Customer Reviews

A Pocket Guide to Correct Punctuation

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Of all the books on grammar and punctuation I've read, this was the most clear, correct and concise.

I serve as copy desk chief for a newsletter business. I serve a small staff of reporters and am often challenged in my judgements regarding copy, especially punctuation. In university, I was a descriptive grammarian much more than a prescriptive grammarian. Sometimes I find it difficult to see the "errors" in copy, and am more intrigued with the writer's decision to represent an idea in such a way.

This becomes a sticking point with writers on our staff. They want a reason for the changes I make, and often I am at a loss to explain the more verbose style guides' explanations.

I am glad to have Barron's Pocket Guide to Correct Punctuation, if not for the usage details, but for the explanations of punctuation usage. To quote: "It is not strictly logical, but it cannot be too often repeated that punctuation is not a matter of logical 'rules' but simply a system of conventional symbols used to make the meaning of written language clear to the reader" (page 19). I like this attitude.