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Anyone know a good book on English grammar?

montholonmontholon
edited June 2011 in - Writing Problems
A young writer I know is in despair over her poor grasp of English grammar. Please could anyone recommend a book that offers clear (and not too technical) explanations of the basic rules?

Comments

  • Jay MandalJay Mandal
    edited June 2011
    Brewer's??? And Fowler's? And is there one with a pair of names, one of which is peculiar?
  • Jay MandalJay Mandal
    edited June 2011
    http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=English+grammar#/ref=sr_pg_1?rh=n%3A266239%2Ck%3AEnglish+grammar&keywords=English+grammar&ie=UTF8&qid=1307381168

    There might be something on one of Talkback's threads.
  • pbwpbw
    Would that be Old Peculiarrr arrrh arrrh!

    I've been looking for good English Grammars all my life. Probably got more chance of landing Prince Charming first. However those two are good to start with.

    I would suggest that, because in this country we no longer teach our native people English grammar and the parts of speech (as in English Language as it was when I was a gel) that your young friend look at the material for 'English as a second language' and particularly Murphy's Grammar, which is comprehensive, has one major grammar point over each double page and is not too expensive.
  • heatherheather
    edited June 2011
    There is a book called 'English Grammar in Use' by Raymond Murphy that I have used for teaching.
    It is broken down into easy sections and there are examples and exercises so you can study and practise on your own.

    You can get it at intermediate/advanced or at a lower level.

    There are lots of other books out there, but it's difficult to advise, really, as it does depend on the level the person is already at and what it is that they are having problems with. However, on Amazon these book have a 'look inside' feature so you can look at the first few pages and see if it looks as though it would be useful and at the right level.
  • pbwpbw
    That's the one! Murphy, t'be sure!
  • heatherheather
    Simulpost PBW!
  • montholonmontholon
    Thanks for the suggestions so far, everyone. The sad thing is that the writer in question has been through the English school system without being taught even the basics. She has a vague idea about nouns and verbs, but other grammatical terminology throws her into a complete panic. I find this very sad, because she's by no means unintelligent and has some very good ideas. She told me that she envies older writers who had grammar drilled into them from a young age.
  • CarolCarol
    Check out Penguin, they have some good basic guides, I don't know if they have one on grammar though.
  • ClaudiaClaudia
    [quote=Jay Mandal]And is there one with a pair of names, one of which is peculiar? [/quote]

    The Elements of Style by Strunk and White
  • cekaceka
    As a general grounding, one might try Fowler's 'Modern English Usage' (Oxford) for all sorts of helpful info, not just grammar but syntax and a lot of 'correct usage' words!
    There are grammar sites on-line if you google them - or your friend does - which I sometimes use as a quicker way to access info while I'm working on something.
  • Jay MandalJay Mandal
    That's it! Skunk & White. :)
  • kadokado
    Really Simple English Grammar
    Carolyn Humphries
    ISBN 0-572-02811-3

    Write Right!
    Jan Venolia
    ISBN 0-946537-57--7
  • SandiSandi
    The Elements of Style by Strunk and White has been a must for years now.
  • Jay MandalJay Mandal
    Hi, Sandi. Welcome to Talkback.
  • kadokado
    Strunk and White

    This article is interesting:

    http://chronicle.com/article/50-Years-of-Stupid-Grammar/25497
  • ClaudiaClaudia
    Fascinating article - thanks, Kado.
  • montholonmontholon
    Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. I'll pass them on.
  • LolliLolli
    Fowler's 'Modern English Usage' (Oxford), or books by David Crystal, father of Ben, and speaker at Swanwick this year.) Lyn Truss 'Shoots, Eats and Leaves'
  • PiperPiper
    [quote=Lolli]David Crystal[/quote]

    David Crystal is amazing. I saw him at an English Language conference back in April. He is very good on how language is (or how he argues) or isn't affected by technology.
  • montholonmontholon
    David certainly is a very inspiring speaker. I met him at the Bath Literature Festival in March and I'm looking forward to hearing what he has to say at the Writers' Summer School (Swanwick) in August.
  • LolliLolli
    [quote=montholon]I'm looking forward to hearing what he has to say at the Writers' Summer School (Swanwick) [/quote]

    Just hope I can get there this year. finances a bit ropey at present!
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