Although I can hold my own with most conventions, there are
still several that are stoppers for me—things I have to look up one more time,
just to make sure. Maybe these rough spots have come about because it’s a
concept I never really learned. Maybe it’s because I’ve seen the same error
made so many times as I’ve read writing from both students and clients that I
began to doubt my own knowledge and abilities to get things right.
Whatever the cause, Annette Lyons’ THERE,
THEIR, AND THEY’RE: A NO-TEARS GUIDE TO GRAMMAR has been a lifesaver for
me, and this new expanded version, with over 60 new entries, is all that much
better as a resource as I edit, as well as write books of my own.
I read the book cover to cover—something I never would have
done with a grammar text such as Warriner—and actually enjoyed reading Lyons’
explanations and examples. But the best thing is, I learned! In every chapter
there were multiple times I stopped to say “I didn’t know that,” and suddenly
situations I had faced before about word choice, punctuation, or the history of
why one word had gone from the usage lexicon made that proverbial light bulb in
the head go off in a way that I believe will help me remember the next time I
am writing or editing a manuscript with the same problem.
I previously purchased copies of the first version for my
classroom reference shelves. My recommendation will extend even farther this
time into the other English classrooms at my school.
English teacher or not, editor or not, professional writer
or not, if you do ANY kind of writing at all, you NEED a copy of THERE,
THEIR, AND THEY’RE: A NO-TEARS GUIDE TO GRAMMAR right next to your computer
where you can use it. The book is worth the price alone for the final chapter,
Usage Errors & Confusing Words. If only I could send a copy to everyone who
uses Facebook!
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