Grammar Girl's 101 Misused Words You'll Never Confuse Again [Paperback]

Mignon Fogarty (Author)

Book Description

Release date: July 5, 2011

Millions of people around the world communicate better thanks to Mignon Fogarty, aka Grammar Girl, whose top-rated weekly grammar podcast has been downloaded more than 30 million times. After realizing her fans were asking the same questions over and over, Mignon decided to focus her attention on those words that continuously confound the masses. In Grammar Girl's 101 Misused Words You'll Never Confuse Again, you'll learn:

• When you should use affect and when effect is right
• Whether you should you say purposely or purposefully
• The difference between hilarious and hysterical

Packed with clear explanations, fun quotations showing the word used in context, and the quick and dirty memory tricks Mignon is known for, this friendly reference guide ends the confusion once and for all and helps you speak and write with confidence.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"For anyone who writes,  whether blogs or greeting cards, and anyone who speaks in public ... this book should be in your reference library!"

--City Book Review

 

"The book’s tips will help increase SAT scores and will come in handy when writing papers or college entrance essays. You will find Fogarty’s style to be warm, humorous, and accessible. Become a confident writer and speaker. You won’t just sound smarter, you’ll be smarter!"

--Portland Book Review

About the Author

MIGNON FOGARTY, the creator of Grammar Girl and the founder of the Quick and Dirty Tips Network, is also the author of the New York Times bestselling Grammar Girl’s Quick And Dirty Tips For Better Writing and The Grammar Devotional. Her straightforward, bite-sized tips on grammar have led to features in the New York Times, USA Today, the Los Angeles Times, and an appearance on Oprah. She lives in Reno, Nevada.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1 edition (July 5, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312573375
• ISBN-13: 978-0312573379
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.4 x 7.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #15,290 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #22 in Books > Education & Reference > Words, Language & Grammar > Vocabulary, Slang & Word Lists
  • #32 in Books > Education & Reference > Words, Language & Grammar > Grammar

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.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Grammar Girl strikes again! July 5, 2011

By Denise

Format:Paperback

Grammar Girl has a knack for putting the most useful information from dictionaries and style guides together into one fun-to-read place. I teach English and would love to require (or give) this book to each student (not to mention most of my friends and family members).

Even if you think you have a firm grasp on easily confused words (capital/capitol, hone/home, trooper/trouper), you might find that you're wrong. Grammar Girl gives enough background on the words to help you understand why the words are often confused and then even offers tips for how to prevent mixing them up again. (Take "trouper," for example. So many people spell it "trooper" when they mean "trouper," and Grammar Girl explains that the expression "What a trouper" comes from when an actor [a member of a troupe] nails a particularly tough role. That is why it should be "trouper," not "trooper" in that context. Neat, huh?)

Keep in mind that you can't count on spell and grammar check to catch these errors in usage, especially if the words mixed up are the same part of speech, so this small, handy book belongs in every writer's desk and every student's backpack. Parents, use this (and Grammar Girl's other Quick and Dirty Tips books, such as Grammar Girl's 101 Words Every High School Graduate Needs to Know) to quiz your kids at the dinner table. These books are small, inexpensive, fun, useful, and portable.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Have Book for Everyone July 6, 2011

By Andrea's ipad

Format:Paperback

This book helps readers solve the most common problems people make with word usage when both writing and communicating. In the introduction to her book, Fogarty addresses the reader by mentioning how English can be tricky to even the most advanced in the language.

After drawing the reader in with her introduction, Grammar Girl then dives right into her list of confusing words. On each page, Fogarty states two words that are regularly confused with each other. The use of quotes from modern television and movies make the terms more relatable to everyone. Shortly after distinguishing between each of the two words, a quick and dirty tip is located in a box at the bottom of the page that explains how Grammar Girl remembers when to use each of the two words discussed.

After the book has been read, it is sure to be used as a reference guide to keep in your library for quick reminders the next time someone is stuck on a word. Mignon Fogarty must have had this thought in her mind when writing this book because each of the words placed in alphabetical order through the book. This will make referencing trouble words easy in the future and this book a must have for anyone, beginner or advanced in the language, who never wants to confuse words again.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome vs. Great! July 6, 2011

By julie armbrecht

Format:Paperback

Love this book! It was fun to learn about the background/origin of certain words. The examples are easy to relate to. And, the tips for remembering which word to use when are very effective. It shows that you care when you take the time to check your work and look things up. Grammar Girl makes that much easier now!