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Woe Is I: The Grammarphobe's Guide to Better English in Plain English, Third Edition |  | Author: Patricia T. O'Conner
Publisher: Riverhead Hardcover
List Price: $22.95
Buy New: $12.00
as of 11/24/2009 07:40 CST details
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Seller: book-it_now
Rating:  136 reviews
Sales Rank: 9018
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 3 Upd Exp
Pages: 288
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.5 x 1.2
ISBN: 1594488908
Dewey Decimal Number: 428.2
EAN: 9781594488900
ASIN: 1594488908
Publication Date: September 17, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com Review
Written by Patricia T. O'Conner, an editor at the New York Times Book Review, Woe Is I gives lighthearted, witty instruction on the subject most of us dreaded in school--grammar. Discussion is brief and concise, and much more engaging than the grammar books you may remember. With chapter titles such as "Woe is I: Therapy for Pronoun Anxiety," "Your Truly: The Possessive and the Possessed," "Verbal Abuse: Words on the Endangered List," "Comma Sutra; The Joy of Punctuation," and "Death Sentence: Do Cliches Deserve to Die?," O'Conner proves that even grammar can make for entertaining reading.
Product Description
It's been called "possibly the most popular book on grammar ever published." Now the witty bestseller that took the nation by storm is back in a revised, expanded edition with new dos and don'ts from top to bottom.
In this new Woe Is I, Patricia T. O'Conner displays the same fresh, irreverent humor that has charmed hundreds of thousands of readers. There are new chapters on spelling and pronunciation, and updates throughout. But you'll find the same down-to-earth explanations in clear, plain English-the same sensible solutions to the grammar mysteries that bug even the best of us. O'Conner manages to unscramble the most complicated problems in simple, easyto- swallow language. So you won't encounter the kind of intimidating terminology that made you want to skip your high school English class. This funny, wise, and indispensable guide shows readers how to:
avoid the persistent grammatical errors that tie everyone-even presidents!- in knots
watch their tongues and learn to pronounce commonly mangled words
correctly use dozens of much-abused words and phrases Whatever your problem-intimidated by possessives? puzzled over pronouns? clueless about how to say "banal"?-the updated Woe Is I provides witty, jargon-free answers to all your questions about the basics as well as the subtleties of grammar, style, and usage. No wonder The Atlanta Journal-Constitution called O'Conner's classic "the best primer on English usage to come along since Strunk and White's The Elements of Style."
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 136
 not a bit painful... October 10, 2009
Elizabeth Frenchman (NY NY USA)
... in fact, quite the opposite. How many grammar books can you pick up and read like a short story? And laugh out loud? If one (ahem) needs a quick fix, there is a useful index but if you want to give yourself an amusing review of grammar's ups and downs, go for it. How many handbooks can boast that? Ms. O'Conner's sly cultural references (she uses the classics-- including Homer Simpson) are fun and effortlessly instructive. (My favorite clever reference is the Paul and Bette/cigarettes one illustrating lit/lighted. Next edition please use Bush 43 for the there's/there're example!) That/which will always trip me up but if I keep "Woe" at hand, perhaps soon I will master them.
Good, Better, Best October 4, 2009
D. Karras
Now there are three editions to choose from.
This new update is the one I'll be using. I think it the easiest guide to finding quick yet complete answers to grammar questions. Clearly and sensibly written.
And it's fun to read!
Witty and Serious at the Same Time September 29, 2009
Ann J. Kirschner (NYC)
"Woe Is I" is as much fun to read as it is instructive. Ms. O'Conner puts her points across without being stuffy or doctrinaire. I know a few English teachers who ought to read this book!
A huge favorite September 29, 2009
Patti Byrd
This is a wonderfully entertaining guide to good writing. My favorite chapter is "The Living Dead," in which O'Conner dedicates tombstones to "bogus or worn-out rules" such as the bans on splitting infinitives or ending sentences with a preposition. This book is full of good pointers for learning to say what you mean to say, in a way that other people can understand.
Great! September 28, 2009
SwanSigh (AZ, USA)
A rare new edition that actually includes new information, and it's still as witty and charming as ever!
Showing reviews 1-5 of 136
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