Good Reference
PROS:-
1.This book stands as a good reference for every confusive and controversial points of grammar.
2.Eamples are drawn from everyday usage.As such the author made his expression very lively and it is beneficial for the user to get acquainted with the style & vocabulary of modern Hindi lang.
3.The difference between colloquial speech and elegent lang has been shown clearly.Sanskrit words have been referred in every chapter.I believe that it is
essential because sanskrit is the source of Hindi lang.
4.This book is unique, I was much convinced by the statements of the author.
5.In chap 1(pronunciation) author has gone to the depth of the subject. Every point is crystal clear. Infact it is highly difficult to explain the pronunciation of Hindi through English. But the author has taken much care of it and he tried his level best in this area. I can say that he has been successful.
6.He referred to the mistakes often committed by learners and corrected them. Suggestions were given using practical examples.
7.Author has compared the grammar of both Hindi and English so that the English lang users feel more comfortable while learning Hindi.
8.A list of Hindi grammatical terms and their English translation given in the last three pages stands as a good reference.
9.Author used a very simple lang which is within the reach of an average learner.
10.Auhthor has highlighted the important points in every chapter.
CONS:-
This book has disappointed me in some aspects. No grammatical & spelling mistakes are accepted in any grammar book. Sometimes a spelling mistake happens to
be the grammatical mistake and the very sense of the word is lost.
Some of them are quoted below:
1.Printing errors:
Topic Sandhi-
Pg 185-given U+E=E, it should be VE
Pg 95- given Gira=fall, it should be fell
Pg 93- given that the past imperfect forms are formed by adding conjugation forms of 'H.', but it should be 'Th.'
In the Index, page numbers are wrong, pg 93 is printed for 39, pg 914 for 94, pg 97 for 79
2.Grammatical Mistakes:
Haathi ke se daant= a tooth like that of an elephant, it shud be teeth like that of an elephant.
Given in pg14- in pronouncing 'S.' tongue touches the teeth.
It is no doubt a dental sibilant, but while pronouncing, the air is forced in between the root of the teeth and the tip of the tongue. It does not touch the teeth. Pronunciation of 'SH.' is also of the same nature.
In pg 61: while discussing pronoun, author referred to' kuch' and gave some examples.
Ex : kuch ladke aaye the.
kuch paise mujhe chahiye.
Here ' kuch ' is used as an adjective which is supposed to be a pronoun.
pg.58-:vah tumhara makaan hai = That house is yours.
Here in translation 'vah ' is not identified as a demonistrative pronoun but as a pronominal adjective, which is wrong.
Pg 93- ex, hum hote hein= we are becoming ?!?!.
Here sentence is in present imperfect, and meaning is in present continous. Similar type of sentences are given correct translation in pg 115.
3.Low standard of English translation -
Due to odd translations, English language has lost its charm.
In pg 121-Ladka sadak par sota jata hai= the boy is weepingly going on the road.
kalam se likho=write by a pen.
In pg 109-girana=to fell, it should be to drop
giravana= to get felled, such a poor language?!?!
In pg 133, paani barasne laga=The rains came.?!?
In Pg 113,neeche utarna= to climb down?!?!, it should be to get down.
Varsha hone lagi=Rain began.Ofcourse the author has admitted the difficulty of translation and explained the reason for not having attempted some areas in pg111.
In conclusion, I hope both the publisher and author must have taken care of these mistakes.
I have quoted only 80% of the mistakes. This book may not be useful for the beginners. Inspite of all these mistakes, it is a wonderful handbook that is more useful to any reader who wants to be thorough in Hindi grammar.
It is a very good reference to Hindi teachers.