by M. Stanley Whitley and Luis González
Georgetown University Press, 2007
Paper: 978-1-58901-171-7
Library of Congress Classification PC4112.W45 2007

ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC
ABOUT THIS BOOK

Integrating grammar and composition, this comprehensive new edition guides the advanced student through progressively more complex types of writing by organizing the grammar lessons on a functionalist basis around the needs of composition. This innovative approach to teaching Spanish grammar and composition promotes systematic language development and enables students to strengthen their expressive and editing skills in the language in order to write more effectively and more confidently. Refined by years of classroom testing and analysis of the problems students encounter, this bestselling textbook has been substantially rewritten and incorporates current research in composition, pedagogy, second-language acquisition, and linguistics. Expanded self-correcting exercises are also available online, making Gramática para la composición one of the most valuable textbooks available for advanced students of Spanish.

FEATURES: • Focuses on work in six level-appropriate types of composition: description, synopsis, personal narrative, creative narrative, exposition, and argumentation;

• Based on ACTFL guidelines for students progressing from intermediate to advanced levels of proficiency;

• Covers syntax, dictionary skills, problematic word distinctions, and rhetorical features of discourse structure;

• Contains exercises on grammar practice, working with sentences and paragraphs, guided essays, and free composition.

NEW TO THE SECOND EDITION:

• Each lesson has been clearly divided into two distinct parts: Presentación (material that students prepare before class) and Aplicación (the activities they do in class or as homework);

• Prácticas individuales have been expanded and recreated as self-checking exercises that provide immediate feedback and scoring. These prácticas are available for free online at www.gramaticaparalacomposicion.com;

• Images from William Bull's Visual Grammar of Spanish help with distinctions that seem difficult;

• An Instructor's Manual—available for free online—reviews teaching and grading methodology for writing-intensive courses, offers suggestions for syllabus organization and for teaching each lesson, and provides additional exercises and activities. To download this free PDF, visit www.press.georgetown.edu;

• Free website created by authors contains self-checking exercises at www.gramaticaparalacomposicion.com.