Question:
Can I please get some recommendations on the best sources on learning
proper American English grammar and sentence structure? I have some
college composition courses that are about to start and my punctuation
and sentences are very broken. For example, I need help with clauses,
compound/complex sentences, modifiers, etc. A book that sequentially
goes from the basics to the advanced would be ideal. I would really
like a book that has quite a bit of exercises and the complete set of
answers. I'm not really looking for a formal textbook because they
leave out a lot of the necessary answers on purpose. I searched on
Amazon, but there is so much to choose from that I don't know what to
pick. I'm a whiz at computers and math, but I'm a man of very few
words. Any help would be appreciated.
Answer:
Another good book is the "Oxford English Grammar" manual.
For usage matters, as opposed to actual grammar, the classic is H.W.
Fowler's "Modern English Usage"--do NOT get Burchfield's so-called 3rd
Edition of Fowler (it is a horrid travesty); get a copy of the 2nd
Edition.
Wilson Follett's "Modern American Usage" is, in my opinion, the best
American usage manual there is. There is a very recent (1998) revision
by another man (I forget his name), of which I would be suspicious--get
a "real" Follett.
Used copies of most or all of those books are no doubt available from
the usual suspects--Biblifind, ABE, etc. Only the Oxford might be on
the pricey side.
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