26 In Korean learning journey (:/ korean textbook reviews

[Textbook Review] Korean Grammar for International Learners

korean grammar

This is one book that I’ve always been recommending to others without actually owning it or using it before. However, I instantly like what I saw when I flipped through the book in bookstores and this was the reason why I chose this particular book for the giveaway.

I have decided on the winners for the giveaway (on facebook page) and one lucky person will be receiving this!

As usual, for a summary of the review, scroll down to the end of the post! ^^

The first thing I noticed about the book is it’s neat structure and ease of use. Unlike other grammar dictionaries which is usually arranged in terms of 1. difficulty 2. alphabetical order, this book classifies them into grammar points with particles, adverbials, verbs, nouns etc.

Usually, books tend to take the grammar construction as a whole without explaining in details the subparts. However, this book does it differently. I just learnt that the 양 in ~(으)ㄹ 양(으로) means expectation, plan, intention. I didn’t even know this particular grammar point… (time for 한국어 공부!!!)

Each grammar point consists of a short explanation plus 5 – 6 examples. Love it that there are ample example sentences to familiarize the reader with the particular grammar point.

This books dedicates an entire chapter on quoted speech which I find it exceedingly useful. Quoted speech grammar points are some of the common ‘difficult’ points for learners and due to a wide variety of ways quoted speech can be expressed, it is good that there is now a summary that one can refer to!

Another personal favorite is the section on prefixes and suffixes. In Korean, there are some affixes that are moderately productive, that is, they can be added to a set of nouns.

For example, 풋 (green, ripe, inexperienced) can be added to 고추, 나물, 내기 to form 풋고추, 풋나물, 풋내기 – which means unripe pepper, seasoned veggies prepared from the first of the season and greenhorn respectively.

I know such particles exist, but I’m still new to most of them (including what I just typed!). So this book is really awesome.

One possible deterring factor may be that the book is slightly more technical in it’s explanations. It uses Linguistic terms like nominative, suffixes etc that may not be familiar to those who just started learning a language. However, these terms will become more familiar to you once you are exposed to them for a period of time.

Hence, don’t worry too much if you don’t understand what some of these meant!

All in all, I highly recommend this book! It’s suitable for the advanced beginner to the advanced learners. In fact, I like it so much that I’m unwilling to part with it D:

Good points:

  • Glossary for ease of searching
  • Ample examples
  • Good explanations
  • Very structured and detailed

Notes / not so good points:

  • technical in nature – awesome for Linguistic students but terms may be difficult for average person

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26 Comments

  • Reply
    Malen
    2 February, 2012 at 10:39 AM

    how can I get that book you just featured? can we order on-line? or other means available to obtain the said book? please advise.

    • Reply
      hangukdrama
      2 February, 2012 at 10:42 AM

      You can check out your local bookstore. It’s readily available online and it really depends on which region you stay in. If you are in Asia, gmarket is a good option. If you are in the States, I think they have several good online sites for korean textbooks. You can try to google.

  • Reply
    Archana
    2 February, 2012 at 11:40 AM

    If anyone’s looking for this in the United States, Hanbooks has it for $22.46. 😀

    http://www.hanbooks.com/korgramforin.html

  • Reply
    Celine Aw
    2 February, 2012 at 4:34 PM

    How about Singapore? Where can we get it?

    • Reply
      hangukdrama
      3 February, 2012 at 9:40 PM

      mm just get it from gmarket ^^

      • Reply
        wei
        1 July, 2012 at 10:08 AM

        i’m from singapore and i can’t find it in gmarket 🙁
        are there other means to get this book???
        i can’t find it in kinokuniya also

  • Reply
    J
    2 February, 2012 at 4:58 PM

    It sounds like a good book! Do you have any book recommendations for a beginner?

    • Reply
      hangukdrama
      3 February, 2012 at 9:40 PM

      I would recommend talktomeinkorean.com!

      • Reply
        J
        5 February, 2012 at 8:21 AM

        Ah yes, I’m listening to them now.

  • Reply
    J-Rae (@RedMangoLover)
    3 February, 2012 at 12:41 AM

    How about the workbook? Do you recommend getting that, too?

    • Reply
      hangukdrama
      3 February, 2012 at 9:41 PM

      i’m not really a believer of workbooks so I don’t really recommend spending the extra for it

  • Reply
    Abda
    5 February, 2012 at 3:12 PM

    I wanna buy a korean book, but i don’t know who the best.I’m between Yonsei (1-6),Korean Grammar for International Learners,TOPIK and 한국어 (I know,it’s really many books,but are the most famous that I found >.<). What you think?
    Thanks for you answer ^.^

    • Reply
      hangukdrama
      5 February, 2012 at 11:56 PM

      Each book has their own purposes and are of different levels. What kind of book are u looking for?

      • Reply
        Abda
        6 February, 2012 at 1:33 AM

        something for beginner,that give me a good structure for grammar

      • Reply
        hangukdrama
        7 February, 2012 at 8:11 PM

        yonsei textbooks will be good in your case. Or the Integrated Korean series

  • Reply
    Amy
    30 April, 2012 at 9:13 AM

    Hi, do you recommend a learner should buy korean dictionary? if so, which is the one you most recommend?

    btw, greetings from Malaysia. =)

    • Reply
      hangukdrama
      30 April, 2012 at 9:22 AM

      Hi Amy! Just use the online naver dictionary! ^^ I have never used a paper dictionary.

      • Reply
        Amy
        30 April, 2012 at 8:20 PM

        Thanks! I am very determined to learn korean… ^^ But I am a little confused to use the system. If I want to find an english word in korean, I should type english in English input? But there aint any korean speaking words, only english speaker. Or have you introduced this website somewhere in your blog?

        • Reply
          Prashanth Akunuri
          7 December, 2012 at 6:35 PM

          Hi Amy, if you feel uncomfortable using naver or google translate as dictionaries and are looking for a “hard copy” dictionary then I would recommend “Little Giant Essence Korean-English dictionary”. It is a small pocket sized dictionary, but it’s working good for me so far. It’s around $29 in Canada, so I’m not sure exactly how much you can get it for.

      • Reply
        hangukdrama
        2 May, 2012 at 9:06 AM

        endic.naver.com/ this allows you to type in both english and korean.

  • Reply
    Alexandra
    19 May, 2012 at 10:37 PM

    Hi, I’m an intermediate student, who have been self-studying Korean using online resources, after graduating from the Elementary 3 class at SKS last year. I’ve finished the ‘Exploring Korean Beginner’s Book 2’ by KyungHee University, and went through most of the lessons in Talktomeinkorean.com already (Up to level 7).

    After reading some of your reviews, I was thinking of buying either ‘Practice of Korean Grammar’, or ‘Korean Grammar for International Learners’. Which would you recommend if I were to pick one of these two?

    What other books would you recommend to me for further self-study? I’m thinking of taking the TOPIK/KLPT tests later this year.

    Thank you! 🙂

  • Reply
    Katharine (수정)
    12 August, 2012 at 1:36 AM

    I have just purchased this book Shanna! together with Yonsei Korean 4 🙂 Thanks for your awesome and detailed reviews!

  • Reply
    Shopping with Seoul Selection | Seoul Crystal
    13 August, 2012 at 9:23 AM

    […] moments during the process. It was epic. And also to Shanna’s awesome book reviews here and here. Share this:TwitterFacebookLike this:LikeBe the first to like this. This entry was posted in […]

  • Reply
    Karla
    27 September, 2012 at 11:29 PM

    I ordered this book even though I have a pdf file of it.I would like to read this book in between classes.I love reading your Korean textbook reviews.Keep it up Shanna!

    • Reply
      hangukdrama
      29 September, 2012 at 11:36 AM

      😀 thanks!!

  • Reply
    Prashanth Akunuri
    7 December, 2012 at 6:37 PM

    karla has directed me again to this review. I told her I might buy this book once I get my paypal working, which is on hold cuz of change in cards. Thank you karla for sharing the link.

    Thanks for the review Shanna.

  • Leave a Reply to J-Rae (@RedMangoLover) Cancel Reply