Grammatically Correct

by Anne Stilman

Book Overview

How does good writing stand out? If its purpose is to convey facts, findings, or instructions, it need be read only once for its content to be clear. If its purpose is to entertain or to provoke... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0898797764
• ISBN13: 9780898797763
• Release Date: September 1997
• Publisher: Writer's Digest Books
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Very helpful

I am going back to college in the fall and I was really worried about my grammar, punctuation, style, and usage, but reading this book, made me more at ease.

if you're serious about writing

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 eminently user-friendly & definitely one of the best books I've found on what good writing looks like & how to attain it. (Ampersand ( & ) notwithstanding-that's my idiosyncratic stand!)

Excellent Reference

This book is so good, my teenage son has discovered that he can use it as a better reference than his textbooks. The book is neatly written with a clear concise style. In addition to grammar, the book is a great resource for questions about usage, punctuation and spelling. As a journalist I need to have resources such as this readily available. I keep this one next to Strunk and White.

Best reference book for those who are aspiring to write

I have found "Grammatically Correct : The Writer's Essential Guide to Punctuation, Spelling, Style, Usage and Grammar" as the ultimate reference for writers of all levels. Many who read this book would recognize the similarities with it and "The Elements of Style," but Anne Stilman's book covers more relevant topics and even gives readers quizzes to test what they have learned from the book. Not only it covers a great deal on topics such as grammar, spelling, style, etc., but it also covers punctuation, something that "The Elements of Style" unfortunately does not.Although it covers a lot of topics, it is to the point without all the superfluous information that tends to make reading a tedious task. Stilman writes with wittiness as well as conciseness. She also deals with modern issues in today's writing such as writing "politically correct." To me, this book is the expanded ad updated version of Strunk Jr. and E.B. White's "The Elements of Style."I highly recommend this book to the aspiring writer as well as the experienced one because this also serves as the definitive reference.

Clear, helpful, readable reference book

I found this book very helpful and also more fun to read than I expected a grammar book to be, because of all the funny examples drawn from famous writers. Unlike the last reviewer I found it well indexed and the information easy to find (although I would have liked it if chapter topics were shown at the top of pages so that you could find a topic by flipping through). It's certainly not as detailed as the Chicago Manual of Style but I don't think it's meant to serve the same purpose. As a quick reference on many confusing grammar and punctuation points and advice on good writing style, it's excellent - very clear explanations and a lot of humor in the examples.