First, the "Small" is already Grévisse enough for 99% of the population. I could actually flip the "BU" (the Bon Usage, the "big" Grévisse four times bigger) and I came away jettisoned. What there has going with the "Small", and that has not Bescherelle is that the authors have placed the point of view of the end user, not the grammarian. In other words, they set for us, and ask the question of the use and spelling, while Bescherelle is mechanical, pure grammar and hard, with revenue of agreements to memorize: "in that case, write it in this case, write that." So it's hard to remember the rules. Often, Bescherelle will also straight to the point, and suddenly forget the details, then it comes back to its paragraph end exceptions: I found it very confusing on the plural of compound nouns. The Grévisse her comments, analysis, gives perspective, with small patterns, it is clear and clear. Obviously, it is bicolor, it's not as pretty as Bescherelle in full color, but ultimately, it is in much better benchmark than in the Bescherelle, who drowned me with all its sub-chapters and six or seven different colors.
I also find great final index Grévisse "questions that arises most", which complements the overall index. And in the end, the chapter on the 1990 orthographic rectifications is very convenient for all students who pass competitions using the latter criterion to record copies.
Anyway, eventually the Grévisse is complete, reasoned, clear, limpid, always with the desire to give examples from the French current or accurate or that such etymology meaning of a word. We did not feel like a dry grammar textbook in the hands, but a patient guide that explains len-ly the correct use of words. Indispensable to review all exams that put the French, syntax, vocabulary and grammar in the spotlight.
