Customer Reviews

Writer's Reference 6e & MLA Quick Reference Card

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

An earlier edition of this book was required for one of my undergraduate english courses. At the time, I thought it was the best writer's reference ever written.

The reason it's so good is because it is both designed very well and has great content that is simple to understand. Sometimes, one of the most frustrating aspects of writing is the laborious process of going through a reference to find a rule that you need to apply and then understanding the rule to apply it correctly. The Hacker's guide makes almost every rule and example easy to find. First, it is spiral bound so a writer can open the page and it lays flat where most other writer's references are tightly bound stiff small books that refuse to stay open. Second, this book is tabbed with special tabs for punctuation, grammar, and an MLA quick reference guide. So, the tabs and the spiral bound make this book's design a winner. In addition to the ease of use through tabs and the spiral binding, this book is filled with the latest rules of using the english language in written form. It is also filled with real world examples that illustrate the proper usage of a particular rule. Overall its the best writer's reference out there.

One thing, the book alone will not make you write better, but it will give you the tools and if you spend time practicing, your writing will improve. My writing still needs quite a bit of work but thanks to Diana Hacker, I can generally get the point across in my writing.

I loved the original Hacker's guide so much that I purposefully picked up a Writer's Reference 6th edition recently and I must say, it has only gotten better over the years with sturdier spiral binding and plastic covered tabs that are considerably more durable than the first edition. I picked up the new edition because after almost 20 years, I figured some of the rules of english had changed just a bit and I wanted the latest reference. Overall a wonderful product.

Yes, it is expensive but don't think of this as a paperback or spiral bound workbook; this is the "standard" english writer's reference text on the market. You will not find a better product out there. If you're writing a PHD or Master's thesis, get this. If you're an undergrad trying to make it through an english class and your professor recommended another text, get this one in addition to whatever he/she requires. You will not be dissappoined and if you're at all like me, you will wind up reaching for your Hacker's Guide, as we in-the-know call it, very often.

PLEASE NOTE:
There are now several versions of this guide, one for ESL students, one for Literature students, one for Academic writers, and one with some additional exercises. You can find them all at Amazon if you dig a bit - just wanted to pass that detail along so that you would get the one you need/want.

This Book is the best writing reference book I have ever used. Just about every writing situation is explained and gives great ideas and provides alternative methods for writing.

This book is an absolute essential for academic writing and covers MLA, APA and CMS styles of writng, and includes grammar, punctuation, research, structure, references and much more. It is a required reference for my University Academic Writing course, and is an invaluable asset for composing and writing well structured, cohesive academic papers. I can't recommend it highly enough, it is a huge time saver when putting a collegiate level paper together. I got it through Amazon.com, and was very satisfied with the book and delighted with the price.

This book is excellent for the ones who are learning the rules for writing properly in English. Also, it has exercises online so you can practice what you have learned.

This book is what I have been desperately seeking, one book that answers the majority of questions about basic styles, structure, grammar, punctuation, quotations, adverb usage, adjective usage, and more. Whenever I need assistance, I refer to this book by looking in the index first, going to the reference section (on point and short), and reading the section that quickly answers my questions. Highly recommend this book for professionals who want to ensure their communication is accurate and do not have much time to read a whole book on grammar, punctuation, and the like. Nice thing about this book is that it is spiral bound and can lay flat.

I used to use the classic, Strunk and White, "The Elements of Style," but this book is more thorough and offers more information. Recommend it without being disappointed.

Writer's Reference 6e & MLA Quick Reference Card
An absolute necessity for any college student!!!

The book looks great, even better than the used books at my college bookstore, and has little to no damage to it. I saved a lot of money by buying this book, rather than paying over 50 dollars for the same thing at my college bookstore. I'm pleased with my purchase.

A few years ago I purchased two copies of Diana Hacker's "A Writer's Reference" second edition. It can now be purchased for a couple of dollars. I gave a copy to each set of grandchildren, some of whom were in elementary school. Diana Hacker's books are great for students of any grade level. Yes you can get the same info off the internet but it is so much easier to have all the information at your finger tips. We just purchased "The Writer's Reference" 6th edition for our grandson who has just entered college.

This book should be a staple in every serious writer's library!!! Although I'm familiar with most of the information, I still found several bits of helpful info within the pages. I highly recommend this book for ALL writers.

This is an essential tool for today's college students. I would suggest purchasing one your first semester and using it often till your last.