Customer Reviews

Tarzan and Jane's Guide to Grammar

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1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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!

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!!

This book should replace every grammar school textbook. Finally, a way to learn grammar in a way that makes it fun. Your children, your grandchildren, your nephews, your friends, your students and even you will have a tremendous advantage by owning and reading this book. Buy this series for your class, for your kids, for your school district!. Ingenious.