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Robert Blair's Thinking into German offers a tried and tested method of enabling students to cope with the daunting task of expressing their thoughts in German. Thinking into German starts by acknowledging that thoughts will initially appear in English and provides a workable strategy for moving them into German without falling for the false allure of direct translation. With the aid of comprehensive exercises the skills acquired through thinking into German will increasingly transform into the reality of thinking in German.
Thinking into German suggests that the student analyses thoughts in terms of nineteen categories. Within each category the author provides multiple German structures tailored both to particular shades of meaning and to the grammatical requirements of the vocabulary items the student wishes to use. The book also contains a wide range of exercises working from both English and German bases.
About the author
Robert Blair has over thirty years of experience as a teacher of modern languages. He was also actively involved with CCEA, the Northern Ireland Examination Board, most notably as chief examiner for GCSE German, in addition to serving on numerous QCA committees. After his retirement from secondary teaching he taught for three years in the German department of Queens University, Belfast. Throughout his career he was an active member of the Modern Languages Association of Northern Ireland and for some years edited NIMLA, the official journal of the organisation. Apart from the teaching of German and French literature, his main endeavours in the classroom were directed at making advanced language skills accessible to the inquiring mind. This book addresses problems experienced even by the most able students.
