Susan Thurman > Quotes

“The most damaging mistakes a writer can make are probably misspelling or misusing words”
― Susan Thurman, The Only Grammar Book You'll Ever Need: A One-Stop Source for Every Writing Assignment

“The way the sentence is written, it seems that the nurse was babbling (a participle) incoherently. What the writer means (at least, what we hope he or she means) is that the child was babbling incoherently. The sentence should be rewritten, perhaps this way:”
― Susan Thurman, The Only Grammar Book You'll Ever Need: A One-Stop Source for Every Writing Assignment

“You probably remember this spelling rule from your elementary school: I before e,
Except after c,
Or when sounded as a,
As in neighbor or weigh. That’s certainly a helpful rule—most of the time. It works for words such as beige, ceiling, conceive, feign, field, inveigh, obeisance, priest, receive, shield, sleigh, and weight.”
― Susan Thurman, The Only Grammar Book You'll Ever Need: A One-Stop Source for Every Writing Assignment

“among, between: Think division. If only two people are dividing something, use between; if more than two people are involved, use among. Here’s a mnemonic: between for two and among for a group.”
― Susan Thurman, The Only Grammar Book You'll Ever Need: A One-Stop Source for Every Writing Assignment

“this compact work will provide you with all the tools you’ll ever need.”
― Susan Thurman, The Only Grammar Book You'll Ever Need: A One-Stop Source for Every Writing Assignment

“let’s think about why you need a grammar book at all.”
― Susan Thurman, The Only Grammar Book You'll Ever Need: A One-Stop Source for Every Writing Assignment

“Wow. This book must be really good, mustn’t it?”
― Susan Thurman, The Only Grammar Book You'll Ever Need: A One-Stop Source for Every Writing Assignment

“aggravate, annoy: If you mean pester or irritate, you want annoy. Aggravate means exaggerate or make worse. Steven was annoyed when his boss aggravated the situation by talking to the press.”
― Susan Thurman, The Only Grammar Book You'll Ever Need: A One-Stop Source for Every Writing Assignment

“1. The phrase the only one of those uses a singular verb; however, the phrase one of those uses a plural verb. (Is your head spinning?) Maybe these examples will help: The only one of those people I feel comfortable with is [not are] Gail Prince.”
― Susan Thurman, The Only Grammar Book You'll Ever Need: A One-Stop Source for Every Writing Assignment

“I before e, Except after c, Or when sounded as a, As in neighbor or weigh.”
― Susan Thurman, The Only Grammar Book You'll Ever Need: A One-Stop Source for Every Writing Assignment

“The way the sentence is written, it seems that the nurse was babbling (a participle) incoherently. What the writer means (at least, what we hope he or she means) is that the child was babbling incoherently. The sentence should be rewritten, perhaps this way: The nurse quickly wrapped his arms around”
― Susan Thurman, The Only Grammar Book You'll Ever Need: A One-Stop Source for Every Writing Assignment