Book Review: Continuing Korean, Second Edition

Cover of Continuing Korean, Second Edition

Continuing Korean, Second Edition by Ross King, Jaehoon Yeon, and Insun Lee is a great textbook for upper beginner/lower intermediate learners of the Korean language. The book is composed of 12 lessons that walk readers through one or two dialogues and a reading passage, vocabulary relevant to the readings, and various grammar points.

The good points about this book:
– The progression in difficulty is very gradual, so it is hard to feel lost or overwhelmed if the lessons are studied in the right order.
– The book comes with an audio CD containing all the spoken dialogues, words and phrases, making the book a great investment for autodidacts.
– For the most part, the dialogues are relatable, making it easier to understand the context of use of specific words.
– The grammar points are well redacted and easy to understand.

Some of the negative points:
– Some of the words introduced in the vocabulary for each lesson are outdated or are reserved to specific cases that are probably unnecessary for upper-beginner/lower intermediate learners of Korean.
– A few grammar points are introduced too late in the book despite being used in the dialogues of the early chapters.

All in all, this book is a great one-stop-shop for learners of Korean wanting to take their knowledge to the next level.

Table of contents of Continuing Korean (condensed)

Sorry I'm late
Have you ever tried yukkaejang and kimchee?
Where can I rent a car?
What's the music you're listening to?
Review 3
How about if I come to collect them on Friday?
It seems you're really overdoing it lately!
I have a friend visiting from England – is it OK if I bring him along?
Would you mind watching the house while I pop over to the police station?
Review 4
I was up until late last night drinking with friends from work
He says he wants to go to the States to study.
Are they still selling it in bookstores?
Honey, do you know where the car keys are?
Review 5

Table of contents of Continuing Korean (full)

Sorry I'm late
1. Verbs: The –고 form
2. Verbs: More on the Infinitive form –어/–아
  1. Uses of the infinitive I: Review of polite style
  2. Uses of the infinitive II: With the particle 서
    1. Two kinds of 서
    2. –어서 좋아요: I'm glad that ...; Good thing that ...
    3. –(이)라서: Copula + 서
    4. The difference between –어서 and –(으)니까
3. Unfinished sentences and afterthoughts with –서요 and –고요
4. Descriptive verb + –어서 죽겠어요: so ... / I could die
5. N에 대해서, N에 관해서: about, concerning
Have you ever tried yukkaejang and kimchee?
1. Uses of the infinitive III: Turning descriptive verbs into processive verbs with –어 해요
2. Uses of the infinitive IV: Compound Verbs
  1. Compound Verbs with 가– and 오–
  2. Compound Verbs: Resultant states with 있–
3. The exploratory pattern in –어 봐요
4. Doing favors with 줘요 (주어요)
5. Verbs: Nominalizer form –기
6. Other nounlike uses of –기 forms
7. Plain base + –기 시작하–: Begin to...
8. Any base + –기 때문에: Because...
9. Plain base + –기 전에: Before...
Where can I rent a car?
1. Uses of the infinitive V: With particle 야 Only if...
2. Uses of the infinitive VI: With 도 Even though
  1. –어도 Even though
  2. Special copular form –(ㅇ)라도
  3. Asking and giving permissions with –어도
  4. Doesn't have to... with –지 않아도
3. Some idiomatic –어도 expressions
4. Infinitive –어 + 져요 (지–): Get/become
5. Can/cannot do: –(으)ㄹ 수 있–/없–
6. Expressing and with –(으)며
7. NOUN(을) 통해(서) through the agency of NOUN
8. Decides/agrees to do with –기로 하–
What's the music you're listening to?
1. The –(으)ㄴ modifiers
2. The processive modifier –는
3. Modifier clauses
4. Postmodifier patterns
  1. Postmodifier clauses with 길: on the way to
  2. Postmodifier clauses for Ever, Never, Sometimes
    1. Postmodifier clauses using –(으)ㄴ for past tense
    2. Postmodifier clauses using –는 for non-past tense
5. The retrospective modifier –던
6. The particle 보다
7. Words for Young and Old
8. Modifiers with 것: the fact of ...ing; ...ing
Review 3
How about if I come to collect them on Friday?
1. Verbs: Conditional form in –(으)면
2. Uses of –(으)면 (1): If..., When(ever)
3. Uses of –(으)면 (2): Hopes and wishes
  1. –(으)면 좋겠어요
  2. –(있)으면 얼마나 좋겠어요?
4. Uses of –(으)면 (3): Polite requests
  1. –(으)면 고맙겠어요: I would be grateful if...
  2. 해 주셨으면 합니다: I should be grateful if...
5. Other uses of the conditional
  1. –지 않으면 안 돼요 / 안 하면 안 돼요: Obligation
  2. –(으)면 안 돼요: Denial of permission
6. The intentive –(으)려(고): intending to...
7. –(으)려면: If one intends to...
8. The adverb 좀
9. First realizations with –(는)군요!
It seems you're really overdoing it lately!
1. Expressing While with –(으)면서(도)
2. Contrasted topics with –(이)면
3. Mild exclamations in –네요
4. Abbreviated verbs of manner
5. Verbs: Transferentive –다(가)
6. More on the auxiliary verb 말아요
  1. Review of 말아요
  2. Use of 말고 as a pseudo-article
7. As long as you're at it... with –는 김에
8. Modifiers with 것 같아요: Seems...
I have a friend visiting from England – is it OK if I bring him along?
1. Imminent elaboration with circumstantial –는데(요), –(으)ㄴ데(요)
2. In spite of ...ing with –는/–ㄴ데요
3. Other uses of 데
4. The postnoun –네 and diminutive –이
5. Modifiers (2): The prospective modifier –(으)ㄹ
6. Prospective modifier clauses
7. Plain/past base + –(으)ㄹ 때 When
8. More on –(으)ㄹ 때 Time When ...
  1. –(으)ㄹ 때마다 Every time...; Whenever ...
  2. –(으)ㄹ 때부터 Ever since
  3. –(으)ㄹ 때까지 Until
9. Seems like it will ... with –(으)ㄹ 것 같아요
10. was going to ..., but with –(으)려다가
Would you mind watching the house while I pop over to the police station?
1. Modifier clauses: –(으)ㄴ 후에 After ...ing
2. Modifier clauses: While ...ing
3. –(으)ㄴ/–는 바람에: Because of ...ing
4. Verbs: adverbative form –게
5. Causatives in –게 해요
6. –게 돼요: gets so that ..., turns out so that
7. –는 게 좋겠어요: It would be best to
8. Expressing intentions
9. –(으)ㄴ/–는 대로: as soon as ...; in accordance with
Review 4
I was up until late last night drinking with friends from work
1. The plain style
2. Plain style questions
  1. Type 1 questions: –(으)냐, –느냐
  2. Type 2 questions: –니
3. Plain style: suggestions in –자
4. Plain style commands
  1. Plain style commands type 1: –(으)라
  2. Plain style commands type 2: –어라, –아라, –여라
5. Plain style: The copula
6. Intimate style
7. Because of ...ing with –느라(고)
8. The copula transferentive: special uses
  1. Infinitive + 다 (–어/–아다)
  2. Errand-type requests with –어/–아다 주–
  3. Directional particle 에 + 다 (에다, 에다가)
He says he wants to go to the States to study.
1. Quotations: Direct and indirect
2. More on quoted questions
3. More on quoted suggestions
4. More on quoted commands
5. The copula in quotations
6. Special uses of the quoted copula
7. –에 의하면 ... According to
8. Using 달라(고) 하– to quote 주세요 Give me
9. The particle 으로: More meanings
Are they still selling it in bookstores?
1. Retrospective aspect
2. More on retrospective modifiers in –던
3. –던데(요)
4. Retrospective conditionals in –더라면
  1. If ... clauses in conditionals
  2. Then ... clauses in conditionals
5. Additional uses of the quotation pattern in –고
  1. Converting plain style retrospective –더라 to polite style: –더라고(요)
  2. Quotation repeats
6. Errand reporting
7. –(으)ㄹ 정도(로): To the extent that ...
8. –고 나서: after VERBing
9. NOUN(을/를) 위해(서): for the sake of NOUN
  1. NOUN(을/를) 위해(서)
  2. VERB –기(를) 위해(서)
Honey, do you know where the car keys are?
1. More summative forms: –기도 하–, –기는 하–, –기만 하–
  1. –기도 하– I: really does/is
  2. –기도 하– II: does/is both x and y
  3. –기는 하지만: does/is, to be sure, but
  4. –기만 하–: does nothing but
2. Is on the ...ing side; is fairly ~ pretty ... with –(으)ㄴ/–는 편이–
3. The postmodifier 지: [TIME] since
4. The postmodifier 지: Oblique questions in 지
  1. Mechanics of oblique questions in 지
  2. Oblique questions in 지 with 알아요 and 몰라요
  3. Oblique questions in 지 with information verbs
5. Polite questions with ...가요 and ...나요
  1. Plain base + –(으)ㄴ/–는 + 가요
  2. Any base + –나요
Review 5

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