Pinckert's Practical Grammar: A Lively, Unintimidating Guide to Usage, Punctuation and Style

Takes a fresh look at the English language, explains the differences between formal and informal usage, and covers diction, punctuation, sentence structure, rhetoric, and style

In eight pithy "lessons" the author playfully assails such topics as the parts of speech, composition, and arguing a point of view. A basic assumption is that use of good English is a sort of one-upmanship or competitive game. Not really "practical," it suffers from an overload of curt, peremptory sentences that make it a labor to follow. It offers too little detail and exposition for an adequate text or treatise. Still, the many clever, thought-provoking observations and pronouncements might please language-minded readers who enjoyed books like Karen Gordon's The Transitive Vampire ( LJ 1/84) or Stephen White's The Written Word ( LJ 6/16/84). Not a necessary purchase. William A. Donovan, Chicago P.L.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.