Mastering Arabic Grammar is a reference and activity grammar book for all beginners and early intermediate students of Arabic, whether studying in a group or by themselves. The book reinforces and expands the structures and vocabulary presented in Mastering Arabic and is the ideal companion to this popular course. However the clear structural explanations and practice activities make it a perfect companion for any taught or self-teach course. The book is divided into two parts: basis grammar and verbs. There are optional extra sections with explanations and activities covering the grammatical case endings used in formal, literary and religious Arabic.

JANE WIGHTWICK and MAHMOUD GAAFAR share many years' experience in a combination of teaching, educational publishing and commerce in the Arab world. They are the authors of the best-selling Mastering Arabic (Palgrave Macmillan).

2007-02-07 A real gem: easy to understand, concise and superbly written

This is an excellent little book which packs a lot into its slim 150 or so pages. I turned to this book when getting bogged down half way through "Teach yourself Arabic" by Jack Smart and Frances Altorfer --- which I'll review when I finish it.

Mastering Arabic Grammar comprises some 20 units split into 2 parts: Part 1 "Fundamentals of Arabic grammar" and Part 2: "Arabic verbs". The 20 units are carefully written so that you progress smoothly as you move through the book. Each unit also contains a handy little summary of the main points covered.

As a book devoted to grammar it's pretty clear that you'll need a good grasp of Arabic script and pronunciation. To learn script/pronunciation "Alif Baa with DVDs" is unbeatable --- Georgetown University Press, ISBN 1 58901 102 3 (which I've also reviewed).

There are some 100 or so Activities to test your learning --- the answers are in the book. The Activities are very well designed, occasionally the questions are quite crafty and test your attention to the finer points of detail. I know I got caught out a few times DOH!

In addition to the central text of the book are standalone sections called "Case Notes" which examine the formal case system of Arabic nouns. These sections can be skipped on first reading unless you're comfortable with terms such as nominative, accusative and genitive. They're certainly worth returning to once you have completed the body of the book.

Having finished it I'm left with the feeling that, for a small book, it covers an amazing amount of material and that is surely due to the very skilful writing of the authors and the excellent examples scattered throughout. The thoughtful layout, design and typography all add to its usability. Sadly, good design is lacking in so many language books.

At the end of "Mastering Arabic Grammar" you most certainly will not have mastered Arabic grammar. What you will have is a far better "feel" for the basic grammar structure of the language and be in a position to start tackling some of the more weighty tomes on the market.

It's an excellent, confidence-building book that's worth every penny. Three cheers to Jane Wightwick and Mahmoud Gaafar for writing it and well done to the publishers for getting it right!