Grammatically Correct
 Anne Stilman
 (Reviewed by The Editor - Rebecca Brown)
 1997 Writer's Digest Books
  ISBN: 0898797764


The Writer's Essential Guide to Punctuation, Spelling, Style, Usage and Grammar.

Some books never go out of style, rarely become dated & endure as useful, understandable & applicable, Grammatically Correct is one of those. My copy is flagged at the problems I just don't seem able to remember, underlined where I consistently err. It has taken on a well-worn look as I refer to it repeatedly while I edit, making sure that what I've written is as polished as I can make it.

All those English classes we took at school become forgotten as we daily use our language & become so familiar with it that we don't realize how idiosyncratic is our style, how we perpetuate grammatical glitches, consistently misspell, & pepper our prose with breathless punctuation.

Grammatically Correct is divided into 5 sections:
Spelling:- “...the advent of the word processor has relegated the typewriter...to the status of the quill pen, and the most execrable speller can look good simply by running a spell-check...but the English language just has too many twists...the information...won't turn a poor speller into a good one, but can help alert the reasonably competent speller to some nuances and common pitfalls.” pp.1-2.
Problem Words:- Ah, yes! Those little homonyms that get my knickers in a twist: “Their may bee moor then won weigh two rite sum words.” You have no idea how difficult it was to type that sentence!--exercises in Frequently Misused Words, Plural & Negative Formations.
Punctuation:- “...the marks within a sentence point to the various meanings of its words...thereby ensuring clear and unambiguous communication...part of what distinguishes the skilled writer from the novice.” p.53.
Grammar:- “...is concerned with the form and sequence of words in a sentence, and it's often the case that if a rule isn't followed, some uncertainty or misinterpretation could result.”--Agreement Between Subject and Verb; Achieving Parallel Structure ...say what? I really had to work at this one!; Positioning Modifiers Correctly; Pronouns;
Style:- Bugbears and Bêtes Noires: Some Grammar Taboos that Aren't--phew, what a relief, comical too!

Grammatically Correct is eminently user-friendly, hardcovered so it's durable & definitely one of the best books I have on what good writing looks like & how to attain it.
(05/11/03)

Rebecca