Since it was first published in 1984, the focus of the Japanese for Busy People series has always been to teach Japanese for effective communication. Japanese for Busy People Book III will equip learners to talk meaningfully about larger social topics by expressing their own opinions while asking others for theirs. It will also help learners to further improve the naturalness and efficiency of their communication, in both casual and business settings. Book III introduces a range of sentence patterns for expressing suppositions, impressions, and beliefs; indicating cause, reason, or purpose; describing changes; making suggestions; stating decisions or intentions; and for apologizing and making excuses. In addition, it teaches passive, causative, and causative-passive constructions; honorific and humble speech; and special expressions for the giving and receiving of objects and services. More kanji (Chinese characters used in Japanese) are introduced in Book III along with furigana so that learners know how to pronounce them. Audio recordings and kanji worksheets can be downloaded for free from kodansha.us.