Customer Reviews

Painless Writing (Barron's Painless)

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

 

 

A book intended for high schoolers, but I read it as a 4th year college student and it helped me a whole lot. Reading and practicing this ten dollar book taught me more than any semester long college course ever could.

Boys & Girls AND Ladies & Gentlemen: This book is a gem. The back cover says it's for middle school and high school students (and indeed it is great for them), but it should be studied also by adults and EVERYONE who needs to write. I learned a lot. Highly recommended.

The wrong and right examples of parts of grammar shown. Valuable and clear explanations. However, the book looks boring with only linear explanations and the same font type. Also, if more exercises are given, it would be better. To me it is a good book but a bit expensive and not really worth the value for the $ I paid for the conversion in Malaysian ringgit with the shipping costs.

I usually wait to review a book till I'm finished, or at least half way through. I'm only through the first chapter of this book though, and I'm making an exception, because... I've been looking for a grammar book for over a month now and Amazon has precious few helpful reviews in this area! That's not Amazon's fault of course; apparently people aren't reviewing their books, and those that are aren't providing much depth. So I may well adjust this review as I read it through, but I want to help anyone else in my predicament.

This book is good, but at best what I see from the first chapter is a three and a half star for a few reasons: Rule after rule is run through in rapid succession, with no exercises till 4 topics (with sub-topics each) have been covered. The exercises at the end of the chapter have to be done outside the book (I know it's not a workbook, so I'm not deducting additional points for that, just letting you know). Finally, this is not a whole language approach, which all effective language skills need to be. The book is good, from what I see so far- just limited.

Other things you may want to know: This book is definitely meant for a middle school age group. It can be helpful to others, as any book can be, but it's apparent that it's meant for that age range. It's short and runs through quick (this can be good or bad, depends on what you want). Finally, it's really important to know that grammar instruction doesn't stick (anymore than listening to TV in Spanish once a week makes you fluent) unless you use it in it's real world context. Language is whole, and has to be taken as a whole in order to progress. To learn Spanish really effectively you would spend time reading, writing, and speaking in the language daily. The parts come together with correct usage. The reason some people are more natural at grammar is because they speak (and are surrounded by others who speak) correctly, read well written books (because they enjoy it), and write frequently. To really get grammar read a rule, practice it, then read things you love (active reading), write, and edit... Then move on to the next.

So this book is okay, just not quite what I was looking for. I fully intend to use it, and run through the whole thing; but I'm also looking for other books now, likeEasy Grammar Plus Workbook and Mechanically Inclined: Building Grammar, Usage, and Style into Writer's Workshop. Though I haven't tried them yet, they seem to be what I'm looking for. I just wish there were more detailed reviews or even more info on the web in this area. Please feel free to add comments- feedback would be really helpful.

I gave this to my junior high age daughter to help her understand writing style. I am a writer by trade but I love it when someone makes the writing rules accessible. Even though it is written with the junior high/high school student in mind, it was refreshing to learn about writing style in a non stuffy way. A great refresher for anyone wanting to "bone-up" on their writing skills.

I have several other of Barron's "Painless" series - all highly recommended.

This book provides clear step-by-step instructions to write more effectively. It also provides examples to help cement the skills you learn. I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking to bolster their writing---whether you are a student or a professional!

This book was recommended by a few friends of mine so thought of trying it.I went over a first few chapters and it's really interesting the way the author addresses in identifying the trouble spots.I am not done going through this book but it seems to be worth the money till now,will be able to give a detail feedback once I finish the book.

This book is an excellent way to help with writing. I love the ideas and hints, and it has proven to be a very good teaching tool.