Short Stories in French for Beginners
Books | Foreign Language Study / French
Olly Richards
Richard Simcott
"I love Olly's work - and you will too!" - Barbara Oakley, PhD, Author of New York Times bestseller A Mind for NumbersShort Stories in French for Beginners has been written especially for beginner to intermediate level language learners, designed to give a sense of achievement, and most importantly - enjoyment! Mapped to A2-B1 on the Common European Framework of Reference, these eight stories will both entertain you, and give you a feeling of progress when reading.What does this book give you?· Eight stories in a variety of exciting genres, from science fiction and crime to history and thriller - making reading fun, while you learn a wide range of new vocabulary· Controlled language at your level, including the 1000 most frequent words, to help you progress confidently· Authentic spoken dialogues, to help you learn conversational expressions and improve your speaking ability· Pleasure! It's much easier to learn a new language when you're having fun, and research shows that if you're enjoying reading in a foreign language, you won't experience the usual feelings of frustration - 'It's too hard!' 'I don't understand!'· Accessible grammar so you learn new structures naturally, in a stress-free wayCarefully curated to make learning a new language easy, these stories include key features that will support and consolidate your progress, including· A glossary for bolded words in each text · Full plot summary· A bilingual word list· Comprehension questions after each chapter.As a result, you will be able to focus on enjoying reading, delighting in your improved range of vocabulary and grasp of the language, without ever feeling overwhelmed or frustrated. From science fiction to fantasy, to crime and thrillers, Short Stories in French for Beginners will make learning French easy and enjoyable.
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More Details:
Author
Olly Richards
Pages
272
Publisher
John Murray Press
Published Date
2018-10-04
ISBN
1473683440 9781473683440
Ratings
Google: 5
Community ReviewsSee all
"Rarely do I continue to read any book that I would ultimately rate below 4/5 stars, but this work is effective despite its flaws.
PROS:
+ Traditional Graded Reader.
Graders are now regaining popularity because conversational methods are practical, but so incredibly dry and unmotivating. Plus they typically ONLY prepare one for business conversation. This work helps revive the old pedagogy with a bit of spaced repetition to help one remember the vocabulary and grammar constructions.
+ Layout.
The book is well-organized with a clean interface and follows a distinct pattern which helps one know what to expect. Most of the pages even ended in complete sentences!
+ Bite-sized Chunks.
Each story is broken into 3 or 4 parts, and came complete with a simplified summary, vocabulary list, and questions after each part, rather than everything at the end of the story. This made it all the more manageable, and less overwhelming as one adjusts more and more to reading entirely in French.
+ Efficacy.
The first story, though so simple, I really struggled to read because of the novelty of some of the constructions and my lack of confidence. By the end, I could read at a much faster pace, though some of the tiny French words packed more meaning than I anticipated. It simply WORKS.
CONS:
- 6-Step Process.
This was completely unnecessary. Such a process would strip all the joy from learning for me as well as be overkill. Especially belaboring over stories I did not particularly enjoy? No thanks.
- Plot.
These stories had potential to be great, but instead, they fell flat. I appreciated that they were optimistic, though.
- Not Self-Contained.
There were many words and constructions left undefined in a BEGINNER'S book. I've ALWAYS hated this in foreign language texts.
- Vocabulary Glossary.
Obvious words were translated whereas difficult ones were not???
- Audio Upcharge.
- No Grammar Explanations."
Teila McKinley