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Viewing How to Learn German Vocabulary with Easy Crossword PuzzlesHow to Learn German Vocabulary with Easy Crossword Puzzles
By Kathy Steinemann
Are you looking for different and interesting ways to improve your knowledge of the German language? Ich auch! (Me too!) Recently, I purchased 'Easy German Crossword Puzzles' by Suzanne Ehrlich and was pleasantly surprised! According to the cover: 'Easy German Crossword Puzzles offers learners of German, from beginning to advanced - and those who are brushing up - an entertaining but effective way of expanding their knowledge of German language and culture. The Kreuzworträtsel in this book cover a wide variety of topics related to the activities and concerns of daily life. As you work with each puzzle, your knowledge of the history, science, politics, and arts of the German-speaking peoples will also be challenged. 'The crosswords have been arranged according to difficulty; however, none is so difficult as to discourage learners at any level. Appendixes are included to help you with German names, famous people in history, abbreviations, and holidays. 'If you have difficulty with a puzzle clue, complete vocabularies and solutions have been provided at the back of the book.' Comments and Review • Although the crosswords are supposedly arranged according to difficulty, the very first puzzle might discourage you. It is called 'Vornamen' (first names). Novice German students will almost certainly be incapable of completing this puzzle without referring to the answer key. You might want to skip puzzle number 1 and do it last. • It is common for German crosswords to replace Ä, Ö, and Ü with AE, OE, and UE. However, this book ignores the convention and sticks with actual spellings - which makes puzzles a little easier to deal with. • Puzzle clues are categorized as 'Senkrecht' (Down) and 'Waagerecht' (Across), but the answer key uses the English terms 'Down' and 'Across'. • There are appendices covering German first names/nicknames, famous German people, abbreviations, and holidays/traditional festivals. However, you will not find a vocabulary list with word definitions. Here are some tips for expanding your German vocabulary. • Use a pencil or erasable pen to work through the crosswords. • Jot down unfamiliar words on the generous white space under most puzzles. • Indicate the clue that corresponds to each unfamiliar word. For example, clue number 18 Senkrecht for puzzle 11 is: Felix, lerne die grammatische _________ auswendig!. The answer is 'REGEL'. If you do not recognize the word 'REGEL', jot it down: S18 REGEL (Senkrecht 18 REGEL). When you make your notes, they should look something like this: die Regel (-n): rule - Felix, lerne die grammatische Regel auswendig! • Be sure to check vocabulary for unfamiliar words in the clues as well, and note them in a similar way to the above point. • It is important to include the clue sentence with each word definition so that you can see how the word is used in context. Repeat the clue sentences several times aloud to imprint the new vocabulary on your mind. • Erase your pencil or pen marks from puzzles and do them again. • If you are a beginner, try to work through a couple of puzzles at a time. Learn the vocabulary, and then proceed to the more difficult puzzles. Trying to memorize more than one page of vocabulary at a time is not an efficient way to learn. • If you are interested in German history and enjoy memorizing names, dates, and facts, study the 'Berühmte Deutschen' (famous Germans) appendix. There are clues from this appendix peppered throughout the crosswords. - Paperback: 72 pages - Publisher: McGraw-Hill - January, 1990 - Languages: English and German - ISBN-10: 0-8442-2508-8 - ISBN-13: 978-0-8442-2508-1 - Dimensions: 22.4 x 15 x 0.6 cm (c) Copyright Kathy Steinemann: This article is free to publish only if this copyright notice, the byline, and the author's note below (with active links) are included. About the Author: Kathy writes German-English short stories and poetry for A Language Guide. She also has several articles posted at 1st Rate Articles. Article Source: A Language Guide - http://www.a-language-guide.com More free articles: 1st Rate Articles - 1stRateArticles.com |
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