Russian Grammar

[jesuschrist2k1.livejournal.com]

Hey,

I'm finishing up my first year of Russian language. I've found that I really learn the material well if I completely understand the grammar behind constructions. Can anyone recommend a book on Russian grammar that presents the material in a very rigorous way?

Comments

[procrastino.livejournal.com]

i have already given up learning russian grammar, i can't grasp more than 4 cases, and 6 is too many. i suggest you take a fiction book in russian, and read it, this is the best way. For me Мастер и Маргарита helped a lot.

a question from a teacher

[youmka.livejournal.com]

and how long had you been learning Russian before Мастер и Маргарита?

Re: a question from a teacher

[procrastino.livejournal.com]

i am bulgarian, and even without having ever learned russian, we sometimes claim to be able to understand it, which is often too much of an overestimation. i have never learned russian in school, all i've been doing is talking to russian friends in montreal, and reading russian press and articles.

bulgarian has no case noun declinations, so this is the hardest part for me. now i'm to the point of understanding russian 100%, whenever i read it and listen it, but i can't speak it properly, and can't write it properly either, though i can make myself understood.

it was 1 year of active practicing of russian, before i was able to read Мастер и Маргарита without any problems. even without a dictionary, except for some rare words.

[kutsuwamushi.livejournal.com]

Try Terence Wade's A Comprehensive Russian Grammar. It's a reference book, not a textbook, but that sounds like what you need. You'll probably find it incredibly useful.

[nadyezhda.livejournal.com]

Try English Grammar for Students of Russian. Obviously there isn't one great book out there that will solve all your grammar needs, but this is a good one for beginners, IMHO.

[missa-gorightry.livejournal.com]

I really like Essentials of Russian Grammar by Nicholas Maltzoff.

[surok75.livejournal.com]

I second that. Terence Wade covers pretty much everything. There is also a workbook to go with the reference book, but it doesn't give practice in everything.

You can find it easily by searching Amazon.

Also very thorough is A Short Russian Reference Grammar by Pulkhina (sorry, can't remember the first name).

Both Pulkhina and Wade are good if you've already got a fair knowledge of Russian.

Or you might want to try V Puti by Olga Kagan and Frank Miller - this is easier to understand if you haven't been studying for very long.

Good luck.

[suku-vse.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, I can't recommend any book because I'm a native Russian speaker.

But you're always welcome to my livejournal with any question. Or you can write a small passage in Russian and I'll try to figure out what your difficulties are.

krikousha@hotmail.com or you can ask questions right in my journal.

[suku-vse.livejournal.com]

I was trained as a teacher of Russian for foreighn students - but never worked. So I want practice!

[solito.livejournal.com]

I would recommend a series of reference books by Ditmar Rozenthal and among them the best book on Russian grammar, orthography and punctuation: "Справочник по правописанию и литературной правке" - http://www.ozon.ru/context/detail/id/1368186/
You can find other books in this series here http://www.ozon.ru/context/detail/id/238166/?type=305#305 - look for the common title "Справочник"

Re: a question from a teacher

[youmka.livejournal.com]

спасибо :))

[suku-vse.livejournal.com]

Well ... it's for native speakers, it just gives rules - it doesn't explain anything.

[solito.livejournal.com]

You also might want to have a look at this site: http://rusgram.narod.ru/ - "Русская грамматика: Фонетика, Словообразование, Морфология, Синтаксис"

[solito.livejournal.com]

We've been asked to recommend a "rigorous Russian grammar source" - hard to believe there is something more rigorous somewhere :)