The Secret History of Grammar

by Russell Shorto

A group of nouns set out on a quest to free adjectives, adverbs, and other parts of speech from the evil Lord of Silence.

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Russell Shorto is the author, most recently, of Revolution Song, a new narrative of the American Revolution, which the New York Times called a "remarkable" achievement and the Chicago Tribune described as "an engaging piece of historical detective work and narrative craft." He is also the author of The Island at the Center of the World, a national bestseller about the Dutch founding of New York. Shorto is senior scholar at the New Netherland Institute and was formerly the director of the John Adams Institute in Amsterdam.

Reviews

[GG · Rating 5 out of 5]

First there were nouns...but nothing else. The book takes the reader through the adventures of Bear the bear, Julie Spider, Iggy Stone and others as they head off to free adverbes, adjectives and all the other types of grammar from the evil Lord of Silence.

It's a great read and explains grammar in a humorous, easy-to-follow style. It's meant more for entertainment than that, but both work.