The Grammar Devotional: Daily Tips for Successful Writing from Grammar Girl (TM) (Quick & Dirty Tips) [Paperback]

Mignon Fogarty (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 27, 2009 | ISBN-10: 0805091653 | ISBN-13: 978-0805091656

Millions of fans around the globe punctuate properly and communicate clearly thanks to Mignon Fogarty's practical and easy-to-remember advice about writing style and word usage. Her first book, Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing, hit the New York Times bestseller list, and her weekly grammar podcast has been downloaded more than 20 million times and hailed by USA Today as “authoritative but warm.”

Now, in tip-of-the-day form, Grammar Girl serves up 365 lessons on language that are sure to inspire. Filled with new, bite-size writing tips, fun quizzes and  puzzles, and efficient memory tricks, The Grammar Devotional gives you a daily dose of knowledge to improve your writing and also serves as a lasting reference you'll use for years to come.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mignon Fogarty is the creator of Grammar Girl and the founder and managing director of Quick and Dirty Tips. Formerly a magazine writer, technical writer, and entrepreneur, she has a B.A. in English from the University of Washington in Seattle and an M.S. in biology from Stanford University. She lives in Reno, Nevada. Visit her website at www.quickanddirtytips.com. 

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Introduction
People are often moved and challenged by nuggets gleaned on a daily basis— whether from a spiritual devotional, a tip-a-day calendar, or a regularly e-mailed newsletter. But there are few groups who need constant encouragement more than writers— it is, after all, a mostly solitary practice. The Grammar Devotional, then, is here to help you: it has daily reminders of our basic tenets (who versus whom, anyone?); inspiring pro.les of writers and grammarians who have helped English evolve to what it is today; and quizzes, word scrambles, and word searches to help solidify newly learned tips.
English is a messy language. Unlike French, we don’t have a council to decide how we should write or speak. We only have a multitude of competing college handbooks, dictionaries, and us­age and style guides, such as The Chicago Manual of Style and The Associated Press Stylebook, which frequently disagree. Space is tight in this book, and I like to keep things simple, but wherever possible I point out when something is a style rather than a rule. Too many people go around believing the way they learned to do things is the only way to do things, when really it’s just one of the acceptable choices.
As you will see, the book is orga nized by generic weeks so you can start any time. It’s meant to be read through, just like a devotional, but we’ve also included an index so you can use the book as a reference guide and quickly .nd speci.c tips when you need them. Most of the time, punctuation is on Monday, Lan­guage Rock Stars are on Wednesday, quizzes and word scrambles are on Friday, and word search puzzles and cartoons are on Sun­day, although I occasionally deviate from this pattern to keep re­lated entries together.
It may seem like a trivial endeavor, a tip each day, but at the end of a year the knowledge adds up. A year’s worth of new knowledge can imbue your writing with new con.dence. Here’s to better e-mail messages, essays, marketing materials, articles, and novels.

 

Excerpted from The Grammar Devotional by Mignon Fogarty.
Copyright 2009 by Mignon Fogarty.
Published in 2009 by Henry Holt and Company.
All rights reserved. This work is protected under copyright laws and reproduction is strictly prohibited. Permission to reproduce the material in any manner or medium must be secured from the Publisher.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Holt Paperbacks (October 27, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805091653
• ISBN-13: 978-0805091656
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,186 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mignon Fogarty is the creator of Grammar Girl and founder of the Quick and Dirty Tips Network. A technical writer and entrepreneur, she has served as an editor and producer at a number of health and science Web sites. She has a B.A. in English from the University of Washington in Seattle and an M.S. in biology from Stanford University. She lives in Reno, Nevada.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-have for grammar lovers!, November 23, 2009

By 

Neutron Lurver (Knoxville, TN) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Grammar Devotional: Daily Tips for Successful Writing from Grammar Girl (TM) (Quick & Dirty Tips) (Paperback)

The Grammar Devotional: Daily Tips for Successful Writing from Grammar Girl (TM) by Mignon Fogarty, the Grammar Girl herself, is a must-have for anyone who loves grammar, diction, and the simple, proper use of words. Organized like a religious devotional, the book provides readers with a grammar or writing rule, factoid, or puzzle (word scramble, crossword, etc.) for each day of the year. The tips are quick, humorous, and informative. Because the book is organized in numbered weeks (e.g., Week 1, Sunday), you can start reading it anytime without having to wait for a particular month or the first of the year.

This devotional is best suited for those who already love grammar and who crave a daily dose of Grammar Girl's wit and wisdom. I wouldn't recommend it to those looking for a style manual or a book on writing technique, because it's not organized in that way. If you're looking for that, I would recommend Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing.

This little book is so much fun that my spouse and I look forward to reading the tip to each other every day, and I plan to gift a copy to my English professor parents for Christmas!

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fun Style, Usefulness Uncertain, April 30, 2010

By 

Elizabeth Droge (Syracuse, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Grammar Devotional: Daily Tips for Successful Writing from Grammar Girl (TM) (Quick & Dirty Tips) (Paperback)

I purchased this book after discovering Mignon's "Grammar Girl" blog, in hopes of improving my writing skills. Much like the blog, the entries are on random topics. I would prefer if the progression of entries was more structured, for instance beginning with simpler, more often encountered grammar rules and building to more obscure or complicated tips. The entries are very short, which is nice for reading a small entry every day, or just browsing through. I imagine the index will also come in handy for quick checks on how to use similar words.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Grammar is fun!, May 9, 2010

By 

Tanya Dennis "www.TanyaDennisBooks.com" - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Grammar Devotional: Daily Tips for Successful Writing from Grammar Girl (TM) (Quick & Dirty Tips) (Paperback)

With wit and brevity, this book makes grammar fun! Just like a spiritual devotional, this book offers short, daily readings, usually just half a page. The book is organized by generic weeks so you're not restricted by a calendar. Rather, you can start wherever and whenever you want.

The author's love of language comes through in her content which spans from practical tips and rules to history, trivia, and games. Usually punctuation is on Mondays, Language Rock Stars on Wednesdays, quizzes and word scrambles on Fridays, word searches and puzzles on Sundays. Simple line illustrations add dry humor to the book.

The included index allows readers to search for specific content making this an valuable reference book as well.

Final Thoughts: I love it! This book offers an excellent (and easy) way to keep your mind sharp without drudging through long, boring exercises and seemingly irrelevant rules. We often forget what we once knew. This little book serves as a welcome reminder.