Download PDF The Only Grammar Book You'll Ever Need A OneStop Source for Every Writing Assignment Susan Thurman Larry Shea Books

Product details Paperback 192 pages Publisher Adams Media; First edition (May 1, 2003) Language English ISBN-10 9781580628556 ISBN-13 978-1580628556 ASIN 1580628559

The Only Grammar Book You'll Ever Need A OneStop Source for Every Writing Assignment Susan Thurman Larry Shea Books Reviews

• This book is too short to cover all of the topics and does not go into enough detail It is condensed. I would suggest purchasing The McGraw-HIll Book of English Grammar and Usage, along with this book and workbook, should you need more explanations on some of the topics. The McGraw-Hill Book even provides tests you can use if you are uncertain of the different types of speech. However, I will say that the commonly misspelled words in this book is more comprehensive than any other grammar books I've taken a look at recently. The workbook also provides a lengthy test of commonly misspelled words, which I found very helpful. If you want to get even deeper into the subject and and are interested in word usage and style and editing, don't forget to take a look at Strunk & White's "The Element of Syle" and then move onto June Casagrande (I would suggest "The Best Punctuation Book Period."). Every author has something to add. This is by no means the only grammar book you will ever need, but it will help guide you and provide a helpful start. Oh, and then there's a few more on proofreading and editing books if you want to brush up your skills. I did like this one; however; as I noted earlier, it provides a long list of the most commonly misspelled words, and believe me, they are up-to-date. I just thought that the textbook with explanations is too short if you are planning on reading some of the copyeditors' books at length.
• My greatest complaint about this book is that it tries to do too much. It's supposedly a concise book that one can use to quickly find answers about grammar. I found the sequencing disorderly and confusing, and many of the descriptions used are flat-out wrong (in professional writing and editing, anyway), confusing, or simply irrelevant/unhelpful. The problem is that often the description is useful, but the example given is so incredibly bad that one wonders if they missed something. Nope—it's just a terrible example. For instance, in the section on plural possessives, the author correctly points out that plural possessives are usually formed with an apostrophe but not 's' on the end. Then she gives an example "trick" to help the reader find the plural in this sentence "The girls jackets were left in the coatroom." The "trick" is then to turn the sentence around so that it reads "The jackets of the girls were left in the coatroom." NOW you know that "girls" is plural. Really? All that noise related only tangentially to the actual point—how to punctuate plural possessives, NOT how to find plural nouns (as if finding the word with the "s" on the end is like divining water or casting magic spells). My guess is that readers will be more rather than less confused after reading this section.
  
  Meanwhile, the author adds sections about predicates, gerunds, and similar concepts that most beginning students will find quite difficult to understand because they are more nuanced than simple subject–verb constructions. She's all over the map in terms of who this book is intended for.
  
  I understand the book was published some time ago, but several discussions about layout and style may not be completely wrong, but are definitely ill-advised. For instance, do we really want to teach writers that there is such a thing as a "compare-and-contrast" paper? Talk about redundant. Professional writers and editors do not use "compare and contrast," because they recognize that comparing includes contrasting by definition. And the whole "five-paragraph" essays smacks of the worst of what we teach students and businesspeople. Such an approach to writing is redundant, overwrought, and wordy as hell. Good writing does not need to repeat itself twice to make a point.
  
  And finally, from a personal standpoint, having someone else read and provide feedback to your writing is not always "peer editing." Often it is simply editing. To assume the person reviewing the work is a peer is a stretch; and besides, if you're a beginning writer, do you really want one of your peers to be your reviewer/editor?
  
  Get Bryan Garner's MODERN ENGLISH USAGE or his book on grammar published by University of Chicago Press (not CHICAGO MANUAL OF STYLE but rather the smaller yellow book on grammar). Though longer books, they are way more accessible, are better organized, and provide better and more concise examples that normal people can actually understand.
• I'm by no means an expert grammarist, and will gladly make up words like grammarist all willy-nilly, but after I read The Only Grammar Book You'll Ever Need by Susan Thurman I saw an immediate improvement in my writing. I'm seriously glad I read through it before I decided to publish because I would be wallowing in mortification about my extra-long sentences now.
  
  There might be better grammar books out there and all sorts of free tips and editing software like Grammarly and Ginger (both which I love and use daily), but I highly recommend checking out The Only Grammar Book You'll Ever Need. It's less than 200 pages, has a quick reference guide for all of your grammar needs, links to helpful websites to improve your writing, and - surprise, surprise - it's written well and gets right to the point. 
• I purchased this as a replacement for the same book that I'd worn out. There's a lot in this book, and some of it may not be in the order most people are expecting. Grammar is not necessarily intuitive. I love this book for one huge reason above all else - the commonly misspelled words of grammar, which is a pet peeve of mine. There are words that are easily misspelled and misused and she covers them here thoroughly.
• I have been in college for what seems like forever. This book is a life savor! It gives great tips/advice and has definitely improved my writing. My professor actually joked that I had someone else write my first essay (after this purchase) for me. I use it as a guide for my papers still to this day.
• Great book! I learned so many new things from this book. My punctuation has improved a lot, and so has the quality of my academia papers. I still go back to this book for reference. I recommend it to most of my friends and anyone who is interested in self-improvement.
• I'm really enjoying this book because of its layout. I can use it for my private students who are somewhat younger than those that I am accustomed to teaching. I can skim through the descriptions and functions of the particular verb or noun, and with ease, rephrase the language in a manner that aptly describes their purpose, as well as describing the function of the various tenses in English. This allows me to use my own knowledge of structure, and break it down into language that is easily understood by youngsters 6-11th grade as well as some college students who have been deprived of grammar throughout the primary years of schooling.
  
  Bonita Evans, Ph.D.