Review by Tamisha25 -- Idiom Attack Vol. 1 Everyday Livi...

[Tamisha25]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Idiom Attack Vol. 1 Everyday Living (French Edition)" by Peter Liptak.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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The book Idiom Attack Vol.1 – Everyday Living (French Edition) was designed by 3 highly implicated professionals in education and teaching: Peter Nicholas Liptak, Matthew Douma and Jay Douma for the purpose of broadening the English knowledge by exposing the reader to idioms that native speakers use on a daily basis. The book consists of 25 chapters that cover human interaction in different settings in a clear and concise manner. At the end of each chapter there is a fill in the blanks exercise so that the learner can effectively see his progress after carefully reading the phrases and explanations, followed by a short story, in which there are all the idioms perfectly merged into the story and a series of questions to incite the learner to have a partner in crime and discuss. After every 5 lessons, a Crossword game for practicing is included.

At a first glance it seams like another English learning book, but when you really get into it there is a distinctive difference that gives you a better grasp of the meaning and that is: the bilingual sentence. Furthermore, the structure of the phrase was made in a way that you are able to predict the meaning from the context in which it is used. An example from the book that can highlight these two features, a well known idiom used in cartoons and comedy movies: “Hé, ne pars pas maintenant ! Ce n’est pas terminé until the fat lady sings.” It’s clearly stated that it’s not over until it’s completely over. The text is giving hints to the reader for an easier memorization of the idiom. These two characteristics are a huge advantage when learning a foreign language.

The book would be most suitable for an intermediate or an advanced English learner, however a beginner could also gain a significant amount of knowledge by diligently studying it, but he will struggle with certain chapters. Also, if you’re not a native French speaker but you know the language, you can use it as a stepping stone to learn English, improving both languages at the same time.

There is just one idiom that could be considered as profanity, but it is rather frequently used and in day to day life it is impossible not to hear it from time to time.

I would rate the book Idiom Attack Vol.1 – Everyday Living (French Edition) 4 out of 4 stars, because it’s main objective is to teach English idioms in a easy to understand and captivating way, and the book achieved it’s objectives brilliantly by using the bilingual sentence and the predictable phrase structure. For me, the short stories were the most enjoyable, they didn’t lack creativity and they included a lot of possible real life situations, giving a general view of how the idiom may be used when writing. In addition, the exercises at the end of the chapter enable the reader to actively see the progress he has made. I can’t point out any negative elements of the book, except for a couple of very minor typing errors, such as: FFill, IInhabituel, nous nos preparions à entrer, Ss mère; but it doesn’t affect the quality of the text and it doesn’t interfere with learning the material.

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Idiom Attack Vol. 1 Everyday Living (French Edition)
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