Product Description

Customer Reviews (15)

An Essential
From junior high to Graduate or professional school, if you write, you NEED this book.It's a classic, and when I taught at the university level, I always urged students to have a copy.It contains information for writing a paper or thesis at any level, on any subject.

Great book - a note on the physical aspects of the book
I will not comment too much on the content of this book - I believe that there is already substantial evidence that the content is valuable and although some may say that it is common sense, I am amazed as to how many people and writers make the simple and basic mistakes that the book points out.I bought this book to write essays for graduate schools and the principles have already proven helpful and insightful.

A quick note on the physical aspects of the book - as another reviewer pointed it, the pages do look like they were photocopied and the font type looks old-fashioned.However, for a price point of $3, there is little to complain about and if you want a better looking book (with the same content), just search for the more expensive versions of this book on Amazon.

All in all, I would highly recommend this specific version of the book if all you are looking for is the solid writing principles that the book provides.

THe Elements of style
I recommend the read especially if you are thinking of writing or are taking a writing course. Thank you!

Be careful when buying this book
This was the wrong edition for the class my son to use.It looked like it had been photocopied with most of the pages being very faded looking.

A Brief Guideline of Writing Fundamentals
The Elements of Style is concise, direct, and comprehensive in its treatment of the rules of apposite writing.The book includes an overview of conventional rules; commas, conjunctions, independent clauses, and proper sentence and paragraph forms.

As a reference, The Elements of Style has value; however, the book looses appeal by invoking extremes of language and punctuation to present the material.Equal effort is required to interpret the material as there is to understand the lessons themselves.I believe one might be better served searching for a more lucid presentation of rules and usages of writing than is provided in this book. ... Read more

Product Description
High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by Hungarian-American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City. Prizes are awarded semi-annually in five categories. In twenty of these, each winner receives a certificate and a US$10,000 cash award. The winner in the public service category of the journalism competition is awarded a gold medal, which always goes to a newspaper, although an individual may be named in the citation. ... Read more

Product Description
This user's guide to English grammar and style presents the historical background of old rules, many of which are shown to be unsound. In their place, the reader is offered a set of principles for speaking and writing good English. Where there is divided usage, grounds are given for preferring one to another. The book deals with the many misuses of present-day English, and there are two supplements containing examples of bad English, with comments and suggested improvements. A guide to punctuation and a glossary of basic grammatical terms are also included. ... Read more

Product Description
WRITING THE RESEARCH PAPER IS AN EASILY ACCESSIBLE RESEARCH PAPER GUIDE THAT CAN BE USED BY STUDENTS THROUGHOUT THEIR COLLEGE CAREER AND BEYOND. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Writing the Research Paper.........
I gave this book 5 stars because it has everything you need to write a research paper in it.It goes from the cover page all the way through to the bibliography.It also is very well organized, so if you're just looking for one certain part, it's easy to find.

Useful for instruction in writing research papers.
I teach an English Composition course at a small community college. The course focuses on writing research papers of 12-15 pages.Most of our students have no experience in citing sources.I have found the Winkler and McCuen book helpful in teaching them the two principle annotation styles, as well as in guiding students through the process of writing the research paper itself.The book also includes instructions for citing electronic sources according to MLA and APA style formats. The fifth edition of the book, with its spiral binding and and tabs, is, in my opinion, a very useful tool for students who are writing their first research papers.Of course, the book must necessarily abbreviate some of the information regarding MLA and APA formats, so we also have available, in our college library, both of the official style manuals for these research paper formats.However, for the students' own suppementary "textbook," I have found this text a very worthwhile choice.

Useful information flawed by unpleasant paper and typeface
I looked at this book in my local bookstore, and couldn't buy it, because it was unpleasant to read. The paper was thin and extremely bright white, while the typeface was too pale. Inserted examples were in Courier type, as if people still use typewriters--these inserts were even more difficult to read. These major flaws made the book unusable to me. ... Read more

Product Description
Ideal for students in upper-level composition, literature, or creative writing courses, this brief style guide gives practical advice on how students with basic grammar knowledge can produce writing with style (and with the correctness that matters) for both academic and professional purposes. Style and Difference advises students how to incorporate style and to bend grammar rules appropriately and effectively. With the aid of examples from nearly 100 contemporary published writers, Style and Difference shows how good writing style differs from, as well as conforms to, the established conventions and rules of writing. Style and Difference offers instructors flexibility in their syllabi: this text can be used as a supplement to a handbook or instead of a handbook; chapters can be paired or used in any sequence; and the readings in Part V, Writers on Style, lend themselves to discussions about style that are appropriate at any time during the term. ... Read more

Product Description
This instructive work aims to help advanced writers to develop a personal style, to write about issues that are substantial and meaningful in their lives, and to possess a range of strategies that will help them solve writing problems of all kinds. The author presents workable, direct, and useful strategies for writing effective argumentative, familiar, and critical essays, and the practical appendix on research materials discusses both print resources found in libraries and new resources on-line. ... Read more

Product Description
This accessible and invaluable workbook-style reference guide will help your students smooth the transition from writing for composition classes to writing for psychology classes. Author Lenore T. Szuchman quickly and succinctly provides the basics of APA style in Writing with Style. Szuchman's years of experience teaching writing-intensive courses give her an inside track on the trouble spots students often encounter when writing papers and dealing with APA style. The unique workbook format offers both a quick reference to APA style and interactive exercises that give students a chance to practice what they've learned. They'll be encouraged to use already published articles as models, so they're introduced to journal sources in a nonthreatening way. And Szuchman pinpoints the kinds of errors that are often made, followed by suggested solutions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

A good seller
I did not get my book, but when I contact them they refund my money the next day...

book
the book was in good conditions brand new and all. and at a good price

Not what I wanted
This book is not very thorough in providing information for APA.I had to purchase a different book that included step by step information about citations.I need examples and this book did not do the trick.

Im happy
The book is in excellent condition and im really happy to have my books like that

Has this author heard of examples?
This book is for someone who has never written a paper and has the time to complete the book as a workbook.Unfortunately, this did not apply to me.I have written many papers but have always used MLA style.I know how towrite a paper and only wanted help with the format.What I really neededto see was examples of how to cite a journal, a book, a newspaper article,ect.and this author only gives a description. ... Read more

Product Description
Hart's Rules for Compositors and Readers at the University Press, Oxford was first printed in 1893. This classic reference work for writers, editors, and publishers was in print through 39 editions for nearly one hundred years. New Hart's Rules is a brand-new text that brings the principles of the old text into the 21st century, providing answers to questions of editorial style for a new generation of editorial professionals. Writers and editors of all kinds will find this handy guide an indispensable companion in their work. Twenty chapters give information on all aspects of writing and of preparing copy for publication, whether in print or electronically. New Hart's Rulescovers a broad range of topics including publishing terms, layout and headings,how to present numbers and dates, how to treat illustrations, hyphenation, punctuation, UK and US usage, bibliographies and notes, and indexing. The chapters have been compiled by a team of experts and consultants, and the book draws on the unrivalled expertise of Oxford's Reference Department. It is also endorsed by the Society for Editors and Proofreaders. The text is designed and organized for maximum accessibility with clearly displayed examples throughout. Authoritative and comprehensive, New Hart's Rules is the essential desk guide for all writers and editors, and together with the New Oxford Spelling Dictionary and the New Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors forms the complete editorial reference set. ... Read more

Product Description
A compact yet comprehensive guide, the Harbrace College Handbook, Thirteenth Edition offers practical, well-organized, and easily accessible advice for writers. Specific examples throughout the book demonstrate the principles of writing that are applicable to both course work and professional tasks, and frequent cross-references establish how these principles inform each other. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Bigger and newer is not always better
Bigger and newer is not always better.In my estimation, The Revised 13th Edition of the Harbrace College Handbook is inferior to its predecessors.Indeed, I was so disappointed that I gave the book to a friend and hunted for an 11th Edition instead.

There are three defects that make the 13th Edition less useful as a reference work:

(1) The 'highlight' color in the 13th Edition is blue; in previous editions* Harbrace used RED as its highlight color (for such things as exact location of punctuation or to present succinct rules of proper usage).The red really popped from the surrounding black text; the blue--a fairly dark shade--has such low contrast that they might as well have used black.

[*I used the 8th, 9th, and 11th Editions when I was a college teacher and tutor (including work with ESL students).As a writer, I later relied on the 11th Harbrace as my principal desk reference for two decades. The 11th Edition was perfect for my needs, but my copy was destroyed in a fire.]

(2) The 'reference tabs' in the 13th Edition are markedly inferior.Formerly, the Harbrace had red reference tabs printed along the edge of the book (opposite the spine).The tabs were not physically-cut 'thumb tabs' but worked in much the same way.They were offset from each other; the visual seperation made it easy to find the exact section.It was rapid and instinctive:Run a thumb down the edge of the book, find the tab, and flip to the section.

The 13th Edition, however, locates the tabs across the TOP of the book, and without any offsets.The location along the top is especially awkward:The user must now re-grasp the book and/or turn it 90 degrees to use the tabs along the top.Moreover, the lack of offsets means that there are no visual clues to aid the user in finding the section; the user must thumb across a completely undifferentiated band of blue.

(3) Because so much additional material has been crammed into it, the 13th edition is thicker, bulkier, and heavier in the hand.There are new 'sidebar' boxes for ESL users, the MLA Style Manual (and another used by psychologists), expansions to cover new technologies (e.g., e-mail), and a mass of additional material on research, critical thinking, teaching exercises for students, essay tests, term papers, and so on ad infinitum.These have potential utility for college students--it IS a 'College Handbook' after all--but it diminishes the Harbrace as handy desk reference for post-college users.Non-college users will find much that is superfluous; I will hazard that perhaps one-quarter of the Handbook is for 'college-only' users.

Perhaps I'm being cranky:I was very disappointed when I saw the changes from the earlier editions that I knew and liked.Let me close, therefore, with some praise.

Like the earlier versions, the 13th Harbrace College Handbook is a comprehensive Owner's Manual to the English language.It remains a superb choice for college students.For them, it may well be superior to earlier editions (despite the flawed highlight color and awkward reference tabs).If you are NOT a college student, however, look for an earlier edition.*

[* I have not seen the 12th Edition.I know that the 11th Edition and its predecessors are thoroughly excellent.]

Exceptional Aid for All Writers
No writer can afford to be without this one!An excellent resource for all the grammatical rules you've forgotten since high school.I keep this beside my computer as I write.

My standby since Eisenhower.
I had an edition in the 1950's when I was in college, then bought the updated 5th edition in the 1960's. I have newer, bulkier books like _Chicago Manual_ of Style but for conciseness, correctness and convenience this little book is still my favorite. My advice, get an older edition if you can find it. My little book can fit in a large pocket, yet it is complete.

John Culleton

An old friend
Two or three millenia ago, when I first began college, the assigned handbook was the Harbrace, then in the second or third edition.Since then I have ben a military officer, a professional writer, a manager, and a teacher. Through each of these incarnations I have had the Harbrace at my elbow. I have never failed to find exactly the right advice, the right emphasis, and even the right choices to make my writing eminently readable.
Although its style is not didactic, it does present enough examples to keep both the old and the new writer from wandering off into that muddy stuff we se so often in magazines.
Buy one! That and a Strunk and White are all you need.

Book is good
Harbrace book rocks. The book was read by me and I like it. Theirs a good part when the book talked about how to not split infiitivs and I like that also, however, do'nt by this book if your all ready nice at writing, like me! C' YA. ... Read more

Product Description

Style: The Basics of Clarity and Grace reflects the wisdom and clear authorial voice of Williams’ best-selling book, Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace, while streamlining every chapter to create a very brief, yet powerfully direct guide to writing with style.

Customer Reviews (7)

Style: Basics of Clarity
Wow I can't believe how the book was in such great condition. Nobends highlights or anything wrong at all. Seller made delivery very convenient.

Very helpful
Very helpful with improving grammar and style when writing. Good tool for school, work, or leisure use.

Style
Condition of the book is amazing! Only negative is that the word "USED" appears too many times on the cover of the book! I think that even just ONE "used" on the cover that I would understand that the book was used.

Missing glossary and exercises
I bought this book for the Brooklyn College online technical writing program, as a required text.

Just beware that this is the "basic" version. Not only is it missing the exercises, which are provided as part of the online course, but it is also missing the glossary, which is where the reading assignments are. Ask the instructor to send you the link to the online glossary.

I Can Do This!
For years, I've struggled with poor grammar and other hindrances to good writing--but not anymore.The information taught in this book couldn't have been presented any clearer.If you cringe at the idea of memorizing endless, illogical rules of grammar, then this book is for you.It's logical, direct and very motivating!Now, I fearlessly take on any writing challenge.This review is a perfect example.I find myself just looking for any opportunity to show off what I've learned! ... Read more

Product Description
Writing Classified and Unclassified Papers for National Security is designed to serve as a style guide for those in the intelligence profession and for those aspiring to that career and pursuing studies in intelligence, national security, homeland security, or homeland defense. It provides essential information and guidelines regarding the preparation of written products to satisfy the intended consumers. This desktop reference is essential for career intelligence professionals and as a reference book for students. ... Read more

Product Description
Contains rules of grammar phrased as direct orders and provides the principal requirements of plain English style.Concentrates on fundamentals: the rules of usage and principles of composition most commonly violated.Softcover. DLC: English language--Style.Amazon.com Review
Amasterpiece in the art of clear and concisewriting, and an exemplar of the principles it explains. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (359)

amazon made it easy
this was a black and white film that was a hard to find movie. But I needed it for a school assignment. Amazon made it easy to get. And worth watching.

Still the best writing guide
To the many endorsements of The Elements of Style over the years, I can add my unreserved approval as its being the most helpful book for anyone who needs advice on punctuation and/or style.It is blessedly short and to the point; students will read it as opposed to the long textbooks familiar to teachers of college writing. The book has been around a long time, but perhaps that recommends it rather than encourages suspicion.I discovered this book as an undergraduate and have used it throughout my university teaching career.

Handy book on writing - style and grammar
The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White. 3rd edition, with revisions, an introduction, and a chapter on writing by White. This book has its origins back in 1919 and was known as "the little book" by the students who used Professor William Strunk Jr. textbook, a slim volume called `The Element of Style' first published in 1935. In 1957, the book was republished and a second edition in 1972, with the 3rd edition, (1979) having revised chapters and a helpful index.

The book is hardback, with just 85 pages plus index and is crammed full of helpful, useful and essential writing on the element of style. The last chapter is different as it sets no hard and fast rules but general guidelines. The book is useful, though some elements are outdated, but as the author declares, but to paraphrase, words change, as do some spellings, though some get fixed in concrete whilst others become obsolete or look out of place as language is always in a state of flux.

The book is one in which you read a few pages or a little more and then digest what you have read. It is more of a slow feast rather than a fast-food takeaway as it takes time to absorb. There is a good section on commonly misused words such as: cope and copes, lend and loan, disinterested and uninterestedetc.

The book also includes many sentences of correct and incorrect composition. Just remember that all the examples on the right hand side are correct, and those on the left are incorrect - if you forget this juncture, you're in trouble!

A Pleasure
English is the most fascinating of languages. A mixture of all languages and cultures with which it has contact. No wonder it is difficult to manage.
This book helps

awesome!!
this book had one dent on the cover and that was the only damage! excellent condition!! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Trading on last book
This is Sol Stein sucking his success dry.Most of the book is him explainng how brilliant he is and quoting long passages of the authors he dealt with.You would think that he would use a wider range but no, he stays close to his own experiences, which apparently are the height of success.Lots of hype and little information.He has 2-3 pages of checklists which are worth a look, but his earlier books cover the points in more detail and are more practical. Try Sol Stein on Writing. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (48)

Hacker Pocket Manual
This Quick Guide is really helpful.My purchase went to my son who has returned to school, and it goes with his PC everywhere.Now I would like one!

Pocket Manual
This product took a month longer to get to me than it should have. I was supposed to receive it within a week and it took five. The manual is not in horrible condition, but I will only say that it is usable.

Full of helpful information
I am a college student and find this manual incredibly helpful.I found some of the descriptions in the grammar sections to be a little confusing with the way they were explained, but usually the examples helped to make things clearer.The section on the paper formatting is incredibly helpful, especially when it comes to explaining the different ways to cite sources in the works cited section of a paper.I will hold onto this book and use it to help me write papers for the rest of my college career.

Perfect
The book came in days before I expected it in perfect condition! I appreciated the fast servicing of my order.

Stay away from this seller
Ordered a book for school on August 15th -- supposedly in stock and given an estimated delivery date of August 20th -September 7th.

School started on September 6th -- two emails sent to seller last week and NO RESPONSE.Status still notes no shipping information.

I AM CANCELLING THIS ORDER !!!! ... Read more

Product Description
Reorganized and revised, the third edition of the MLA Style Manual offers complete, up-to-date guidance on writing scholarly texts, documenting research sources, submitting manuscripts to publishers, and dealing with legal issues surrounding publication. New in the third edition:

* a significant revision of MLA documentation style

* simplified citation formats for electronic sources

* detailed advice on the review process used by scholarly journals and presses

* a fully updated chapter on copyright, fair use, contracts, and other legal issues

* guidelines on preparing electronic files

* discussion of the electronic submission of a dissertation

* a foreword by Domna C. Stanton on the current state of scholarly publishing

* a preface by David G. Nicholls on what is new in the third edition

MLA guides present the most accurate and complete information on MLA style. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

No Smiley Star for you, MLA!
I basically agree with the review of E. Garcia ("A Shocking Debacle!" August 18, 2008), but wanted to add some comments.

For all those confused ones out there: this book is the professional publishing guide, which goes beyond the student's guide to writing papers. It also went into the 3rd (THIRD) edition, which is substantially different from prior editions, and that is what I am speaking of here. I don't believe there is much of a point in comparing citation formats, especially qualitatively, and I have used APA, MLA, and some things individual professors made up. However, I have encountered some radical, narrow-minded ideologies in the academia, with one senior social scientist essentially spelling out a future of ignorance for anyone who dared use the MLA. (I know they spoke of publications in the field, but the way it was put was rather childish.)

So far, I like the MLA fine, and so far was happy to use the format. Which brings me to the reason I had to write something: after having written a few papers last quarter using the new edition...and boy was that fun! MLA, what on earth made you put in that insane rule about adding "Print." to every print resource in the works cited section? Has it come to this? CDs, YouTube, and random web resources are easier to enter??? This is insanity, tedious, and useless.

For a very systematic, concise review I again refer to Garcia, but overall I want to add that I don't find many of the changes quite as disgusting as they do...perhaps I still lack the necessary experience. However, when one of my professors told us about the bad news of the 3rd ed., she almost lost her breakfast. The poor woman is one of the countless editors and publishers of small professional periodicals, and now all these folks have to re-learn everything that made sense. The new edition is not just another step, another improvement, fine-tuning, or repair job, but a radical break and a basic change in their logic, and the result is less than satisfying. No smiley star for you, MLA!

I don't recommend
39 and Just went back to school. First college paper and have never heard of the MLA format. This book didn't help much I did better with a quick google search. Just me but I don't recommend. Find something with sample papers in it.

Arrived Quickly / Perfect condition
This product shipped quickly (arrived earlier than estimated) and arrived in perfect condition. Thank you.

MLA
This is the real deal on MLA. Don't pay more for an abridged version of MLA "enhanced" with filler.

Reference book
As a freelance copyeditor I have to make sure the ms. is in the editor's requested format.Some of my work must be in the MLA style and this book is the best reference book available.I used the 2nd edition and when I got another job requesting MLA style, I ordered the 3rd edition. ... Read more

Product Description

An ideal tool for students writing research papers for psychology, sociology, business, economics, nursing, social work, and criminal justice courses, this new brief reference manual offers easy access to the APA documentation style, along with research writing basics. Unlike the bulky, expensive Publication Manual of the Psychological Association, 5/e, which is intended for scholarly researchers and can be difficult to access even in libraries, the Pocket Guide to APA Style is a convenient, portable reference that helps students write properly documented papers. In addition to thorough coverage of APA style, the book includes an overview of the research writing process entitled "Writing Scholarly Papers," two sample APA-style papers (including one experimental research paper), and three useful appendixes.

Customer Reviews (39)

Concise, well-organized, not your entire library
This is an excellent, concise reference. I added tabs on mine so I can find information faster. For final, serious work with many exceptions, you need a larger reference with more examples, but this solves most quick questions.

good size, like spiral binding
Still did not answer some of my questions when writing a college paper. It is a good basic version.

Pocket Guide to APA Style
I would like to take this time to say this pocket guide is the best guide for APA that I have I seen. It is easy to understand. It has been very helpful.

excellent
I had the great fortune of being taught by Dr. Perrin 10 years ago at ISU.I just wanted to let everyone know what an excellent teacher he was and how he instilled the same principles of the book into every one of his students.There was no way you would pass his class without knowing how to do a bibliography in your sleep. I have also used this style in every research paper that I've done since. Highly recommended!!!

Great Book
I teach at both the Bachelor and Master level at a local private University and this is the book I use with my students. It's compact, not too pricey, and logically explains the basic tenets of APA. My students find it easy to use and I believe that it really helps their writing without being overwhelming. Plus, it's small and easily portable. Great book! ... Read more

Product Description
A staple for adults, students, and anyone who has ever been baffled by then to use a comma--and a serial comma--The Complete Idiot's Guide to Grammar and Style contains basic chapters on the parts of speech, gradually building up to the finer points of writing, sentence structure, punctuation, creating paragraphs, and following accepted publishing styles.Amazon.com Review
The jokey, conversational style of the Complete Idiot's Guide series is better suited to some of its many subjects than to others, but for the Guide to Grammar and Style, it works. This book might not be appropriate for professional proofreaders in search of the definitive use of the en dash, but it is a solid, amusing volume for those who daydreamed through grade school and would like to brush up on the fundamentals. Puns, silly humor, and hyperbole abound, but so do the entertaining quotations from beloved masters of the English language that author Laurie E. Rozakis has managed to dig up. For every "The rules of standard written English are ... more frightening than a sail on the Titanic," there is an amusing tidbit such as this one, courtesy of Calvin Trillin: "Whom is a word invented to make everyone sound like a butler. Nobody who is not a butler has ever said it out loud without feeling just a little bit weird." For every "Like my thighs, the distinction between that and which is becoming less firm," we have someone such as James Thurber to show us how to break a rule in style. "When I split an infinitive," Thurber is said to have admonished a meddlesome editor, "it is going to damn well stay split!" The text is highly energetic, and Rozakis cuts to the chase. For instance, she summarizes one chapter this way: "Don't be a sexist pig; ditch doublespeak; end euphemisms; can clichés." And she offers us these wise words, from Thomas Jefferson: "The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Learn the "Language of Language."
I knew the English language cold; or at least quite well; or at least, I thought I did. So, imagine my shock when I decided to study German. I discovered that I did not know what "cases" are, let alone how they work. I could not tell the difference between a Predicate Nominative and an Infinitive. Verb conjugation? What the devil was that? I did not know any of the terminology used in the study of a language. The instructor sat there casually talking about the definite article (Der, Die, and Das) without explaining that this was a translation of the word "The." I sat in class watching as the other students, who were all 30 years my junior, chattered away while I listened for some term that sounded familiar from that far away place from my youth called "High School English." I must have known some of this material at some point, but I seemed to have forgotten everything.

For me, this book was an excellent way to go back and relearn. Many of these "Idiot's Guides" really are for idiots. This one is an exception since Dr. Rozakis seems to have an aversion to talking down to her readers. She assumes an ability to learn and absorb new information, and accordingly has created a lengthy, and in-depth "textbook" that covers lots of ground. She gives you easy examples in the explanations, tougher ones in the examples, and the most complex grammar and useage problems in the review sections. While this is no way to learn English for the first time, it is a superb way to learn it the second time. Your brain is quickly scrambled, and then at some point it becomes scrambled a little less so. Along the way you find the answers to hundreds of little language dilemnas that have troubled you over the years.

I loved the book, but I do have to comment on the author's style: I spent most of a month on this book; taking it in bite-sized pieces. This was enough exposure to prompt some derangement of the mind. Dr. Rozakis has built her life around this language, and it has clearly person-handled her brain. (She cured my sexist language ways as a secondary benefit.) Accordingly, her examples are ever-so-slightly twisted; just the ticket when spending an hour or so with gerunds, appositives, or the present perfect progressive tense.

After, reading some of the other reviews, I wish to add one or two comments. Dr. Rozakis has chosen to cover everything, and while there are some exercises, do not expect a work-book. This book is best purchased by someone who knows English fairly well and is looking for a brush-up, or who desires to atone for those afternoons in high school English when they were daydreaming about girls/boys. I think it would be suitable as well for those for whom English is a second language, as long as they understand that this is a fairly advanced text, and that the style is 100% American.

Still lost!
I am still lost as to what nouns, adverd, ajectives, ect are, their brief description and lack of examples leaving me frustrated.

An excellent book for beginners.
An excellent book to teach grammar, style and punctuation for beginners, and those who want to improve there English. Full of good examples and tests to evaluate your progress.

Not bad
Over all the Idiot's Guide to Grammar and Style offers good information that is usually easy to understand. However, the child-like humor ruined it for me. The auther often talks down to you as if you are truely an idiot, which I find unprofessional. There are wierd sentences scattered through out the book, such as, sacred cows, which are holy, make the best hamburgers. What the hell kind of sentence is this? Perhaps she has something against Hindus. Between the odd sentence examples and child-like humor you will find good information. Sometimes the author says things like I guarantee you will understand such and such after you finish this chapter, but the chapter is short and not clear at all. I was debating giving this book 3 stars, but it does a good enough job to earn 4.

The sense of humor gets in the way
In some ways it's tough to see who this book is aimed at. It starts off with the very basics (what's a noun?), so it seems to be aimed at people who really don't know the first thing about grammar, but it moves quickly after that. Perhaps the book is aimed at people who need to brush up on details, or clear up confusions, and Rozakis just felt it necessary to explain the basics first. At any rate, either you'll find the first part of the book interminably boring, or you'll find the rest of it confusing. .

At first I liked the sense of humor with which this book was written; I thought it was a good way to make boring grammar more interesting. Many of the example sentences are jokes, and the author sprinkles irony and sarcasm liberally throughout. However, I'm not remarkably familiar with jokes, but even I have heard many of these jokes before. There's little change in the tone or type of humor throughout, and after a while it feels forced and unrelenting--not to mention annoying. The humor also gets in the way of the information. I can deal with the idea that different people enjoy different types of humor, but this third point is unforgivable. There are times when the author says things because they're funny, and because of that amusing phrasing she confuses the reader on one grammar point or another.

There aren't many typos in this book; in any other book I'd have no reason at all to complain about this number of typos. However, it is the unfortunate truth that in a book about grammar, a single mistake can leave someone confused on a grammar issue. There are several places where Rozakis says contradictory things, and it seems clear that this is the result of a slip of the fingers. But because no one caught these bits, the material presented is unclear.

Sometimes Rozakis just plain moves too fast. She'll briefly explain something and then move on when she hasn't yet given enough of an explanation for me to really know what she's talking about. There are some topics she dealt with that I still don't understand. When she brings up big words from previous chapters, she doesn't stop to remind us of what they mean--she just charges onward. This leaves the reader stranded, flipping back and forth to figure out what's going on.

By this time it probably sounds like I hate this book, and you wouldn't be far from the mark in assuming that. I read it from cover to cover and found it tiresome, frustrating, and downright annoying. However, this book does contain a great deal of in-depth grammar information. Most sections include enough examples to teach you what you need to know. Taken in small doses the humor can be fun (in particular, the humor makes the examples of bad writing less headache-inducing). The index is very handy, and there are some good and unusual sections in here on things like non-sexist language, writing "bad news" letters, and putting together an effective resume.

I think this book would probably make a much better reference book than text book. Or perhaps it would work as a text book if you read a chapter now and then, rather than reading it straight through. If you aren't sure whether this is the right book for you, then check it out at the library or thumb through it at the book store. ... Read more

Product Description
11 Writers Guild of America Awards

17 Academy Awards™

79 Emmy AwardsFor more than 15 years, Robert McKee's students have been taking Hollywood's top honors. His "Story Structure" is the world's ultimate seminar for screenwriters and filmmakers. Now, Robert McKee's Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting reveals the award-winning methods of the man universally regarded as the world1s premier screenwriting teacher. With Hollywood paying record sums for great stories, and audiences clamoring for originality, McKee's Story gives you the strategies you need to win the war on clichés.

Story is about form, not formula. McKee's insights cut to the hidden sources of storytelling, the decisive difference between mediocrity and excellence.

This audio goes well beyond the essential mechanics of screenwriting, packed with examples from such film classics as "Casablanca" and "Chinatown." Then, scene by sequence by act, he illuminates the principles of story design that take a writer's vision to brilliant realization. Story elevates the craft of screenwriting to an art form.

Read by the author.

Take it from the pros: if you're serious about your writing, this is the audio that will help you to get your story from page to screen.Amazon.com Review
Writing for the screen is quirky business. A writer must labormeticulously over his or her prose, yet very little of that prose isever heard by filmgoers. The few words that do reach the audience, inthe form of the characters' dialogue, are, according to Robert McKee,best left to last in the writing process. ("As Alfred Hitchcock onceremarked, 'When the screenplay has been written and the dialogue hasbeen added, we're ready to shoot.' ") In Story, McKeeputs into book form what he has been teaching screenwriters for yearsin his seminar on story structure, which is considered by many to be aprerequisite to the film biz. (The long list of film and televisionprojects that McKee's students have written, directed, or producedincludes Air Force One, The Deer Hunter, E.R.,A Fish Called Wanda, Forrest Gump, NYPD Blue, andSleepless in Seattle.) Legions of writers flock to Hollywood insearch of easy money, calculating the best way to get rich quick. Thisbook is not for them. McKee is passionate about the art ofscreenwriting. "No one needs yet another recipe book on how to reheatHollywood leftovers," he writes. "We need a rediscovery of theunderlying tenets of our art, the guiding principles that liberatetalent." Story is a true path to just such arediscovery. In it, McKee offers so much sound advice, drawing fromsources as wide ranging as Aristotle andCasablanca, Stanislavskiand Chinatown, that it is impossible not to come away feelingimmeasurably better equipped to write a screenplay and infinitely moreinspired to write a brilliant one.--Jane Steinberg ... Read more

Customer Reviews (199)

Review
Easy listen. Decent quality and speed. The product came as expected and I would buy again.

Economy
A very good book writen by a special autor. In those days a obligatory reading!

The best complete guide to storytelling, for screen or book
If you want to know the elements of story -- characters and plot, action and beats, structure and place --Robert McKee's "Story" offers the best starting point. Targeted at film writers, the book offers powerful advice for anyone who cares about making sense ofreal life in narrative. That means novelists, narrative nonfiction writers, journalists, even people in business.

McKee succeeds because he draws on the timeless truths of Aristotle's "The Poetics." Like Aristotle, McKee understands that we as a species evolved as storytellers. We need stories to make sense of everything we do. Unfortunately, Hollywood and the rest of the media often forget what makes a story a story. They mistake anecdotes for scenes, wild chases and noise for action, sentimentality for emotion.

McKee shows how to build a story from the ground up. He understands the overall design that stories need, while understanding that people can appreciate a whole lot of variations on the Aristotelian theme. He understands the small moments that give action meaning and emotion. Most of all he understands that every word needs to convey something important. If any detail does not somehow "work" for the story you;re trying to tell, you need to take it out. Even if a particular line or passage is elegantly written and appeals to you personally, you have to take it out if it doesn't advance the story. McKee's best explanation of this comes in his discussion of beats. As we say in the writing biz, "murder your darlings."

After reading the book I took the four-day Story Seminar in New York. I didn't realize it at the time, but the seminar tracks the book perfectly. Some people are outraged by that fact. Why got go the seminar if it's all in the book? Why read the book if it's all in the seminar? Your choice, of course. But I found his stage presentation a powerful way to fill in the gaps inevitably left on the page -- and the book a powerful Michelin's Guide that I could refer to while doing my own work.

There is a rub. As McKee points out again and again, you have to PRACTICE this stuff. You cannot read this book or attend the seminar and just go straight to the computer and write a masterpiece. Like all great arts and crafts -- carpentry, music, plumbing, cooking, accounting, lawyering, you name it -- writing stories requires careful, deliberate work. It requires preparation, mastery of discrete skills, and attention to detail. You think you "get" it by reading a book -- and you do! -- but you don;t REALLY get it until you try, fail, try again, fail again, and so on, learning as you go.

As for the canard that McKee shouldn't teach writing because he has not written 10 blockbusters, well, blow me down. He has written enough to earn our respect. But more important, the best teachers come from all ranks. In sports, some coaches are former stars and some are former journeymen who learned the craft because they had to work hard to stay in the game with the natural stars. McKee's a brilliant teacher. He understands what every great teacher understands -- the art of taking something apart and putting it back together again, with heart.

I don't write screenplays. But I teach writing to businesses and schools and many of McKee's techniques have helped to transform the blandest writing (www.thewritingcode.info). Time and again, I will offer students nuggets from McKee and a dozen of other great writers and teachers, and they see the light. McKee is responsible for more Aha! moments in my classes and seminars than anyone else. I also write nonfiction narrative myself. I owe the success of my book "Nobody Turn Me Around: A People's History of the 1963 March on Washington" (Beacon Press, 2010) at least partly to McKee. So thanks, Bob, for that. And thanks also for reviving our understanding of "The Poetics." This book is THE classic in its field, like Christopher Alexander's "A Pattern Language" in architecture.

Ditto the raves
Out of the many books on writing I've read, STORY ranks with my top favorites, those authored by Sol Stein and William Gass. I'm STUDYING "Story" now, after having read it through, and this after listening to the tape several times, in my work to carve my craft. Let this review of mine ditto the rave reviews, and ask just one thing. Why has HarperCollinsPublishers chosen to print this book on paper having the practicality of gauze for my highlighting? If a 2nd Ed. comes out on better paper, I'll be buying it. Good luck to all of you out there in your story writing endeavors.

Authoritative - readable
The only problem I have with this book is McKee's attitude.He writes without humility.There are other ways to tell stories.But it's an engaging read and contains a lot of useful information.And is the BIBLE in H.Wood (where I live)... so... I recommend it. ... Read more

Product Description
Briefer, cheaper, and easier to use than the MLA's own handbook, this popular booklet features current MLA guidelines, a new section on evaluating online sources, and an up-to-date APA appendix. The guide also provides numerous examples, a sample research paper, and helpful hints on such topics as avoiding plagiarism and taking notes. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

ESSENTIAL BASICS
THIS IS AN ESSENTIAL BOOK FOR ALL WRITERS. I BOUGHT THIS FOR A COLLEGE COURSE AND ITS NOW A PERMANENT PART OF MY LIBRARY.

Wonderful product and super fast shipping
I was very pleased with my new book for so cheap and I received the book three days after I placed the order!

it's okay, i guess...
This is only 52 pages, and even though it is new, it has not changed much since I was in high school 10 years ago. this is the 7th ed, and the 3rd ed that I had in high school is essentially the same thing. I figured it would have fresher ways to document internet sources for my research paper. I was wrong. it is useful, though. and if you are taking any college-level writing classes, you will need it. for me, though, I would not have bought it if I could have looked through it first (since I already had the older edtion).

MLA Made Easy
This is a great book that makes MLA documentation of ANYTHING super easy.It has great examples of how to document everything from a book to a magazine article to an in-person interview.

Excellent abbreviated guide for high school students but very overpriced
For the last two years I have had my Pre-AP freshman purchase this book for their research papers.It is much more concise that the full MLA Guide, contains the essentials, & its reduced contents makes it more student user-friendly.

However, it is very overpriced -- $16+ for a 48 page book?Come on.In fact, it is so overpriced that I believe I will begin looking for another choice this summer.Many students have difficulty purchasing school supplies, & I'm starting to feel guilty about having this one on my purchase list. ... Read more

Product Description
Using a wide range of twentieth-century literary prose, Laura Wright and Jonathan Hope provide an interactive introduction to the techniques of stylistic analysis. Divided into five sections--the noun phrase, the verb phrase, the clause, text structure and vocabulary--the book also provides an introduction to the basics of descriptive grammar for beginning students.

Stylistics provides a comprehensive glossary of terms. Designed to be used in a variety of classrooms, it introduces students to an enormous range of 20th century literature. And for each linguistic feature under discussion, the reader is offered a definition, a text for analysis, exercises and tasks, in addition to a suggested solution. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A practical book that is practical indeed.
I taught this subject last year but we were using copies because neither the school nor the students can afford buying a text book. The copies were incomplete so I was always wondering if the exercises were correct or not. The book is of a great help because it is really preactical with a lot of exercises. I highly recomend it.
Lydia Carmona, Chihuahua, Mexico.

Stylistics or grammar?
I have to agree with the authors when they say that the readerswith a literary background may find this book frustrating. As thetitles tells this is a practical course book. The question is: a course of stylistics or a grammar course? Students might find it a good helper to review every grammatical spot.It covers all topics related to the use of grammar into literary prose and non-fictional texts. But, it does not clarify for the beginners "what in the world is stylistics". Concerning about this particular subject many questions remain...If you are looking for a "step by step" introduction to stylistics this is not the book for you... On the other hand, if you already have some background on this discipline here you can find a few good texts to think of... ... Read more