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How Not to Write: The Essential Misrules of Grammar

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In "How Not to Write: the Essential Misrules of Grammar," William Safire, nitpicker extraordinaire, wags his finger at sloppy writers. Using large doses of gentle humor, Safire introduces "fumblerules," mistakes that call attention to basic rules of grammar, usage, and style. Safire, who warns us to avoid the overuse of alliteration, calls his compilation a "ferocious farrago of instructive error," that is "designed to straighten you out without weighing you down." In fifty brief chapters, Safire wittily taps the reader on the shoulder, and, with a smile and a wink, he urges us to avoid such writing gremlins as run-ons, misplaced modifiers, mixed metaphors, and improper punctuation.

This book offers little that is new for fussbudgets who already adhere to the basic rules of correct writing. Most people who write for a living or as a hobby routinely avoid double negatives, always use commas and conjunctions with care, and would never allow too many cliches to clutter their prose. For such readers, this book is not an instructional guide as much as it is an entertaining review.

"How Not to Write" will serve as a useful introduction for novices who need to sharpen their writing skills. They will learn the proper use of a semicolon, when to adopt a formal or colloquial writing style, and why euphemisms usually "deserve termination with extreme prejudice." This slim volume is not a textbook or a workbook. There is no table of contents or index, and the chapters are not organized in any obvious manner. "How Not to Write" is a painless and amusing primer by a Pulitzer Prize winner who writes a language column for the "New York Times." If you liked the bestselling book "Eats, Shoots & Leaves," you will also enjoy this lighthearted look at the rules of writing by one of America's most respected wordsmiths.

Almost none of us is a professional writer. While some of us do write on a regular basis, nearly everyone has to at least occasionally put words on paper for one reason or another. We get tense because we are unsure what to put on that very blank page. We are armed with only some vague and incomplete memories of usage rules from our school days, and we wisely don't fully trust what we remember. The idea of reading through a textbook on grammar and writing is not very appealing and going back to school for a class is impractical. What can we do to improve our writing and feel more confident in what we present to others?

William Safire is a well-known writer and authority whom many trust to pass judgment on what is fair and foul about the rules we use in our writing. He is no curmudgeon when it comes to writing and appeals more to usage, what sounds right to the ear, and what communicates the writer's meaning with verve and clarity. These little articles will help you with pesky split infinitives, punctuation, capitalization, sentence construction, participle issues, and word usage.

This book was published years ago as "Fumblerules". A fumblerule is a sentence that teaches a writing principle by being a clearly and often humorous example of breaking the rule. You immediately see why writing that way is a mistake. He has fifty column length articles here; each devoted to clarifying one rule. I enjoyed all of them and had more than a few laughs as I read through the book.

It is likely that you already know and keep most of these rules, but if you only get a more sure grip on five or ten of these rules, you will have been richly rewarded for the money you plunked down and couple of hours you spend thinking about the advice Safire provides.

Super!

First-rate little book filled with erudition, wit and deep respect for good writing. The author knows how to make every word and punctuation mark count. Highly recommend to anyone who cares about writing. This book, HOW NOT TO WRITE, is, however, a re-issue of Mr. Safire's 1990 book FUMBLERULES. Both are equally good, because they are the same book. I purchased Fumblerules used here on Amazon for a tiny price. Buy the new one here, too. You'll be glad to have either version.

William Safire, of course, is a master of the English language. In "How Not To Write," Safire attempts in a humorous way to lead the reader through the thornier thickets of grammar. To a large extent he succeeds, demonstrating proper and improper grammar throug humorous example.

A worthwhile addition to the library of anyone who writes. The only problem I see is trying to remember all the rules when you really need them . . . like when you're writing.

Jerry

I am not into technical writing manuals and this one caught my eye as being simple, straight forward, practical and easy to read. I was not disappointed. It has short chapters, funny at times and easy to 'get it'. If you're looking for a simple book to dispense writing advice in an easy to take manner this is it.

Safire uses humorous examples of "bad" grammar to lead the reader in the proper direction. Each self-contained chapter is very short and covers a single grammatical problem. The material is easy to read -- and easy to understand. If you want to improve your grammar -- but don't want to wade through a textbook -- this inexpensive paperback is for you.

This book is full of tidbits of interest and usefulness. However, it's a bit confusing at times as Safire pokes fun at certain usage "mistakes" that aren't all that bad. His tongue-in-cheek presentation makes one wonder at times whether he means what he says or not. One also wonders whether he got caught up in writing to a difficult and wordy title. I generally enjoy reading Safire, but this book is a departure from his usual clarity.

Safire's little booklet is never boring and always educational. In a day and age where bloggers run amog without grammatical concern, Safire pinpoints both the richness and exactness of the English language.

Safire is a recognized master of our language. In this slender volume, he presents fifty column length articles about the misrules of grammar with humor and patience. I keep it at my elbow whenever I feel the urge to scribble. Well recommended.

This is a real jewel and I liked it better than Lynn Truss's book on grammar. It was funny, insightful and I learned several important things.

Safire has a masterful command of the English language, is concise and direct, and writes in a style that almost anyone can understand.

The only part that left me confused was when to use "if I was" and "if I were." I'm still not sure exactly what the difference is between those two and must confess that I'm one of those sloppy writers who uses "if I were" indiscriminately!

Great read and very humorous. Highly recommended. Sentence fragments notwithstanding, I found a great deal of important info in this book.

Sigrid Macdonald
Author and Editor