Score:
1 (2) 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
“Two outta ten!”
Pros:
many of the memory jingles are clever; does a decent job of highlighting English words and word-parts that simulate pronunciation of Rio Carioca dialect
Cons:
pronunciation is Brazilian only; long list of vocabulary; no context for vocabulary; awkward technique for memorizing 500+ Portuguese words; no pacing [...]
Dec
11
2009
11
2009
Portuguese Memory Book by Harrison and Welker
Oct
7
2009
7
2009
Berlitz Portuguese Phrase Book & Audio CD by Emily Bemath
Score:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 (8) 9 10
“Eight outta ten!”
Pros:
covers Brazilian and European usage; lots of phrases; well organized; color-coded and easily searchable; audio CD reads some examples to you
Cons:
Portugal-focused, leaving out info about Brazil and some Brazilian usage; no reference page numbers in the vocabulary/dictionary (needs quick search by word or phrase); [...]
Oct
1
2009
1
2009
Harrap’s Pocket Portuguese Grammar
Score:
1 2 3 4 5 6 (7) 8 9 10
“Seven outta ten!”
Pros:
covers European and Brazilian Portuguese; solid organization by major grammar topics; color and formatting design clearly sets relevant topics apart for easy look-up
Cons:
too compact to cover some of the more difficult aspects of many topics; explanations focus on formation over real-life usage; index not [...]
Sep
21
2009
21
2009
Portuguese Verbs and Essentials of Grammar by Sue Tyson-Ward
Score:
1 2 3 (4) 5 6 7 8 9 10
“Four outta ten!”
Pros:
short explanations and good examples; overall decent organization; good coverage of beginner-intermediate Portuguese grammar topics; low price
Cons:
no exercises; unclear relation between some sections and chapters; missing a crucially needed look-up system for reference use
Sue Tyson-Ward’s Portuguese Verbs and Essentials of Grammar promises an in-depth [...]
Aug
13
2009
13
2009
Collins Pocket Portuguese Dictionary, 4th Edition
Score:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 (9) 10
“Nine outta ten!”
Pros:
great overall package for beginning students; nice formatting with terms colored blue; “Portuguese in Action” section a great inclusion for beginners; very complete for a very small dictionary; ambiguous translations are marked with meaning guides; IPA pronunciation given for terms
Cons:
intermediate students may begin to [...]
Aug
13
2009
13
2009
Collins Portuguese Concise Dictionary 2nd Edition (HarperCollins Concise Dictionaries)
Score:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 (8) 9 10
“Eight outta ten!”
Pros:
great coverage of useful words and phrases for a dictionary this price and size; keyword usage guides your choice when translations are ambiguous; more detailed than a small pocket dictionary, less than a weighty full-coverage one; IPA pronunciation given for all terms; best “bang [...]
Aug
13
2009
13
2009
Larousse Concise Dictionary: Portuguese-English/English-Portuguese
Score:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 (8) 9 10
“Eight outta ten!”
Pros:
large number of useful words and phrases for a dictionary this size; language and meaning usage hints guide your choice of ambiguous translations; more detailed than smaller pocket dictionaries, less than hefty full-coverage tomes; irregular and orthography-changing verb chart; Brazilian IPA pronunciation given
Cons:
no indication [...]
Aug
13
2009
13
2009
Oxford New Portuguese Dictionary & Oxford Color Portuguese Dictionary (Paperback)
Score:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 (8) 9 10
“Eight outta ten!”
Pros:
a compact dictionary that’s actually compact in size; large number of useful entries; helpful meaning guides for ambiguous entries; usage examples; irregular verb list at end; color edition nice touch and easier to search; great for students and travelers
Cons:
no indication of irregular verbs; you’ll [...]
Aug
4
2009
4
2009
Portuguese: An Essential Grammar (Paperback) by Janet Lloyd
Score:
1 2 3 4 5 (6) 7 8 9 10
“Six outta ten!”
Pros:
abundant examples; great organization; covers all basic topics of beginning & intermediate Portuguese grammar
Cons:
European Portuguese dialect only; no exercises; short, terse explanations leave some to fend for themselves; better as a reference work
Portuguese: An Essential Grammar offers a more traditional approach to Portuguese grammar, [...]
Aug
4
2009
4
2009
Essential Portuguese Grammar (Dover Books on Language) (Paperback) by Alexander da R. Prista
Score:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 (8) 9 10
“Eight outta ten!”
Pros:
price; straightforward explanations; abundant examples; great coverage of basic grammar; handy index and table of contents
Cons:
doesn’t venture beyond intermediate level; cuts out some trickier points; supplementary to a conversation course
Prista’s Essential Portuguese Grammar (not to be confused with the more in-depth Portuguese: An Essential [...]