FOREWORD

In preparing the present volume it was the author’s primary intention to provide a course in Russian for English speakers who are studying the language without a teacher.
It is, however, so devised that it may equally well be used under the guidance of a tutor. It is intended for students who have reached an intermediate level by studying Russian for Everybody, or some similar text-book.
The book is entirely practical and the material it provides is contemporary and frankly utilitarian. It consists of nineteen lessons, each one of which deals with a particular aspect of everyday life in the Soviet Union today.
Each lesson consists of a passage for reading and a set of dialogues on a specific theme followed by notes and exercises.
The passages are given in order of increasing difficulty as regards both subject matter and language. However, as the grammar and syntax do not vary greatly in difficulty from one lesson to another, this order need not be strictly adhered to.
The notes deal mainly with points of grammar, syntax and vocabulary which present difficulty to foreign students of Russian, but some of them deal with points of social and historical interest.
Each lesson contains a section entitled “Memorize”, in which certain common expressions are given. It is recommended that they should be learnt by heart.
The exercises are intended to stimulate active use of the words, expressions and constructions which occur in the reading passages and dialogues. They include exercises in translation from English into Russian, paraphrasing the reading passages and composition on the theme of the lesson. The Key provided at the end of the book enables the student to check his work. There are also tables of common idiomatic expressions as well as examples of certain syntactical constructions. A comprehensive Russian-English vocabulary is given at the end of the book.
The author suggests the following method of study.
Read the passage several times, translate it with the aid of the notes and the vocabulary; reproduce it, following the original passage as closely as possible and not attempting to change the constructions or substitute other words for those given in the passage.
Next the dialogues should be studied; it would be advisable to memorize some of them.
The student should then do the exercises, preferably all of them, in order to assimilate thoroughly certain difficult items of grammar, syntax and vocabulary.
The last phase consists of the more independent types of work: translation, narration and composition. The student’s success here depends on how thoroughly he has assimilated all the preceding matter provided in the lesson.
The author wishes to express her gratitude to Mr. Peter Henry, M. A., Head of the Department of Russian Studies, University of Hull, for his help in preparing this book.
The author would be grateful for any comments and suggestions for improving the book in future editions. They should be addressed to Москва, 103012, Старопанский переулок, дом 1/5, ‘издательство «Русский язык».

S. Khavronina