Customer Reviews

Woe Is I: The Grammarphobe's Guide to Better English in Plain English, Second Edition

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Do you suffer from dangling modifiers? Does fretting over knowing where to place your commas give you a rash? Do "farther" and "further" throw you for a loop? Do you run screaming at the mere thought of using a semicolon? If so, then Patricia T. O'Conner's "Woe Is I" is your best medicine.

Writing in a pun-filled style that uses sentence examples ripped right out of such pop culture staples as "The Simpsons" and "The Honeymooners", O'Conner covers everything from punctuation perfidy to vexing vocabulary. Best of all, once she tells you the correct usage, she lets you know that rules truly are made to be broken, giving us the scoop on just how (and when) to break them--while still maintaining some sense of grammatical decorum.

If the mere thought of cracking open "The Chicago Manual of Style" causes palpitations, then you'll reach for this one knowing that the author does a wonderful job of simply getting to the point. With only 230 pages of text in an easy to handle trade paperback size (and set with an easy-on-the-eyes typeface), this is not an imposing tome. You don't have to be an Oxford-educated English Department chairman to appreciate this one.

"Woe is I" is a book everyone can use. No matter what your profession or station in life, if you speak English, you'll want this as a reference. Six stars, if that were possible.

With "Woe is I," O'Connor has created a modern masterpiece. A broad range of grammar topics are covered, including pronouns, punctuation, split infinitives, clichés to avoid, easily confused words (e.g., anxious versus eager), words that are frequently misspelled, and "words" that really aren't words (e.g., irregardless). You also will find a helpful section on email in this new expanded edition.

Fortunately, the guide isn't a stuffy schoolbook; it's actually pretty witty. The most enjoyable section concerns "rules" of grammar that can be bent in all but the most formal writing, such as ending a sentence with a preposition. In addition, examples touch upon great literature (e.g., Shakespeare) as well as popular culture (e.g., Harry Potter), making the book quite entertaining. I actually laughed out loud several times, not something one usually does when reading about grammar! O'Connor also strikes a good balance between being a strict grammarian and being pragmatic - she clearly understands her audience. Some sections aren't as detailed as some readers might like, perhaps the only debit.

I read "Woe is I" in a few hours, and I plan on rereading it every year as a refresher. I will keep this book by my computer - I know I'll be using it often. Most highly recommended for writers of all types.

I'll keep this short and sweet. I manage a group of technical writers at work. For consistency in the professional world of writing, they use the Chicago Manual of Style as the definitive source. Secretly, our lead writer told me she likes "Woe is I" better. I know why: It is much easier to use, has a great index, is fun to read (no one will ever say that about the Chicago Manual of Style), and covers all the essentials.

I highly recommend "Woe Is I" to everyone that cares about grammar. For those people, like me, that just want a quick reference to help them write well enough, this is perfect. If you are a professional, buy "Woe Is I" to complement your Chicago Manual of Style. I bet you will use "Woe Is I" more often :)

This is an excellent reference for those who are confused by grammar. O'Connor refers to some technical grammar terms, but she is clear with the definitions. It reads very well and I have recommended it to many people. It is very unlike those boring grammar books we all remember as elementary school students. Because it was so enjoyable the first time, I'm in the process of reading it again.

"Woe is I" caught my eye in a bookstore, with its cutesy title, where it stood out against the dry, text-like grammar references in a quick scan. Patricia O'Conner did not disappoint, and her advice nearly always hits its mark for people who actually care about the finer points of grammar. The book is much more about grammar than the popular "Eats, Shoots, & Leaves", and I easily preferred this one.

The author ranges from grammar and usage concepts to exact details on words and punctuation. She mixes in some fun and cute examples, which I can understand would put off some people, whereas I found it part of the pleasure of the book because the author didn't go overboard.

I consider myself pretty solid on usage and grammar, and was happy to discover many topics confirmed my own thoughts and style, even when I didn't explicitly realize the rules she spelled out. It was good to learn exactly why some of those rules were true, and her flexibility on such items as split infinitives was refreshing.

She covered some areas I sometimes struggle with (e.g., "she dislikes my smoking", "who" vs. "whom", and "like" vs. "as") and identified relatively obscure examples I probably get wrong and now can try to do properly. Isn't that one of the reasons to read a grammar book, anyway?

Perhaps the only topic about which I disagreed was whether to use apostrophes in certain plurals, as in 1970s vs. 1970's, which she admits is no big deal and basically a coin toss anyway.

The chapter on e-mail best practices is good advice, even though it doesn't really fit with the book's emphasis on grammar.

Good things do indeed come in small packages. "Woe is I" gives the reader all the information needed to write clearly and with the proper punctuation. Certain rules always escaped me and my punctuation never appeared where it was supposed to. I lived too long without consistently using "it's" and "its" in their rightful place and I shamefully admit, "who's and whose" routinely gave me pause. For a small book, it sure packs a mighty punch. "Woe Is I" utilizes very small lessons, some just a short paragraph. The reader is never bogged down with lengthy instruction or boring details, just the facts and some examples are all you really need. This is a great little handbook that teaches a little, entertains a little and is a valuable asset for everyone, young and old alike. You're never too old to learn or relearn how to get it right.

As a proofreader, I have found this book to be as helpful as the AP Stylebook or Chicago Manual of Style. While the CMS rigidly covers rules and the AP Stylebook mainly helps me with individual words or references to organizations, Woe Is I has helped me out of specific sticky situations. For instance, one of my high school English teachers taught that "if I" always went with "were" instead of "was," but I came upon a situation in a book where "if I were" just didn't seem right. Patricia O'Conner, with examples and extremely accessible language, helped me get my mind around the problem so that I could do my job well.
Woe Is I is extremely readable. Unlike the other reference books I mentioned in this review, this book could be read straight through--and the reader would probably retain a fair amount of the information covered in the text. The helpful, humorous writing makes the book a valuable tool; I was skeptical when I received it as a gift, but have found it to be worth its weight in gold.

This is a great book. It sits right next to my copy of Strunk & White's Elements of Style. The book covers much of the same territory, but in a humorously delightful manner.

I especially enjoyed Chapter 9 - The Living Dead. It is a list of "rules" I learned in grade school that are no longer relevant, such as "Don't split an infinitive," and the book's namesake, "Use It is I, not It is me." So if it's pronouns, adverbs or punctuation that get you down, grab rhis book. You'll have fun learning about the dynamic inner workings of English grammar.

Many of the Amazon reviewers said this book is valuable for both novices and experienced professionals, and it's funny to boot. I read four chapters and put the book aside. I've been a technical writer since 1970, and knew I wouldn't find too much new here, but decided to take a chance on it for the humorous aspects. In my opinion, it's funny in spots, but waaaaay too basic. I don't need to be told again the difference between there, they're, and their. Nor do I need to be told when to use it's instead of its.

For a writing-related book that's valuable for both novices and experienced professionals, try "Eats, Shoots & Leaves."

(Note: I have the first edition of this book. I believe this second edition has more about e-mail than the first edition.)

This book is close in content to Strunk & White's "The Elements of Style". It covers the same grammatical concepts such as subject-verb agreement, pronoun use, punctuation, etc. The biggest difference is that Ms O'Conner uses humor to help maintain her reader's interest.

I wouldn't recommend buying both this and "The Elements of Style", unless you learn better through repetition. Of the two, I prefer O'Conner's not only because it is more fun to read, but because it also includes more examples of each topic. Also, O'Conner is a bit more open to modern usages.

If you prefer to learn from teachers who use humor to engage their students; choose this book. If you would rather your teachers get straight to the point; Strunk & White would probably suit you better. Personally, I enjoy both styles of teaching, and will keep both books near me while I try to learn to write well.