Synopses & Reviews
Learn to apply basic German grammar and vocabulary to reading and translating progressively complex texts with the sixth edition of JANNACH'S GERMAN FOR READING KNOWLEDGE. Recognized as the leading text for teaching reading skills, this text provides the tools you need to read specialized literature in your field. The Book Companion Website contains the readings that appear in each chapter, plus new comprehension questions and activities about the readings that are designed to let you practice specific reading skills. An online answer key also is included on the website so you can check your answers to the activities in the text.
Review
"The exercise sentences used for translation practice are excellent - good use of the grammar covered in a particular chapter while reviewing materials in accumulative manner; in each set of exercises there is also a subtle progression from simpler to more complicated sentences."
Review
"Concise German grammar explanations in English and interesting, authentic German texts from a variety of disciplines and cultural backgrounds. The content and topics are timeless and excellent to learn about history and culture of German-speaking countries."
Review
"[German for Reading Knowledge has] concise, excellent explanations, relevant and representative text examples."
About the Author
Richard Alan Korb received his Ph.D. in Germanic Literature from the University of Pittsburgh in 1988. He has been teaching at Columbia University in New York City since 1994. As senior lecturer and German language program director, he specializes in pedagogy and teacher training, offering elementary, intermediate, and advanced German courses for undergraduates.
Table of Contents
How to use GERMAN FOR READING KNOWLEDGE. 1. German Nouns and the Definite Article. Gender of Nouns. Present and Past Tense of the Verb "sein" (to be). Interrogatives. Cognates and Loan Words. Übungssätze. Aller Anfang ist schwer. 2. Case: Nominative and Accusative. Infinitive. Present Tense of Regular Verbs. Present Tense of the Verb "haben" (to have). Cardinal Numbers. Übungssätze. Johann Sebastian Bach: Seine Musik und seine Familie. 3. Dative. Genitive. Plural of Nouns. "N"-Nouns. Past Tense of Weak Verbs and of "haben." Meanings of the Past Tense. Übungssätze. Leben des Galilei, ein Theaterstück in fünfzehn Bildern von Bertolt Brecht. 4. Indefinite Articles. "Kein" and Other "ein"-Words. Irregular Forms in the Present Tense of Strong Verbs. "Es gibt" (there is, there are). Compound Nouns. Ordinal Numbers. Übungssätze. Kurze Geschichte der deutschen Hochschulen. 5. "Der"-Words. Simple Past Tense of Strong Verbs. Irregular Weak Verbs. Present and Simple Past Tense of "werden" (to become). Word Order. Übungssätze. Erzbistumsstadt Magdeburg. WIEDERHOLUNG 1: DEUTSCHLAND. 6. Prepositions. Idiomatic and Special Meanings. Contraction of Prepositions. Prepositions Following Nouns or Pronouns. Indefinite Pronouns: "man," "jemand," "niemand." Using a Dictionary. Übungssätze. Der 17. Juni 1953: Auszug aus Stefan Heyms "Fünf Tage im Juni." 7. Adjective Endings. Information from Adjective Endings. Adjectives Used as Nouns. Übungssätze. Die Romantik. 8. Adverbs. Verbs with Inseparable and Separable Prefixes. Recognizing Singulars and Plurals of Nouns. Übungssätze. Dioramenmaler: Der nicht so gut bekannte Schinkel. 9. Perfect Tenses. Meanings of the Perfect Tenses. "Seit" + Present Tense = have been + ing. Past Participles. Word Order. Übungssätze. Die Anfänge Bertolt Brechts. 10. Present Participle. Participles Used as Adjectives and Adverbs. Meanings of Present and Past Participles. Past Participle Used with "sein" to Express State of Being. Participles Used as Nouns. Infinitives Used as Nouns. Übungssätze. Der Bär: Stadtsymbol und Naturphänomen. WIEDERHOLUNG 2: DIE BEWOHNER ÖSTERREICHS. 11. Comparison of Adjectives and Adverbs. Exceptional Comparisons. Recognition of Comparatives and Superlatives. Special Uses of the Comparative and Superlative. Comparatives and Superlatives Used as Nouns. Übungssätze. Menschen mit HIV und AIDS. 12. Future Tense. Future Perfect Tense. Future Tenses Used to Express Probability. "Selbst, selber". Übungssätze. Die Welternährungskrise. 13. Passive Voice. Present and Past Tenses of the Passive Voice. Three Uses of "werden". Personal Pronouns. Agreement of Pronoun and Antecedent. Übungssätze. Sturm und Drang. 14. Perfect Tenses of the Passive Voice. Infinitive of the Passive Voice. Future Tense of the Passive Voice. Future Perfect of the Passive Voice. Suffix "-er". Suffix "-in". Übungssätze. Frauen werden verzweifelt gesucht. 15. Reflexive Pronouns. Reflexive Verbs. Position of the Reflexive Pronoun in Main Clauses. Suffixes "-bar" and "-lich". Übungssätze. Die Hessen im amerikanischen Freiheitskreig. WIEDERHOLUNG 3: PARACELSUS. 16. Modal Auxiliaries Express Modalities. Conjugation of the Modals. Modals and the Dependent Infinitive. Fractions. Übungssätze. "Was ist Aufklärung?" 17. Perfect Tenses of Modals. Double Infinitive with Other Verbs. Objective vs. Subjective Meanings of Modal Auxiliaries. Übungssätze. Größter Raub-Saurier in Patagonien entdeckt. 18. Coordinating Conjunctions. Subordinating Conjunctions. Learn to Differentiate. "Wenn auch", "auch wenn" (even if, even though, even when). "False Friends." Übungssätze. Der Zeppelin im Ersten Weltkrieg. 19. Relative Pronouns. Recognizing Relative Clauses. "Welch-" as Relative Pronoun, Indefinite Article, and Interrogative Pronoun. Case of Relative Pronoun Indicates Function. "Was" as a Relative Pronoun. Übungssätze. Karl Mays Amerikabild und reise. 20. Demonstrative Pronouns. Other Demonstratives. Suffixes "-los","-fach", and "-mal" (time, times). Übungssätze. Buchbesprechung. WIEDERHOLUNG 4: IM WILDEN, WILDEN WESTEN BLÜHTE DIE FANTASIE 21. "Wer" und "Was" Used as Interrogative and Relative Pronouns. Verb-First Constructions. Feminine Noun Suffixes. Übungssätze. Robert Schumanns Partitur wiedergefunden. 22. Infinitives with "zu". Idiomatic Prepositional Phrases. Übungssätze. Der neue Deutsche Film. 23. Extended-Adjective Constructions. Recognizing Extended-Adjective Constructions. Translating Extended-Adjective Constructions. Übungssätze. Am Anfang war die Draisine. 24. Other Types of Extended-Adjective Constructions. Extended-Adjectives plus Unextended Adjectives. Multiple Extended-Adjectives. Übungssätze. Carl Ossietzky: Vom Idealismus getragene Leidenschaft. 25. Additional Extended-Adjective Constructions. Participial Phrases. "Ist (war)" + "zu" + Infinitive. Übungssätze. Die "Rosinen-Bomber." WIEDERHOLUNG 5: ÜBER DIE FAMILIE MENDELSSOHN 26. "Da"-compounds, "Wo"-compounds. "Hier"-compounds. Adverbs of Direction in Prepositional Phrases. Introductory "es", Not the Real Subject. Clauses without a Subject "es" Implied. Übungssätze. Die Kunst und die Kirche. 27. Subjunctive. Subjunctive II. Suppositions of Conditions Contrary to Fact."Wenn"-Clauses or Result Clauses Standing Alone. "Als ob","als wenn" (as if, as though). Übungssätze. Das Attentat zu Sarajewo. 28. Subjunctive I. Subjunctive I in Indirect Discourse. Indirect Questions. Other Uses of Subjunctive I. Übungssätze. In Gesamt-Westdeutschland sind die Ostdeutschen Einwanderer. 29. Special Uses of Subjunctive I. "Lassen". Übungssätze. Ein Maler, der Spuren: Cy-Twombly-Retrospektive in Berlin. 30. Idomatic Meanings of Subjunctive Modals. "Es" in Idiomatic Expressions. Übungssätze. Der Name Berlin. WIEDERHOLUNG 6: Entgrenzung: Gedanken zu einer transnationalen Literatur. Appendix A: The German Case System. Appendix B: Strong and Irregular Verbs. Appendix C: Choosing and Using a Dictionary. Appendix D: German Script. Vocabulary. Index.