Expert Grammar Advice

Question

"And now, for something completely different..."

My edition of "Don Quixote de la Mancha" contains no "h's". They're all "f's", as in "fermoso", "fermano", etc. On the positive side, it's easier to read than "El cid campeador".

My grammar book is edited by Lope de Vega. Not! It's "Oral Spanish Review" by Dalbor and Sturcken (Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1967). That's the newest one that I have.

I updated my 1970 edition of the DRAE to the 2015 edition. I don't use it often because of eyesight problems. The che, elle, and erre disappeared. Damn! But that is only vocabulary.

My grammar book is something upon which I have depended. I believe things may have changed. What is the best Spanish grammar book around nowadays? I have heard mention about Butt and Benjamin. What do teachers use in this 21st century?

It depends what you are looking for, as a reference Butt and Benjamin is excellent. It is not organized to teach, it is organized as a reference. :) - bosquederoble, May 15, 2017

I agree with Bosque. One of the good things about B&B is that it uses quotes from books, plays, magazine, newspaper, etc. You can preview many pages on Amazon to see if you like it. - DilKen, May 15, 2017

I have the paper version and have been considering buying the electronic version which would make quoting is much easier for me. :) - DilKen, May 15, 2017

Bosque said, it is a reference. I've had it for 3 years and there are still parts that I have not read. I mostly just look things up to try to figure something out. - DilKen, May 15, 2017

I'll let others address "what is used by teachers" I really like Advanced Spanish Grammar by McGraw Hill. It is only $11 or so and totally in Spanish, but I like it. I have both the written and electronic versions. - DilKen, May 15, 2017

Don: If Daniela doesn't answer your question here I suggest you PM her. I think she's an expert on the topic. - DilKen, May 15, 2017

Thank you all. You have given me a couple good suggestions. I will check them out. I like the reference style. I like the idea that "B&B" uses references to actual printed material. - DonBigoteDeLaLancha, May 16, 2017

The B&B is absolutely complete and a superb reference. It's not light reading though. The best grammar book I have found that is more accessible is Collins Easy Learning Spanish Grammar. It's succinct, well structured and easy to find what you want in it. - jetpants, Jun 7, 2017

The Collins Spanish Dictionary CD-Rom from 2009 with a British accent in English & neutral Spanish from Spain. - NKM1974, Jun 7, 2017

Answer 1

Todavía no compro ninguno pero Butt & Benjamín gana la comparación que he hecho con los otros texts. Prefiero que las explicaciones sean en el español. Y eso de citar usos anteriores (del B&B) me gusta también.

Don: most of the explanations in B&B are in English. You can read sample pages on the internet, just search for it. - DilKen, Jun 7, 2017

p.s Don, I changed my name in case you didn't notice. - DilKen, Jun 7, 2017