English Skills – Punctuation, Grammar, Etc.

Business Grammar, Style & Usage: The Most Used Desk Reference for Articulate and Polished Business Writing and Speaking by Executives Worldwide

Finally a desk reference manual that gives the business writer a head up on both the proper manner in which to write, but also reviews proper speaking methods. Very often we repeat what we have heard throughout our lives but this is not always the most correct manner of speech. Making an error while speaking in a business meeting could mean the difference between getting the contract and going home empty handed.With this manual, you will be able to easily access information to write and speak in a polished, educated and correct manner necessary for business professionals and writers. This is one business tool that no office should be without.

A Writer’s Reference: 2003 MLA Update

Regardless of the problem or issue you may encounter as a writer, professional or casual, the Writers Reference will provide you will the correct manner to handle the issue. Many writers have the same dog-eared copy from their first years as a college student it is the tried and true method for answering those questions that aren’t answered in any other book. However, because many updates have been made, if your copy is more than three years old, it is time to get a new copy. The newest version is spiral bound so that it lies nicely open on the desktop. Basic reviews of grammar, punctuation, documentation, mechanics of a sentence, editing and revising, etc are divided in this spiral bound version with tabbed sections. In this day and age, both MLA and APA are used for documentation. You will find both formats readily available for quick reference in this newest edition of the Writer’s Reference a must have for every single person who writes, professional or causal.

The Elements of Style Illustrated

Without doubt, this is the one book every writer should have on his desktop next to the dictionary and thesaurus. Many of you will be most familiar with the book’s popular mantra – make every word tell. Our high school English teachers drilled it into our heads from the beginning our writing careers. The best part is, if you believe it, this simple little saying will work, well. I still have my old tattered little guide but now it sits on the desk as a bit of historical nostalgia. This newer edition is equally as helpful and is updated to the most recent changes. The best part of this particular edition is the addition of illustrations. A grammar book is not probably where you expect to find beautiful illustrations, however, this is one grammar book you will enjoy cracking the cover of.

How Not to Write: The Essential Misrules of Grammar

Once a mistake has been repeated three or four times and remains uncorrected, it becomes a habit that then becomes rather difficult to change. Many of us, even professional writers have those grammatical habits that have been burned into our daily writing. This guide by William Safire, will help you recognize those habits and correct them. The very first and worst way to turn off a potential employer is to provide sample copy with grammatical errors. William Safire, most famous for his weekly columns in The New York Times magazine. On Writing, has a sense of humor about grammar rarely found in such a terminally dry subject. This sense of humor is what keeps the reader interested in continuing to read about dangling modifiers and capitalization. With more that 50 solid guidelines to follow and the explanations as to why those rules must be followed, Safire’s book is not only a humorous read but also a necessary one for writers, students and virtually any professional who produces written work.

Powerful writing skills

This inexpensive guide to the basics is a necessary tool alongside the MLA Guide and laptop. Every desktop needs a good, basic guide to grammar and writing techniques. This is just the manual that you need to get started and continue your career as a writer regardless of what you are writing. Regardless of what type of writing you are producing – business memos, emails, reports, proposals or professional writings, this guide will help you organize your thoughts and better yet, will help you organize our writing in an interesting, correct and useful manner. Easy, direct and simple to access, you will find every grammatical issue covered in this guide. The best part is that you won’t find yourself bogged down reading the entire manual to get the information you need. The
chapters are independent of themselves so if you wish to find a specific answer, you will be able to easily find it. This book even includes a list of grammar hotlines to call when you are in doubt. It doesnít get any better than this!

The Little Red Writing Book

The Little Red Writing Book should be prominently displayed on the desk of every person who writes in any format – student, professional, business or casual writer. Every problem a writer is likely to run into will be resolved within the covers of this small little, handy, life saving book. Using the four pillars of good writing (structure, style, readability and grammar) the author, Brandon Royal gives great advice, hints, tips and rules of writing in an easy to use, non-threatening manner. The most common grammatical mistakes are covered along with how to improve your writing grammatically as well as the overall readability of the work. Examples, charts, and exercises are provided to strengthen the writers skills. Even if you are a good writer, this book will help you become an even
better writer.

Woe Is I: The Grammarphobe’s Guide to Better English in Plain English, Second Edition

If you are tired of the wordy, jargon-filled grammar books that very often give questionable advice on grammar related issues; this is a book you will love. Who and whom, lay, lie and laid, colons and semicolons they are all explained in a straightforward, plain English way that writers and readers alike will appreciate, especially after so many other guides filled with information that in many cases is just flat out wrong. With a dash of humor, this Grammarphobe’s Guide is a refreshing review of commonsense grammar as well as some of the more difficult to find resolutions to grammar and writing. Easy to read and easy to use, this guide will help the professional or non-professional writer through the toughest of assignments as well as give you an idea about appropriate etiquette when it comes to email, the tone of your correspondences, emoticons, etc with just the touch of humor such a serious topic requires.

Word Smart: Building an Educated Vocabulary

Good vocabulary is the difference between a good writer and a good, well-paid writer. Words are a writers weapon, tools and ultimately they are responsible for a writers paycheck. Staying on top of the word game is a writer’s best road to keeping the contracts coming. Books that hone your word and vocabulary skills are invaluable tools of the trade. This particular vocabulary building book gives you the advantage of building your vocabulary but also helps you avoid common pitfalls and misusages. Quizzes and exercises help strengthen and reinforce what you have learned. The words you use reflect how people view you. Be sure you leave the world with the impression you choose.

Write Right!: A Desktop Digest of Punctuation, Grammar, and Style

Regardless of what angle you are approaching language it is necessary to understand how language works, how the various parts function together and how we can best use language to make smooth, intelligent statements. The author of this book obviously knew that this subject would be boring and people would avoid making an effort to study it. She made a special effort to find the humor in language learning. Somehow she manages to make the
language learning process fun and much less boring. This second edition has updated information to ensure your writing is as current as the industry standard.

Writers Inc: A Student Handbook for Writing and Learning

As a student, many readers will find that they need to fill in gaps left by various English classes. As adults we find often that we need a bit of a refresher when writing again. This guide will give both students and adults in the professional world exactly what they need to fill in the gaps left by our education. If you need to know how to write more effectively, how to format appropriately, how to research and document your research, how to get information from the internet, how to convert measurements, you name it and you will find it within this book. Whether you have a writing project you are involved with now, or just have one coming up, be sure to have this book handy.

Writing Dialogue

Are you ready to sit down and put pen to paper and make your love story or science fiction adventure or medical murder mystery come to life? Have you considered that at least one of your characters will have children or perhaps an aging mother and are you prepared to write dialogue for someone so unlike yourself? Often, when it comes down to what other people say, we draw a blank. We can fill in the blanks when the people are similar to ourselves because we can imagine ourselves having that very same conversation with a comrade, but when it comes to what seven year olds might say to each other, perhaps you need a bit of fine tuning. Writing Dialogue will give you
just the fine tuning you have been looking for. One of very few books on dialogue writing, this guide walks you through every aspect of writing authentic, original, to the point dialogue. Don’t be a boring, run on writer with readers that dread running into dialogue. Learn how to make dialogue realistic, effective, compelling and correct (grammatically, tone, formatting and punctuation).