A New Reference Grammar of Modern Spanish

I concur with all the positive things that others have written here regarding this book. It truly is the definitive resource of its kind, la crema y nata as they say in Spanish. Simply put, your search for the answer to a Spanish grammatical question may not begin here, but it will end here. The copious examples culled from various written sources are outstanding. If you're reading the original text of, say, a novel by Garcia Marquez or Vargas Llosa, and you come across a bit of sentence structure that is unfamiliar, the chances are pretty good that you'll find that very sentence among the examples in this reference book. In other words, you might get not only an explanation of the grammar principle that's confusing you, but also an English translation of the passage you're reading. In addition, the book's use of numbers to subdivide chapters makes looking up things a pleasure. This volume is remarkably user-friendly for its size, scope and subject matter. As one reviewer wrote, you really can consult this book as a reference and end up reading entire chapters. So in summary, add my voice to the chorus of praise for "A New Reference Grammar of Modern Spanish." Buy it used if you can, but it's still a bargain even at the list price.

This is an extremely comprehensive reference; I haven't yet come up a with a grammar question that it doesn't answer. However, I do want to warn prospective buyers that this book is a reference, not a textbook. The information is densely packed, and assumes that you are familiar with grammar terms in English. If you don't know the difference between a gerund and a participle, or what a "non-restrictive relative clause" is, finding what you need from this book will be difficult.

Actually, having just returned from Spain, I think this book is better than most of the grammar books from Spain as well. Spanish grammar books are hobbled by a weird cultural issue: the "official" grammar is defined by the Spanish academy. However, many (that is, most) writers and publications ignore the Academy prescriptions and proscriptions. This grammar book does not report on what the Academy suggests. Instead it tells you what is actually used and expected by both Spaniards and Latin Americans. As a result, you get the straight scoop. [You want an example? Take the word solo. The Spanish grammar I just bought says that solo should have an accent on the first o only when necessary to distinguish its adjectival meaning from its adverbial meaning. However, every Spanish dictionary lists the adverb solo with an accent. Who's right? I finally checked Butt & Benjamin and there was the explanation: despite the Academy's suggestion of using the accent only when needed to disambiguate the two meanings, most Spanish speakers have retained the accent on the first o when it's used as an adverb. Clear, correct, and to the point.]If you're a serious student of Spanish, this book is a must-buy.

This is THE BEST spanish learning tool I own. Too dense sit and read, it's greatest strength is an extensive index which allows you to look up just about anything you run across and don't understand. Though not written for beginners, anybody with a grounding in Spanish should be able to look up phrases, words, grammar, etc. and find a clear explanation.The book is so dense, though, that it can be frustrating to sift through it to find the paged referenced in the dictionary. I solved this by taking the time to tape thumb tabs at the beginning of each of the 39 chapters. Well worth the time.

As a Spanish major in college, I didn't feel like buying any more grammar books to read since they got so damn expensive and I hardly needed to use them (they were kinda ineffective). But, little did I know would I be making an investment of a lifetime with 'A New Reference Grammar of Modern Spanish'. I sat down one night and, hestitantly, I opened the book...hours later, I was still reading it. I am very much into detail, and man, this book has got details! I love it now and I will never use another grammar reference guide again. So if you want to dissect the Spanish language, I throw my support to this book.