Nitty-Gritty Grammar: A Not-So-Serious Guide to Clear Communication (Paperback)

~ Edith H. Fine (Author), Judith P. Josephson (Author) "Words do specific jobs in sentences to create meaning..." (more)
Key Phrases: helping verb, ellipsis points, compound object, Second Person, Johnny Hart (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This is a good, solid guide to basic grammar by two women who claim to be "nutty enough to have liked diagramming in school." Their book is clear. It is not boring. It even compares punctuation marks to traffic signals (a period is a stop sign, a comma a flashing yellow light). But its crowning glory is the nearly 30 cartoons--from Sally Forth, Beetle Bailey, The Far Side, and others--on the subject of grammar that are sure to delight anyone who is nutty enough to have liked diagramming in school. In our favorite, Hobbes tries to persuade Calvin that a pronoun is "a noun that lost its amateur status." Calvin, after pondering for a moment, writes it down. "Maybe I can get a point for originality," he says. --Jane Steinberg

From Library Journal

Fine and Josephson teach "Nitty-Gritty" Grammar for the San Diego State University extension program and have written many books, including FileADon't Pile! (St. Martin's, 1994). Their new book is a clever and fun way to review or learn the rules of grammar. Included are all of the hokey rhymes and sayings learned in grammar school, e.g., "Use i before e except after c, or when sounded like a as in neighbor or weigh." Each page has an example sentence illustrating a common mistake and a reference to the rule that explains it, and jokes and comics are used throughout to keep things light. Now there's finally hope that some readers may learn how to diagram a sentence. This is a useful book at a good price and fun besides. Recommended for all public libraries.ALisa J. Cihlar, Monroe P.L., WI
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press; 1 edition (March 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898159660
• ISBN-13: 978-0898159660
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #54,022 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding book-- educational and entertaining, September 12, 1999

By A Customer

"Nitty-Gritty Grammar" is an outstanding book. I read it prior to having its authors Edith Fine and Judith Josephson on my talk radio show on WRKO Radio in Boston. They were informative and funny and the phone lines were full the entire hour they were on my show. The key to this book is that it is both educational and entertaining. In someone else's hands, this book could be a real snoozer. In Judith and Edith's hands, it is a work of art. If you read this book, you will stop making up "irregardless" and other words which don't exist (see page 85.) You will stop mispronouncing words like "asterisk" (it's not asterick-- see page 72.) And you will never again misplace your apostrophes, dangle your participles or commit other high crimes and misdemeanors against grammar, spelling, punctuation and pronunciation (see pages 1-102--the entire book.) The book includes many cartoons which will teach you while you laugh. The section on "Ways to Tame the Spelling Monster" is indispensable with clever ways to remember the correct spelling of words including "dessert" (it has two s's--think strawbery shortcake). If you only read the "ticker tape" which runs throughout the book at the bottom of each page, you will learn more than you did in twelve years of boring English classes. The amazing part of this book is that it can be used by children, teenagers and adults. I suggest you buy copies for your entire family and all your friends and coworkers. They'll speak properly when they thank you.

Bob Katzen, WRKO Radio, Boston, Massachusett

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Homeschoolers will love NGG, April 9, 2000

By	Julie Bogart (Cincinnati Ohio) - See all my reviews

As a writing teacher and home schooler, I haven't found a more enjoyable grammar reference book. My 11 year old son picked it up one day and read straight through the entire book in one afternoon. The appeal of the cartoons, the easy to understand explanations and the user friendly format make this the grammar reference of choice for all grammar-impaired parents who teach their own kids. I highly recommend it!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars NGG has replaced all my other ref. books for grammar., July 25, 1999

By A Customer

My multiple copies of Nitty-Gritty Grammar all remain dust-free. We relish our pleasant explorations into our quirky language as I hand NGG to family and collegues whenever grammar questions come up. We used to check several grammar books. Now, NGG is all we use. No matter how unique the question, NGG always has the answer-with clear, easy-to-understand examples.

We have multiple copies of Nitty-Gritty Grammar in each of our offices at work. At home, we keep one copy in my home office, one in the family room, and one in my daughter's homework area. My friend who teaches English initially bought NGG for each of his ESL students. He now buys a copy for ALL of his students. He tells them they need to all buy their own personal copies to take to college and beyond.

Whenever we look something up in NGG at work or home, we "surf" through other pages, sharing other tidbits of not-so-serious grammar. We're not that desperate for entertainment. NGG is just such a delightful and practical resource. A "must-have" that just happens to be very entertaining.