Dos mundos Student Edition with Online Learning Center Bind-in Passcode (McGraw-Hill World Languages) (Spanish Edition),   ISBN:9780073046075

Customer Rating: 

I was very happy the book arrived in a very short time but the book is in worst condition than it said in the description. In the description it said that it was in good condition inside, but with slight damage in the outside. It turned out that inside it had some written stuff and wasn't in such good contidion.

Customer Rating: 

Listed as good; there was a lot of wear and damage to the spine, etc. But it was delivered on time, and still in so so shape.. OK

Customer Rating: 

I have studied several languages...Turkish, French, Italian...and gone through several texts -- good and bad. This is, by far, the worst language text I have experienced.

The concept is interesting. Take bits and pieces of contemporary student life, construct vocabulary and grammatical packets based upon familiar concepts, have the student engage in them, and the address structure and depth later. In the beginning, it works. But it quickly falls apart.

It might have worked. It doesn't in this text. The vocabulary is extensive, but scattered and incomplete. Words are introduced once, in one form, and not seen again for several chapters in another form. Verb conjugation is only partially presented, then -- again -- several chapters later, presented with the assumption that the conjugations are known. The drills are fine, except that they focus sparsely on one concept, which is then abandoned and assumed understood.

Having grammar explained after the grammatical mechanism used once and only explaining it incompletely is extremely frustrating. Physically separating the grammar from the introduction to a new concept is similarly frustrating.

The text is very inefficient in not repeating and drilling new vocabulary and new grammar, but then having the words and concepts pop up later with no explication and the assumption that all has been learned.

I am about to finish my first semester with this text and have had to purchase several grammar and verb texts in an attempt to understand concepts that are just disorganized and incompletely presented. I have learned more on my own than from this text.

Not to mention the politically correct orientation of the authors.

I would avoid it at all costs.

Customer Rating: 

This book is vastly confusing and does not make learning Spanish easy. Parts of it are in Spanish and parts are in English. Only some of the new vocabulary is explained, and it's often difficult to understand the point or question they are trying to make/ask. The glossary and index in the back are virtually useless. I would recommend using other avenues to learn this language, unless you are in a class in which the profesor goes through the book with you and explains it.

Customer Rating: 

Used it for Spanish 1 and really enjoyed the organization of the book. The definitively thought this through. Just wish the graphics were a bit more interesting. They make me think of school books in the 1980s ...