!Búscalo! (Look It Up!): A Quick Reference Guide to Spanish Grammar and Usage

by William M. Clarkson

Book Overview

"A novel approach-very useful for quick reference." --Mark Goldin, Associate Professor of Spanish, George Mason University

"Very user-friendly and easy-to-find information. Alphabetical order is an innovation in comparison to other grammar guides on the market. I would recommend this guide to students of all levels."--Keith Mason, Spanish instructor, New Providence High School

"The explanations are...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0471245607
• ISBN13: 9780471245605
• Release Date: April 1998
• Publisher: Trade Paper Press
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.73 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

An invaluable learning tool!

This little grammar book has just the right information for someone like me, who's constantly on the go. It's organized alphabetically, which makes it extremely easy to look something up. I think it covers the major and most common grammar points quite well. In addition, it's size and portability make this book a must have. Good job!

Spanish

If you want to start learning Spanish, this book is a valuable tool. It is alphabetically set up, and gives you insight as to how the languauge is structured, various idioms, and notable exceptions. Even my instructor uses it frequently!! it is a great asset while you are taking classes.

A very handy quick reference- covers most grammar concepts

This a handy quick reference Spanish grammar book alphabetically arranged that tackles queries that don't require much explanation. This book cannot be used to learn Spanish however, I would say it serves as a reference for advanced students and teachers. It does not cover all grammar topics and definitely not any complex structures but can definitely act as a handy resource if you are looking to clarify a doubt or if you are in the middle of writing a composition or an essay in Spanish thus not having to consult a text book and search through several chapters and grammar points to hopefully address the one or few queries that you have. As an educator of the Spanish language, I did find it handy because whenever I had a query that can be researched in Buscalo I was able to find what I was looking for within seconds. Some examples of the grammar concepts that the book covers are: verb conjugations, moods- indicative, imperative, subjunctive and their usage, prepositions- por, para, a, de , en etc. , the usage of "hay", "hubo", numbers, pronouns of all kinds (subject, prepositional, reflexive), verbs-reflexive vs. non-reflexive, the usage of "gustar" and like verbs, nouns, adjectives and adverbs. The purpose of the book is to clarify key grammar concepts and the most problematic ones without going into depth on the subject matter. If you are an advanced student, be it high-school or university level, a native speaker or an educator of Spanish, "Buscalo" will prove beneficial to you for quick, hands on clarifications. This is a reliable and worthy reference material for those who want to maintain grammatically correct usage when speaking or writing in the Spanish language.

Un buen libro, ¡la verdad!

Last year I attended a language school in Mexico for six months. And this book, which I had stumbled onto in a Texas bookstore and brought with me, was a life-saver, better than anything the school provided. It's an excellent reference in an easy-to-use alphabetical format. It is cross-referenced in Spanish and English. It gives tips on precision, pronunciation and sentence structure. If you are confused, this stupendous little softback will steer you in the right direction. If you have but a single book to back up your class struggles with Spanish, this is it, mis amigos. Trust me on this. If you find yourself scratching your head in befuddlement, simply look at the appropriate alphabetical entry. And before you know it, you will be speaking like a native. Or something close to it.

The Holy Grail: A one-stop, easy-to-read grammar guide

I'm taking Spanish lessons, and I've spent countless hours researching various grammar tips from a myriad of sources and scribbling them down in a notebook. At times, I get frustrated when my notes start to contradict themselves or otherwise spin out of control. Sound familiar? I've checked with other students of the language and I know this to be a common problem. That's why coming across 'Buscalo' was such a revelation to me. Here's a *complete* guide to Spanish grammar, beautifully arranged and presented in easy-to-reference alphabetical format. Each item is explained clearly and all exceptions to an item are catalogued and presented in a way that makes proficiency of the langauge seem (finally) within my grasp.The examples provided always seem to clear up what little ambiguity may have been left by the explanation. My particular hangup has always been when exactly to use the subjunctive mode. It takes 3 and 1/2 pages to do it, but you'll never see a clearer list of examples giving you a flavor of when to employ it.Get this book + a good dictionary + '501 Spanish Verbs' (Kendris) and you've got a great foundation for learning Spanish.