The Gregg Reference Manual (Spiral-bound)

~ William Sabin (Author) "Punctuation marks are the mechanical means for making the meaning of a sentence easily understood..." (more)
Key Phrases: main verb, helping verb, organizational names, New York, Microsoft Word, Major Marks (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This is the most up-to-date, authoritative source on grammar, usage and style for a variety of business documents. It provides basic rules for problems that occur most frequently, and expanded rules and exceptions for almost any situation. The examples and illustrations offer easy-to-follow models that help solve problems quickly, from e-mail messages to formal reports.

- New trim size makes it easier to read and find information.

- Expanded coverage of topics related to the Internet: e-mail, how to cite on-line resources and scannable resumes.

- Expanded discussion and illustration of document formats provided by MS Word templates and guidelines on how to modify the formats.

- NEW Web sites for students and instructors include FAQ's, a newsletter, instructor forum, how to use GRM, technology terms and interactive exercises.

- The structure of GRM remains the same: Sections 1-11 cover grammar, usage and style, Sections 12-18 cover formatting.

- Spiral with Wrap Flap Edition.

Product Details

• Spiral-bound: 640 pages
• Publisher: Irwin/McGraw-Hill; 9th edition (January 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0028040473
• ISBN-13: 978-0028040479
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #504,260 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply the best, January 20, 2000

By	Robert E. Kelly (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

I teach business writing in industry and government, and I recommend the Gregg Manual enthusiastically in all my programs, at every level. There are a lot of wonderful resources out there, including Albert Joseph's classic EXECUTIVE GUIDE TO GRAMMAR, that can help you understand what makes our language tick, but there is nothing like Gregg when you need an authoritative answer NOW to a specific (even picayune) question. And it's striking to see how EXCITED seemingly well-balanced people from all walks of life can be when they first get their hands on Gregg. After reading the other reviews here, I am even preparing to do the unthinkable and buy a new copy - just to see what the new edition has to say about computers (my copy is a little old...).

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Praise for Gregg Reference Manual, September 5, 2001

By	Charles Darling (Hartford, CT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gregg Reference Manual (Gregg Reference Manual, 9th Ed) (Spiral-bound)

The Gregg Reference Manual is the most thorough and readable handbook I've found in thirty-years-plus of teaching writing. As the author of an online grammar resource, I get hundreds of questions about writing every week, and I find myself reaching for GRM over and over again to help me define a grammatical point or resolve an issue of English usage. I find GRM very easy to use (unlike an earlier reviewer on this page); its index is enormous and you don't waste time being bounced from one cross-reference to another. The organization is admirably simple: the section on letter-writing, for example, begins with an extensive section on formatting, and then proceeds to the business of what you put on the envelope, how to use return addresses, etc., right down to the letter's closing. The book contains an abundance of examples, complete with acceptable ranges of formality (with a tip of the hat to what is still acceptable but somewhat too formal by today's tastes). All of this information is nicely, thoroughly indexed with references to paragraph numbers and pages where appropriate. GRM also contains up-to-date advice on altering templates in today's software packages (for stationery, etc.) to individual and corporate needs. William Sabin's even-handed style is ideal for this kind of text; he will state a grammatical rule concisely and then give just enough illustrations to make the rule stick in the mind. Where there is disagreement among other style books, Sabin provides for those differences and often suggests a commonsense resolution of disputes. But GRM is more than just a compilation of rules: Sabin gets into the nitty-gritty of writing, of style, and all users, at whatever level, will write with more economy and energy --whether they're writing a memo to the boss or an academic research paper -- if they keep GRM handy. (The spiral-bound edition is handy for this purpose: you can use that spiral ring to grab it off the shelf and then it lies nice and flat on the desktop.)

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gregg is Great!, October 11, 2001

By	Linda Comerford (Indianapolis, Indiana) - See all my reviews

As a written and oral communications trainer specializing in grammar, I needed the best reference manual I could find for my students. After reviewing dozens of them for over a decade, The Gregg Reference Manual by William Sabin continues to receive an A+ in my book. It is the only one I recommend because it is so comprehensive in scope, easy to use, and simple to understand. I take my copy with me everywhere.

Working with varied groups as a grammar expert, I am concerned about receiving a question I can't answer. Thanks to The Gregg Reference Manual, that's never happened. I've found answers to questions about even the finest points of grammar as do my students. Regardless of the concept in question, the book is amazingly easy to navigate thanks to its unique index. Unlike others, this one does not simply contain page references. Mr. Sabin references the numerous and detailed subjects in his index to distinctly numbered and lettered paragraphs instead. Those paragraphs contain both clear explanations of the related rules along with enlightening examples that serve to clarify rather than complicate the issues in question.

In my business, I have worked with thoursands of corporate and government employees ranging from experts in English to those who can barely differentiate between a subject and a verb. Whatever their English expertise or lack thereof, I recommend this manual to all of them. Without exception, those who bought it are praising it for the resons mentioned in this review and more. In addition, the price is right.

Try it for yourself, and join the myriad of other satisfied users who say, "Gregg is great!"