Grammatically Correct [Hardcover]

Anne Stilman (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0898797764 | ISBN-13: 978-0898797763 | Publication Date: September 15, 1997 | Edition: 1

Arms writers against spelling errors and related problems. Easy, quick and comprehensive, this handy new desk reference shows how to write prose that's clear and concise.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

For those who value correct grammar, Anne Stilman has written the definitive guide. She holds you to her high grammatical standards, and clearly explains how to follow the rules. There are chapters on "Spelling," "Punctuation," "Grammar," and "Style," and Stilman patiently elucidates the rules of colons, brackets, and plural formations, while gracefully tackling the common misuses of "lie" versus "lay." Her illustrative examples bring the stickiest lessons home. Quoting from Woody Allen, Vikram Seth, Mark Twain, and other likable authors, issues of pronoun choice, parallelism, and ellipses come clear. Although Stilman cuts no slack on errors, she concedes that grammar evolves. While she suggests that you avoid splitting infinitives, she also believes you shouldn't introduce excessive awkwardness merely to conform to a rule that was dogmatically decreed years ago for no particular reasons of clarity or merit.

About the Author

Anne Stilman has been a professional editor for more than ten years. She teaches seminars in copyediting and technical writing, and has been a guest lecturer for writer's organizations. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Writers Digest Books; 1 edition (September 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898797764
• ISBN-13: 978-0898797763
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #258,014 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

143 of 145 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical & Enjoyable, July 16, 2001

By 

kyara - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grammatically Correct (Hardcover)

I bought this book based on customer reviews after browsing through grammar books on amazon.com. It has certainly more than met my expectations. There are few grammar books that you can pick up and can't put down. Anne Stilman in "Grammatically Correct" has forged a new style in presenting information that is both enjoyable to read and provides the necessary rules. This book literally breezes through the basics of spelling, punctuation, grammar and style that meets most of the needs of both writers and editors, yet at the same time holds itself up to the highest standards. The book itself is printed on high quality paper, and has a well-thought out layout and lots of examples, often using passages from well-known past and contemporary writers to illustrate a point. What a departure from all the other grammar or style books I've read!

94 of 99 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars if you're serious about writing, April 3, 2003

By 

Rebecca Brown "rebeccasreads" (Clallam Bay, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Grammatically Correct (Hardcover)

Some books never go out of style, rarely become dated & endure as useful, understandable & applicable, GRAMMATICALLY CORRECT is one of those.

My copy is flagged at the problems I just don't seem able to remember, underlined where I consistently err. It has taken on a well-worn look as I refer to it repeatedly while I edit, making sure that what I've written is as polished as I can make it.

All those English classes we took at school become forgotten as we daily use our language & become so familiar with it that we don't realize how idiosyncratic is our style, how we perpetuate grammatical glitches, consistently misspell, & pepper our prose with breathless punctuation.

GRAMMATICALLY CORRECT is eminently user-friendly & definitely one of the best books I've found on what good writing looks like & how to attain it. (Ampersand (&) notwithstanding-that's my idiosyncratic stand!)

109 of 122 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars misleading title, March 5, 2006

By 

T. Wang "techguy" (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Grammatically Correct (Hardcover)

Despite what the book title "Grammatically Correct", this book is mostly about punctuation usages. Grammar is limited to a thin, single chapter. There are not sufficient materials on grammar to alert you on incorrect usages, let alone correct them.

I would recommend "Painless Grammar" over this title.