Practice Makes Perfect: Advanced Spanish Grammar (Practice Makes Perfect Series)

This book on Spanish grammar is very useful. I wish I had it when I was studying Spanish in high school or college. It discusses so many nitty-gritty things that Spanish students struggle with.

When I first got it, I was under the impression that it would explain the past tenses, the subjunctive, etc. It's advanced Spanish grammar, right? When I read the table of contents, I was pleasently surprised to see that it discusses much more valuable information than just that. The following is its table of contents:

1. Object Pronouns and omission of subject pronouns
2. Some/any and other determiners
3. Adjectives
4. Adverbs
5. Commands & requests
6. Modal constructions
7. Impersonal sentences & the passive
8. Relative pronouns & conjunctions
9. Reported speech
10. Problematic prepositions I
11. Problematic prepositions II
12. Idiomatic constructions

Every chapter has very detailed information, along with exercises. My favorite chapters are the two that deal with prepostions. Prepositions are tricky in any language, and Spanish is no exception.

Having said all this, this book is not for absolute beginners. It's better suited to intermediate or advanced students. I majored in Spanish in college and find this book helpful. If I ever tutor students, I will probably refer to this text. So many of my students ask me questions that I don't always have the answer to. I simply "know without knowing." Now I can refer to this book when I need to.

Brandon Simpson