Let’s admit it, we all struggle with Grammar. There, they’re or their? Who’s or whose? Me or I? Fewer or less? Inside this little book one of Britain’s top Grammar Gurus reveals all you need to know about Grammar but were afraid to ask.
"Scrabble, forage and fight for a copy. This is a wonderful, wonderful companion for all who get a kick from the manipulation of letters or words." Stephen Fry
For anyone who wants to make fewer (not less) grammar mistakes, this “passionate, enlightening, and easily navigable manual is certainly the right book at the right time” (Publishers Weekly)—reminiscent of the New York Times bestseller Eats, Shoots & Leaves. Our language is changing, literary levels are declining, and our grasp of grammar is at a crisis point. From commas to colons, apostrophes to adverbs, there are countless ways we can make mistakes when writing or speaking. But do not despair! Great Britain’s most popular grammar guru has created the ultimate modern manual for English speakers on both sides of the Atlantic. In this “irreverent and conversational” (Booklist) guide to proper punctuation and so much more, Gyles Brandreth explores the linguistic horrors of our times, tells us what we’ve been doing wrong, and shows us how to can get it right every time. Covering everything from dangling participles to transitive verbs, from age-old conundrums like “lay” vs. “lie,” to the confounding influences of social media on our everyday language, Have You Eaten Grandma? is an endlessly useful and entertaining resource for all.
In Making Sense, David Crystal confronts the foe of many: grammar. Once taught relentlessly to all students in the English-speaking world, grammar disappeared from most school curricula, so that terms such as "preposition" and "conjunction" now often confound children and adults alike. Explaining the nuts and bolts of grammar presents a special challenge, because - far more than is the case with spelling and punctuation - the subject is burdened with a centuries-old history of educational practice that many will recall as anything but glamorous. One of the world's foremost authorities on the English language, Crystal sets out to rid grammar of its undeserved reputation as a dry and intimidating subject, pointing out how essential grammar is to clear and effective speech and writing. He moves briskly through the stages by which children acquire grammar, along the way demystifying grammar's rules and irregularities and showing us how to navigate its snares and pitfalls. He offers the fascinating history of grammar, explaining how it has evolved from the first grammarians in ancient Greece to our 21st century digital environment of blogging, emailing, and texting. Many find grammar to be a daunting subject, but in this breezy, entertaining book, Crystal proves that grammar doesn't need to make us uneasy-we can all make sense of how we make sense.
NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Suzanne Collins has created a deeply moving autobiographical picture book about a father who must go off to the war in Vietnam -- and the daughter who stays behind.When young Suzy's father leaves for Vietnam, she struggles to understand what this means for her and her family. What is the jungle like? Will her father be safe? When will he return? The months slip by, marked by the passing of the familiar holidays and the postcards that her father sends. With each one, he feels more and more distant, until Suzy isn't sure she'd even recognize her father anymore.This heartfelt and accessible picture book by Suzanne Collins, the NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of the Hunger Games series, is accompanied by James Proimos's sweet and funny illustrations. This picture book will speak to any child who has had to spend time away from a parent.
We all know the basics of punctuation. Or do we? A look at most neighborhood signage tells a different story. Through sloppy usage and low standards on the internet, in email, and now text messages, we have made proper punctuation an endangered species. In Eats, Shoots & Leaves, former editor Lynne Truss dares to say, in her delightfully urbane, witty, and very English way, that it is time to look at our commas and semicolons and see them as the wonderful and necessary things they are. This is a book for people who love punctuation and get upset when it is mishandled. From the invention of the question mark in the time of Charlemagne to George Orwell shunning the semicolon, this lively history makes a powerful case for the preservation of a system of printing conventions that is much too subtle to be mucked about with.
It doesn’t have to be the dark of a rainy night for it to be noir. It doesn’t have to be shadowy rooms of Venetian blinds. It doesn’t even have to be a femme fatale. Noir is somebody tripping over their own faults, somebody who has an Achilles heel, some kind of greed, or want or desire that leads them down a dark path, from which there is sometimes no return. No one is safe. There’s no place to hide in this collection of twelve stories from the dark side of the American Dream. Stories of noir from Coast to Coast. Contributors: Colleen Collins—Denver, Colorado Brendan DuBois—rural Massachusetts Alison Gaylin—Hudson Valley, New York Tom MacDonald—Nashua, New Hampshire Andrew McAleer—Boston, Massachusetts Michael Mallory—Springfield, Missouri Paul D. Marks—Venice Beach/Los Angeles, California Dennis Palumbo—Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Stephen D. Rogers—Providence, Rhode Island John Shepphird—Los Alamos, New Mexico Jaden Terrell—Nashville, Tennessee Dave Zeltserman—small town Kansas Praise for the COAST TO COAST series: Murder from Sea to Shining Sea “A sterling collection of coast-to-coast crime stories dripping with local color—all of it blood red.” —Chuck Hogan, Hammett Prize winner and international bestselling author of The Strain “Envelope-pushers! A truly WOW collection by the best mystery writers out there—full of surprises only they can pull off.” —Thomas B. Sawyer, bestselling author of Cross Purposes and Head-Writer of Murder, She Wrote “An engaging collection from a stellar cast of award-winning mystery authors guaranteed to keep you awake all night.” —Hannah Dennison, author of the IMBA bestselling Vicky Hill Mysteries “This intriguing collection of stories from these masters of suspense will keep you guessing from cover to cover and coast to coast.” —Raffi Yessayan, author of 8 in the Box and 2 in the Hat Private Eyes from Sea to Shining Sea “A tantalizing array of stories guaranteed to please fans of PI fiction. High fives all around!” —MWA Grand Master Bill Pronzini “Tough, taut and terrific. This cross-country collection of sleuthing stories—from the best writers in the private eye biz—is wonderfully written, always surprising, and completely entertaining.” —Hank Phillippi Ryan, Anthony, Agatha and Mary Higgins Clark Award-winning author “A bang-up read of PI fiction from a gallery of impressive authors. Compelling, fun, and full of clever surprises. A treat.” —Shamus Award-winning author John Shepphird Awards and Nominations Coast to Coast: Private Eyes from Sea to Shining Sea nominated for a 2018 Anthony Award for Best Anthology “Out of Business” by Eric Beetner, nominated for a 2018 Shamus Award “The #2 Pencil” by Matt Coyle, nominated for a 2018 Macavity Award and a 2018 Derringer Award “Gun Work” by John Floyd, selected for the Best American Mysteries of 2018 by Louise Penny and Otto Penzler “The Dead Detective” by Bob Levinson, nominated for a 2016 Shamus Award “King’s Quarter” by Andrew McAleer, nominated for a 2018 Derringer Award “Windward” by Paul D. Marks, winner of the 2018 Macavity Award for Best Short Story; nominated for a 2018 Shamus Award and 2018 Derringer Award, and selected for the Best American Mysteries of 2018 by Louise Penny and Otto Penzler “Kill My Wife, Please” by Robert J. Randisi, nominated for a 2018 Derringer Award “A Necessary Ingredient” by Art Taylor, nominated for a 2018 Macavity Award, a 2018 Malice Domestic Award, and a 2018 Anthony Award
J.J. Graves has seen a lot of dead bodies in her line of work... She's not only in the mortuary business, but she's also the coroner for King George County, Virginia. When a grisly murder is discovered in the small town of Bloody Mary, it's up to J.J. and her best friend, Detective Jack Lawson, to bring the victim justice. The murders are piling up... The residents of Bloody Mary are dropping like flies, and when a popular mystery writer shows up on J.J.'s doorstep with plans of writing his new book about the Bloody Mary Serial Killer, J.J. has to decide if he might be going above and beyond the call of duty to create the spine tinglers he's so well known for. It only clouds the issue and puts her reputation on the line when the attraction between them spirals out of control. And passions are rising... J.J and Jack are in a race against time. They discover each victim had a shocking secret, and the very foundation of J.J.'s life is in danger of crumbling when it turns out she's harboring secrets of her own -- secrets that make her the perfect victim in a deadly game.