How do you use "Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar" (Claudia Ross)

[chinabush]

 

I recently bought this book and find it to be a great resource, excellent content, laid out well / easy to read, etc. BUT, I am not sure how best to use this for independent study.  Just start reading?  For quick / occasional reference only?  (the Index is quite brief and limited, btw)

 

Would love to hear how others might be using this book in a self / independent study situation,

 

Thanks!

 

Doug

 

[Shelley]

I use this book as a reference book. I am self studying and use it to clarify/confirm grammar points from my usual textbook NPCR. I also have the workbook that goes with it, if I look something up I will also do the corresponding exercises.

 

I find this book hard going sometimes because of the technical language used, sometimes I have to look up some of the English grammar terms to make sense of it.

 

I don't use it as much as I used to, I found that Schaum's Outline Chinese Grammar is simpler to work through. I did a little review of the two books here http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/46180-intermediate-chinese-grammar-online-edx-course/page-5

 

The review is post #84, it might help

 

You might be interested in my blog on my study materials and how I use them as an independent student. Have a look here http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/blog/108-my-chinese-learning-blog/

 

 

[studychinese]

I sent an email to the author and strongly encouraged her to set up youtube videos with a teacher teaching from the book. She replied that she would look into it with the publisher. This was a long time ago, so I don't think anything is going to happen with it.

[spock]

Does anyone know where I can buy this book in China? 

[Guest]

I originally tried to use this book akin to how I use my textbooks - start at the beginning, make Anki cards for each grammar point and move on in a linear fashion. I gave up on that after realising just how dense it is.

 

As for now, I mainly use it as a reference if there's a suspicious grammar particle that doesn't make sense in whatever text I'm reading or if I'm trying to write out something but I'm not sure how to make it grammatically correct. I purchased the workbook along with it and it's wonderful. It's both as dense as the textbook and has an answer key at the back!

 

I'd recommend doing as I am now rather than reading it in a linear fashion and purchasing the workbook if you can (although perhaps on ebay - I bought both of mine at Blackwell's and they weren't cheap).