Customer Reviews

Merriam-Webster's Guide to Punctuation and Style

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is a great reference for those just learning English or native English speakers who occasionally need to check on the exact use of an ampersand, comma or semicolon. The reference is divided in to the following sections: punctuation, capitals/italics/question marks, plurals/possessives/compounds, abbreviations, numbers, grammar/composition, and problems in word usage. I commonly find myself using this reference when typing professional letters, writing stories, or whenever I get confused on the exact use of a particular element of punctuation or style. It's a small book but contains tons of content and enough examples to compliment each section.

The complexity of the subject(s) makes for a bit of confusion, but it is all in here. My copy is already dog-eared after only a couple of days in my possession and pretty constant use. It is much easier to use than the huge volumes of similar advice that once stood on their own tables at the local library. Already I have bookmarks throughout it.

This guide is not cute, sexy or fun. However, it has all the style and grammar guide you need. It doesn't try to amuse so its free to give you the rules and useful examples of them in practice. The price is excellent as well. I keep one copy next to me whenever I write.

For the price you'll pay for this book you can hardly afford not to have it by your side when writing, editing or proofreading. I use it for all three of the aforementioned tasks. While your computer may be constantly connected to the internet, sometimes it's just easier to pick up an actual reference book and find the answer you need.

In the case of this little reference book (just the size of a paperback novel) you'll discover it's easy to lookup your question in the index and then quickly find the information you need. They layout and font face that was used makes this guide read almost like a dictionary. In other words, it is designed for reading short sections and presents the grammar rules in a lean format that is perfect.

This book shares space on my desk with my Oxford Dictionary of Current English:

Oxford Dictionary of Current English

And also my beloved copy of the 11th Merriam-Webster's Collegiate dictionary:

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary

And as noted above... for the price you'll pay, the Merriam-Webster's guide is more than good value for your money.

This is an excellent book for those who are seeking a quick and efficient guide to punctuation.

I copyedit and proofread educational texts, and I found this guide to be intuitive, easy to navigate, and concise. On the down side, the book has outdated technological references which need to be revised.

This is a great style guide to have when you're on the road and cannot reach for a hefty tome like "The Chicago Manual of Style." And with common or recurrent stylistic issues, it's often far simpler to find answers in this little book than to have to slog through the countless pages of the aforementioned "C.M.S."

A few years ago, I spent several months in Paris; and while there, I was asked to write a couple of articles destined for American publication. Not having any reference books with me at the time, I count myself lucky for having stumbled across a copy of the "Merriam-Webster's Guide to Punctuation and Style" in a local anglophone bookshop. It really saved my skin, turning what could have been a pair of disasters into two very pleasant tasks.

I was having trouble with punctuation. But not any longer since I received my merriam websters guide to punctuation and style. My writing has all the correct punctuation for a personal.

This is an excellent resource. If you haven't thought of your basic English and grammar studies in a long while, a refresher course may be necessary. This isn't grade school stuff.

Excellent resource for checking grammar usage in writings such as the use of commas,periods, and semi-colons this was helpful in proof reading papers.