Essentials of Russian

ESSENTIALS of Russian READING CONVERSATION GRAMMAR. THIRD EDITION by A. v. GRONICKA. PREFACE TO THIRD EDITION: The third edition of Essentials of Russian has developed from Intensive use of the earlier editions for a whole decade by colleges and universities throughout the United States and abroad, as well as by the United States Armed Forces and by private study groups. The basic organization and approach of this book have proved their effectiveness and have been retained. Revisions have been limited to the clarification of certain rules of grammar a considerable shortening of the Common Expressions and Idioms units, especially those in the more advanced lessons and the rewriting of four of the less successful reading selections. The new reading units offer a survey of Russias geography, a biography of Anton Chekhov, an introduction to the development of the Russian language, and a brief essay on the Russian Academy of Sciences. These units, it is felt, are more timely and functional, as well as better attuned to an essentials level, than were the units they replace. Further innovations in this edition are the expansion of the introductory lessons on pronunciation amplification of the Aspect lesson, to provide a more gradual presentation of the basic features of this central phase of the Russian verb system and to introduce advanced materials that have proved essential for a well rounded presentation, of the conjugation of the Russian verb addition of numerous Review Reading and Vocabulary Building units addition of a second section to the Translation into Russian units, to afford a more comprehensive review of vocabulary and a more intensive drill on grammatical features inclusion of a completely new Ap pendix, which offers a selection of Russian poems, songs, proverbs, and riddles incorporation of numerous new key tables in the original Grammar Appendix and thorough revision and expansion of the Index and the Russian-English and English-Russian Vocabu laries at the end of the book. The revisions, and especially the additions and expansions, should hold the old and gain new friends for Essentials of Russian. The authors wish to take this occasion to thank their many col leagues for constructive contributions to the preparation of this new edition. They are especially grateful to Professors Rufus W. Mathew son, Jr. of Columbia University and Edmund Zawacki, of the Univer sity of Wisconsin and his fine staff for numerous suggestions which have helped greatly to make Essentials of Russian a better book. Finally, the authors wish to take this opportunity to express their thanks to Hilde von Gronicka for her capable and patient assistance in guiding three editions of the Essentials of Russian through the press. A. v. G. H. B. T. v TO This text Is designed for classroom and individual instruction but can also be used for self-teaching. It has grown out of the authors experience gained in the Army Intensive Language Courses and in subsequent experimental classes at colleges and universities. Emphasis is placed throughout on conversation and reading. At the same time a concise and systematic analysis of the Essentials of Russian Grammar has been provided, in order to solidify and to lend permanence to the results achieved by the direct approach. The text is divided into thirty lessons preceded by two intro ductory units which set forth the Russian printed and cursive letters and give their approximate phonetic values. Each lesson is subdivided into seven closely interrelated parts I Common Expressions and Idioms II Eeading Exercise III Vocabulary IY Grammar Y Questions YI Grammar Exercise VII Translation into Eussian The Reading Exercises II are the core around which each lesson is organized. They contain all the new grammar and vocabulary introduced in each lesson...