ASIN B00CO03M90
Review:
GRAMMAR WITHOUT TEARS is a short summary of fifteen
common grammar mistakes and how to avoid them. The book uses fictional scenes
and dialogue between the characters to demonstrate common errors and explain
how they should be corrected. It's an interesting approach that at times
reminded me of an abbreviated version of The
Deluxe Transitive Vampire.
This book has the advantage of being short and
sweet so it doesn't overwhelm the reader with too much information or unnecessary
details. It addresses particular problems with verbs, word choice, and
punctuation, and offers a clear table of contents so readers can tell at a
glance whether their specific question is covered or not. The fictional short
stories and dialogue keep the book from feeling stale or stuffy the way academic
books can be.
Unfortunately, the book's advantage of brevity is
also its biggest liability. It offers only one or two examples of each common
mistake, such as when to use "me versus I." After the initial presentation
in the stories, readers must be able to comprehend the rules being applied without
any further discussion or explanation. Some readers will be able to do this,
while others doubtless will not.
GRAMMAR WITHOUT TEARS would have been more helpful
if it were longer and offered more information. It doesn't have an introduction
or conclusion, but instead just jumps right into a section about verbs directly
after the table of contents, then ends abruptly after a section on inverted
commas. It also presumes the reader already has a solid command of the English
language and grammatical concepts, so doesn't explain basic terms. For
instance, the first example is titled "Perfect Tense," but there's no
explanation of what perfect tense is. Instead, it launches into an example and
expects the reader to catch up.
It's hard to tell whether the book is geared to
adults or children. On the one hand, children would probably appreciate the
light, entertaining style, but the vocabulary and scenes might go over the
heads of young readers. On the other hand, many adults picking up a grammar
book would probably be looking for a wider variety of grammatical situations
than this book has to offer.
If a reader is looking for a "quick and
dirty" desk reference or a chance to brush-up on frequently confused
topics, this might be a good choice for adults or teens. However, if a reader
is writing a research paper or has questions that go beyond very basic concepts,
then he should look for a different book.
Reviewed by Peter
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