English Essentials: What Everyone needs to Know About Grammar, Punctuation, and Usage [Paperback]

John Langan (Author), Beth Johnson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2004

In the words of the text's best-selling author, John Langan, "Grammar books can be really dull. But they don't have to be. English Essentials is a new text that makes grammar, punctuation, and usage interesting--with pictures, stories, and activities students will enjoy." The affordable price, ease of use, and simple, familiar language distinguish this engaging text from others on the market.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John Langan has taught reading and writing at Atlantic Cape Community College near Atlantic City, New Jersey, for over twenty-five years. The author of a popular series of college textbooks on both writing and reading, John enjoys the challenge of developing materials that teach skills in an especially clear and lively way. Before teaching, he earned advanced degrees in writing at Rutgers University and in reading at Rowan University. He also spent a year writing fiction that, he says, "is now at the back of a drawer waiting to be discovered and acclaimed posthumously." While in school, he supported himself by working as a truck driver, a machinist, a battery assembler, a hospital attendant, and an apple packer. John now lives with his wife, Judith Nadell, near Philadelphia. In addition to his wife and Philly sports teams, his passions include reading and turning on nonreaders to the pleasure and power of books. Through Townsend Press, his educational publishing company, he has developed the nonprofit "Townsend Library"--a collection more than thirty new and classic stories that appeal to readers of any age.

Product Details

• Paperback: 346 pages
• Publisher: Townsend Press (April 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591940222
• ISBN-13: 978-1591940227
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #523,227 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John Langan has taught reading and writing at Atlantic Cape Community College near Atlantic City, New Jersey, for over twenty-five years. The author of a popular series of college textbooks on both writing and reading, John enjoys the challenge of developing materials that teach skills in an especially clear and lively way. Before teaching, he earned advanced degrees in writing at Rutgers University and in reading at Rowan University. He also spent a year writing fiction that, he says, "is now at the back of a drawer waiting to be discovered and acclaimed posthumously." While in school, he supported himself by working as a truck driver, a machinist, a battery assembler, a hospital attendant, and an apple packer. John now lives with his wife, Judith Nadell, near Philadelphia. In addition to his wife and Philly sports teams, his passions include reading and turning on nonreaders to the pleasure and power of books. Through Townsend Press, his educational publishing company, he has developed the nonprofit "Townsend Library"--a collection more than thirty new and classic stories that appeal to readers of any age.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great curriculum for Homeschool Highschool Enlgish, February 1, 2008

By 

J. Mitchell "-James & Lynn Mitchell" (Arizona) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: English Essentials (Paperback)

I homeschool my children and we're going to be teaching High School English this coming year. I did extensive research on English Curriculums that covered the basics of Grammar. I wanted something that didn't cover too much writing but did offer refresher in essays as well. I was thrilled when I came upon this book actually listed with a university as their Enlgish 096 textbook. I ordered ONLY the Teacher's Edition at first to preview it's content. I found a used copy at Amazon through a seller's listing for only a few bucks! I'm so glad I did becuase it aussred in me that it was a curriculum that offered the coverage I was looking for. If you're looking for a basic grammar course to teach your child in maybe Freshman English this is it. It opens the door to more complex essays, verbal communication as well as creative writing. By combining those into your teaching- along with this book- you've got all four english credits necessary for thier diploma! BUY THIS BOOK!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book for teaching English writing ++, March 2, 2010

By 

O. K. Marron - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: English Essentials (Paperback)

This book helps high school and college students improve their writing by providing clear, straightforward, and excellent examples of grammar, punctuation and sentence structures / usage. It has a short but very useful section on the process of writing / drafting an essay (it does not go into in-depth explanations on thesis paragraphs building etc. etc.)
I love it and my students love it. I use it for ESL teaching as well as for native speakers developing their writing skills. The book is also well designed, with spacing that makes the text friendly and accessible rather than daunting. The photos are very good - normal people doing normal things, easy for readers to identify with and understand.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!, August 10, 2009

By 

Karrie Lyn "KL" (Denver) - See all my reviews

This review is from: English Essentials: What Every College Student Needs to Know about Grammar, Punctuation, and Usage (Hardcover)

The book, English Essentials, was exactly what I needed for my transitional college English course! It has theory, practice and tests which make it user friendly for both the instructor and the student.