Grammar Smart: A Guide to Perfect Usage, 2nd Edition [Paperback]

Princeton Review (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0375762159 | ISBN-13: 978-0375762154 | Publication Date: August 7, 2001 | Edition: 2nd

The words you use say a lot about you. Grammar makes a lasting impression on friends, co-workers, and teachers, but learning the rules has always been boring. That's why the folks at The Princeton Review created Grammar Smart.

Grammar Smart uses a witty, irreverent approach to help individuals write and speak with greater clarity and confidence. Instead of boring readers with countless rules and confusing grammatical terms, The Princeton Review shows them the logic behind each correct sentence. Everything in Grammar Smart is nuts-and-bolts English designed to help readers express themselves more clearly. They'll learn how to choose between "that" and "which" and when to use "as" instead of "like," and they'll know for sure if this is between "you and me" or "you and I."

Includes:

• The basic parts of speech -- nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc.
• Pronoun-verb agreement and parallel construction
• Tips on how to avoid misplaced modifiers and dangling participles
• Lively, humorous examples to illustrate meanings
• Brief question-and-answer reviews

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

The words you use say a lot about you. Grammar makes a lasting impression on friends, co-workers, and teachers, but learning the rules has always been boring. That's why the folks at The Princeton Review created Grammar Smart.

Grammar Smart uses a witty, irreverent approach to help individuals write and speak with greater clarity and confidence. Instead of boring readers with countless rules and confusing grammatical terms, The Princeton Review shows them the logic behind each correct sentence. Everything in Grammar Smart is nuts-and-bolts English designed to help readers express themselves more clearly. They'll learn how to choose between "that" and "which" and when to use "as" instead of "like," and they'll know for sure if this is between "you and me" or "you and I."

Includes:

? The basic parts of speech -- nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc.
? Pronoun-verb agreement and parallel construction
? Tips on how to avoid misplaced modifiers and dangling participles
? Lively, humorous examples to illustrate meanings
? Brief question-and-answer reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Princeton Review; 2nd edition (August 7, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375762159
• ISBN-13: 978-0375762154
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.5 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #42,999 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good concept, but missed the target., October 13, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Grammar Smart: A Guide to Perfect Usage, 2nd Edition (Paperback)

Grammar is boring, frustrating, and complex. At least, that's the impression I got from taking it in school. This book attempts to take a fun (well, not-so-boring) approach to explain it all... And for the most part it does well. It's concise, and the examples are good. Where things fall apart is when the book refers to parts of grammar that haven't been explained yet. For example, starting with Quick Quiz #8 (page 25), the reader is asked to identify prepositional phrases, but phrases and clauses aren't covered until page 59. Naturally, you'll miss a lot of the questions. The answers to the quizzes seldom have explanations. If an answer seems to contradict a grammar rule or just not make sense, you're left hanging. Discouraging? You bet. If you were confused by grammar in school, this book may help -- but don't expect it to answer all your questions or eliminate frustration with the topic.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Grammar Smart, 2nd Edition, December 25, 2006

By 

Immortalix (New York, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grammar Smart: A Guide to Perfect Usage, 2nd Edition (Paperback)

I think this book is great. It tells us everything, but since its purpose is to serve as a reference book, I thought the outside remarks, such as "nobody expects you to know everything" is really not needed. I found out a lot about grammar from this book. However, some information needs to be explained further. They don't have enough examples of different types of sentences for every component in writing. The main problem with this book is that my English teacher is requiring the class to practically memorize the whole book and get tested on it, but this is a personal problem and has nothing to do with the quality of this book. I give this book 5 stars for its overall review of grammar. Minus 1 star for lack of examples. Thus, 4 stars.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lots of bang for the buck, October 21, 2008

By 

Barbara Rubinstein - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Grammar Smart: A Guide to Perfect Usage, 2nd Edition (Paperback)

[[ASIN:0375762159 Grammar Smart, 2nd Edition (Smart Guides)]
I have required all my students to purchase this book. {I teach English at the college level.] It is the clearest, most comprehensible discussion of English grammar that I have ever seen. It works for adults and kids. Best of all, there is no more "comma shaker in the sky."