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Grammar Girl's 101 Troublesome Words You'll Master in No Time (Quick and Dirty Tips) [Paperback]

Mignon Fogarty
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)

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Book Description

July 3, 2012 Quick and Dirty Tips
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 40 million times. Now she’s turning her attention to solving your worst problems—one troublesome word at a time.

Are you feeling "all right" or "alright"? Does "biweekly" mean twice a week or every two weeks? Do you run a gauntlet or a gantlet? Is a pair of twins four people or two?

The English language is always changing, and that means we are left with words and phrases that are only sort of wrong (or worse, have different definitions depending on where you look them up). How do you know which to use? Grammar Girl to the rescue! This handy reference guide contains the full 411 on 101 words that have given you trouble before—but will never again.

Full of clear, straightforward definitions and fun quotations from pop culture icons such as Gregory House and J. K. Rowling, as well as from classical writers such as Mark Twain and Benjamin Franklin, this highly-useable guidebook takes the guesswork out of your writing, so you’ll never be at a loss for words again.  


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Grammar Girl's 101 Troublesome Words You'll Master in No Time (Quick and Dirty Tips) + Grammar Girl's 101 Misused Words You'll Never Confuse Again + Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing (Quick & Dirty Tips)
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Editorial Reviews

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.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 144 pages
  • Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1 edition (July 3, 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0312573472
  • ISBN-13: 978-0312573478
  • Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.4 x 7.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #39,596 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

4.8 out of 5 stars
(26)
4.8 out of 5 stars
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
As an avid reader, occasional writer, and part-time professional proofreader, I've found Grammar Girl's books and website ("Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing") to be a goldmine of useful reference material. She's always spot-on, not only in clearly explaining the rules of grammar, but in making grammar actually interesting. What I like most is that she understands that grammar is a tool and not the end goal, and that sometimes, the rules may be bent or broken.

Grammar Girl's 101 Troublesome Words You'll Master in No Time is the latest book in Grammar Girl's "101 words" series. The book begins with the statement "English is always changing, and that leaves us with troublesome words and phrases that are only sort of wrong." That's a primary theme of the book - the conflict between grammarians about flexibility and adapting to the times versus honoring hard-and-fast rules of the past. Most writers, caught in the middle, just want a simple answer for spelling and word usage. And that's what Grammar Girl delivers in her book.

The book presents 101 examples of common words and phrases that are often misspelled or misused. Grammar Girl gives the background of the word or phrase, her interpretation of the rules, and some actual examples, often from contemporary sources. One of my favorite - and most helpful - was the explanation of the "bi-" prefix. Does, for example, "biweekly" mean twice a week or every two weeks? Grammar Girl's solution may surprise you, but it makes perfect sense, and solves the conundrum completely.

The book has a number of examples of similar words whose meanings are often confused, such as preventive/preventative, alternate/alternative, and amused/bemused.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As a copyeditor, I witness firsthand how the English language is always changing. Words and phrases take on new meanings over time. Definitions change; words are used interchangeably. The great rivalry between prescribers and describers continues.

I read all of Grammar Girl's tips and books. This new release is no exception and very much necessary in today's world. There are a total of 101 troublesome words that are tackled--most of which were not covered in previous Grammar Girl books. If you are unsure what words are acceptable to use in today's English language, this is a helpful guide. Grammar Girl did all of the research and makes great recommendations with example sentences. I did not agree with all of the choices, but can certainly appreciate a different point of view. 101 Troublesome Words You'll Master In No Time is complete with cute related drawings and quick and dirty tips to accompany the words and phrases.

Some of the troublesome words featured are:

African American (difference between African American and Black)
Couldn't Care Less (as opposed to "could care less")
E-mail versus Email
I'd've (contraction for "I would have")
Lay versus Lie
Momentarily (mistakenly used to mean "in a moment")
Noisome (nothing to do with noise but to describe smells)
Out Loud (as opposed to "aloud")
Peruse (incorrectly used to mean "browse")
Than I versus Than Me
Utilize (when in doubt, choose "use")
Whet (not "wet") your appetite

Be sure to add this great resource to your personal collection. It is offered at a great price of $5.99 for the paperback and eBook editions. Also visit [...] and subscribe to Grammar Girl's podcast.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect addition to any writer's shelf July 3, 2012
Format:Paperback
ARC provided by NetGalley

Mignon Fogarty, aka Grammar Girl, is back again helping the writers around the world with the English language. In this short book she tackles 101 of the most troublesome words in the English language and when to use them correctly. For example are you feeling "alright" or "all right"? When is the right time to use the phrase "African American" and does it need to have a hyphen in it? These are some of the words that Mignon tackles with clear definitions, fun quotations, and examples of which word to use when. There are also amusing little illustrations throughout the book to raise the reader's interest--such as on the flaunt page an aardvark in a disco suit. While the work is subjective (these are Mignon's opinions) it's nice to have a handy guide from an expert to refer to. For those folks that struggle with grammar (like me) or writers just looking for some assistance with word choice, I recommend picking up this book and giving it a read. 5 out of 5 stars
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
Everybody loves the troublemaker. From Fonzy on "Happy Days" to Bart on "The Simpsons," tricky characters have been glorified through generations. I thought I'd never be branded as rooting for the troublesome, that is, until I read Mignon Fogarty's newest grammar book: Grammar Girl's 101 Troublesome Words You'll Master in No Time.

I seem to lack the ability to grasp spelling and grammar. I had to change that when I decided to write professionally. When I set out to become more grammatically enlightened, I thought the biggest hurdle I'd have to tackle would be their, there, and they're. If I'd known how deep and dark the tunnel of grammar inaccuracies go and how many "grammarians" disagree, I may have never set out to better myself in this area.

I met Mignon at a writing workshop where she delivered the most shocking news I'd ever heard in my life: Alright is actually two words--all right. All this time, I'd been using it wrong. I was even sure that my trusty word spell checker would allow me to write it. I never remembered it being tagged as a problem before, but there it is, green squiggly line. She also suggests I not trust my spell checker.

After all my hardships through life trying to learn the English language (as a native speaker), I thought when I received a review copy of this book it might combust as soon as I made contact. The same way that matter and anti-matter would. It didn't happen, and now I can't unread all the alarming things I read in this book, namely that I pretty much fell for every one of the troublesome words' tricks.

I'm in love with romance books, particularly the paranormal genre. A reoccurring theme in those books is that a secret world is taking place inside the world as we know it.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Short and to the point.
This book is an excellent guide for helping others who are learning English. It is a simple resource for expaining the English "exception to the rule".
Published 2 months ago by N. Brown-McKinney
3.0 out of 5 stars good for a second level class
Book and idea are fine. Many "troubles" are real and are well explained. Some seem to be stretches to fill out the book.
Published 3 months ago by Graheme J. Williams
5.0 out of 5 stars Another great resource book by Mignon Fogarty
I always learn something about grammar from this author's books. For whatever it's worth, I think that the word "girl" in the title is misleading. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Molly Lewis
5.0 out of 5 stars WOW! Finally a good book for grammar!
This book is phenomenal. I always had a problem with grammar. But now I can say good bye to that, this books helps in many areas. It's simple and to the point. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Nadia Romanova
5.0 out of 5 stars This book is a great investment!
This book, like all of Grammar Girl's tips and books, gives the reader a huge return on his or her investment of time and money -- and it is a pleasure to read.
Published 4 months ago by Michael Sher
5.0 out of 5 stars Another fun and useful grammar resource from Grammar Girl
Yesterday I was out to lunch at a restaurant, and overheard discussion at the next table. In describing the conduct of a co-worker, one gentleman said, that "it begged the... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Nancy
5.0 out of 5 stars Great resource to have at your fingertips
This is a great book to have at your fingertips. Have you ever asked yourself 'Is it affect or effect' or 'Do you lie on a bed or lay on a bed? Read more
Published 9 months ago by Marcella
5.0 out of 5 stars A Big Sigh of Relief
Writing the simplest statement has often been a nightmare for me. No kidding. Here's but a brief glimpse as to what I go through: "Alright ('all right'? Read more
Published 10 months ago by Diana DeSpain Schramer
5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Resource for Anyone Who Writes
As with all of Grammar Girl's books, Troublesome Words is in a format that's easy to read and skim. Flipping through the pages, you can read in-depth, or skim to find those words... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Thomas McGee
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Book by Awesome Author!
. . . And Grammar Girl saves the day, yet again!

I have to say, before I start my review, that I am extremely conscious of my grammar in this space. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Hayden M. Casey
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