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Webster's New World English Grammar Handbook
Webster's New World English Grammar Handbook covers all the basics of standard English usage in a concise, step-by-step format including the special "General Observation" feature that provides grammar rules and tips at a glance. This comprehensive reference is the perfect desktop reference for the non-writing professionals and students alike. Webster's New World English Grammar Handbook goes beyond the competition by providing special sections on writing, spelling, and punctuation as well as an extensive appendix on "Misused Words and Expressions." This alphabetized appendix features hundreds of examples of misused words and expressions and explains proper usage. You'll find yourself referring to this section time and again to polish your grammar.
384 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
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December 2, 2010Primarily prescriptive in orientation; not terribly interesting or provocative, but an extremely convenient and useful resource for Standard English composition and usage -- well-organized, with lucid, unambiguous writing.
August 17, 2018
Neil, Central patron, August 2018, 4 stars:
A good desk reference, however, since you can only check it out for a limited time you would need to get a copy of your own. I was able to get a used one for under five dollars.
A good desk reference, however, since you can only check it out for a limited time you would need to get a copy of your own. I was able to get a used one for under five dollars.
March 29, 2016
The exercises at the end of each main section or chapter are excellent. They force the reader to think though the rules of standard usage. This is the best part of the book.
The book is heavy on jargon (e.g., copulatives, pre-nominal demonstratives, post-determiners, interrobangs, nominative absolute phrases, noun heads, verb aspects; “adverbs come in three forms: adjuncts, conjuncts, disjuncts,” which include style disjuncts and content disjuncts”), which is a challenge, especially when other handbooks employ different terminology. At times, it’s thick, dense stuff. This is the primary downside to this book. Also, explanations of the various rules are sometimes not clear, forcing the reader to go to other sources to sort through what these authors are trying to say, and the authors get overly fussy in some of their editing suggestions (e.g., avoid cute, boyfriend/girlfriend; use “amble” for walk).
A good quote that illustrates the difficulties that await a new English speaker: “…many grammarians refer to a story in which a girl, when asked to spell the word ‘fish,’ writes ‘ghoti’ on the chalkboard. Her reasoning? The letters gh generate an f sound, as in the words laugh, trough, and cough; o can be used to sound like i, as in the word women; and the letters ti can indicate an sh sound, as in the words function, nation, intervention, and so on.”
The book is heavy on jargon (e.g., copulatives, pre-nominal demonstratives, post-determiners, interrobangs, nominative absolute phrases, noun heads, verb aspects; “adverbs come in three forms: adjuncts, conjuncts, disjuncts,” which include style disjuncts and content disjuncts”), which is a challenge, especially when other handbooks employ different terminology. At times, it’s thick, dense stuff. This is the primary downside to this book. Also, explanations of the various rules are sometimes not clear, forcing the reader to go to other sources to sort through what these authors are trying to say, and the authors get overly fussy in some of their editing suggestions (e.g., avoid cute, boyfriend/girlfriend; use “amble” for walk).
A good quote that illustrates the difficulties that await a new English speaker: “…many grammarians refer to a story in which a girl, when asked to spell the word ‘fish,’ writes ‘ghoti’ on the chalkboard. Her reasoning? The letters gh generate an f sound, as in the words laugh, trough, and cough; o can be used to sound like i, as in the word women; and the letters ti can indicate an sh sound, as in the words function, nation, intervention, and so on.”
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April 28, 2009for my Grammar & Usage course.
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March 24, 2014What I've discovered I didn't know about nouns is already astounding. Sigh. Can't fake the funk any longer. I need to know the rules I tell my students to follow.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews