When Bad Grammar Happens to Good People: How to Avoid Common Errors in English

by Ann Batko, Edward Rosenheim (Editor)

Ever stumble when choosing between who and whom, affect and effect, "lay" and "lie"?

Are you worried that how you speak or write is holding you back at work? Do you fear you're making frequent conversational errors, but just aren't sure what's correct? How you use language tells people a good deal about who you are, how you think, and how you communicate. Making simple errors in written and spoken English can make you seem less sophisticated, even less intelligent, than you really are. And that can affect (not effect) your relationships, your friendships, and even your career.

This comprehensive, easy-to-use reference is a program designed to help you identify and correct the most common errors in written and spoken English.

After a short and simple review of some basic principles, When Bad Grammar Happens to Good People is organized in the most useful way possible--by error type, such as Problem Pronouns or Mixing up Words that Sound the Same. You choose how to work your way through, either sequentially or in the order most relevant to you. Each unit contains tests at the end to help you reinforce what you've learned. Best of all, the information is presented in a clear, lively, and conversational style--this is not your eighth-grade grammar textbook!

Genres: Nonfiction, Writing, Reference, Language

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just when I thought I had really good grammar, I was proved wrong. I loved reading this book and it showed me areas in which I'm lacking.

[Sebah Al-Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the way the book is structured. The language is easy to understand and follow.

I think it's suitable for an advanced grammar class, but not as a main textbook. The errors mentioned are worth addressing and clarifying in class. The first chapter as well, grammar review, can be used separately to help summarize grammar classes.

[Amity · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grammar is fun.

[Venkat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must read for tech people and I recommend it.

[Sasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ну очень доходчиво (а главу про which/that/who, похоже, придется выучить наизусть).

[Kristoffer · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this day and age, English is an important language that everyone should learn. Rules in writing are really important to express one's thoughts and the readers to understand.

The book is good enough in explaining some of the common errors in grammar but is very limited. There is no application in writing such as the run off sentences, punctuations, and others.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very useful guide -- I even put some of it to work at work! Some of it is a bit obvious, but even I was able to learn new things as I read it. It's a bit dated (literally is practically figuratively these days), but the examples were hilarious.

[Vladislav Mikhov · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is well-written and it will help to review some grammar rules and structures with many good examples. Pithy and precise writting. You should read this if you are a fluent speaker, because this book will help you to gain competent command of the English language.

[Nutkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A useful book, though one section is now out-of-date due to changes in language. It helped me to better understand the why behind some of the English grammar that I had picked up from reading a lot, but not from explicit instruction.

[Kit · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good book. I like how the pretest prepares you to focus on your areas of least clarity. It allowed me to get through the book quicker. It will be a welcome reference in my kit bag.