Essentials of English: A Practical Handbook Covering All the Rules of English Grammar and Writing Style

This 'quick and dirty' little guide to English takes what you would have expected to be a big thick highschool textbook into a small, easy to read, yet complete course in communicating in English. Beyond high school English, the book gives examples of the practical use of the language. As a writer, I think I know the language (college degrees and all that stuff) but when I am unsure of some point, this is where I turn. It is quick and concise, easy to find what you need, and tells you what you want to know. At $10 retail, and usually available at a lot less than that, this is a 'don't miss.'

This book's name falls short of the actual excellent information it contains to guide writers and would-be writers into taking advantage of the best of their possibilities through step-by-step pointing out of common errors, from all angles, and clean ways out of them to produce perfect texts. A "must" for all writers' libraries. Salvador Oria aka Argie, Buenos Ayres.

'Essentials of English' is a great resource book to have on hand should you be uncertain if you are expressing yourself correctly in the written word. It is very concise, and while a bit 'dry', does not waste time in teaching you what you should know about the English language. But I am worried that I won't be able to remember what I am trying to remember from this book. I fear that no matter how hard I try, it is not sinking in and I just can't get it right. So while the book is excellent, I myslef am a failure on many counts.

I gave this book five stars even though I think the book is rather stiff and boring. The newer grammar books have more zest and personality that make it easier for a dreamer like me to understand what they mean by an antecedent, or a dangling modifier or nonrestrictive clause. I think you know what I mean. The reason I gave "Essentials of English" a five-star rating is: when I need and answer to a grammar problem and I can't find it in all of my grammar books, I can always rely on "Essentials of English" to have my answer. That rates a five-star rating with me.

Gets right down where the rubber meets the road. I bought one of these for each of my kids in college. They get great grades in English and they find it a useful quick reference when writing papers. Mine sits along side my dictionary & thesaurus