Grammar Girl Presents the Ultimate Writing Guide for Students (Quick & Dirty Tips)
- Downloads：7087
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-15 04:31:41
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Mignon Fogarty
- ISBN：B005EYXBFS
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Stephanie （（Strazzybooks））
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An approachable and effective guide to English grammar。 I love Grammar Girl。
Marc *Dark Reader of the Woods*
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No matter how casual or professional your need to write is， you will likely find something here to help you improve。 Just flipping through the appendix before reading it in earnest I found a vital correction to make in my own writing; I have been making the error of always capitalizing cardinal directions for who knows how long。 I frequently thought it looked weird but thought that was the rule。 I read enough sprawling epic fantasy in which directions must be stated aplenty， but never noticed th No matter how casual or professional your need to write is， you will likely find something here to help you improve。 Just flipping through the appendix before reading it in earnest I found a vital correction to make in my own writing; I have been making the error of always capitalizing cardinal directions for who knows how long。 I frequently thought it looked weird but thought that was the rule。 I read enough sprawling epic fantasy in which directions must be stated aplenty， but never noticed this discrepancy in my own casual writing。 "You learn something new every day，" said the horse。 I was never taught English grammar in grade school because that stage of my education was in French。 The French never stuck， because English was still my primary language at home， and I never in my life made a concerted effort to solidify French fluency。 It's pretty much gone now。 So although I have always read and conducted my life in English， until now I could not have told you what a gerund is。 I am still not sure whether I can quickly identify if a piece of writing contained a lot of adverbs。 I can tell you which self-published books I have looked at recently that cry out for the author to read this or other grammar primers， in my search for self-published fantasy that is worth my time to read （hint: SPFBO）， and I readily admit that my own writing style can stand some polishing。 I drift towards wordiness and the passive voice， occasionally catch myself incorrectly using the possessive "it's"， and am often unsure of the order of punctutation around brackets and parentheses。 At least I never confuse their， there and they're。 I read Grammar Girl both to spruce up my own writing as one step in furthering my appreciation of the written word。 This is a lightly exhaustive textbook directed at teenagers but absolutely useful for all ages。 I would hate to use it to learn the parts of speech （boring） but the section on punctuation was very helpful。 In Strunk-and-White-ian fashion， there is also a long section on common writing errors。 You probably make at least one of these regularly， judging by how often I find myself correcting affect/effect when I read。 Sadly， loose/lose is not addressed so we still live with that particular curse。Now feel free to point out any grammatical errors or sloppy form in this review。 。。。more
Dan
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Honestly， I don't think there is a perfect solution， and I would like to avoid the question because I know that no matter what I say， I'm going to make someone angry。 Many grammarians have a hard time agreeing on this as well。Sometimes things aren't technically wrong or wordy; they're just painfully awkward。Mignon Fogarty created the persona of "Grammar Girl" to voice a podcast tackling the ambiguities and misunderstandings of oral and written communication。 With self-deprecating humor， Fogarty Honestly， I don't think there is a perfect solution， and I would like to avoid the question because I know that no matter what I say， I'm going to make someone angry。 Many grammarians have a hard time agreeing on this as well。Sometimes things aren't technically wrong or wordy; they're just painfully awkward。Mignon Fogarty created the persona of "Grammar Girl" to voice a podcast tackling the ambiguities and misunderstandings of oral and written communication。 With self-deprecating humor， Fogarty outlines a problem inherent in grammar or usage and then， based on a close study of the subject， provides sage suggestions to avoid the problem in the future。 This background prepared her to author a writing guide for students。I have taught high school English and have used examples and concepts from this book。 Fogarty's approach bears fruit; however， her forays into silliness tend to be awkward。 Because she tries hard to be hip， her intended audience， the youth of America， often read her attempts with， if not outright contempt， exasperated eye-rolling。 For the teacher， however， the concepts and examples are useful and， with a modicum of work， engaging in the classroom。 In a sense， Fogarty recognizes her true audience: She continually advises students to， when faced with a grammatical ambiguity standard rules do not clarify， practice the rule in the manner prescribed by the teacher。Finally， as with her podcast， Fogarty disarms Grammar Nazis by examining the source of many of their sacred rules:Blame Latin for the logic behind the 19th-century rule about not splitting infinitives。 In Latin there are no two-word infinitives， so it's impossible to split one。 Early on， many English teachers decided that because infinitives couldn't be split in Latin， they shouldn't be split in English either。 While this book provides a better understanding of the writing process， it does not inspire any zeal to brow-beat the grammatically ignorant。 Fogarty seldom admonishes; she deconstructs grammar myths and demonstrates correct usage without snarkiness or condescension。 Her conclusion sums up her book concisely:I hope I've given you the tools you need to write with confidence。 I think of grammar and usage as the rules to the game of writing， and the rules are just the building blocks of creativity。 Writing proper sentences doesn't ensure that your work will be inspiring， but it can keep errors from marring your brilliance。 。。。more
Kloe
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I’ve been looking for this book for years on goodreads because I read it when I started to learn English 。 And I just wanna say I’m grateful that this book has helped me tons and saved my poor English 。
Herminia Chow
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About the book: This guide covers different aspects of writing。 It is geared towards high schol and university students。First impressions: I’ve been a fan of Mignon Fogarty， better known as Grammar Girl， for many years now。 I picked up this book when I was still in school， but I never got around to reading it cover to cover until now when I`m no longer a student。Content: The book has chapters on parts of speech， sentences， puncutation， grammar rules， and writing style/advice。 There’s also a glos About the book: This guide covers different aspects of writing。 It is geared towards high schol and university students。First impressions: I’ve been a fan of Mignon Fogarty， better known as Grammar Girl， for many years now。 I picked up this book when I was still in school， but I never got around to reading it cover to cover until now when I`m no longer a student。Content: The book has chapters on parts of speech， sentences， puncutation， grammar rules， and writing style/advice。 There’s also a glossary， bibliography， index， as well as other sections。 I especially liked the tips and pop quizzes scattered throughout。“Writers—professional writers—get writer’s block at different points in their lives。”Writing: Even when explanining complicated rules， Fogarty is concise and to the point。 She writes in a way that’s clear and easy to understand。Final thoughts: I enjoyed reading the entire guide from beginning to end。 It’s also a useful resource to flip through and skim certain sections。 I highly recommend Grammar Girl Presents the Ultimate Writing Guide for Students to anyone who wants to learn more about grammar and improve as a writer。 。。。more
Kassie
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I'm using this as a supplement text for my Freshman Composition class。 When I read the introduction， I knew this was the book for us。 It's good to learn hard and fast， "quick and dirty [grammar] tips，" but why？ Because it helps us express our ideas。 I'm glad she uses grammar as a tool for conveying ideas and messages， not as a whip， not as a fix-it-all solution to your writing problems。 Even when you know grammar， writing can and is still challenging！ Grammar just builds confidence， and that's w I'm using this as a supplement text for my Freshman Composition class。 When I read the introduction， I knew this was the book for us。 It's good to learn hard and fast， "quick and dirty [grammar] tips，" but why？ Because it helps us express our ideas。 I'm glad she uses grammar as a tool for conveying ideas and messages， not as a whip， not as a fix-it-all solution to your writing problems。 Even when you know grammar， writing can and is still challenging！ Grammar just builds confidence， and that's what my students need。 I've only been using it for one week or so， but I think it's being received well。 I just wish that her website actually had quizzes for each section （as promised） and wasn't just a collection of her podcasts。 I like her podcast--- don't get me wrong。 But if I wanted her podcasts， I'd go find them。 What I want is more worksheets and exercises that go hand-in-hand with her chapters。 Hence the 4-star rating。 。。。more
Marie-Sharrane
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So much information！
Sandra
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Great book！ This book was very informative and fun to read。 I had to read this book for an on-line course and I am so glad that I did。 I love Ms。 Fogarty's writing style。 She has cute characters to explain writing rules。 Who would have thought that a book about grammar would be so interesting！ Great book！ This book was very informative and fun to read。 I had to read this book for an on-line course and I am so glad that I did。 I love Ms。 Fogarty's writing style。 She has cute characters to explain writing rules。 Who would have thought that a book about grammar would be so interesting！ 。。。more
Kristi
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Very fun and student-friendly。 I knew all of the rules and concepts， but plan on using some of the examples in my classroom for students。
Mosh
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This book has a lot of information regarding parts of speech， punctuation， diction， and style， but I didn't love her presentation。 She tries to come off as jokey and informal， which I get， but it didn't work for me。 I also found that， too often， she'd explain a rule， mention various exceptions to the rule， and suggest choosing whatever the teacher prefers。 Part four of the book， "Quick and Dirty Tips"， features clarifications of common mistakes （e。g。， than/then and affect/effect）。 It's a great s This book has a lot of information regarding parts of speech， punctuation， diction， and style， but I didn't love her presentation。 She tries to come off as jokey and informal， which I get， but it didn't work for me。 I also found that， too often， she'd explain a rule， mention various exceptions to the rule， and suggest choosing whatever the teacher prefers。 Part four of the book， "Quick and Dirty Tips"， features clarifications of common mistakes （e。g。， than/then and affect/effect）。 It's a great section except for when she lists: "Biannual Versus Semiannual: （See Semiannual Versus Biannual）"。 If someone's not reading the book from start to finish and is looking only for clarification of those words， that person can go straight to the index to find the page。 Section five， though， is the most interesting to me as it goes over economy of language and the variation of sentence structure。 These are areas that students need the most help in。 。。。more
Lauren。Bastian
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As a complete guide to grammar， this book achieves its goals and more。 It is comprehensive， engaging， and interesting （if you appreciate good grammar）。 I imagine this would be a really good textbook for high-schoolers， especially in preparation for the ACT。 I finally know what to do with semicolons and colons！
Angie Hull
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This is a very quick and useful tool to remind teachers （and students） of grammar rules。 Grammar Girl gives brief and basic understanding of almost every grammar question that I have seen as a teacher in a clear and easy way。 Not only does she provide the definition and understanding of the grammar， but easy to follow and understand examples。 This resource will definitely be used in my classroom for clarification and for word study/grammar lesson instruction。
Tami Robertson
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Great book for beginning grammar。 Had to read this as part of my English 100 class。
J。 Danielle
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Useful。。。。This is a pretty useful English book for someone who has a hard time with English class。 Anything with Grammar girl in the title is usually a good helpful read。
Autumn Jean
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I am using this in my classroom and it has been so helpful。 It is the first grammar book I have encountered that doesn't bore me （or my lovely children） to tears。 I am using this in my classroom and it has been so helpful。 It is the first grammar book I have encountered that doesn't bore me （or my lovely children） to tears。 。。。more
Linda
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Engaging and useful for the adolescent writer。。。
iamGamz
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I loved this book。 It was educational and entertaining。Mignon Fogarty is amazing for the work she does in educating the masses on how to use proper grammar。 I am terrified to write a long review on a book about grammar when my own is so poor， but I just had to try。 While this is a beginners guide， it was till quite comprehensive and gave a great starting point for people new to grammar or refreshing skills that we haven't used in a while。 I found it to be an easy read and loved the illustration I loved this book。 It was educational and entertaining。Mignon Fogarty is amazing for the work she does in educating the masses on how to use proper grammar。 I am terrified to write a long review on a book about grammar when my own is so poor， but I just had to try。 While this is a beginners guide， it was till quite comprehensive and gave a great starting point for people new to grammar or refreshing skills that we haven't used in a while。 I found it to be an easy read and loved the illustrations of Aardvark and Squiggly。 They made the reading even more enjoyable。 If you have a teen in your life， or just feel overwhelmed by some of the other grammar boos， this is the perfect book for you。 I gives you the basics and helps you understand the proper usage。 Thanks Grammar Girl。 I will restrict my semi-colons， be mindful of my comma usage and become friends with the apostrophes。 You have set me on the correct path to better grammar。 。。。more
Adrienne
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Pretty helpful book for grammar。 This was part of my required reading for my Writing Skills class through the American College of Healthcare Sciences。 I learned a few things I didn't know， refreshed my memory on things I had forgotten， and laughed at a few of the sentences and comments about the characters Squiggly and Aardvark。 I recommend this book to anyone who could use some help with grammar。 This book is based on the weekly podcasts by Grammar Girl。 Pretty helpful book for grammar。 This was part of my required reading for my Writing Skills class through the American College of Healthcare Sciences。 I learned a few things I didn't know， refreshed my memory on things I had forgotten， and laughed at a few of the sentences and comments about the characters Squiggly and Aardvark。 I recommend this book to anyone who could use some help with grammar。 This book is based on the weekly podcasts by Grammar Girl。 。。。more
Kat Thomas
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This is an invaluable book to help you bring your grammar skills up to scratch or even to refresh them。
Masako Lin
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Haven't read a lot of Grammar books where I actually WANT to read it cover to cover。 Excellent read for those who find Grammar dry and boring。 Haven't read a lot of Grammar books where I actually WANT to read it cover to cover。 Excellent read for those who find Grammar dry and boring。 。。。more
Candy Cheung
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Grammar Girl is helpful indeed。 This book is a great book， not only for students， but also for adults alike。 I particularly love it that I can review what I learnt through Quick and Dirty Grammar at a Glance and Glossary。
Cass
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Good overview of the prescriptive grammar rules for the English language。 I like her writing styles， and her presentation is easy to understand。
Ryk Stanton
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I think this is a fantastic book that anyone would benefit from reading。 I wasn't so sure when I started the book because it starts with very basic grammar， such as the parts of speech， and I thought "Well， this would be great for students but I'm a teacher – I know all this stuff。" I was pleased to discover that some of the ways she explains things are the way I have been explaining them to student for the past several years （such as the two different ways to determine whether one needs a comma I think this is a fantastic book that anyone would benefit from reading。 I wasn't so sure when I started the book because it starts with very basic grammar， such as the parts of speech， and I thought "Well， this would be great for students but I'm a teacher – I know all this stuff。" I was pleased to discover that some of the ways she explains things are the way I have been explaining them to student for the past several years （such as the two different ways to determine whether one needs a comma between coordinate adjectives）。As the book moved on， however， I discovered that I was actually learning some things too。 Things I understood but could never really explain。 Well， now I can。 This book has an incredible amount of information， but Grammar Girl's smooth， friendly， folksy style makes it an easy and fun read。 You're going to feel absolutely stuffed with knowledge and understanding， but it certainly does not read like a boring old grammar book。If you want to get a feel for Grammar Girl's style， subscribe to her podcast on Quick and Dirty Tricks。 。。。more
Shaun
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A solid 3 starsI am a huge fan of Grammar Girl。 In fact， whenever I have a grammar question I always refer to her site。 I also have an app for her podcasts。This book covers it all （at least superficially）， from grammar to punctuation to commonly misused words。 There is even a short section that offers basic writing tips， as well as an appendix and glossary。The best part， however， is the writing， which is humorous and accessible。 So why only 3 stars？Some areas of the book could have been covered A solid 3 starsI am a huge fan of Grammar Girl。 In fact， whenever I have a grammar question I always refer to her site。 I also have an app for her podcasts。This book covers it all （at least superficially）， from grammar to punctuation to commonly misused words。 There is even a short section that offers basic writing tips， as well as an appendix and glossary。The best part， however， is the writing， which is humorous and accessible。 So why only 3 stars？Some areas of the book could have been covered in greater detail with more practical examples。 Quizzes at the end of each topic would have also been nice。 There were some quizzes， but I wanted more。 Still， if you're looking for a general guide that covers the basics， this may be it。 。。。more
d
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We checked this out for the full 3 months allowed and then bought the kindle version-- a great guide。
Lghamilton
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This is an excellent grammar and writing guide for students。 GG is pretty funny too。
Becky Kondritz
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Learned a few mnemonic devices I can use in the classroom。 May reference a we pages， too。
Lyra
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This is a great guide that can serve students from their first foray into grammar， through college and beyond。 Recommended for grades 8 and up。
Mike
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I love the Grammar Girl but don't tell my wife！ :-） She explains grammar in a simple but thorough way。 Just my type。 I love the Grammar Girl but don't tell my wife！ :-） She explains grammar in a simple but thorough way。 Just my type。 。。。more
Awesomepapercup
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