Customer Reviews

The Glamour of Grammar: A Guide to the Magic and Mystery of Practical English

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

So, what do you think about when you hear the word "grammar"? As a kid, I would think "Uh oh; I guess I wrote something wrong again." As a young adult I'd say, "Hey, that's just the way I speak." As an Englishwoman moving to America I'd groan that it's not just the spellings that are different here but the grammar rules as well. And after reading this book I'd say, "Wow!"

So, what about my punctuation above? Why did I put that question mark outside the quotes when the exclamation point went inside at the end of the paragraph? I'd often wondered how to punctuate quotes, and since I want to be a writer, I'd often thought I really ought to learn. At last I have.

Clark's book starts by pointing out that "glamour" and "grammar" come from the same root. I guess is makes sense. After all, we "spell" words correctly or otherwise, and wizards cast "spells." Grammar's just the next step.

I used to teach chess, and I'd explain to the kids that there are two types of rules. Some have to be obeyed (pawns move forwards for example), or else you're not playing chess. Others are there to be understood and used judiciously (such as "Don't get your queen out too soon") to set or avoid falling into traps. Once you know the rules, you know what it means when they're broken.

Spelling's probably the first sort of rule, and Clark includes a chapter on how meanings can change where the wrong spelling or wrong word is used. Suddenly you're not saying what you thought; your reader's dragged out of the writing; you're not playing the same game. But other grammar rules can be judiciously broken. We just have to know what we're doing and why--be prepared for what the reader will see, and be ready to make sure it's what we intend.

Clark's chapters are written with delightful style, great voice, amazing examples, and just pure fun. (Yes, grammar can be fun!) There's advice for aspiring writers that any of us could use--the value of the well-chosen long or short word, the nuances of sound or foreign phrase, the alliteration of short and long sentences... And then there are chapter endings with quick and easily read "Keepsakes." There he might emphasize a point, help the reader practice a technique, or simply list the rules. (That's how I learned how to punctuate my first paragraph.)

Clark doesn't want to regiment our writing. He acknowledges how different countries (UK and US for example), industries (newspaper vs book), and even publishers have their own chosen styles. Obey the rules of your intended audience he says. But then he frees us to shift those chess pieces round and win the game.

Is grammar glamorous? It certainly is now. I love this book, and I'd recommend that everyone who loves reading or writing really should read it. I can hardly believe how lucky I was to get a copy to review--you'll hardly believe how lucky you are if you get your own copy too. And, just for reference, since Roy Peter Clark is vice president and senior scholar at the Poynter Institute, I have no qualms about trusting him to give me, and you, the right facts.

Roy Clark's new book, The Glamour of Grammar, is none of the following:
* A treatise on grammar
* A guide to grammar and style
* Competition for Strunk and White
* A volume of snarling "do nots."
Roy loves words and wants you to love them too in ways that will help you as a writer. He burrows beneath English words to show you their deep roots and reverberations. The "Glamour" in his title refers to magic powers, both in historical origins and modern persuasiveness. This book will enrich what you hear and what you write.

Learn to lie or lay,
as well as the principles behind the distinction,
Turn a language problem into a language lesson: lie
means "recline" and lay means"to place"
But in Hawaii, expect a lei.
(from the back cover)

With a lesson like the one above, how could you possibly go wrong with this book. While I've always been incredibly interested in the English language, reading this book turns it from an interesting subject to a fascinating one. If you only buy one book to help you write better, this would be the one.

Some people are born writers. Others of us learn to write by reading how other people write, and by practice. This is a book to keep on your nightstand (if you use your laptop in bed like I do) or on your desk (if you're a "real" writer (LOL!)) as you're writing (or before you start). There are so many practical lessons to be learned. Clark didn't write a book that you're supposed to read from start to finish. You could literally open the book in the middle, find the beginning of a passage and start reading. You're going to learn a new technique (like using shorter sentences to stretch out the story). Or you could start at the beginning and read a mini lesson at a time. Either way, you're not going to want to put the book down. It's just that good.

Although it's like going to English class all over again, it's so much better. While Mrs. Brusnwick was one of my favorite teachers, class did get a little, umm, boring.To be fair, Mr. Harris really tried to teach me that advanced math stuff, but I wasn't smart enough then. I'll still not smart enough.

Roy Peter Clark has taken the dull subject of Grammar and turned it into an interesting topic that I found quite enjoyable to read.
I really had no idea that the word grammar and glamour actually meant the same thing, but I do now, thanks to the author. He tells us to embrace grammar as a box of tools not a set of rules, and encourages us to read the dictionary for fun.
I really like how he ends each chapter with a little segment called Keepsakes, reviewing the most important points of the chapter in a way that would be great for quick reference.
The authors wit and storytelling peppered throughout the chapters make this a fun book to read, who knew reading about grammar could actually be fun.

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in return for an honest review.

I have loved the English language from an early age, so Roy Peter Clark's new book, "The Glamour of Grammar", is a nice way to enjoy grammar at (my own) middle age. The strict rules we were once taught have been slightly modified over the years and Clark manages to convey words and phrases in a more practical way, adhering nonetheless to certain boundaries. For me, his best advice concerns fiddling around with those rules; one must know them before one can break them.

The author talks about "living inside your language" and he covers a wide range of applications. His second section-"Points"-underlines the various symbols of grammar and is the most enjoyable. Since he and I are roughly the same age it's nice to see him advocate the use of serial commas...when did we lose them, anyway?...or display the much-disliked sentence diagram. However, I'm surprised he doesn't add a comment or two about interrobooms.

"The Glamour of Grammar" is structured in a way to keep the chapters short, allowing the reader to put it down or pick it up easily. It's comprehensively concise (would that be considered an "oxymoron"?) and a fun read. Hey, terrific book!!

I'm almost a little scared to write this review because I'm not sure I'll be using proper grammar! Roy Clark's delightful, small book on grammar is not exactly a "how-to" book, but, rather, a "why" or "when" book. "When" to use ellipses, "full stops" (Brit-lish for "period"), various verb types, etc. And "why" to use them in your writing.

He looks at the sometimes quirky evolution of words and writes quite a bit of history of language.

Clark writes short chapters which end in "keepsakes", summaries of what he's just written. This is not an an official grammar guide - Clark seems to have written one of those - but rather a book whose purpose seems to have the reader stop-and-think when he's writing. Whew! Okay, how did I do?

It would make sense that Roy Peter Clark, author of The Glamour of Grammar would have once played in a band which had its greatest moment in opening for ? and the Mysterians. Clark is a writer and writing educator whose passion for the "the magic and mystery of practical English" would lure even the grammar-averse reader into this fascinating book of language history and practical advice. (For example, have you ever thought about the relationship of glamour/glamour/grammar, punctual/puncture/punctuation, or at least two of the meanings of the word "spell?")

There is more to the Oxford (i.e. serial) comma debate than the usual "my parents, Ayn Rand and God" example and Clark has converted me. I am also going to take his advice against becoming a `hypergrammarian.' As someone who has been correcting the Rolling Stones for forty-five years on the subject of Satisfaction - yes, I was an insufferable ten year old hypergrammarian back in '65 - I know that there is still much to learn and I will take the advice of The Glamour of Grammar to heart. I would recommend to any teachers of grammar who would like something to supplement Warriner's Handbook etc. and to all readers who find language fun.

What could be less glamorous than grammar? Think back to those dreary days, when your teacher droned on about participles, run-ons, conjunctions, the correct use of quotation marks, intransitive verbs, and, horrors (if you are old enough to remember), diagramming sentences. If you did not fall off your chair from boredom, it was only because your mind was a million miles away.

Guess what? Those of us who are besotted with the English language actually believe that grammar is glamorous. Writers who have a command of spelling, punctuation, usage, and syntax can utilize "a box of tools" (one of Roy Peter's Clark's favorite metaphors) to impart their ideas clearly and effectively. Clark's "The Glamour of Grammar" is beautifully organized into fifty brief chapters that touch on everything from placing modifiers where they belong to understanding the difference between connotation and denotation. Each chapter concludes with "Keepsakes," bullet points that review and reinforce the main ideas covered in the preceding section. Clark urges us to use such resources as the Oxford English Dictionary, "a time machine of language," that shows us how words have evolved over the centuries. Believe it or not, "grammar" and "glamour" are etymologically related!

The author, who is both informative and playful, relishes the flexibility and versatility of English, with its contranyms, eponyms, portmanteau words, and neologisms. Did you know that "blog" "is a blend of 'web' and 'log'? Clark also gives us valuable tips on enriching our prose. We should vary the length of our sentences; use abstract and concrete language judiciously; and make punctuation work for us to create suspense, magnify emotions, and instill forward motion into our writing. Clark does not shy away from the controversial issue of how politicians distort language in order to manipulate the electorate. In addition, the author discusses emails, tweets, and text-messages, our Brave New World of communication. Are they a boon or a curse? It hardly matters, since electronic messages are here to stay, and we have to learn to live with them.

"The Glamour of Grammar" is a practical, entertaining, and lucid handbook that inspires us to energize our sentences without sacrificing clarity and readability. We should know the rules of grammar so that we can bend them occasionally. Clark's "lessons on the magic and mystery of practical English" are a refresher course for those who have studied grammar, as well as a celebration of imaginative, vivid, and lucid writing. With his humorous anecdotes and concrete examples from the works of accomplished authors, Roy Peter Clark helps us appreciate the variety and charm of the English language, and he does so with wit, whimsy, and boundless enthusiasm.

Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.

I had no idea what this book was about when I picked it up. My first impression was that it was a book on grammar, and, as a writer, I have enjoyed extending my knowledge and understanding of grammar since my high school days of English classes. I was in an Advanced English course at Ann Arbor High School with a great teacher, Mr. Granville. He taught his students that you can never stop learning about the English language, so I thought this book might simply be an extension or elaboration of the book I regard as my bible with it comes to language usage: Strunk and White's Elements of Style. I recommended this book to undergraduate and graduate students alike, and when I wrote my Ph.D. dissertation, I depended exclusively on Strunk and White for any questions I had about my use of words, grammar, or sentence construction.

I thought so much of Strunk and White that when I wrote my basic book on public speaking called PUBLIC SPEAKING RULES! ALL YOU NEED FOR A GREAT SPEECH! (And Then Some Publishing, 2008), I made the cover plain and simple (and in a cream color) -- like the cover of Strunk and White's first edition. That was my tribute to them.

If you know this book, or if you have read any of the many reviews at Amazon.com, then you know at once that I was mistaken. Happily mistaken, I might add. Oh, the grammar is there, but the beauty of this book is that there is so much more, and the "so much more" can serve as the primary motivation for purchasing this book--no other motivation is necessary!

There are a number of delights in this amazing book. First, it is truly a great read with terrific examples and an extremely well-written narrative in each section. Second, there are 50 chapters and 264 pages of text, making each chapter, on average, 5.3 pages long -- succinct information and to the point. Third, each chapter ends with a section called "Keepsakes" which lists 3-5 items from the chapter that are worth reviewing or, perhaps, remembering. Fourth, the author's true love of the language is revealed throughout, and it is an inspiration. Fifth, the way Clark incorporates his own personal experiences adds both freshness and perspective--as well as knowledge and understanding.

As an example of how Clark incorporates his personal experience, here is just one sentence (chosen at random), from his chapter, "Avoid speed bumps caused by misspellings": "When I was just a little writer --- skinny, myopic, prepubescent, growing up in a New York suburb --- I began to feel the first tremors of emerging manhood, and I felt them most powerfully in the presence of a local teenage girl whose nickname was Angel Face" (p. 15). His example is delightful and makes an unforgettable impression about the importance of correct spelling. The rest of this example must be read for complete appreciation.

The sixth reason I liked this book (awarded 5 stars out of 5), is the tremendous range of examples Clark cites. His extensive knowledge, the variety of sources, and the specificity and exactness of the quotations he offers is remarkable. Admittedly, Clark has "taught writing at every level--to schoolchildren and Pulitzer Prize-winning authors--for more than thirty years" (back flyleaf) and is "vice president and senior scholar at the Poynter Institute" (one of the most prestigious schools for journalists in the world" (back flyleaf)), so he should have accumulated a great deal of information (his wide variety of sources) from his extensive experience as a teacher, but it truly overwhelms the senses!

To show you (my reader) just how much I admired this book, I did something I seldom do. My father-in-law, Edgar E. Willis, is an emeritus professor of speech communication at the University of Michigan, and besides his textbooks, he has written a book on humor, HOW TO BE FUNNY ON PURPOSE: CREATING AND CONSUMING HUMOR (2005), a book on his experiences in World War II, CIVILIAN IN AN ILL-FITTING UNIFORM: A MEMOIR OF WORLD WAR II (2009) and is currently having his work of fiction, MOSS ON THE IVORY TOWER , published.

Willis has an extensive writing career, a long and distinguished teaching career at the University of Michigan, including serving as chairman of the speech-communication department for ten years, is a continuing speaker, a Shakespearian scholar, and takes special pride in being a learned expert in the use of the English language. English usage often becomes a topic of conversation in my daily meetings with him. It was this book by Roy Clark that I chose to give him as a gift on his 98th birthday (July, 2011). There is no greater accolade I can bestow on Roy Clark and his book The Glamour of Grammar, for it takes a very special book to satisfy the interest and pleasure of such a learned man as Willis.

One of the things Willis said about the book was, "I wish I would have had this book early in my writing career -- especially, for example, when I wrote my dissertation."

Willis not only adored this book, but he read it word-for-word, and while reading it, he discussed points Clark made every day my wife and I visited him. You never know in advance what book(s) he is going to love, but this one surpassed many other choices - by far! (I am going to ask him - later - if I could have the copy he read for my permanent library.)

A good book to buy for a student entering college, a young professional starting a career, or anyone else who wants to brush-up their writing skills.

Roy Peter Clark, while sometimes overly chirpy in his prose, keeps the reader involved as he marches his teaching along at a quick pace that serves to avoid boredom, while helping to make his grammar points stick in one's mind. Mr. Clark has a command of the rules of writing good English and offers a number of helpful quick tips to those who take the time to read this book.

I encourage those interested in this general subject area also to purchase and read Carol Fisher Saller's "The Subversive Copy Editor" (2009).