Best Language Learning

Michel Thomas Method French Advanced Review

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 00:34:54 PST

Rating: 8.5/10 Publisher: Hodder Arnold This course is a variation on the Michel Thomas Method French Advanced course that I've already reviewed here. Pros Complete Advanced course (4 CDs) plus concise review CD Easy to follow and progress through material without effort. Great system for easily remembering grammar and structures. Thomas emphasizes correct pronunciation but with colloquial

Instant Immersion French

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 17:09:14 PST

Rating: 7/10 Publisher: Topics Entertainment Pros Good production values Great French accents with a wide range of material covered for a basic course Emphasis on immersion by listening to French phrases and then having a go at translation without clues in English. Short lessons encourage everyday practice Cons Pacing is a little slow Relies heavily on memorisation for progress Conclusion The

French Conversation from Teach Yourself

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 16:20:45 PST

with Jean-Claude Arragon Rating: 7/10 Publisher: Teach Yourself Pros: Very clear native French speakers who speak slowly enough to understand all words fairly easily Gives contextual dialogues, translations, information on structures, some verbal conjugations Good production values Cons: The little tune introducing each section is a bit clichéd. Conclusion: This course is targeted at the

Flashcard French by Usborne

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 17:26:14 PST

These cards are an easy and fun way to introduce children to simple French vocabulary. The 50 cards are brightly illustrated, easily read and have a picture with word on one side, and word alone on the other. Topics covered include animals, vehicles, items around the house, colours and numbers (1-10). I've included the word list below. You can use the cards to test yourself or the kids, place

First French Flashcards by Usborne

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 17:14:58 PST

From the series Usborne Farmyard Tales, this pack of 50 flashcards is a great way to introduce learners to basic vocabulary that you would find on a property. Some of them are just fun, and kids in the city would certainly enjoy learning them, too. Most are animals, but also vegetables and some other parts of the house, vehicles and structures (see list below). The illustrations are bright and

Michel Thomas Method French Language Builder

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 18:01:34 PST

Rating: 9/10 Publisher: Hodder Education Pros: Michel Thomas is easy to listen to Builds on his method of building language naturally without lists or rote memorisation Offers a great range of useful everyday phrases with alternatives Cons: A bit more memorisation is needed. Audio level is a little low for use in noisy public locations (I turned up the volume on my iPod to maximum and still

Coffee Break French adds a brand new season!

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 17:03:16 PDT

News: Coffee Break French, the podcast series produced by Radio Lingua Network and reviewed here is broadcasting a further series of lessons. This 3rd season is aimed at Intermediate to Advanced listeners and started broadcasting from October this year. Best Language Learning will be listening to this new season in the next couple of weeks and will review the season at the first opportunity

Michel Thomas Method French Vocabulary Course

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 23:30:00 PDT

Rating: 9/10 Publisher: Hodder Education Pros: Easy to listen to with great French native speakers. Teacher is very clear and the structure reinforces previous learning. Builds on Michel Thomas method of building language naturally without lists or rote memorisation. Cons: None. Conclusion This course adds what was missing from the previous Michel Thomas courses. It was always going to be a

HUGO Advanced French

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 23:49:31 PDT

Rating: 9/10 Publisher: Dorling Kindersley Pros: Great native accents. Focuses on everyday life in France. Sophisticated texts that develop vocabulary and verbal dexterity. Good range of learning styles and exercises. Cons: None really. There is some emphasis on rote learning lists of vocabulary. Conclusion This is truly an Advanced language course. It soon outstripped my limited knowledge of

Teach Yourself French 1

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 22:48:21 PDT

Rating: 9/10 Publisher: McGraw-Hill Pros: Great native accents. Works systematically through all the major areas of language for living in France and returns to earlier topics to extend knowledge. Sophisticated dialogues (although it is still a basic course). Good everyday phrases Cons: Need to use the book consistently with the audio (not really suited to an iPod alone...) Some of the acted

Colloquial English

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 18:08:30 PST

Subtitle: "A Complete English Language Course" Rating: 9/10 Publisher: Routledge with Gareth King Pros Great depth and complexity Great production values Covers a broad range of vocabulary, contexts, grammar and structures Cons Instructions only in English Audio is only about a quarter of the full material found in the book Conclusions This is a really great course for someone who has a basic

Les aventures de Tintin: Les Cigares du pharaon

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 23:00:41 PDT

Rating: 9/10 Publisher: Casterman (French ed.) Tintin's world voyage by ship is interrupted when he is invited to join an absent-minded professor to track down the mysterious tomb of an Egyptian Pharaoh. Previous adventurers have disappeared after starting this quest. Tintin and his faithful dog Milou (Snowy in English editions) find themselves hunted by angry locals, drafted into a war with

Speak in a Week French for You

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 23:28:00 PDT

Rating: 8/10 Publisher: Penton Overseas Pros Great range of learning strategies including games, puzzles and writing Use of removable markers means the activities can be played over and over Good Glossary is provided Surprising range of vocabulary Cons None Conclusion A great introductory activity kit that can be reused over again. My daughter really liked the puzzles and games, and played

Collins French Club Book 1

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 23:23:00 PDT

by Rosi McNab Rating: 9/10 Publisher: HarperCollins Pros Highly produced, colourful Various activities including singing, stickers, puzzles, games Tips for parents to help their children make the most of the sections Fun songs that are quite catchy and use great vocabulary Cons None Conclusion A great excuse for doing puzzles, games and singing with the children in French. Great design values

Let's Sing and Learn in French

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 23:12:00 PDT

Rating: 8/10 by Matt Maxwell Published by Passport Books Pros Great production values Original and tradition songs with contemporary arrangements Clear musical sheet music for playing along Wide range of engaging styles of songs to inspire the children to sing along Covers great French vocabulary and expressions Great for tonal and pronunciation practice Cons Not many. May be hard for children

Teach me even more... French

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 22:42:00 PDT

Rating: 8/10 by Judy Mahoney Published by: Teach Me Tapes Pros Great catchy songs, with some songs similar to English versions Good introduction to written/spoken French using pen pal storyline Easy to read French following the voice reading on CD Great for pronunciation and tonal practice Learn French national anthem Cons A bit American in focus, with some American accents. Conclusion A great

Literal translation is the best?

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 22:45:31 PDT

Beware the literal translation I've been reading some reviews of language learning tools, and quite often come across comments bemoaning the translations found in the text. Some readers seem to despise translations that are not literal to the original, or styles that seem to move from literal to less literal translations. Literal translations are useful in certain contexts, such as academic study

Teach me... French

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 18:51:00 PDT

Rating: 8/10 Publisher: Teach Me Tapes Pros Catchy tunes, most are familiar to English speakers. Kids pick up songs really quickly, even if they know hardly any French Text is placed between songs and is easy to learn. Plenty of good music to learn and sing with children Cons Text is pretty basic Conclusion A great introduction to French for young children. My kids picked up the songs really

Oxford French Cartoon-Strip Vocabulary Builder

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 23:02:22 PDT

Rating: 8/10 Published by Oxford University Press Pros Active speaking voice is great for learning spoken French Fun comic strip format Useful vocab lists for extended learning Covers wide range of key structures Verb tables Cons Not many. A little formal, with lists of words to be memorised. Conclusions A great way to extend vocabulary, especially for lovers of the comic-strip. Such a popular

Ultimate French Review and Practice

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Tue, 25 May 2010 20:33:47 PDT

Rating: 8/10Publisher: McGraw-HillProsComprehensive reviews starting with present tense, working through all tenses and structures.Great strategies including inverting statements into questions, working with negatives, dictation, extensive vocabulary in everyday situations.Easy to follow just with audioBooklet with written questions and answers to refer to if needed.ConsSome slightly noisy audio

HUGO in 3 Months: French

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Tue, 25 May 2010 20:32:37 PDT

Rating: 6/10Publisher: Dorling KindersleyProsComprehensive instruction using book and audio CDs.Covers vocab, grammar, verb conjugation and interactive questions etc.Uses interesting structures, such as (listen to answer and reply with the appropriate question) and following conversations between native speakers.ConsTries to cover a lot of ground in a short time, so only superficial.CDs almost

Michel Thomas Method French Advanced

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Tue, 25 May 2010 20:31:50 PDT

Rating: 8/10Publisher: McGraw-HillPros Easy to follow and progress through material without effort.Great system for easily remembering grammar and structures.Thomas emphasizes correct pronunciation but with colloquial flavour.Targeted on speech: Focus on listening, thinking out the answer and proper expression.ConsNot extensive vocabulary. Would need additional vocabulary practice to

Intermediate French by Berlitz

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Mon, 24 May 2010 19:39:45 PDT

Rating: 7/10Publisher: BerlitzPros Easy to get into.Range of native French speakers help with listening and pronunciation skills.Can use without the textbook if necessary.Good use of repeated phrases to hone practice.ConsVery simple grammar, a little too easy for Intermediate levelEnglish is used fairly extensively.ConclusionThis series is a quick way to progress through the material, listening

French Pod Class

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Tue, 25 May 2010 20:30:36 PDT

Rating: 6/10Publisher: Frenchie ProductionsWebsite: FrenchPodClass100 Lessons(note: may not be in production anymore. Last Pod class seems to have been made 23 June 2008)ProsAudio podcasts with lesson notes are free.Easy to get intoFrench music and movie interludes adds variety to lessonsConsAudio quality is varied. Some lessons have difficult to hear sections.Assumes a bit of French. Maybe

Learn French by Podcast

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Mon, 24 May 2010 19:39:24 PDT

Rating: 9/10Publisher: Plus PublicationsWebsite: learnfrenchbypodcast.com130+ LessonsProsAll audio content is free.Caters for beginners, intermediate and advanced.Well crafted PDF lesson guides (paid for).ConsNot much, really. Jingle gets a bit annoying after a while.Only 5 lessons for advanced listeners.ConclusionTightly packaged and presented, this podcast is very professional. Clear, short