By C. F. KAYSER, Ph.D., Professor of German, Normal College of the City of New York, and FREDERICK MONTESER, Ph.D., First Assistant in German, DeWitt Clinton High School, New York
Many valuable features differentiate the Brief German Course from the conventional beginner's book in German. Each lesson contains one or more topics of grammar, a special vocabulary, and exercises in reading and writing German, with such suggestions and helps for the student as are needed. The arrangement of the subject-matter has been determined by pedagogic considerations and practical experience, which have led to frequent departures from the usual sequence of topics. The recommendations of the Modern Language Association have been followed.
¶ To secure to the pupil variety and interest in his work, and to facilitate their mastery, the difficulties of declension and conjugation, instead of being grouped together, as is customary, are introduced gradually. Elementary syntax is treated from the beginning in immediate connection with the study of forms. The rational acquisition of a German vocabulary is facilitated by a unique treatment of word formation. The transition from disconnected sentences to connected reading is made simple by the use of real idiomatic German sentences, often connected in sense.
¶ Frequent review lessons are given, containing grammatical questions, interesting reading matter, both prose and verse, and exercises in conversation. The reading matter, which provides an excellent application of those grammatical principles, and only those, met in the previous lessons, is written in an easy, fluent style, and illustrates German life, history, geography, and literature. The book includes complete German-English and English-German vocabularies, an appendix of collected paradigms of declensions and conjugations, and an index.