Grammarphobe:  Someone who fears grammar.  Well, that includes a large group of adult professionals.  Most Americans take English grammar in the seventh grade, which, by my calculations is when we are around 13 and just entering puberty.  I don’t about you, but I don’t know many teenagers who can concentrate on much of anything let alone commas, colons and clauses. (My younger self included!) The result is a resistance and lack of confidence when it comes to putting anything in writing.  We carry this secret with us into our adult life and it may hinder our career.

So what can we do? When I teach technical writing courses, I often empty my bookshelf and bring with me several of my favorite grammar books. Yes, there are some that are better than others, and yes, a grammar book can be an “enjoyable” read. Now, before you call me a “word nerd” give me the opportunity to introduce one of my “must haves”.

Patricia O’Conner is a former editor at The New York Times Book Review and has written for magazines and newspapers. Her book, Woe is I, is a quick, fun, guide to using the English language to communicate. I emphasize “to communicate” because often grammar books are really only for people who love the language and never really use the language for a purpose or a task.

The best plug I can give for this book is that the young engineering students I teach at the Rochester Institute of Technology will actually KEEP this book rather than sell it off after the course is done. Remember, this is a grammar book, and they are engineering students!

Take a look at the Table of Contents and you’ll see why grammarphobes like this book:

WOE IS I: Therapy for Pronoun Anxiety

PLURALS BEFORE SWINE: Blunders With Numbers

YOURS TRULY: The Possessives and the Possessed

THEY BEG TO DISAGREE: Putting Verbs in Their Place

VERBAL ABUSE: Words on the Endangered List

COMMA SUTRA: The Joy of Punctuation

THE COMPLEAT DANGLER: A Fish Out of Water

DEATH SENTENCE: Do Clichés Deserve to Die?

THE LIVING DEAD: Let Bygone Rules Be Gone

SAYING IS BELIEVING: How to Write What You Mean

E-MAIL INTUITION: Does Anything Go?

This book offers a light and refreshing insight into the oddities of our language such as which and that, who and whom, colons and semicolons, and more. You’ll find commonsense, jargon-free, even witty descriptions of the subtleties of grammar, style, and usage.

Woe is I is now in it’s 2nd Edition and has a companion book Woe is I Jr. for the younger crowds. You can order it on several websites: ISBN 1-57322-252-6 or better yet, visit Patricia O’Conner’s website at www.grammarphobia.com.

In a future article, I’ll introduce you to more of the items on my bookshelf.

Lisa Moretto is the President of RGI Learning, Inc. For 16 years she has helped engineers improve their oral and written communication skills. Visit www.rgilearning.com or call (585) 461-3617 to learn about RGI’s courses.

© 2007 RGI Learning

Please email me your ideas or thoughts at LisaM@rgilearning.com and I can address them in a future article.

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