Reviews (1)

Very handy and well-designed
This is a useful phrasebook for the novice heading to Iraq for the first time. No Arabic script; a shame, but that seems to be the case with almost all such handbooks tailored to one dialect of Arabic. The almost pocket-sized booklet starts off with a description of the phonetic system and moves quickly to a few very basic elements of grammar, basic words, numbers, telling time, and common situations from greetings to arrival at the airport, checking in at a hotel, getting around town, food and drink, personal care, sight-seeing, visiting mosques, medical care, security situation, and timely police station and checkpoint dialogue. Nothing special in terms of military lingo, but handy sections on "searching a house" and handling "demonstrations". Prepared in 2004, but not with the occupation and post-occupation too much in mind, no mention of roadside bombs or beheadings, prisoners, or prisoner handling; almost as if Iraq were a normal country. Ends with a 1,000 word basic dictionary. At this price you can't go wrong by keeping a copy handy. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Arabic    2. Arabic Language    3. Conversation and phrase books    4. Dialects    5. English    6. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    7. Foreign Language Study    8. Grammar    9. Iraq    10. Language    11. Foreign Language Study / Arabic    12. Language self-study & phrasebooks    13. Reference   

Reviews (166)

The Absolute King 'Rey' of All Spanish VerbReferences
Be it in Spanish, French or any language, Christopher Kendris has the best reference books on the planet.Period.
Beyond the Present Tense of Spanish and So Much More
I am not a person that has a natural ability to learn languages. I started learning Spanish eight months ago without any previous experience learning the language. I just used 3 tools that got 4 or 5 stars reviews at a popular learning Spanish product review site. 501 Spanish verbs is one of the products. The second product was the Learning Spanish Like Crazy self-study course. And the third was a Spanish word or phrase book.
Verbs rule!
We all know a million Spanish words. But if you can't conjugate a verb, you can't talk. I know tons of Spanish but I wasn't able to communicate well until I picked up this essential text. If there is one book for learning Spanish that you need, this is it. Verbs are the absolute core of the language, and since Spanish has no declensions as in Russian or German, you are going to learn the language a lot faster if you refer often to this reference. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    2. Foreign Language Study    3. Grammar    4. Language    5. Parts of speech    6. Spanish    7. Spanish language    8. Spanish: Adult Nonfiction    9. Tables    10. Verb    11. Foreign Language Study / Spanish    12. Grammar & vocabulary   

Editorial Review

Composition teachers throughout the English-speaking world have been pushing this book on their students since it was first published in 1957.Co-author White later revised it, and it remains the most compact and lucid handbook we have for matters of basic principles of composition, grammar, word usage and misusage, and writing style. ... Read more

Reviews (286)

Do You Dread Looking Things Up?
The Elements of Style makes grammatical research so easy, you'll want to look up things you'd always wondered about but thought would take too much time. Recently someone asked me about the use of the serial comma, and, as it was about text we were going to put on the dust jacket of a book, it was sufficiently important to look up. It turned out to be the second item in the Table of Contents. First you get the general rule, in this case "In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last." The example given is "gold, silver, or copper." The sole exception is a series of names in a business: "Brown, Shipley and Co." There! With thirty seconds effort, the issue was adjudicated. I can't recommend it highly enough. Thank God for the Fourth Edition. My Third Edition is dog-eared with use.

Important Reading
This little book is important reading for any one who has or is desiring to write. One of the best things that I could say about the book is that it is full of examples that are juxtaposed. Every element is clearly defined in such a way that any one can easily see the difference between the examples given. This book is a "how to" book for proper use of english in written form. It seemingly covers everything you could imagine from the use of commas and omiting needless words to expressing yourself clearly and not overwriting. The five chapters are: 1. Elementary Rules of Usage 2. Elementary Principles of Composition 3. A Few Matters of Form 4. Words and Expressions Commonly Misused 5. An Approach to Style.
Absolutely Indispensable!
Anyone doing any writing, regardless of the purpose, must have a copy of this handy little reference book right next to their dictionary and thesaurus. "Elements of Style" is an indispensable little guide full of superb tips for the correct use of the English language. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Composition & Creative Writing - General    2. English Composition    3. English language    4. Grammar    5. Language    6. Language Arts & Disciplines    7. Literary style    8. Reference    9. Report writing    10. Rhetoric    11. Style    12. Technical Writing    13. Writing Skills    14. English    15. Technology / Technical Writing    16. Writing & editing guides   

Reviews (13)

Fun to read, useful information, and makes a great gift
This book hits a sweet spot for me.Paul Brians uses a common sense approach in discussing how we use and misuse our language.His approach is not fussy or full of rules.Instead, he uses humor and a light touch to help the reader develop a sense for what is proper and logical.He also helps us learn where we commonly fall into traps by mishearing and misusing words through regionalisms or simply similar sounding words.
It is really useful andentertaining.I love it!
I usually don't review any of my purchases. But, this book is so captivating that I had to review it!
Too Basic
The content is so elementary that this book cannot be considered a serious reference work for writers. Many of the "Common Errors" seem to have been made up in order to complete a targeted page count. If you already know the difference between "chunk" and "chuck," and know when to use "next door" instead of "next store" to convey your intended meaning, you can pass on this one. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Composition & Creative Writing - General    2. Dictionaries    3. English as a Second Language    4. English language    5. Errors of usage    6. Foreign Language Study    7. Grammar    8. Idioms    9. Language    10. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    11. Phonetics & Phonics    12. United States    13. Usage    14. English    15. Usage guides   

Reviews (1)

Exceeded Expectations
My textbook came sooner than expected and it was in great condition!The savings were unbelievable and I actually recommended using this seller to everyone in my class. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Grammar    5. Human Resources & Personnel Management    6. Interpersonal relations    7. Organizational behavior    8. Psychology, Industrial    9. Behavioural theory (Behaviourism)    10. Business & Economics / Human Resources & Personnel Management    11. Personnel & human resources management   

Reviews (28)

The Elements of Style: A Classic with Timeless Advice
Although the original Elements of Style was written in 1919 (or earlier), it still holds true that anyone who wants to learn how to write in a clear and concise manner will benefit from this book. After reading this book you'll know to avoid breaking elementary rules and principles that are made in writing: excessiveuse of adjectives and adverbs, writing in the passive voice, using different tenses in writing, using the improper case of pronouns (example: using "who" when "whom" should be used and vice versa).
A Classic
This book was required for my high school English classes back in the late '60's. As an English professor, I use this book today. Many generations of students have benefited from this book's informal, conversational approach to teaching formal English (that is, excellent English that is precise and concise in form and content). Although I don't personally like the illustrations, this is my favorite edition of the book because the illustrations add a whimsical informality to substantive content.

Pictures + Punctuation= Fabulous Source of Info
The Elements of Style was great before pictures were added, but the color adds even that much more to a great source for grammar and punctuation.Easy to navigate, great examples through sentences and excerpts.Strunk and White have done it right! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. English Composition    2. English Grammar    3. English language    4. Reference    5. Report writing    6. Rhetoric    7. Style    8. Writing Skills    9. Reference / Writing Skills   

Reviews (2)

Best current reference on Arabic
In 39 crisp chapters covering more than 700 pages Ryding organizes both the grand lines and essential details of Arabic language structure and grammar. This is a highly readable, easily searched linguistic reference. The index really does the job and her list of references alone is a significant academic contribution. Finally, this gem will make life easier for both students of Arabic and researchers. All my thumbs are up for this once in a lifetime linguistic treasure.

breath-taking
after experimenting with a lot of arabic grammar books I have finally met the most engaging one.I can not imagine the right words to give sufficient definition of the capabilities of this breath-taking book.every sentence is supplied with full transliteration.extensive,exhausive but not exhaushing.it is a must to buy book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Arabic    2. Arabic language    3. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    4. General    5. Grammar    6. Language    7. Language Arts & Disciplines    8. Arabian peninsula    9. Grammar, syntax, linguistic structure    10. Language Arts & Disciplines / General    11. Saudi Arabia   

Reviews (11)

Rules For Writers
Comprehensive grammar book.Great sections on APA and MLA format writing.

The best writing reference I've found for the SAT Writing Section
I'm an SAT tutor, and I haven't been thrilled with many of the grammar/usage/writing SAT books on the market.They usually do a decent job on a few topics but not all topics.I'm getting this book for every one of my students (and my own son) because it will not only help them with the SAT writing section but it serves as the best ongoing reference for their use in school.I haven't tried the CD-ROM yet (sold separately) but it has over 1000 practice exercises.

Comprehensive, better than the Bedford Handbook
The college where I teach English composition used Rules for Writers as the Handbook for three or four years. It now uses the Bedford Handbook. I found Rules for Writers to be very full and useful for every aspect of teaching, not only grammar and punctuation, but for composition and research writing as well. It tends to have fairly exhaustive explanations of most points of grammar. It has an especially good section on ESOL problems.All in all, it is a practical useful book that I keep on my writing desk for my own use, even though it is no longer used in our classes.
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Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Composition & Creative Writing - General    3. English language    4. Grammar    5. Handbooks, manuals, etc    6. Language    7. Language Arts & Disciplines    8. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    9. Report writing    10. Rhetoric    11. Language Arts & Disciplines / Composition & Creative Writing   

Reviews (21)

Understanding and Using English Grammar (Third Edition)
I have used this outstanding book with international students for several years, but it would be helpful if the Answer Key were available from Amazon.

Grammar is difficult
With this book is it possible to learn the english grammar.
Clear and easily understandable
The geniuses that controlled my education decided that I should skip fourth grade reading because they caught me reading Mark Twain in third grade. I can't imagine what in the WORLD they were thinking, as I came to learn years later that in fourth grade reading they taught - you guessed it - grammar! And boy, did I suffer. My written grammar was absolutely horrendous for years, and even though I continued to be placed in advanced or honors English classes throughout high school, whenever my papers were returned to me the "concept" side came back with an A, and the "grammar" side came back with a D or an F.Read more

Subjects:  1. English as a Second Language    2. English language    3. Foreign Language Study    4. Grammar    5. Language    6. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    7. Linguistics    8. Problems, exercises, etc    9. Textbooks for foreign speakers    10. ELT grammars & grammar practice    11. English    12. Foreign Language Study / English as a Second Language   

Reviews (25)

Fabulous Book!
I have been searching for this information in a simple, easy to follow format.This book is it.I've been rusty with my punctuation and grammar for years and will treasure this as a great resource and learning tool.

Great resource for independent learners.
My students work full time and don't have a lot of time or energy to do grammar exercises at home. They want fast answers that are easy to understand. I recommend this book for the clear explanations and convenient format, and students have always found it accessible. Well worth the investment--you'll use it as much as your dictionary at least!

Students, watch out!
If you are a student in high school or college looking for a complete reference guide, this book is not it. The basics are covered, but explanations are sometimes inaccurate, and it will not supply answers to problems with your research paper(at least, not the answers that will satisfy your teacher). It IS a good reference tool for those in the corporate community who need help once in a while to polish a report, proposal or important memo. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Education    2. General    3. Grammar    4. Language Arts & Disciplines / Reference    5. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    6. Composition and exercises    7. Grammar, syntax, linguistic structure    8. Language Arts & Disciplines / Editing & Proofreading    9. Writing & editing guides   

Reviews (7)

Greek Flash Cards Helpful
I have been amazed at how helpful Mounce's Greek flash cards have been.Actually, this is my second set of cards because I previously used the cards that came with Parson's Greek Tutor software.In fact, the usefulness of the Parson's cards led me to buy Mounce's much larger set.
Basics of Bib Greek Vocab Cards
Very useful for learning vocabulary.They contain all the words in Mounce's text, and more.They have chapter references which are useful.It's broken down such that the more common words are listed first (in numerical order).Nice large font. The cards are a little small (the size of a business card).It would be useful if they had a key on each card that indicated the part of speech (noun, verb, adverb, etc.).It also might be useful to have them grouped with a ring.

A Must Have
If you are using the Mounce textbook for Basic Greek, these cards are a must!They are in the order of the chapters of the book, and they have all the information you need to learn the vocabulary easily and quickly.I carry them around with me on a ring clasp, and they are great!I highly recommend them! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bible - Language Studies    2. Bibles - Greek    3. Christianity - Christian Life - General    4. Religion    5. Religion - Biblical Studies - Language    6. Ancient (Classical) Greek    7. Christian Interest    8. Grammar, syntax, linguistic structure    9. Religion / Christian Life   

Reviews (11)

Pleased with the service
I was pleased with the service and the book.
The best of all reference grammars
This book is undoubtedly the most comprehensive grammar of the English language ever written. It is an absolute 'must have' for any non-native English speaker who wishes to use the language competently. It will even make an excellent textbook for ambitious intermediate and advanced students.

Still Useful, but...
As the title and price suggest, this is a reference grammar of English, not a textbook. It's written for people who already have a grasp of basic grammatical principles. This is the sort of book that you pick up when you want to look up patterns of verb complementation, etc. Only a masochist would try to read it straight through, or to learn grammar from it.Read more

Subjects:  1. English Grammar    2. English as a Second Language    3. English language    4. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    5. Grammar    6. ELT grammars & grammar practice    7. English   

Reviews (8)

Good for review your general grammar knowledge
I'M A SPANISH SPEAKER THAT WAS SEEKING FOR A BOOK THAT BEGINS ABOVE THE BEGINNERS LEVEL. THIS BOOK BEGINS WITH MORE COMPLEXGRAMMAR.

A Great Self-Study Book
This is a great book for those who have exposed themselves in English speaking environment for quite a while and have got a basic English grammar knowledge,but always get confused by some "casual" grammar problems or something out of the expectations that you have learned from those"regular" grammar rules. In a word, this book rather focuson those "irregular"English grammar phenomenon that usedby those native speakers in their everyday life.
Great for practicing.
Once you will have it, you only need to read and to practice. Very explicit book, and great for the people how understand the English but doesn't knows the rules. Also I recommend to buy an idiom book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. English as a Second Language    2. Etymology    3. Grammar    4. Language    5. Language Arts & Disciplines    6. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    7. Teaching Methods & Materials - Language Arts    8. ELT grammars & grammar practice    9. English    10. Foreign Language Study / English as a Second Language   

Reviews (2)

Good book to strengthen writing skills for students
I actually purchased this book becuase it helped give me some inspiration for addtional exercises for my ESL students because I thought that some of the material in the text we were using was not covered effectively.I really like this book, and can be used for high level ESL or native English writing.Easy to follow, well-ordered, and overall a good writing skills text.

A very useful text
We use Susan Fawcett's book 'Evergreen' in writing courses at the community college where I work, as well as in our Tutoring Center (we also use her book 'Grassroots', which is a good companion at the more basic level).Whereas 'Grassroots' is for those who need help writing sentences and with more basic grammar concepts, the 'Evergreen' book is for those who have mastered that level of writing, and are ready to develop more fully structured themes and essays.
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Subjects:  1. Composition & Creative Writing - General    2. General    3. Grammar    4. Language    5. Language Arts & Disciplines    6. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    7. Reading Skills   

Reviews (4)

Hodges' Harbrace Handbook
I've been using this handbook for about 25 years, and recently realized that my edition was the 3rd, published in the 1970s! So I ordered the latest edition (14th edition), and was so pleased with my purchase. This is a handbook that lives in our office, and gets used to death (we do graphic design, copywriting, editing). Any new employee on our staff is required to at least become familiar with the table of contents (in case of emergency!), and very soon they too are heading for Harbrace's to look up something. We love it.

The Guide for American English
It never ceases to amaze me how many times some ... grammarian tries to correct my writing only to review my Harbrace College Handbook to see they're wrong and I'm right. This is the definitive guide to American English grammar. Easy to read, plenty of examples, and more importantly it even covers those gray areas of usage letting the ready know this non-standard without simply cutting you off without explanation. I have purchased the latest edition ever since I purchased my first copy as text to Advanced Composition during my undergraduate days at the University of Maryland University College. Harbrace as served me very well ever since helping me obtain a high GPA in regards to my written assignments. I have a lot of other grammar books that I look at now and then, but Harbrace remains the standard.

The Guide for American English
It never ceases to amaze me how many times some anal grammarian tries to correct my writing only to review my Harbrace College Handbook to see they're wrong and I'm right. This is the definitive guide to American English grammar. Easy to read, plenty of examples, and more importantly it even covers those gray areas of usage letting the ready know this non-standard without simply cutting you off without explanation. I have purchased the latest edition ever since I purchased my first copy as text to Advanced Composition during my undergraduate days at the University of Maryland University Collage. Harbrace as served me very well ever since helping me obtain a high GPA in regards to my written assignments. I have a lot of other grammar books that I look at now and then, but Harbrace remains the standard. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Composition & Creative Writing - Academic    2. Editing & Proofreading    3. English language    4. Grammar    5. Handbooks & Manuals    6. Handbooks, manuals, etc    7. Reference    8. Rhetoric    9. Writing Skills    10. English    11. Grammar, syntax, linguistic structure    12. Language Arts & Disciplines / Composition & Creative Writing    13. Reference works    14. Writing & editing guides   

Editorial Review

Written by Patricia T. O'Conner, an editor at the Read more

Reviews (93)

A Fun (yes, fun) Grammar Text
Students and teachers dread grammar. Diagramming sentences and misplaced modifiers can spell ruin to a person seeking good grammar. Woe is I avoids those terms and brings grammar back to real English-speakers. This book is good because it not only explains common grammar errors that everyday people make when speaking, but it explains them well and clearly, so that people are not bogged down by complicated rules. And the humor and simplicity makes reading Woe is I enjoyable, and trust me, you'll like grammar more after reading it, but you won't become a grammar nerd who bugs people and tells them not to end a sentence with a preposition. You'll stay the same, but with better grammar.

It deserves more than 5 stars!
Excellent & indispensable. Easy to read, to understand, to remember. Regardless of what you write or your level of expertise, I guarantee you'll learn something.
a very helpfulbook
We can't assume that, just because we use spell check on the computer, we are writing properly.It seems as though nowadays every word ending in an "s" calls for an apostrophe.It is a matter of choice as to whether the apostrophe comes before or after the "s".Menus, signs, and classified ads always feature creative writing, punctuation and spelling.Every edition of the local newspaper is riddled with grammatical errors. I want my writing to say something better about me.I didn't learn to diagram sentences in high school, so I need some extra help to make sure I am communicating effectively and not showing my ignorance any more than necessary.If you find yourself re-writing sentences because you are not sure about your grammar, this is just the book for you.When I read the book I found several areas where my language use was just not up to par."Woe Is I" is short enough and has enough flow that you can read it straight through.Then, when you are in the midst of writing, you can refer back to troublesome areas until you become accustomed to using better English.I keep it right beside the computer at work.Then, if I need help figuring out if I should use "its" or if "it's" is proper, I can quickly double check. "Woe Is I" is a really helpful and portable little book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. English language    2. Grammar    3. Handbooks, manuals, etc    4. Language    5. Language Arts & Disciplines    6. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    7. Usage    8. Reference / General   

Subjects:  1. Education / Teaching    2. General    3. Grammar    4. Language    5. Language Arts & Disciplines    6. American English    7. ELT grammars & grammar practice   

Reviews (7)

Usefulness of the Handbook
This handbook is a great asset for any college student that requires a great reference on all types of writing formats in an English course. The Handbook does clearify alot of misconceptions with writing formats such as MLA, APA, Chicago Manual, and many others. It also provides you examples on how the papers using such writing formats should appear on a paper.
BEST Writers Handbook of All ! !

Just what I expected
The book that I recieved what in the exact quality that it was listed to be in.I was a little disappointed in the amount of time that it took to get the book compared to other companies I have worked with on Amazon, but I understand it might not be the companies fault. ... Read more

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

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 (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