Product Description
In this unique linguistics course-in-a-book, David and Yvonne Freeman explain essential linguistic concepts in a thorough, but manageable manner and show the connections between linguistic theory and classroom practice ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Excellent Service
Thank you so much for fast service and a product that was exactly as described!

Good if you are a staunch whole language believer
I picked up this book from a university bookstore because I was interested in background knowledge in linguistics to help guide reading instruction.This book is a typical "we are right (whole language) and you are wrong (phonics)" debate.The authors refer to themselves as "sociopsycholinguists" which I took to be the new term for whole language teachers. I don't want to waste my time reading about the whole language vs. phonics debate anymore, I just wanted the research and background provided by linguistic study. This book just seemed to be a rehashing of whole language theories; and why they are correct and the phonics approach is wrong with little classroom strategies (which is what I wanted from the book).I wanted different ways I could use to help struggling readers no matter what the theory, I don't feel this was a good book for that.

Very useful
I found this book very useful. Well put together and the questions/assignments at the end are also appreciated. Extremely valuable as a coursebook or for self-study. No fluff.

Excellent service
The seller gave excellent service and communicated with me quickly. Book as described. Would definately work with again.

Great linguistic book for teachers
Freeman & Freeman have hit a great niche with their book. I don't want or need, a complex linguistics book in the style of Chomsky. Freeman & Freeman take language research and package the relevant "real-world" findings so they will be of use for teachers. Although my interest is for English as a Second (ESL) teachers, I believe every teacher is concerned with literacy, and Freeman & Freeman's book covers what teachers need to know concerning phonics v. whole word instruction, spelling, and grammar. Freeman & Freeman seem to belong to the Stephen Krashen school of language and reading. This is a plus for me, but for Krashen-haters, it probably wouldn't be, and they should look elsewhere. This is "baby" linguistics book--you won't get a section on Chomsky's generative grammar here. I think it would be a good companion volume along with VanPatten's "From Input to Output"--which is a slim volume solely concerned with second language acquisition and has the same conversational tone--and--this is important--their teaching advice and philosophy meshes. ... Read more

Product Description

How does good writing stand out?

If its purpose is to convey facts, findings, or instructions, it need be read only once for its content to be clear. If its purpose is to entertain or to provoke thought, it makes readers want to come back for more.

Revised and updated, this guide covers four essential aspects of good writing:

Product Description
English expert, Santo J. Aurelio, Ed. D., makes speaking and writing easier for everyone with his book, How To Say It And Write It Correctly NOW, 2nd edition (Synergy Press, ISBN 0-9747644-3-4).Dr. Aurelio offers a wealth of knowledge on many grammar mysteries for all ages, including punctuation and a layperson's legal dictionary.He intends to correct many grammar mishaps and to encourage his readers to be confident when they are speaking and writing English.With the flip of a page, you can find out about the origin of wedding rings, learn the basic facts about 32 major art movements, and obtain knowledge about many popular abbreviations and acronyms that are widely used in everyday speech and writing.How To Say It And Write It Correctly NOW provides more useful information than a dictionary and weighs less.This book will help you to speak and write with confidence. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Great Reference Book
I purchased this book to aid me in my studies to become a Medical TRanscriptionist, and I would have to say it should be purchased by anyone who is going into this field or anyone who is going to be ttypingany type of dictation.

It is very easy to read and to understand.

Fran
Flint, MI

Baffling at first look because it has sections, spelling one of them
It certainly is all the things listed in the title, which are interesting, but I simply wanted to check the spelling of a word quickly while writing. But,if anyone wants to know everything about a word, it is certainly all there. I bought one for myself and two for my son and daughter,who live in NY and Boston. I tried in vain to send the two to seperate addresss. That day, for some reason, Amazon didn't show alternate address boxes and all were sent to me. I still have not taken them to the post office,because of ill health. This is in no way the fault of the sender. They have e-mailed me and explained that they had no way of knowing the book was supposed to be sent to another address. Of course they could not have. I rank the seller 5 stars.

Words Can Be Fun
This is one of the few fact-filled books that is easy, and FUN, to read. Dr. Aurelio has a big smile on the cover, very warm and friendly for a Ph.D., and in an interview with our local public radio station, he came across the same way---with local trivia about his home area around Boston, and even the meaning of some common baseball words (in honor of the Boston Red Sox, who were getting their World Series rings that day).
In essence, the book says that learning the correct grammar, punctuation and spelling rules can be very satisfying, even though the English language is made up of almost one million words.
Aurelio says that approximately 70 percent of the words in common use can be boiled down to just 175 prefixes, roots and suffixes. For example, the root "demo" means "people," and is the root of words like "democracy" and "epidemic."
He also has chapters on medical and legal words, meeting the common challenge that absolutely no average person can understand a prescription form, or virtually anything said by a lawyer.
There is also a list of the origins of many popular words or terms --for example "skyscraper" is from a term used by sailors some 200 years ago to describe a sail at the top of a mast.
So pick up the book, find words you like, or would like to learn, and you'll find yourself full of confidence, and smiling, as you wade into your next meeting or social event!

A great buy!
I bought 5 books to distribute to all my newspaper editors. A must for reporters and editors. ... Read more

Product Description
Freelance editor Kathy Ide highlights the most common mistakes writers make in the areas of Punctuation, Usage, Grammar, and Spelling-"PUGS"-using the industry-standard resources for book and article manuscripts. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Excellent reference book!
I use this book all the time when I am revising and editing my writing. Kathy has broken down the chapters into very user-friendly formats. A definite buy for every writer.

Lifesaver!
Polishing the PUGS is an absolute lifesaver for quick reference, and it's far easier to use than most style books.

But keep in mind: It's not as comprehensive as the style books, either.

Use it as intended. Quick reference.

Great resource for writers!
This is a fabulous resource for writers--sort of a "best of" everything The Chicago Manual of Style, Strunk's Elements of Style and other standard manuals on writing, all compiled into one easy reference spot. My favorite feature is the blank space at the end of each section for you to make notes about your own pet PUG peeves. I just got my copy and I've already added several spelling words to the blank space in the "commonly misspelled words" section: squat, squash, parallel, peeve, prejudice, weirdand misspelled, for starters. Those words always seem to trick me to the point I can't even find them in the dictionary. With this book, everything is at your fingertips in a well-organized fashion. I predict I'll wear out this copy within the year. ... Read more

Product Description
Can ghoti really be pronounced fish? Why is short in glove and love, but long in rove and cove? Why do English words carry such extra baggage as the silent in doubt, the silent in knee, and the silent in autumn? And why do names like Phabulous Phoods and Hi-Ener-G stand out? Addressing these and many other questions about letters and the sounds they make, this engaging volume provides a comprehensive analysis of American English spelling and pronunciation. Venezky illuminates the fully functional system underlying what can at times be a bewildering array of exceptions, focusing on the basic units that serve to signal word form or pronunciation, where these units can occur within words, and how they relate to sound. Also examined are how our current spelling system has developed, efforts to reform it, and ways that spelling rules or patterns are violated in commercial usage. From one of the world's foremost orthographic authorities, the book affords new insight into the teaching of reading and the acquisition and processing of spelling sound relationships.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An Excellent Analysis of English Spelling
I could not put this book down. Most adults probably no longer give much thought to the different patterns in English spelling, or to the long lists of familiar exceptions to those patterns. But for children first learning to read and write, these patterns and exceptions can present a barrier. What is the history behind our current system? What principles best describe it? How can a modern linguistic analysis, using an intermediate "morphophonemic" level between spelling and sound help us to understand this system? This book answers these questions in an engaging narrative.

Although the examples of pronunciation in this book are for a General American accent, readers from other accent communities should not be discouraged by the title. The history and principles of this modern description can be read equally well, I believe, by anyone who reads and speaks English and would like to better understand English spelling.

As the author says is the introduction, "This book will either make you feel more at home with [English orthography's] peculiarities, or drive you to join a spelling reform society." For some readers, it may do both.
... Read more

Product Description
This practical workbook introduces beginners to the rules and conventions on which contemporary English spelling is based. Clearly written and organized, it is a perfect guide for self study.

Topics covered include: how speech-sounds map onto each other; the extent to which words sound identical or look identical; various kinds of spelling mistakes; the main differences between American and British spelling; how and why proper names may vary from expected spelling conventions; punctuation of words by apostrophes, hyphens and capitalization; as well as possible approaches to spelling reform. With hands on language analysis and balanced insight into basic linguistic theory, English Spelling offers a solid introduction to this topic.

Edward Carney is a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Linguistics, University of Manchester. ... Read more

Product Description
Here, at last, is the guide that shows school, college and university students how they can improve their essay-writing skills and their command of spelling, punctuation and grammar. Throughout the emphasis is upon clear guidelines and clear explanations of how to master all aspects of writing. Carefully designed both for students who have never been taught any grammar and for those who need reminding of the basic rules of English, this is set to become one of the indispensable reference works on every student's desk. ... Read more

Product Description
This full year spelling program offers complete instructions & prodigious worksheets. 36 lessons with tests, weekly word lists, worksheets, and dictation exercises to be used in the classroom or at home. Our simple and easy to use spelling program is a no-nonsense approach to this often vexing subject. It works very well for us! (Items sold and published by Logos School Materials are used in thousands of private and home schools, including Logos School classrooms.) REPRODUCIBLE. ... Read more

Product Description
Whether it is a letter to your friend, a note to your mum, or a story you want to write, you will always need to use good English. This book has all the rules and the information you need to write clearly and effectively, with the tips to make it easier. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (1)

The first guide I grab when a question arises
I have a shelf full of style and usage guides (I'm a writer and translator by profession), and this is the first one I reach for when I have a question. The explanations are clear, reasonable, and cover both UK and US usage. The author strikes a fine balance between prescriptive and descriptive standards, and in some cases explains the arguments in favor of competing norms. I recommend this book highly. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

You will write like an expert if you use this book!
I got my first copy of this book in college, and ordered the 8th edition some time ago.It is ESSENTIAL reference material for anyone who wants to write CORRECTLY and USE the English language correctly.Your writing will improve, and a great side effect is that everyone will think you are incredibly smart!Get and USE this book!Those of us who cringe at the continuous abuse of the English language will thank you!

The only grammar reference you will ever need!
I am a technical writer with a Bachelors degree in English. I picked up this book in college, and I still use it to this day. Many grammars are lengthy and exhaustive, but this book's light weight and logical break-downof grammar make it the ultimate reference. Whether you are a strugglingstudent, or a professional writer, you need this reference on yourbookshelf.

A workbook is also available, which follows this reference tothe letter. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (60)

Bring your wading shoes
If you like tax forms and the study of educational resources you will love this book. This is a very long winded approach to spelling. I personally need some simple instructions so we can start the spelling program. I don't have time nor do I desire to understand the theory behind this program. Step 1,2,3,4 etc. Many home schoolers will be disappointed in this system, especially if they are teaching multiple age groups and older, more time intensive kids. However, the kindergarden mother may have the time to find this facinating. This book has been useless to us so far due to it's complexity. Simplicity is the ultimate form of sophistication, this program needs alot of refinement to be user friendly. Sense any frustration? Be warned this system is not home school friendly! Yet!
Update of my review- We purchased the individual words their way books that break down each spelling catagory and found the simplicity we were looking for. This book gives you the simple test to find out what catagory your child should start in but is not a practical day to day spelling book. Unless you can find the placement test somewhere else, you need this book to find your childs catagory. Seems like a lot of money for a simple test however we may find other useful reasons for this book as we move along. Using the individual catagory books for this system helps tremendously. They have clear instuctions and all the words sorts organized in a more useable, practical form. My opinion of this spelling system has changed. Now that it is practical to use it has become a favorite part of our homeschool puzzle.

A valuable resource
This is the guide book to understanding the Words Their Way system. It covers all the different stages of spelling knowledge and even if you are not adopting a 'word sort' spelling system in your classroom, the information included in this book is highly valuable. For teachers who have little to no knowledge of how to teach spelling, I would recommend this book as it provides a holistic view rather than focusing on say, just phonics. It is really not worth buying the individual titles for the different spelling stages unless you have this book too, as many of the activities/games/sorts suggested in the individual titles are explained in this book. One major criticism is the organisation of the contents. It is disjointed, difficult to find exactly what you are looking for and generally organised quite confusingly.

Great book for teaching students and beginning teachers
Bought this for a class and didn't really use it, however another teachers suggested it and we've been using it a lot. Has a lot of things I didn't learn in elementary school and I've already learned some new spelling rules.

Great Resource
This resource book arrived in great shape and on time.This is a very informative book with many literacy games.I used this to complete a tutoring project and the student that I worked with liked the material so much that I made her copies to use at home after we completed our sessions together.

Words Their Way
It had hardly any highlighting on the inside, which I appreciate.However, I was really upset that the spine had a small V-shaped chunk cut into it.I don't know if it was due to the mailing process or sent that way. I am assuming it had to do with shipping.As a result, this was my first experience having books sent via the mail and it may be my last.I will certainly think twice...or more!...before doing this again. Perhaps books should be wrapped in a paper before sent in the envelope or sent in bubble protected envelopes.If I knew this would protect them better I would reconsider. ... Read more

Product Description
This user-friendly book offers help to anyone who needs to brush up on his or her English. Written in short, easily understandable sections, it deals with the basics of writing good English. There are sections on punctuation, sentence construction, and spelling. All the common pitfalls are tackled, such as when to use apostrophes and how to spell those frequently misspelt words. The reader is shown how to adopt different styles needed for writing a report, essay or short story, and useful exercises and illlustrations are included throughout the book. ... Read more