Punto y aparte » (4th Edition)

Sharon Wilson Foerster retired from the University of Texas at Austin in 2001, where she had been the Coordinator of Lower-Division Courses in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, directing the first- and second-year Spanish language program and training graduate assistant instructors. She continues to teach in the Spanish Summer Language School at Middlebury College in Vermont. She received her Ph.D. in Intercultural Communications from the University of Texas in 1981. Before joining the faculty at the University of Texas, she was Director of the Center for Cross-Cultural Study in Seville, Spain, for four years. She continues her involvement in study abroad through her work as Director of the Spanish Teaching Institute and as Academic Advisor for Academic Programs International. She is the co-author of the following McGraw-Hill titles: Pasaporte: Spanish for High Beginners (2009); Supplementary Materials to accompany Puntos de partida, Eighth Edition (2009); Metas: Spanish in Review, Moving Toward Fluency (2008); Punto y aparte: Spanish in Review, Moving Toward Fluency, Third Edition (2007); Lecturas literarias: Moving Toward Linguistic and Cultural Fluency Through Literature (2007); Metas comunicativas para maestros (1999); and Metas comunicativas para negocios (1998).

Anne Lambright is Associate Professor of Modern Languages and Literature in the Hispanic Studies Program at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. She earned her Ph.D. in Latin American Literature from the University of Texas at Austin. Her research and teaching focus is on contemporary Latin American Literature, Andean literature, indigenismo, and Latin American women’s writing, topics on which she has published several articles and books. She is the author of Creating the Hybrid Intellectual: Subject, Space, and the Feminine in the Narrative of José María Arguedas and co-author of Unfolding the City: Women Write the City in Latin America (2007), with Elisabeth Guerrero. In addition, she is the co-author of Metas: Spanish in Review, Moving Toward Fluency (2008).

Punto y aparte moves your students beyond learning about the Spanish language to actually using their Spanish in natural, meaningful contexts. With Punto y aparte students develop more confidence for communication and begin to think critically about language and culture. This is achieved by focusing on seven communicative functions and the grammar structures that support them. These communicative functions appear at the beginning and are recycled throughout, providing opportunities for review in different contexts. Since this is not the typical linear march through grammar one structure at a time, students are able to begin using language in a way that is creative and allows for natural language production. Ultimately, students will move easily from simple sentence-level discourse to paragraph-length discourse. The title itself makes reference to this progression, since it is the Spanish expression for the beginning of a new paragraph: punto y aparte.

PARA EMPEZARLos cinco amigosCara a cara Puntos clave: IntroducciónCAPÍTULO 1Perspectivas: Percepciones e impresionesLa historia: Las primeras impresionesVocabulario del tema Nota cultural: ¿Somos tan sensibles? Puntos clave: Descripción y comparación Rincón cultural Lugares fascinantes: Fiestas y celebraciones de España Un artista hispano: Antoni Gaudí La música españolaLectura: «Salvador Dalí: La novela de suvida» ¡A escribir! Hablando del tema CAPÍTULO 2 Conexiones: Nuestras raícesLa historia: Mami viene a visitarme. ¡VálgameDios! Vocabulario del tema Nota cultural: Los apodos Puntos clave: Narración en el pasado Rincón cultural Lugares fascinantes: El Caribe Un artista hispano: Nick Quijano La música caribeñaLectura: Habana Blues ¡A escribir! ¡Hablando del tema CAPÍTULO 3Pasiones y sentimientos: Las relaciones humanasLa historia: Buscando el equilibrio Vocabulario del tema Nota cultural: Los piroposPuntos clave: Reacciones y recomendaciones Rincón cultural Lugares fascinantes: MéxicoUn artista hispano: José Guadalupe PosadaLa música mexicanaLectura: «Peregrina», por Arturo Ortega Morán¡A escribir!Hablando del tema CAPÍTULO 4La vida moderna: Las obligaciones y el tiempolibreLa historia: Hay que ser más fiesteros Vocabulario del tema Nota cultural: ¿Quiénes son los más fiesteros? ¡Puntos clave: Hablar de los gustos Rincón cultural Lugares fascinantes: El Cono Sur Un artista hispano: Maitena Burendarena La música uruguayaLectura: «Chile: Tribus urbanas, rostros que buscan una identidad», por Rebeca Rojas Rodríguez¡A escribir!Hablando del temaCAPÍTULO 5El mundo actual: Participación cívica y acción globalLa historia: Este mundo nuestroVocabulario del tema Nota cultural: La vida política de los jóvenes hispanosPuntos clave: Hacer hipótesis Rincón cultural Lugares fascinantes: La región andina Un artista hispano: Gonzalo Endara Crow La música andinaLectura: «El candidato», por José Cardona-López ¡A escribir! Hablando del tema CAPÍTULO 6Hacia el porvenir: Un mundo más verde y conectadoLa historia: Preparativos Vocabulario del tema Nota cultural: El Internet en el mundo hispanoPuntos clave: Hablar del futuroRincón cultural Lugares fascinantes: CentroaméricaAlgunos artistas hispanos: Las indias kunas de Panamá y sus molasLa música guatamaltecaLectura: «Los portadores de sueños», por GiocondaBelli ¡A escribir! Hablando del tema Explicación gramatical: Los puntos claveDescripción A. Agreement B. Ser and estar C. Past participles used as adjectives D. Uses and omission of articles Comparación A. Comparisons of equality B. Comparisons of inequality C. Irregular comparative forms D. SuperlativesNarración en el pasado A. Formation of the preterite andimperfect B. Using the preterite and imperfectC. Verbs with different meanings in thepreterite and imperfect D. The present perfect and pluperfectE. Hace... que Reacciones y recomendaciones A. Formation of the present subjunctive B. Formation of the past subjunctive C. Using the subjunctive in nounclauses D. Commands Hablar de los gustos A. Direct object pronouns B. The personal a C. Indirect object pronouns D. Double object pronouns E. Gustar and similar verbs Hacer hipótesis A. Past subjunctive and sequence oftenses B. The conditional C. Hypothesizing Contents Hablar del futuro A. The future tense B. The future of probability C. Using the subjunctive in adverbialclauses Referencia de gramática: Los otros puntos gramaticalesA. Reflexive and reciprocal pronouns B. Prepositions and verbs that takeprepositionsC. Saber and conocer D. Relative pronouns E. Por and para F. Using the subjunctive in adjectiveclauses Apéndice 1: ¡A practicar! Answer Key Apéndice 2: Verb Charts Vocabulario español-inglés Index CreditsAbout the Authors