How Not to Write [Hardcover]

Terence Denman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2005

In a fast-paced workplace, where emails fly at lightning speed, precision and brevity are essential for good communication. But all too often we let spell-checkers do the dirty work—because many of us have forgotten the simple grammar rules we learned in school.
 
In How Not to Write, Terence Denman, instructor with the U.K.-based Plain English Campaign, sets out the top 10 grammar myths and the 10 grammar rules to live and work by. Readers will learn to:
 
     •  Position prepositions
     •  Chop off unwanted auxiliaries
     •  Root out passivity
     •  Eliminate extraneous adjectives
     •  Punctuate with impunity
 
With a breezy, wry, and accessible tone that never scols but always enlightens, How Not to Write is an indispensible guide to clear, concise, and correct language in the workplace.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Terence Denman is a Cambridge-educated instructor with the U.K.-based Plain English Campaign, an international organization that fights for the use of crystal clear language in business and government communications.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Quirk Books (July 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594740712
• ISBN-13: 978-1594740718
• Product Dimensions: 4.8 x 0.8 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,540,395 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Educational and entertaining, September 29, 2005

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How Not to Write (Hardcover)

Terence Denman is an instructor with the Plain English Campaign, a U.K. based, but world-wide organization dedicated to improving writing skills and promoting the use of crystal-clear language in business and government communications. In this wonderful little book, Mr. Denman lays out ten grammar tips on better writing and ten writing myths that will foil your attempts at clear and concise writing. Using a great deal of wit, he educates the reader on many common errors that people make while writing, and steers you quite handily towards better English.

This is a great book, one that should be read over and over again, and studied like a school book. Indeed, this would make a wonderful foundation for a class on clear writing given to all office workers! The author does an excellent job of writing in a fun and easy to read manner, which makes reading the book both educational and entertaining. I greatly enjoy this book, and hope that studying it will improve my writing skills. My hat's off to Mr. Denman for writing such an excellent book!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than Office Communication, May 12, 2008

By 

K. L. Reddick "Award-Winning Book Editor" (Centennial, CO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How Not to Write (Hardcover)

You don't need to only write office communication to find value in this handy little guide. It's full of sound grammar advice written in a concise manner. Keep it next to your computer for quick and easy reference.
Karen Reddick, author of Grammar Done Right!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential guide for business writers, February 3, 2008

By 

Joanna Paterson "Exploring the Art of Everyda... (Scotland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How Not to Write: An Office Primer for the Gramatically PerplexedQuirk Books (Hardcover)

I'd recommend this book for anyone who needs to write as part of their work - and that includes most of us!

It's packed full of simple writing tips to get you writing in plain English - but what I really liked was the debunking of the grammar myths. These are "rules" that you might remember from school or college (or heaven help you, a grammar book) that get in the way of writing clear, concise, conversational writing at work.

This is good value book and well worth the investment, not just for the grammatically perplexed but for anyone who wants to be a master of plain English.