Snotty Grammar Books

In my last post, I expressed impatience for editors who turn up their noses at genre fiction and best-selling writers. Such people, I said, are often snobs.

But I realize some snobbery is good. One of the good snobberies is grammar snobbery. And God knows there are plenty of grammar snobs out of there (I'm one of them). Just as books about books still hit the best-seller lists (I'm thinking The Thirteenth Tale, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society), grammar books still do unexpectedly well (think Eats, Shoots, and Leaves). The success of these books gives me hope for the language when I see signs on the side of the road that proclaim FREE KITTEN'S!

Here are a few recent favorites:

I JUDGE YOU WHEN YOU USE POOR GRAMMAR

by Sharon Eliza Nichols

St. Martin's Griffin

This one is just a photo collection of cringe-inducing signs. It's more about typos than about grammar per se, but worth a look.

 

THE GREAT TYPO HUNT

Jeff Deck and Benjamin Herson

Broadway

The subtitle is "Two Friends Changing the World, One Correction at a Time." This travelogue tells the story of two friends who travel the country with a bottle of white-out and markers, fixing typos as they come upon them. These guys live the editor's dream of being Grammar Super Heroes who fix horrible errors as they come across them. A fun book.

 

 

GRAMMAR GIRL'S QUICK AND DIRTY TIPS FOR BETTER WRITING

Mignon Fogarty

Holt

This is one of a series of grammar/usage titles. It's not fair to classify these books as "snotty," however. They're much more conversational and instructive; Mignon Fogarty (Grammar Girl herself) has a lovely, supportive, un-condescending voice. This makes the books a great gift for those who really want to learn the finer points of grammar instead of mocking those who don't already know them.

 

THINGS THAT MAKE US [SIC]

Martha Brockenbrough

St. Martin's Press

One of the ultimate snotty grammar books, as evidenced by the subtitle: "The Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar [SPOGG] Takes on Hollywood, the White House, and the World." You don't get more ambitious than that! The snotty letters from SPOGG to various CEOs, Hollywood stars, and sports columnists are the grammar snob's dream. A most hilarious and enjoyable book.

 

 

A chapter I particularly like in Things That Make Us [Sic] is Chapter 10, "Rules That Never Were, Are No More, and Should be Broken." Many of us will agree with some, but not all, of these "false commandments," which are as follows:

1.Thou Shalt Not End a Sentence with a Preposition.

Agreed. But not in all cases. Sometimes a sentence is more elegant when it's rewritten to avoid a preposition at the end.

2. Thou Shalt Not Split Your Infinitives.

Agreed. "To boldly go where no man has gone before..."

3. Use "That" with Restrictive Clauses, "Which" with Nonrestrictive Clauses

Martha Brockenbrough is arguing that in many cases, that and which are interchangeable. I disagree. Commas are essential to making these constructions work.

4. It's Wrong to Start a Sentence with "And" or "But."

I agree it's fine to start the occasional sentence with And. But don't overdo it.

5. "None" Comes from "Not One" or "No One" and Is Therefore Always Singular.

Brockenbrough makes a convincing argument that none can take a singular or plural verb based on context. I agree with her.

6. "Since" Must Always Refer to Time.

Brockenbrough argues that since and because can often be used interchangeably as synonyms. I disagree on this one. I like since for time, because for causation.

7. Don't Use "Like" as a Conjunction.

Brockenbrough argues that using like as a conjunction is probably OK in informal writing, but not so desirable in formal writing. I agree with her.

8. You Must Say "It is I" If You Wish to Be Correct.

Brockenbrough suggests that it's OK to say "It is me," thereby breaking the rules we were all taught about predicate nominatives. Sorry, "It is I" may always sound English teachery and persnickety, but this is not a grammatical rule I'm willing to toss into the trashcan.

9. You Must Always Use "Whom" When It's the Object of a Sentence.

"Sometimes, 'whom' is just too stuffy," says Brockebrough. Stuffy, perhaps, but also correct when the objective case is called for.

10. Sentence Fragments are Evil.

I agree - they aren't. But best when used sparingly.

There's much more to Chapter 10 than this list of the False Commandments, so pick up a copy of the book and enjoy.

Comments

[Pepper Smith]

Those all look fun. Will probably look for that last one.

[Jersey Jack]

I know you don't care, but Elmore says "if it sounds like writing, rewrite it," and I like this rule better than most grammatical issues.

[elliptical reviews]

No offense, but if there's a facebook like button, it'll be much easier for me to share.