]

I read someone on this forum who had just started learning Chinese put all the sentences from the MMCG into Anki to drill them. I'd be too lazy to do something like that, but I can imagine it would quite helpful for a beginner. But as you also seem to know, one of the best things you can do for "getting" grammar is actual reading. There are some massive simple Chinese readers (I'm thinking of the DeFrancis Chinese Readers) that are pretty helpful for exposure.

[Shi Guangli]

I've searched the web for plain textbooks and I found Zhongwen. All the contents of the three sites (Zhongwen Red, Green and Blue) are downloadable as pdf, along with audio files. So while being simple, it provides lots of vocabulary and grammar examples in easy texts for beginners. Still, I'm looking for some free alternatives for the reading part. When I acquire enough knowledge I'll try to compile some easy materials for beginners and spread them wherever they're needed!