REA's Handbook of Spanish Grammar, Style and Writing

By Lana Craig

This exceptionally comprehensive handbook is straightforward and easy-to-understand. Hundreds of examples are included to clearly demonstrate what is correct and what is incorrect in areas of Spanish grammar and writing. Covered are nouns, verbs, adjectives, composition, punctuation, spelling, and much more. Complete practice exercises with answers follow each chapter. All of the essentials of Spanish are contained in this thorough and well-organized book.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Research & Education Association
• Release date: Jan 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9780738667393

Book preview

REA’s Books Are The Best!

(a sample of the hundreds of letters REA receives each year)

" I am currently teaching a course on grammar to adults and fi nd your Handbook of English to be among the best materials available. "

Instructor, Devon, PA

REA’s handbook offers more examples (and more varied too!). Since I’ve started using the book, I have not referred to any other resources for the answers I seek. Kudos to you and your team for crafting such a useful tool.

Marketing Manager, Monmouth Junction, NJ

My students report your chapters of review as the most valuable single resource they used for review and preparation.

Teacher, American Fork, UT

Your book was such a better value and was so much more complete than anything your competition has produced—and I have them all!

Teacher, Virginia Beach, VA

Compared to the other books that my fellow students had, your book was the most useful in helping me get a great score.

Student, North Hollywood, CA

Your book was responsible for my success on the exam, which helped me get into the college of my choice... I will look for REA the next time I need help.

Student, Chesterfield, MO

Just a short note to say thanks for the great support your book gave me in helping me pass the test... I’m on my way to a B.S. degree because of you!

Student, Orlando, FL

I just wanted to thank you for helping me get a great score on the AP U.S. History exam... Thank you for making great test preps!

Student, Los Angeles, CA

Your Fundamentals of Engineering Exam book was the absolute best preparation I could have had for the exam, and it is one of the major reasons I did so well and passed the FE on my first try.

Student, Sweetwater, TN

I used your book to prepare for the test and found that the advice and the sample tests were highly relevant... Without using any other material, I earned very high scores and will be going to the graduate school of my choice.

Student, New Orleans, LA

"What I found in your book was a wealth of information sufficient to shore up my basic skills in math and verbal... The section on analytical ability was excellent. The practice tests were challenging and the answer explanations most helpful. It certainly is the Best Test Prep for the GRE! "

Student, Pullman, WA

I really appreciate the help from your excellent book. Please keep up the great work.

Student, Albuquerque, NM

Research & Education Association

61 Ethel Road West

Piscataway, New Jersey 08854

E-mail: [e-mail]

REA’s HANDBOOK OF SPANISH

GRAMMAR, STYLE, AND WRITING

Year 2008 Printing

Copyright © 2000 by Research & Education Association, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission of the publisher.

9780738667393

Printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress Control Number 00-132036

International Standard Book Number 0-87891-094-8

REA® is a registered trademark of

Research & Education Association, Inc.

ABOUT RESEARCH & EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

Founded in 1959, Research & Education Association is dedicated to publishing the finest and most effective educational materials—including software, study guides, and test preps—for students in middle school, high school, college, graduate school, and beyond.

REA’s Test Preparation series includes books and software for all academic levels in almost all disciplines. Research & Education Association publishes test preps for students who have not yet entered high school, as well as high school students preparing to enter college. Students from countries around the world seeking to attend college in the United States will find the assistance they need in REA’s publications. For college students seeking advanced degrees, REA publishes test preps for many major graduate school admission examinations in a wide variety of disciplines, including engineering, law, and medicine. Students at every level, in every field, with every ambition can find what they are looking for among REA’s publications.

REA’s practice tests are always based upon the most recently administered exams, and include every type of question that you can expect on the actual exams.

REA’s publications and educational materials are highly regarded and continually receive an unprecedented amount of praise from professionals, instructors, librarians, parents, and students. Our authors are as diverse as the fields represented in the books we publish. They are well-known in their respective disciplines and serve on the faculties of prestigious high schools, colleges, and universities throughout the United States and Canada.

Today REA’s wide-ranging catalog is a leading resource for teachers, students, and professionals.

We invite you to visit us at www.rea.com to find out how REA is making the world smarter.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

In addition to our author, we would like to thank Larry B. Kling, Vice President, Editorial, for his overall guidance, which brought this book to completion; Pam Weston, Vice President, Publishing, for setting the quality standards for production integrity and managing the publication to completion ; Nicole Mimnaugh, for her guidance throughout every phase of the project; Kristin M. Rutkowski, for coordinating the development of this book; Catherine Battos, Melissa Pellerano, Omar Musni, and Jennifer Payulert, for their editorial contributions; Molly Solanki, Associate Editor, for coordinating revisions; Diane Goldschmidt, Senior Editor, for post-production quality assurance; Cristina Bedoya and Alison Mosquera for technically editing the manuscript; Ellen Gong for copyediting the manuscript; Cynthia Lynch and Michael C. Cote for typesetting the book; and Christine Saul, Senior Graphic Designer, for designing our cover.

Table of Contents

REA’s Books Are The Best!

Title Page

Copyright Page

ABOUT RESEARCH & EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ABOUT THIS BOOK

CHAPTER 1 - ALPHABET/ PRONUNCIATION

CHAPTER 2 - WORD DIVISION/ WORD ORDER

CHAPTER 3 - ACCENTUATION RULES/ SPELLING PITFALLS

CHAPTER 4 - PUNCTUATION/ CAPITALIZATION

CHAPTER 5 - PARTS OF SPEECH

CHAPTER 6 - NOUNS

CHAPTER 7 - ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS

CHAPTER 8 - PRONOUNS

CHAPTER 9 - CONJUNCTIONS

CHAPTER 10 - VERBS

CHAPTER 11 - ADDITIONAL TOPICS

CHAPTER 12 - VOCABULARY

CHAPTER 13 - VERBS FREQUENTLY CONFUSED

CHAPTER 14 - ADDITIONAL WORDS FREQUENTLY CONFUSED

ANSWERS TO EXERCISES

Bibliography

INDEX

The ESSSENTIALS® of LANGUAGE

REA’s Books Are The Best!

ABOUT THIS BOOK

This handbook is intended for use by beginning, as well as advanced, students of Spanish.

The material is suitable for study or review. It can be used as a supplement to any textbook.

This book can serve as an excellent aid to students preparing for examinations, including the AP Spanish Language Exam or the CLEP Spanish Subject Test. It also provides handy review for college-level language instruction.

The building blocks of the language, such as the alphabet, pronunciation rules, word division/order, and accentuation and punctuation are presented in a student-friendly manner. The correct and incorrect use of grammar is explained in detail. General usage and exceptions are emphasized.

In this book, topics that are often dreaded by students are treated with the aim of encouraging the study of the Spanish language.

Exercises are present throughout the text to enable students to discover their strengths and weaknesses. Answers to the exercises are included.

Larry B. Kling

Program Director

CHAPTER 1

ALPHABET/ PRONUNCIATION

1.1 The Spanish Alphabet

Spanish uses the same Latin alphabet as English except for the addition of four letters ch, ll, ñ, and rr.

ch is pronounced like ch in chief.

ll is pronounced like y in beyond.

ñ is pronounced like ni in opinion.

c sounds like s before e or i, and like k in all other cases.

g sounds like h in humid before e or i, and like g in go or get in front of a, o, or u. In order to obtain the hard sound before e or i, Spanish interpolates the vowel u: guerra, guión. In these cases the u is silent; a dieresis indicates that it must be pronounced: vergüenza, güero.

h is always silent: ahora, húmedo, horrible.

v is pronounced like b in all cases.

y sounds like ll at the beginning of a word or syllable. When it stands alone or comes at the end of a word, it is equivalent to the vowel i.

z is pronounced like s.

Note:

(This pronunciation guide follows Latin American usage. In Castilian Spanish, the soft c and the z are pronounced like th in thin.)

A combination of one strong (a, e, o) and one weak vowel (i, u), or of two weak vowels, is a diphthong and counts as one syllable. It may not be separated unless the weak vowel bears a written accent:

The combination of a stressed strong vowel between two weak vowels that forms a single syllable is a triphthong. In Spanish, only four exist.

1.2 Exercises (answers on page 389)

THE SPANISH ALPHABET

Choose the correct answer from among the four choices given.

The vowel a in the Spanish word la is pronounced like the a in the English word

ate.

father.

way.

April.

The vowel e in the Spanish word pelo is pronounced like the vowel sound in the English word

week.

pen.

see.

father.

The vowel u in the Spanish word tu is similar in sound to the vowel in the English word

cup.

cute.

too.

pudding.

In Spanish, the letter g in front of the vowels e or i is pronounced like the underlined letter in the English word

help.

jet.

go.

argue.

In Spanish, the letter g in front of the vowels a, o, or u is pronounced like the underlined letter in the English word

game.

garage.

juice.

gem.

The letter h in a Spanish word, as in hermano, is

always pronounced.

rarely pronounced.

sometimes pronounced.

not pronounced.

Two vowels together, as in the Spanish word aire, count as one syllable and are considered to be a

pure vowel.

diphthong.

triphthong.

consonant.

The letter ñ in a Spanish word, as in niño, is pronounced like the sound in the English word

no.

canon.

onion.

knowledge.

The double ll in a Spanish word, as in llamo, is pronounced like the sound in the English word

hello.

lame.

yes.

mellow.

The letter d in a Spanish word, as in dar, is pronounced like the sound in the English word

the.

thin.

tar.

dog.

CHAPTER 2

WORD DIVISION/ WORD ORDER

2.1 The Purpose of Syllables

Division into syllables serves two purposes:

it helps you to pronounce and spell correctly

it aids in the application of rules for accents

In general, a syllable must contain a vowel which, in some cases, may be the only letter in the syllable (eso = e-so).

Rules for dealing with consonants and vowels:

2.1.1 Consonants

Two consonants together must be separated (except ch, ll, and rr):

ven-der

pac-to

lám-pa-ra

per-so-na

pan-ta-lla

her-ma-no

at-las

ter-cer

B, c, d, f, g, p, and t followed by l or r are not separated:

ha-blar

a-brup-to

ta-bla

re-cre-o

con-tra-to

fe-bre-ro

a-gri-cul-tu-ra

po-dri-do

te-cla

pul-cri-tud

res-frí-o

com-prar

me-lo-dra-ma

a-gra-de-cer

a-pren-do

li-bro

One consonant between two vowels joins the following vowel to form a separate syllable (ll, rr, and ch = one syllable):

ta-za

ca-sa

mi-sa

ma-ce-ta

ba-rro

me-cha

ta-lla

ca-ba-llo

pe-ro

When three or more consonants come together, the first two remain with the preceding vowel and the third consonant remains with the vowel that follows it (unless it is l or r):

ins-ti-tu-to

com-pren-der

sas-tre

2.1.2 Vowels

Vowels are categorized as strong (a, e, o) and weak (i, u). Common combinations are hiato (two vowels forming two syllables), diptongo (two vowels forming one syllable), and triptongo (three vowels forming one syllable).

Diphthong–combination of one weak and one strong vowel or two weak vowels:

vio-lín

rei-no

ru-bio

au-la

ciu-dad

cuan-do

bai-le

raí-do

rue-do

re-me-dio

hue-vo

If the strong vowel is stressed (has an accent mark on it), there is no separation:

tam-bién

na-ció

bai-láis

fué-ra-mos

If the weak vowel is stressed, there is a separation (hiato):

ca-í-da

dí-a

rí-en

Ma-rí-a

tí-os

re-í-mos

re-ú-ne

The combination of two strong vowels is separated (hiato):

ca-e-mos

re-a-li-dad

le-en

em-ple-o

a-e-ro-pla-no

Triphthong–the combination of three vowels into one syllable:

a-ve-ri-guáis

lim-piéis

2.2 Word Order

The difference between the native/non-native speaker of Spanish often is linked to the translation of certain combinations in Spanish (i.e., the subject-verb, the object pronouns, the adjectives, etc.). Following is a general guideline.

Keep verbs close to their subjects. Do not leave a verb dangling at the end of a clause or sentence far from its subject. It is common to put the subject after the verb.

Era importante hacerlo pero no lo hizo Juan. (Juan is the subject of hizo.) It was important to do it but Juan didn’t do it.

Object pronouns (direct/indirect) must precede a conjugated verb or negative command form.

Do not separate forms of haber and the past participle.

I have broken the window.

In a question, the subject-verb order is normally inverted.

Note: The auxiliary verb to do (common in English questions and some declaratory sentences) is not written in Spanish. It may be written only if to do hacer is the sole verb in the sentence.

BUT: I do my homework.

Hago mi tarea.

Do not end a sentence with a preposition. Place that preposition before the relative pronoun.

The hotel I’m going to...

El hotel al que voy... becomes the hotel to which I am going...

Do not break up set verbal phrases (idioms) like tener que (to have to), darse cuenta de (to realize), llevar a cabo (to carry out), etc.

Descriptive adjectives (size, color, etc.) normally follow the noun they modify. In certain instances, their placement will affect the translation.

In exclamations, it is common to place the verb before the subject.

In a negative sentence, be sure to place no before the verb. The only words that may stand between it and the verb are pronoun objects (direct, indirect, and reflexive).

I did not give her the money

No le di el dinero a ella. (I.O.)

You can’t imagine it.

No te lo puedes imaginar. (Reflexive)

2.3 Exercises (answers on page 389)

SYLLABLES

Divide the following words into syllables.

como

clase

mucho

gracias

adiós

felicitaciones

español

cuaderno

universal

historia

repitan

favor

fi losofía

papel

profesor

día

perdón

lápiz

página

café

WORD ORDER

Correct the word order for the following sentences.

Hemos a Juan visto.

Juan leyómelo porque se me olvidaron los anteojos.

Jenny es la persona quien hablo con.

¡Qué tranquilo el día está!

Debes llevar tus planes a cabo.

Es no importante.

Quiero que tú me lo no des ahora mismo.

Es el primer cuarto que yo entro en.

¿Haces ves a María a menudo?

¡No díganoslo tan rápido!

CHAPTER 3

ACCENTUATION RULES/ SPELLING PITFALLS

3.1 Stress

Every word with more than one syllable in Spanish will have stress on one syllable more than on the rest. To indicate this stress, the word may or may not have a written accent mark.

Words with more than one syllable are categorized as follows:

There are two basic rules that indicate stress in Spanish. If either of these two rules is broken, a written accent mark will appear on the word.

If a word ends in -n, -s, or a vowel, the normal stress is on the penultimate (next to last) syllable.

mano (over the -a)

esposa (over the -o)

clase (over the -a)

tribu (over the -i)

hablan (over the first -a)

tomaban (over the first -a)

If the word ends in any letter other than those mentioned, the normal stress will fall on the last syllable.

hablar (over the second -a)

comer (over the -e)

vivir (over the second -i)

papel (over the -e)

ejemplar (over the -a)

nivel (over the -e)

Spanish words will have an accent for the following reasons:

There is another identical word and the accent distinguishes one from the other.

A pronoun has been added to a verb form.

Note: Infinitives require two pronouns before an accent is necessary.

Example: decírselo (to say it to him)

The accent is the result of a stem change. reunir (ú)–The ú will appear in the first, second, and third person singular and third person plural of the present indicative /subj unctive.

There may be a diphthong (two weak vowels or a weak vowel with a strong one) where the weak vowel (u or i) needs to be stressed.

To indicate the interrogative

The accentuation of certain nouns is affected when made plural:

Nouns ending in -n or -s with an accent on the last syllable usually drop the accent mark in the plural.

Nouns of more than one syllable ending in -en, with no accent mark on the last syllable, add an accent mark in the plural to indicate that the stress has not been altered by the addition of -es.