Dear Reader,
Did you nod off when Miss Nelson was explaining parts of speech? Snooze
during the unit on punctuation? Go to the bathroom during capitalization?
Still can't distinguish between "who" and "whom"? Tell when to start a new
paragraph? Write an effective business letter, resume, or letter of complaint?
Do you sometimes misplace your modifiers? Dangle your participles in
your reader's face? Does grammar give you the willies? I'll bet the rules of
English usage make you shake in your boots. If so, then this book is for you!
Learning any new skill is daunting and difficult. Learning to use grammar
and usage correctly and with confidence is no exception. But you've learned
many other skills, and you know how important improving grammar and
writing style can be to your career advancement and ability to communicate.
I'm going to take you point-by-point through all the important English
skills you need, from parts of speech to phrases, clauses, and sentences.
You'll learn how to craft the documents you need, including business letters,
resumes, personal letters, and e-mail missives. By the end of this book, you'll
be using English with confidence and skill. You'll be able to write that dazzling
proposal to win the contract—and finally get that promotion. Remember:
Mastering the rules of grammar, usage, punctuation, and spelling is well
within your abilities.
Best wishes,
Laurie Rozakis, Ph.D.
RS. The Complete Idiofs Guide to Grammar and Style has sold more than
100,000 copies since its publication in 1997! Thank you, dear readers, for
recognizing my ability to make grammar easy—and fun—to learn. I very
much appreciate all the kind e-mails and letters I get about this book, too.
Your support is greatly appreciated.
In this edition, I've added additional practice exercises, more writing models,
and many tips for those of you whose first language is not English. These
changes will make it even easier for you to master the basics of clear written
and spoken communication.
About the Au