Editorial Review

Who would have thought that a book about English would be so entertaining? Certainly not this grammar-allergic reviewer, but Read more

Reviews (110)

Imperfect perhaps, but a great read.
I disagree with several of the reviews here which cite several specific points of contention as making the book entirely worthless. I think it easily earns 4.5 - 5 stars. It IS over a decade old now, and I don't think it is intended as a source for scholars of English. But, for the amateur linguist and even the wannabe linguist it is a great read. I can't compete with some of the above reviewer's scholarly points, but I don't think replacing some of Bryson's dogma with their own is worthwhile. Mother Tongue is a great starting point and very educational. "Bryson's Dictionary of Troublesome Words" is also a great introduction and gets 5 stars from me.

Not as good as other Bryson
Like any Bill Bryson book, this is a fun read, but in some passages the author pretends to find some bit of usage more confusing than he really does, just to make a point. This happens often enough to become a little irritating, but it's still pretty enjoyable.

Brilliantly witty and utterly enjoyable.
This is a lighthearted look at the intricacies of the English language: its history and development as well as colloquialisms, modern slang, and general language-mangling by non-native speakers.
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Subjects:  1. English language    2. Form - Essays    3. History    4. Humor    5. Language    6. Language Arts & Disciplines    7. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    8. Linguistics    9. Language Arts & Disciplines / General   

Reviews (1)

Excellent resource
I have had many opportunities to learn from Stephanie Harvey and Anne Goudvis over the years.Through books, workshops, videos and even her coming into my classroom for a model lesson she has inspired my students through my instruction.Of course, with all the background, using this toolkit was easy and useful.However, I have since moved to a new school district.This toolkit has offered me an opportunity to help with comprehension instruction here as well.I have found that even teachers who have never even heard of Stephanie Harney or Anne Goudvis are easily able to use these lessons to enhance their student's comprehension, epecially in the area of non-fiction.Each lesson offers an overview, narrative and teaching points.There are examples of the "teacher talk" language to use and what expect of the 'kid talk'. Included are assessment tools and graphic organizers. The source book of short texts, is an extraordinary resource and helps one to find other resources that match the curriculum and ability levels of the students.
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Subjects:  1. Education / Teaching    2. Grammar    3. Language    4. Language Arts & Disciplines    5. Language Experience Approach    6. Reading comprehension    7. Grammar & vocabulary    8. Language teaching & learning material & coursework   

Reviews (3)

Not Bad
I thought this product was good but I didn't receive it until right after I took the mcat.I did look at it and everything seemed to be in order and very helpful if you didn't want to make the cards yourself.

Sarah
Worth the money.An easy to use quick reference of key terms that you can take on-the-go.It won't cover all your study needs, but it does what it was intended to do well.

A+for Absolutely Awesome
The person who made the previous post obviously didn't look very hard at the book or try to study with it, or they would have realized that the definitions upside-down beneath the words are NOT the definition to THAT word.This is a long, thin book of flashcards with a vocab word on the Front of the page and the definition on the Back of the same page.The book does go upside down, but this is because there are more words/defs printed upside-down, therefore using the entire page (since the single word/definitions only take up half a page). So the book read right-side up is Bio, and the book held upside down and read normally is half Bio and half Orgo Chem.
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Subjects:  1. General    2. MCAT (Medical College Admission Test)    3. Medical    4. Medical / Nursing    5. Medical Education    6. Professional Education    7. Study Guides    8. Test Preparation & Review    9. Word Lists    10. Study Aids / General   

Reviews (78)

A Lifesaver
This book really saved my but when it came to spanish. I was a senior and going into spanish 4 and I was very behind on EVERYTHING. I had just moved to a new school and met a real spanish teacher who could teach and I learned that my old teachers where stupid in comparison. I was about to drop the class when my mom got this for me. I learned so much. Not just the regular stuff like present, future, and past but all kinds of tenses that you use in spanish. It also doesn't just show you it, it gives lots of details on when and how you use those tenses and also practice problems with answers in the back. AND on top of all that it teaches you HUNDREDS of useful verbs and vocabulary that are used every day in spanish and things like how to say "I am hungry" Now to most english people that seems simple. You use the "to be" verb and add on hungry but that isn't how you use it. FIrst off in spanish there are 2 verbs for to be and you know what? Neither is used for that. You say "I have hunger." Many people mess this up including me but I known Know the right way and havent messed up yet. Trust me it teaches you hundreds andhundreds of stuff and I PROMISE YOU you will not regret this book.

An early essential
An excellent book.Any serious attempt to learn Spanish should include it at an early stage. Also useful for annual revision of this important part of sppech.

How I Effectively Use Practice Makes Perfect: Spanish Verb Tenses?
As the owner of Toni Roman's LearningSpanishVideoReviews web site, I am more than happy to have this opportunity to post my reivew of this wonderful resource for learning Spanish.
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Subjects:  1. English    2. Foreign Language Study    3. General    4. Grammar    5. Language    6. Linguistics    7. Spanish    8. Spanish language    9. Study Guides    10. Tables    11. Textbooks for foreign speakers    12. Verb    13. Foreign Language Study / Spanish    14. Grammar, syntax, linguistic structure    15. Language teaching & learning material & coursework   

Reviews (11)

What every woman should know!
I read about this book - actually, I consider it a textbook - when searching for tools on expanding my career. I usually wouldn't buy something like this, and instead look for similar information from free 'Net sources. But on a whim, I bought it, and am so glad I did. I'm not even halfway through and what I've learned already has helped me to speak and express myself in a way that gets people's attention, and has improved my professional image. One of the best tips, which comes early in the book, is catching myself using the "I think/like/don't like" phrase when I want to discuss facts. I do it, so I don't look like a know-it-all. Dr. Mindell, however, shows several ways to express facts without appearing as though I have all the answers.
Review by the Business Librarians of the Carnegie Library, Pittsburgh
The lights go down. The speaker strides confidently towards the podium, pauses and makes eye contact with the audience. And from the very first moment you know, instinctively, that it's going to be an excellent presentation. An experience like this reinforces your desire to create your own unique aura of self-confidence. What can you do to make this happen?
Not Helpful
I bought this book at a womens' leadership conference a couple of years ago.I read it cover-to-cover and decided to try the skills covered when communicating in my office.My supervisors' opinions of me changed drastically - they began to view me as surly and defiant.I didn't think any of the verbage alternatives were rude, but in the organization where I was working, the higher-ups expected you to consider them omnipotent and not have an opinion of your own.Ultimately one should consider their audience and adjust their language accordingly. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business Communication - General    4. Business Life - General    5. Business communication    6. Business presentations    7. Business/Economics    8. Businesswomen    9. Communication In Business    10. Language and languages    11. Self-esteem    12. Women & Business    13. Women In Management    14. Business communication & presentation    15. Language Arts & Disciplines / Communication    16. Public speaking / elocution    17. Women's studies   

Reviews (1)

Nice collection of Literature
I'm using this for a Lit. class.There's a good collection of works here. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Collections    2. General    3. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    4. Literary Criticism    5. Literature    6. Rhetoric    7. Literary Criticism & Collections / General    8. Literary studies: general   

Reviews (22)

Handy little guide
Pretty niftyactually if a bit pricey for the size. Spiral bound, nicely presented, small enough to fit in a computer bag or purse. It has a section on clarity (tightening sentences, etc.), grammar, punctuation, and mechanics (capitalizing, abbreviating, etc.). There is also a big section on research paper styles, including MLA, APA, and Chicago. Nice layout, clear type, color coded page edges so you can find your section easier. (I've added some sample pictures I scanned of the pages.)
A Quick, Reliable resource!Two Thumbs Up!
This is a wonderful little resource book that is a must-have addition to any student's backpack.As a graduate student who, in my undergrad days, studied journalism and mass communication as a minor, I have been exposed to a good number of writing styles and their respect style books.What is nice about this volume is the concise nature.
A great book to have
My first college class required this and it is the only book that I have kept. I use it in every class that I have to write a paper in. My wife also uses it for her classes. I recommend this for any student. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. English language    2. Grammar    3. Handbooks & Manuals    4. Handbooks, manuals, etc    5. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    6. Reference    7. Rhetoric    8. Language Arts & Disciplines / Composition & Creative Writing   

Reviews (52)

Amer Accent Training
As a teacher I believe this is a great value for the money.

I LIKE THE BOOK AND THE METHOD!
I am still reading it. I am in lesson 2 now. I like the method, I do not get bored and this is very important to me!.I feel like reading and practicing most of the time. I think it is improving my pronuntiation. There is also cultural information related to the american accent that is pretty interesting (i did not know it) and helps you to understand many things. The teacher pronunces excellet and lets you time enough to repeat. You have to read the books while you listen to the CD, at least the first time. The first CD it not great to listen into the car. There are many writtenexercises and others to repeat aloud. The exercises are easy and fun.I definitely think it was a good investment buying this course. If you really want to improve just keep practicing, the course its good enough to learn by yourself. This is a good book for persons who already speak/read advanced english.

The best you can get!
Definitely worth the money! Of course it'll take a lot of time and effort to pick up a new accent. With this book and the audio CD's it will be a piece of cake to make you sound a lot better in less than no time! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. English as a Second Language    2. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    3. Language    4. Language Arts & Disciplines    5. Phonetics & Phonics    6. Speech    7. Foreign Language Study / English as a Second Language   

Reviews (1)

What happened to editing?
Although I found this text interesting, and mostly informative, the practice of editing seems to have slipped through the cracks.And for this purpose, I offer my eye for future editions!The order of content, as well as combining similar themes, could have been a bit more well thought out. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Politics/International Relations    5. Public Relations    6. United States    7. Language Arts & Disciplines / Communication   

Reviews (26)

Mosaic of Thought : Teaching Comprehension in a Reader's Workshop
This is an excellent reference for teaching comprehension strategies in the elementary classroom. As a teacher, I refer to this book often. The authors have presented a straight forward guide explanining the importance and logic of their teaching methods. I have used these techniques in my own classroom. I have seen definite improvement in my sudents' comprehension. These improvements have been apparent in boh informal assessments as well as formal evaluations. I would definitely recommend this book to other teachers and homeschooling parents.

Excellent book for the progressive teacher
As an educator, I try to look for teacher's literature that goes beyond the worksheets and attempts to get at the belief system and structure of what is considered "best practices" in education. This book challenges teachers to delve/question their belief systems, practices and own schema to help better understand how our students think and eventually teaching them a new and deeper way of looking at literature.
Are you kidding me?
I read this during my master's program. It is alot of wasted text. I wish it had listed the strategies, attached appendices and not had so much additional mumbo jumbo. This is awesome for discussions on comprehension, but useless as a day to day guide. I will keep my Atwell and Fountas books on hand instead. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Education    2. Education / Teaching    3. Language Arts & Disciplines    4. Language Experience Approach    5. Literature    6. Reading Education (General)    7. Reading Skills    8. Reading comprehension    9. Study and teaching    10. Teaching Methods & Materials - Reading    11. English    12. English (ie as school subject)    13. Teaching of a specific subject   

Reviews (23)

I love "Side by Side"
I was from China and started my life in the USA as a graduate student in Engineering.Although I took the TOEFL before I came to USA, my English is not good enough to express myself clearly and accurately. I decided to improve my English about 4 months ago and started to borrow some ESL books from local libraries.
SIde By Side Book 3
My wife and I have been using Side By Side since living in Japan as ESL teachers 1987-89.We used the first edition way back then.My wife still is active tutoring English to Japanese in our area of the USA and this is an excellent series for English learners.We would recommend it to anyone from any culture.

A conversational supplement
This is an amazing series of books for any age beginners of Oral English as a Second Language (American English). I taught this series in China for 3 years, and am currently an M.Ed student. This series not only allows an inexperienced teacher to be able to jump into any class and feel confident teaching, but offers a strong order to the subject matter that is taught. The vocabulary and grammatical forms that are introduced are very useful in daily life.
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Subjects:  1. Conversation and phrase books    2. English as a Second Language    3. English language    4. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    5. Language    6. Secondary    7. Teaching Methods & Materials - Language Arts    8. Textbooks for foreign speakers    9. American English    10. ELT: Learning Material & Coursework    11. Foreign Language Study / English as a Second Language   

Reviews (1)

"Happy Customer"
The item I purchased was on time.I was able to use the textbook in time for college. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Composition & Creative Writing - General    3. English language    4. Essay    5. Grammar    6. Handbooks, manuals, etc    7. Language    8. Language Arts & Disciplines    9. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    10. Report writing    11. Rhetoric    12. Creative writing guides    13. Language Arts & Disciplines / Composition & Creative Writing    14. Literary studies: general    15. Writing & editing guides   

Reviews (6)

Classical rhetoric was spoken, never written
I came to this book through my Classical Rhetoric class as an undergrad.As someone with a pre-existing background in formal logic and rhetorical reasoning, there was little that was new, but most of it was recast from the mathematical model to the oratorical model.This si the penultimate text on classical rhetoric, and the inclusion of the progymnasmata exercises is an interesting option for structuring class assignments.Sometimes the text is a little dense, but it is also authoritative and generally a good resource for an introduction to argumentative logic and classical rhetoric.

Rhetoric is Required
This book should be required reading for all college graduates.

Principles of Powerful Persuasion
Rhetoric has come to be seen as a discipline for frauds and charlatans.It has the connotation of artful trickery and deception.No matter what you may think of rhetoric, you engage in it each and every time you try to prevail upon someone to see things your way.Rhetoric is the art of persuasion.Any artform practiced by mortals can be (and is) misused by unscrupulous villains.Those who decry rhetoric for its susceptibility to misuse overlook this point:Rhetoric, properly understood and applied, is the best defense against misused rhetoric.Read more

Subjects:  1. Composition & Creative Writing - General    2. English language    3. Language    4. Language Arts & Disciplines    5. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    6. Rhetoric    7. Rhetoric (General)    8. Rhetoric, Ancient    9. Study & Teaching    10. Language Arts & Disciplines / Rhetoric    11. Literature/English | Writing | Composition   

Reviews (11)

Japanese for Busy People I
This is a two cd set and the text book is not included. The workbook is not the textbook even though it is supposed to be in the same set. I think it is cheaper to buy the text book + cd set, through a regular book store. If it all came as one package it would be quite a motivating little set.

Language CD
This is an excellent product that complements the Japanese For Busy People textbook. It helps with pronunciation and the speed at which words and sentences are spoken. A 'must buy' for anyone interested in learning Japanese fluently or even just for basic stuff.

Requested by sensei
I bought the CD set to accompany the book so I could practice in my car outside of class. Overall, it's not a stand alone product, I've used better CDs to learn from, but as practice outside of class for proficiency it's not bad. It uses native voices with real accents and speech patterns so you'll use the seek button often. It doesn't have the speak and repeat pattern which is useful for self-study but it helps to reinforce what the sensei covered in class. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Audio Adult: Language    2. General    3. Software - Language - CDROM / Universal    4. Japanese    5. Language learning: audio-visual & multimedia   

Subjects:  1. Ancient Languages - Classical Greek    2. Inscriptions, Linear B    3. Ancient (Classical) Greek    4. Language Arts & Disciplines / General    5. Literary studies: classical, early & medieval   

Reviews (300)

this worked for my child
I am very impressed by this program.My son was 5 1/2 and half way through kindergarten last winter and didn't know a single sight word.He was already speech delayed and I knew that was going to cause enough problems in school.I didn't want him to be behind academically as well.I found this program and am so thankful I did.He was reading books by the end of kindergarten and his teachers couldn't believe his progress.I just sat through his IEP meeting at the beginning of first grade and he has no academic IEP goals (now if we could just get the speech and behavior worked out).My only regret is that I did not find this book sooner.I will certainly start my other children much, much sooner.

Interesting methodology but...
...overall too ponderous and unwieldly for teaching an average child to read...perhaps more to the point it's quite tedious and would probably be difficult to use given a typical child's attention span...however, for remedial work in adults I suspect it would be quite useful.

Awesome!
Three months into kindergarten my son's teacher and I were concerned because he was having such a hard time learning the names and sounds of his letters.A friend recommended this book to me so we started it.He learned so much faster by just doing the sounds of the letters first.By the end of the school year his teacher was amazed at his progress.
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Subjects:  1. Activities    2. Child Care/Parenting    3. Education    4. Family / Parenting / Childbirth    5. Child care & upbringing    6. Education / General    7. English    8. English language: specific skills    9. Teaching of a specific subject   

Reviews (3)

Pretty good text with online adjunct videos for free
Used for my college English II class, this text presents many literary ideas which could be useful for fully learning the many apsects of english.
Great teaching book
This book has a companion video series called Literary Visions. That series alsoo includes a study guide. I would highly recommend it.

Is there a teacher's manual with this book?
This is not a review. I am searching for a teacher's manual for this book. Is there one? ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Collections    2. College readers    3. Composition & Creative Writing - Academic    4. Creative Writing    5. Exposition (Rhetoric)    6. General    7. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    8. Literary Criticism    9. Literary Forms    10. Literature    11. Readers    12. Report writing    13. Literary Criticism & Collections / General    14. Literature: History & Criticism   

Reviews (5)

very good
I am married to a costa rican and we are moving in 1 month to live in costa rica. So I needed to learn more than the basics. I needed to learn how to speak in sentences,I knew plenty of words but I coudnt put them together. So I talked like a baby.Thisis a great set very easy to follow. The books are great in the begining but when I start to get the cd pretty good I will put it on while I am cleaning and work like that. I don't think my spanish will be perfect after this, that will take alot more time. But if you stick with it, you wiil get a very good base.

Easy to learn Spanish program.
I have reviewed a lot of Spanish programs and I believe that this is probably one of the easier to learn Spanish programs.
Speak in a week hahahaah
I found it easy to follow and very easy to understand. The book went right along with the CD...but like anything else, you have to practice, practice, practice and my accent sucks!!!But it is a great product to use for a beginer and my husband has gotten many hours of laughter out of my practicing!!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Abridged Audio - Misc. Nonfiction    2. Foreign Language Study    3. Spanish    4. Spanish: Adult Nonfiction    5. Translating & Interpreting    6. Unabridged Audio - Misc.Nonfiction    7. Language self-study & phrasebooks   

Reviews (3)

Reading Comp Made Easy
This book gives good strategies to use with students to increase their reading comprehension. I am using the textbook for my reading and writing class but I know I will refer to it once I start teaching.

Great Ideas
The book arrived in time for me to use it for my Master's class. It was also utilized by a friend of mine who is already a teacher. She said the book is one of the best she's seen and needs to be used as textbook by Master's Programs in Education.
An excellent and highly useful resource
Of the many books on reading strategies, this one had the highest quantity of innovative activities (tools) that I need for my social studies and language arts classes. I love the many clever reproducibles and how they help develop the six reading strategies (habits) in engaging ways--especially for my students who are not usually interested in reading or becoming better readers! This book inspired me to model my thinking more as I read to students and to create my own visuals and activities that build comprehension processes. This will be a well-used book. Thanks! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Education    2. General    3. Language Arts & Disciplines    4. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    5. Reading (Secondary)    6. Reading comprehension    7. Study & Teaching    8. English    9. English language: reading skills    10. Teaching of a specific subject   

Reviews (4)

A Writer's Water
My sister had purchased this book to help her with her grammar. I had no idea that I would start reading this book almost more than she. Despite having taken a rigorous course in grammar in ninth grade (and therefore expecting that this book would not teach me much), this book was very useful for refreshing my memory of grammar guidelines.
Great reference book
Very good resource for anyone who does a lot (not "alot," as the authors would confirm) of writing.Mentions a lot of the mistakes common in the English language.Teaches what we should be (but aren't) learning in government schools.

Complete and Very Useable
Our local library had a copy I checked out a few times until I finally bought my own. It's well worth it, though I also enjoy using "The only grammar book you'll ever need," the "Bible" offers more depth and also retains a high level of readability. I recommend both of these books, this volume for its utter depth and clarity, and the one mentioned above for its succinctness. The authors did a great job and you should be very satisfied with this purchase. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. English language    2. Grammar    3. Handbooks, manuals, etc    4. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    5. Reference    6. Writing Skills    7. American English    8. Grammar & vocabulary    9. Usage guides