Durrell - Essential German grammar

The reformed German spelling is used throughout, e.g. dass , musste , not da , mute (see 12.2 and 12.5 ).

This book is designed to introduce the basic grammatical structures of German and give a wide range of examples to illustrate how they are used in practice. As the title Essential German Grammar indicates, it is not a comprehensive reference work, and the focus is on presenting the most important aspects of German grammar clearly and approachably. Much of the material is given in tables, which use two colours in order to make it easier to focus on key points and memorize rules. Explanations are intended both to clarify individual points and to develop an appreciation of how German grammar operates as a system. Each chapter finishes with an authentic text that illustrates how the grammar points work in context. A separate section with exercises and answers enables learners to test themselves on what they have learnt.

In principle, the individual chapters are self-contained and are not intended to be worked through in the order in which they are presented in the book. The exception to this is .

The book is intended to be suitable for use as a stand-alone grammar for post-beginners at school or university, i.e. those who have already acquired a basic knowledge of German (e.g. through completing a GCSE in England or a one-year university beginners course) and want to build on this systematically. This means that it is designed primarily for learners whose command of the language has reached A2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) or novice high by the guidelines of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) and who are looking to progress to CEFR level B2 or ACTFL intermediate high, or beyond.

At the same time, it is designed as a foundation grammar for Hammers German Grammar and Usage , by Martin Durrell (5th edition Routledge, 2011). Hammer gives the advanced learner a deeper understanding of German grammar, and it explains complex areas of the language not covered in this more elementary book. Nevertheless, the learner will still find it useful to keep referring back to the tables and summaries in Essential German Grammar.

The companion website offers a wide range of additional exercises on all the main areas of German grammar. The exercises are mainly designed for self-study, but can also be used to accompany instructed grammar courses. As in the book, the exercises are organized by chapter and sub-chapter. Within a sub-chapter, the exercises are normally graded, with the later ones being more challenging. Students are given the opportunity to familiarize themselves with grammatical terminology via flashcards; the audio section gives learners the opportunity to listen to the authentic texts that accompany each chapter in Essential German Grammar ; and PowerPoint presentations suitable for classroom use are provided for instructors. These presentations cover the main areas of grammar and include examples. They may be adapted by teachers to suit their students needs or learners may also wish to use them independently. Additionally, instructors will find exercises for download covering the main chapters in PDF format.

The authors would like to thank colleagues and students at the University of Manchester and the University of Oxford, whose questions have helped to shape this book in particular Wiebke Brockhaus-Grand and Thomas Despositos as well as a number of anonymous reviewers in the UK and the USA who provided invaluable feedback. Dr Sonia Brough and Erica Parsons provided many constructive criticisms and helpful suggestions. The authors must also acknowledge their immense debt to Gudrun Loftus, who was a co-author of the first edition and who sadly died in tragic circumstances in autumn 2010.

Finally, our thanks go to Lesley Riddle, Elena Seymenliyska, Eva Martinez and Anke Ueberberg at Arnold, who were responsible for seeing the first edition through to completion, and to Andrea Hartill, Isabelle Cheng and Sarah Douglas at Routledge for the enthusiasm and expertise with which they supported the production of this revised edition.

The authors and publisher would like to thank the following for permission to use copyright material in this book.