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This text contains over 1500 lexical items, divided into topic areas, with exercises to provide the practice students need to build their vocabulary in an interesting way. The material can be used in pairs or groups, as well as by students working individually, at elemtenary to advanced level. ... Read more

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Even forty-four years after its first appearance, this little book remains a very useful tool for those studying Ancient Greek at intermediate level. Of particular value for translating verse is Part 1, which contains about 850 words in common use in Sophocles and Euripides. For those who still study prose composition, Part 2 is an invaluable treasure-house of useful words and phrases. Part 3 contains some helpful guidelines on Greek idiomatic usage. ... Read more

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Comprehension of idiomatic expressions is vital in achieving fluency in a second language. Both English-speaking students of French and French-speaking students of English will find this dictionary invaluable in improving their conversational skill and an excellent word finder when they are reading popular newspapers or magazines in their second language. Updated to keep pace with the most current idioms, this two-part phrase book translates 2001 expressions from French to English, and from English to French. All entries are illustrated with sample sentences. This reference volume features two handy quick-word-finder indexesÂ--one at the end of each of French section, and one at the end of the English section.. ... Read more

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More than 2,000 German idioms are listed with their English language meanings in this updated edition. Each entry defines the idiom and presents an idiomatic phrase in a model sentence in both German and English. This pocket-size book makes a handy classroom supplement and a valuable travelerÂ's companion. The bookÂ's clear vinyl jacket adds a measure of protection when itÂ's carried around in travel situations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Idioms in one place
Since German is a very idiomatic language, such a book as "German Idioms" is an extremely useful tool.It makes it much easier to find any idiomatic use of a particular word along with examples.

Contains some nice bits
Arranged alphabetically by relevant word, this book contains some interesting idioms.Some of the idioms have a historical or cultural basis, but this isn't explained, so the curious student would have to follow up in a heavier and more expensive reference work--for example the big "Wahrig" German-to-German unilingual dictionary.For example, "German Idioms" lists "nach Adam Riese" 'according to Adam Riese' as an idiom meaning "exactly" (i.e., as when you're confident you've added a column of figures correctly), but doesn't say who A.R. was; the big Wahrig does this, however briefly.The same goes for "nullachtfuenfzehn" (meaning "no great shakes," Wahrig explains it comes from the standard dimensions of an ordinary German apartment).However, "Lieschen Mueller" is in the idioms book but not in Wahrig.So, I'd say the idioms book is good as a scholarly provocation but not as a scholarly fulfillment; but for that reason alone it's good value for the money and should be amusing for the advanced student of German.

When I just can't find the words....
I am a high school German teacher.In Henry Strutz's German Idioms I found a wonderful reference book that has provided me as well as my students with the appropriate expressions in German in many subject areas. The 2000 idioms cover a wide range of subjects including the expressionthat Germans hold their thubms for luck: "den Daumen druecken"-while we cross our fingers. If you are looking for a book that will helpyou grasp a general knowledge of German, this is not the book for you.Thereader with a basic knowledge of German will be able to use the English andGerman indexes in the back to look up key words to find idioms on specifictopics.Sometimes its difficult to know what keyword to look up in orderto find an idiom on a specific subject. This is a better book for those whoare interested in finding the English equivalents of German idioms, not theother way around.There are many funny idioms that have made learning newvocabulary for my students as well as myself much more enjoyable. The bookis definately worth the money. ... Read more

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Success with American Idioms relieves the frustration and confusion that students and professionals experience with everyday American expressions.

Featuring hundreds of common idioms, Success with American Idioms is the essential quick-reference tool to help improve your everyday English. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

success with american idioms
Very good and helpful book. There are few inuccuracies, but beside it could be a very useful tool for improving English speaking skills ... Read more

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A Year in the Life of an ESL Student is an essential addition to the advanced level ESL classroom. By studying the varied and interesting dialogues and completeing the challenging exercises, students will dramatically improve their comprehension and usage of everyday idioms and advanced vocabulary.

The book follows Andre, a student from Switzerland, as he spends a year completing his English studies at a private language school in North America: from his arrival at the airport, to getting around the city, to attending school, to hanging out with his classmates. All of the situations and corresponding language are real and directly relevant to adult ESL students.

So join Andre on his one-year adventure. It's about to begin just outside the airport terminal.

Please visit the website at ayearinthelife.net. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (24)

A Good ESL Bouquet, but with an aphid or two
This textbook reminds me of the language I used to use with fellow Americans when we went to study German over in Bonn -- only we used English instead of Deutsch: ribald double meanings, chronic problems with the housing, interfacing with the locals, strong emotions late at night, meeting strangers in a nightclub, and on and on.This book reminds me of all of that.It abounds with the good idioms that spring out of these American-style situations.They're well woven too into the lively dialogues.But alas there are aphids inside the flowers.Most of the wordplay in this textbook is at a reasonably modest level of interface; but a little bit of it isn't.There are a few situations within the dialogues of this book, in other words, that as an American I might consider to be amusing.But these same situations, on the other hand, from the point of view of a young Asian woman who does not have much confidence in the American language, might be difficult to have to deal with in a classroom, or in a tutorial situation.A few situations laid out in this textbook, in my opinion, are in rather questionable taste.So them's the aphids.Moving on, the book is technically challenging.Each of the units contains exercises by way of trackdowns, meanings to be sought, blanks filled in, a word puzzle or two to be solved, words to be matched, and a little more.In my opinion, the best target groups of students for this book would be Europeans, and maybe also Hispanics and Middle Easterners.But I would not recommend this textbook layout to Asian women.Asian men?I don't know -- maybe.Put another way finally, I'd tout this book in the Western World, but not so much in the Eastern.
So it gets three stars out of five.Not bad.But it could have been better.

Probably the best ESL idiom book on the market!
I am an author in this genre, and I was extremely impressed with this book.You will absolutely learn a lot of American idioms using this book, and they are illustrated in real-life scenarios, which will make them easier to recall when you feel the need to use them.My only word of caution is to make sure that you realize that the author purposely over-uses the idioms, meaning that we really do not use idioms in every single sentence (as they do in the scenarios).The author does this to help you learn, and I think it is quite effective, but just make sure you do not over-use idioms when you get here.Enjoy!

Todd Hagopian
President/CEO
Hagopian Institute
Author of the popular "Quote Junkie" book sereies and the brand new "Idiom Junkie" series

A must for every ESL teacher or student
I've bought this book because I wanted to create more interesting lessons for my advanced students and found that introducing idioms would be a nice start. I really like the way the author approaches the new subject and think the exercises are effective when it comes to learning vocabulary, idioms, slangs and expressions. The discussion questions are well planned showing the students how the idioms learned are used in real-life conversations. It is an excellent tool for every advanced ESL teacher or student!

Great Help!
Great book,

it helps you a lot to sound more natural in conversation. Structure of the book, with bold idioms in lessons and exercises which follow, really works.

The only downside is that book needs a audio CD to practice pronunciation but it's still very useful without it.

I hope Edward J. Francis make more books with same principle and some new idioms and expressions.

Excellent resource for ESL teachers
I've been teaching ESL in Brazil for 6 years and I know what it's like to search for quality material to use in class, especially when we teach advanced level students.

When I read A Year in the Life of an ESL Student I was thankful for the source found. The book by Edward J. Francis presents everyday vocabulary and idioms which help ESL students feel more comfortable when communicating with native speakers. Because of the approach used - real life situations - it's easier for students to understand and absorb the new information in a natural way.

The exercises found in each chapter allow students to check their understanding and use the language they've just seen in many different ways, leading to the mastering of the topic.

Teachers from all over the world are able to use this book with large groups or private lessons making classes more interactive and fun. ... Read more

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Idiomatic speech in every language undergoes constant change, and this new third edition reflects informal, idiomatic Spanish as it is spoken today. It's divided into two distinct parts, the first part listing Spanish idioms with their English meanings, and the second part presenting English idioms with Spanish equivalents. Each entry is followed by an illustrative sentence. Also featured are appendices listing irregular verbs, abbreviations, and weights and measures in both English and Spanish. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Idioms or "Use of Prepositions and Particles"
Disappointing.I find I rarely use this book.

To me an idiom is a phrase that means something other than the literal meanings of its individual words. This book contains too many phrases than barely meet this definiton. "To pass an exam" is in any pocket dictionary!"To take pains" is more idiomatic, and probably belongs here (it is!). Lots of two and three word phrases in this book!
BUT...There are too few long idioms, like "to sell someone down the river" or "to avoid someone like the plague" (both of which are included - thankfully!).

Same on the Spanish side.

No country/region indications?
This is a useful book, no doubt, but I feel it's missing something critical. It's nicely laid out and seems to include a wealth of good idioms, but I'm surprised it doesn't have any indication of where certain idioms are used. For people who have to tailor to a certain audience (Latin Americans vs Spaniards for example), it'd be a lot more helpful just to have a simple "Am. L." or "Esp" or "Mex" or something in parenthesis next to each idiom.

Just what I needed
This is exactly what any student wishing to greatly improve their oral and writing language skills.An excellent guide and reference for idiomatic expressions; very easy to use with clear explanations. ... Read more

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This volume presents more than 2,000 idiomatic words and expressions spelled phonetically and followed by the Japanese characters and the English translation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

fun way to learn vocabulary and grammar
This is much more interesting to read than a textbook. I pick 1 sentence a day and "deconstruct" it by looking up words I dont know and getting a "feel" for how Nihongo is structured. Many sentences are amusing so it isnt as boring as it sounds. The sentences are written 3X: kanji, romaji and English so it's very easy to check my work. This method is a miracle and after deconstructing merely 3 sentences, I have a much stronger grasp of Japanese than by reading pages and pages of Genki I.

Great resource but not for studying idioms
Right on the front of the book, Japanese Idioms says it has over 2000 commonly used idioms.There's no doubt about the amount of idioms.This book is packed solid.What can be questioned is the "commonly used" part.I ran some of the idioms at random to my Japanese friends.Half the time they either shrugged or just laughed at how antiquated the idiom is.

The book isn't one that you can use to just study idioms since there's a good chance that the idiom you spent so much time learning is useless.However, it should be used as a great reference guide to look up an idiom that you heard or read elsewhere.Even more practical is that you can learn a lot of vocabulary.

The book is more like a dictionary than a textbook.Few people would study Japanese by picking up a dictionary and start reading.It can be fun to just browse and maybe learn a few new words.But as a book for learning idioms, I would have preferred fewer idioms that can actually be used without looking like a fool.

A high quality trove of info at a great price.
Barron's really hit one out of the park with this volume of idiomatic Japanese expressions. Carol and Nobuo Akiyama have not just thrown together a long list of arbitrary phrases. They have assembled a huge collection of idioms, (over 2000), carefully organized them alphabetically by the key component word of each phrase, (all the expressions whose key word is "voice" are found together, etc.), and each phrase has a direct literal translation as well as a figurative translation. Each idiom is also accompanied by an example sentence to demonstrate how the phrase is used. These sentences are also great sources for vocabulary words that you can be sure are still in contemporary use.

The key words, the idioms themselves, and the example sentences are all written in Japanese kanji and kana as well as in Roman letters. This makes this book much more accessible to any native Japanese who may be helping you with your studies. The authors have included a fundamental pronunciation guide as well as a convenient English to Japanese index. If you are looking for an idiom to express the idea of "embarrassment" look up that word in the index and they will have the page listed for the phrase or phrases that match up best with that word.

The book itself is compact with almost no wasted space. Too often I have come across various Japanese texts and guidebooks that have entirely too much blank page, maybe from extremely poor editing or perhaps a thinly veiled attempt to inflate their page numbers with something other than actual content. This volume however is packed to the seams with useful material. Though the book is paperback it comes with a snugly fit dust jacket so it can hold up really well to repeated handling. Highly recommended.

Based on size and content, this is one of the best
For me, a big part of any language book's usefulness is based not only on content, but portability and durability as well - I'm always on the go, and I've had more than one book fall apart in my bag, and very often two or more weigh it down and take up way too much space on a crowded train.That said, this book ROCKS!Okay, so it - like all other books of Japanese idioms - is not always up to date, and you will need to try these on a friend to see if they're still in vogue or old enough to sound awkward... but the volume is there, with many hundreds of idioms, categorized by usage situation as well as romnji alphebetization.There is a whole lot of information in this book, and used properly will go far toward giving you a more natural turn of phrase in casual conversation.But here's what puts the package over the top - it's tiny, and it comes in a plastic slipcase!You can put this book in your pocket!It's a bit bigger than a deck of cards, and the plastic means you can drop it, kick it, throw it in a shopping bag and it'll be none the worse for wear.Also, the spine does not crease easily, which is another thoughtful touch.If you need it to be portable, this is truly the best study guide available.

Have fun with Japanese
Getting bogged down with grammar? Then this books for you. A great way to add some fun to your japanese study, this book presents japanese idioms clearly and precisely. The idioms are easy to look up and written both inkanji and romanji, complete with examples of usage in everydayconversation. Relevant for beginner to advanced level students. ... Read more

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This handbook offers a guide to the language of the contemporary Russian press. The changing political climate and the rush to modernize the Russian economy has left a rich sediment of words which are listed and explained in this work. ... Read more

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This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing’s Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

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This text is part of The Computer-Generated Bible, a series of open-ended computer-generated critical concordances of biblical and related material in the original languages. ... Read more

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The 18th century was a wealth of knowledge, exploration and rapidly growing technology and expanding record-keeping made possible by advances in the printing press. In its determination to preserve the century of revolution, Gale initiated a revolution of its own: digitization of epic proportions to preserve these invaluable works in the largest archive of its kind. Now for the first time these high-quality digital copies of original 18th century manuscripts are available in print, making them highly accessible to libraries, undergraduate students, and independent scholars.
Western literary study flows out of eighteenth-century works by Alexander Pope, Daniel Defoe, Henry Fielding, Frances Burney, Denis Diderot, Johann Gottfried Herder, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and others. Experience the birth of the modern novel, or compare the development of language using dictionaries and grammar discourses.
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The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to insure edition identification:
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Bodleian Library (Oxford)

T178833



[London] : Printed for the author, and sold by C. Dilly, and M. Davies, London; and R. Cruttwell, Bath, 1784. [3],vi-xi,[1],432p. ; 12° ... Read more

Product Description

Ideal for ESL conversation and vocabulary classes, The Big Picture introduces students to high-frequency idioms using a metaphorical approach. The text features over 200 idioms categorized into eight units: Ideas, Knowledge, Argument, Emotion, Money, Control, People, and Life. Numerous activities, progressing from controlled to more open-ended, check comprehension, promote conversation, and provide students with relevant practice.

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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This volume is two books in one. The first part presents Russian idioms in Russian with their translations into English with a sample sentence. The second part presents American English idioms, and gives their meanings and sample sentences in Russian. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

American slang here is the top!
Very interesting book, but in my opinion too American and not pure English. What is very good is the context of this book: a good help in comprehension of Russian slang words.

From a partly self-taught student
First, where I'm coming from:My formal Russian studies were long ago, and tended to be literary- and linguistics- oriented, rather than conversational.Now that there are more Russian speakers available to me (in the US), I'm working on brushing up and developing my skills to communicate with them in Russian.At this point I've selected about 200 of the idioms for memorization, and have had opportunity to check out perhaps 50 of these with native speakers.

Other than what's contained in dictionaries, this is the first and only book of idioms I've used, so I don't have other works to compare it with.It is an interesting work and I've learned a lot from it.I do have two criticisms of it, based not on what other texts might be available but on what I would like if I could have my way:

First, it is not always quite clear what the exact meaning of an idiom is.Granted that it's impracticle, in one volume, to tell enough about each of so many idioms to make a student really competent in using them all, but I've found instances that could have been a done better.While each idiom has an example of how it may be used, it occassionally seemed not a useful llustration; and there are times when one is just not enough -- either because the corresponding English idiom has dufferent meanings in different contexts, or because more than one English idiom is is given. (On page 31, for instance an idiom is translated as "Like it or not" and as "willy-nilly", and the example fits only "like it or not.)

Second, when talking with native Russian speakers, I've found that a particular idiom is not used anymore, or is formal andstodgy-sounding, or -- in at least one instance -- is used only in a particular circumstance (on p. 15, "You are welcome to whatever we have" should be used only for offering food, not offering other things.)None of these things are necessarily grounds for not including an idiom, but they should be noted in the text, and they are not.

If you're wanting to find out what someone else meant by what they said in Russian, I think that this book would be very reliable and useful.If you want to know how to say something yourself, a book like this isn't going to be really adequate anyway -- you'd need several illustrative uses of many idioms, which would mean either a much bigger book or a lot fewer idioms; but there will also be occassional misleading things here which could have been avoided.

An Excellent Reference
A friend showed me this book when I was in Yekaterinburg, Russia.I flipped through it, and the first thing that came into my mind was that this book was probably a cute collection of homely archaic sayings which nobody really uses.There was a Russian girl standing next to me, so I tried a couple of these idioms out on her and asked her if people really used them.She nodded and said yes and gave me a look that made me realize what an ignorant foreigner I was.My wife is Russian, and I often ask her about the idioms in this book.Every once in a while she'll tell me that a certain idiom sounds weird or that people don't really say it, but the vast majority of the idioms in this book are bona fide Russian expressions which make perfect sense to native russians.My wife's advice was that foreigners shouldn't use these idioms in an obnoxious way in order to be funny or draw attention to themselves, but to learn them well enough to use them naturally in speech, and that this would really help them to sound like legitimate speakers of Russian.

In other words, this book is an excellent reference which is filled with genuine Russian colloquialisms that you won't generally find in standard Russian-English dictionaries.Another thing I like about this book is that it isn't filled with trashy vulgar expressions, like some other books which claim to teach "real Russian."The compiler of this reference did an excellent job.

One thing that I like about this book is that there are two sections, Russian-English and English-Russian, so you can not only look up the meanings of Russian idioms, but you can see how to express many English idioms into Russian.Another helpful feature of this book is an appendix at the back which shows what various common abbreviations stand for.

If you want to enrich your knowledge of the Russian language as Russians actually speak it, without having to study a bunch of offensive slang, then this book is what you're looking for. ... Read more