Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

by Mignon Fogarty

Book Overview

Online sensation Grammar Girl makes grammar fun and easy in this New York Times bestseller

Are you stumped by split infinitives? Terrified of using "who" when a "whom" is called for? Do you avoid the words "affect" and "effect" altogether?

Grammar Girl is here to help

Mignon Fogarty, a.k.a. Grammar Girl, is determined to wipe out bad grammar--but she's also determined to make the process as painless as possible...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0805088318
• ISBN13: 9780805088311
• Release Date: July 2008
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.52 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

More Than Mere Grammar

Who needs another book on grammar? Well, to be candid, most of us. We all struggle with the usual problems like lie vs. lay, affect vs. effect, and where to insert commas. In terms of these basic grammar questions, Mignon delivers the goods. In the guise of Grammar Girl she provides simple, memorable lessons in ... well ... grammar. The book is more than just a grammar guide. Go back and read the full title. Go ahead. I'll wait. You see the part that says "For Better Writing"? That's the real meat of this book. Mignon isn't some dusty academic who wants to put you in your place and make you feel inferior when you misuse a semi-colon. She's a talented writer who wants to help you improve your writing. Tucked in among the tips are dozens of ways to make your writing stronger and more engaging. She even covers writing for blogs and Twitter. Last century we had Strunk and White as guides. This century we have Mignon.

It's a good book even if you don't listen to the podcast

I didn't have expectations about this book from the podcast because I only discovered Grammar Girl a few days before the book was released. I like books about usage, and I enjoyed this one. It's organized in chapters of related usage problems and the rules for the most frequent cases. For many issues, the book gives not only the right way to do it, but demonstrates common wrong ways too, and clearly labels them so you won't pick up the wrong way if you're skimming. Many of the entries include memory devices to help you remember what to do next time. The drawings and examples were cute, but sometimes the references to Squiggly and Aardvark felt like inside jokes, but fortunately not to the point where I felt like the joke was on me. I didn't know if there were personalities for the characters that would have given me a deeper understanding of the examples they demonstrated, or if they were just generic illustrations. The voice is consistent, and the delivery is short and sweet, or as the author puts it, quick and dirty. Nothing is belabored that shouldn't be, but each issue is adequately covered for most situations. If an item is controversial, the book mentions the controversy and gives an overview of the major arguments. Matters of style are also identified, even if the author has a strong preference for a particular way. The last chapter, "Work It," is an unusual chapter for a usage book, and especially valuable. It gives writer-oriented tips for interviewing people, generating ideas, fighting writer's block, and proofreading. Some of the tips it gives are excellent, and in the right situation, may make the difference between success and failure. I would love to see that chapter expanded into a book of its own.

Great for those who appreciate good grammar, and those who need help!

This book brings together a lot of useful information in a very readable format. How many grammar books would you read from cover to cover, for fun and self-improvement? This one makes it easy and fun to do just that. If you're a person who is constantly annoyed by the grammatical mistakes you see all around you, you'll enjoy this book. Maybe you can purchase it as a gift for a relative/friend/coworker who struggles with the issues addressed here. It can also serve as a handy reference. On the other hand, if you're never sure when to use "affect" or "effect," or you would like to improve your language skills for business emails and other written communications, this book will help.

Grammar Girl is good grammar at its easiest!

Grammar Girl (a.k.a. Mignon Fogarty) has given us this rich book of collected advice from her awesome free podcasts of grammar tips, error-fixers, and all around good writing suggestions. And you know what? Even with the podcasts being free and all (and wonderful) this book is better! For a long time I've been looking for a great little handbook to offer my composition and literature students as a replacement for and upgrade from the old standard, Strunk and White. Now Grammar Girl's Q & D Tips is here and I've already started telling them to buy it. Not only does Fogarty's wit and humor always shine through in her descriptions, but the tips here are dead-on and as approachable as any writing on grammar/writing rules I've seen. She's taken her smooth-talking voice and friendly delivery and translated it into a book that's fun to read. Buy this, share this, let people know about this book!

Accessible help for the grammar and usage impaired!

For what it's worth I definitely consider myself to be in ongoing need of exactly this kind of assistance! I've enjoyed the Grammar Girl podcast since its early days and was quite pleased to find the exact same kind of approachable, easy to digest help in er new book! The tips are clear and concise, effectively driving home the point at hand. Now that we have the book, I can spread the word to the people in my life who will most likely never hear the podcast.