Tarzan and Jane's Guide to Grammar [Paperback]

Mark Phillips (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 2005

Mark Phillips has taught at Northwestern University, had worked as an editor in the publishing field for more than 30 years, and is the author of eight books. He resides in Bayside, NY.

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About the Author

Product Details

• Paperback: 433 pages
• Publisher: A.J. Cornell Publications (August 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0972743936
• ISBN-13: 978-0972743938
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,841,099 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mark Phillips is an author, guitarist, arranger, and editor with more than 35 years in the music publishing field. He earned his bachelor's degree in music theory from Case Western Reserve University, where he received the Carolyn Neff Award for scholastic excellence, and his master's degree in music theory from Northwestern University, where he was elected to Pi Kappa Lambda, the most prestigious U.S. honor society for college and university music students. While working toward a doctorate in music theory at Northwestern, Phillips taught classes in theory, ear-training, sight-singing, counterpoint, and guitar.

During the 1970s and early '80s, Phillips was Director of Popular Music at Warner Bros. Publications, where he edited and arranged the songbooks of such artists as Neil Young, James Taylor, the Eagles, and Led Zeppelin. Since the mid-'80s he has served as Director of Music and Director of Publications at Cherry Lane Music, where he has edited or arranged the songbooks of such artists as John Denver, Van Halen, Guns N' Roses, and Metallica, and has served as Music Editor of the magazines Guitar and Guitar One.

Phillips is the author of several books on musical subjects, including Guitar for Dummies, Metallica Riff by Riff, Sight-Sing Any Melody Instantly, and Sight-Read Any Rhythm Instantly. In his non-musical life, Phillips is the author/publisher of a series of 'fun' high school English textbooks, including The Wizard of Oz Vocabulary Builder, The Pinocchio Intermediate Vocabulary Builder, Tarzan and Jane's Guide to Grammar, and Conversations in Early American History: 1492-1837.

Phillips' publishing company, A. J. Cornell Publications, was named in honor of, and publishes selected works by, two favorite early 20th century authors, A. J. Cronin and Cornell Woolrich.

For the reference value of his numerous publications, Phillips is profiled in Who's Who in America.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Embarassing. A grammar guide full of mistakes., February 6, 2008

By 

Kelly Chancey - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tarzan and Jane's Guide to Grammar (Paperback)

Ok, so I could get over the cheesy set-up and the lame "thrills" and dialogue. After all, it's a grammar book, right? Well, there's one basic thing I look for in a grammar book: does it teach proper grammar? Here are some (some! not all!) examples from the first 15 pages of text.
1) We'll use the first few articles, the one's that I ghostwrite-
(one's???)
2) Can you believe what we journalist have to go through?
(we journalist)
3) "What do you mean by 'how they function'?"
(ok, so maybe a lot of people get the placement of quotes w/ ?s wrong, but this is a grammar book, and people may actually want to refer to it to clarify things like quotes)
4) "Yes. You see, a pronoun is a word--such as I, me, you, he, she, him, her, or it-- that takes the place of a noun. It substitutes for a noun. Do you see?
(this one has two: inconsistent use of spaces after dash and no end quote)
5) "Okay, I said, but don't pick the poisonous ones."
(yes, this was in dialogue, and no, I don't think the speaker said "I said")
So, call me picky if you like, but I'd stay far, far away from this one. For a good read about grammar, try Eats, Shoots & Leaves. Otherwise, I think you're better off with a textbook or Chicago Manual. Trust me, the story is not appealing enough to read this as a novel.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly excellent -- very comprehensive!, May 18, 2007

By 

J.D. - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tarzan and Jane's Guide to Grammar (Paperback)

How do we know the state of education is in serious decline? It's a complex issue but here's a piece of the puzzle: I picked up more useful information from this book on the English language than in both of my freshman college English classes.

This book is very good and will improve your writing skills. It touches on so many bases: semicolon usage is finally explained. Yay!

A big bonus is it will also help you with foreign language classes. You learn powerful skills like deciphering tenses and mood that are also taught in those classes.

Highly recommended!

5.0 out of 5 stars Great!!, August 22, 2006

By 

D. Reed "7th gr English teacher" (Tennessee) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tarzan and Jane's Guide to Grammar (Paperback)

My seventh graders are using this book. I read to them while they follow along. They giggle at appropriate times, and comprehend what they've read. They are learning grammar and don't even realize it!!