May I Quote You on That?: A Guide to Grammar and Usage by Stephen Spector
Requirements: PDF Reader, 1.8 MB
Overview: Though there is no shortage of English grammar and usage guides, Stephen Spector here offers a new approach, pairing grammar rules with interesting and humorous quotations from American popular culture. The book, which Spector has used informally in his introductory-level History of English course for over forty years, focuses on words and usage rules commonly misused or misapplied by undergraduate students – such as discreet/discrete, double negatives, the singular and plural verbs for “everyone,” and the distinction between “that” and “which.” Each of Spector’s two hundred lessons begins with several memorable quotations – some from contemporary journalists and authors, former presidents, and celebrities, others from canonical figures such as Shakespeare and Milton – that illustrate how a word or rule should be used. Each quotation is then followed by a brief explanation that discusses the origin of the rule or the history of the word(s) being defined. These short essays focus on the normative rules, but place them in the context of historical usage and casual speech today. Traditional usage guides tend to be concerned with defining grammar rules. Spector’s descriptive approach, by contrast, places minimal reliance on grammatical terminology, instead allowing his well-chosen examples to make the point, leading conscientious readers to begin formulating the rule before they encounter it. The book will also include an online component, which will offer thirteen lessons on such topics as punctuation, capitalization, the mechanics of quoting, dangling modifiers, and sentence fragments, among others. Each lesson will conclude with a series of drills and explanations of correct answers. The book is ideal for introductory-level undergraduate writing courses, and should appeal to anyone with an interest in grammar and writing.
Genre: Etymology
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