The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation: An Easy-to-Use Guide with Clear Rules, Real-World Examples, and Reproducible Quizzes by Lester Kaufman

The bestselling workbook and grammar guide, revised and updated! Hailed as one of the best books around for teaching grammar, The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation includes easy-to-understand rules, abundant examples, dozens of reproducible quizzes, and pre- and post-tests to help teach grammar to middle and high schoolers, college students, ESL students, homeschoolers, and more. This concise, entertaining workbook makes learning English grammar and usage simple and fun. This updated 12th edition reflects the latest updates to English usage and grammar, and includes answers to all reproducible quizzes to facilitate self-assessment and learning. Clear and concise, with easy-to-follow explanations, offering "just the facts" on English grammar, punctuation, and usage Fully updated to reflect the latest rules, along with even more quizzes and pre- and post-tests to help teach grammar Ideal for students from seventh grade through adulthood in the US and abroad For anyone who wants to understand the major rules and subtle guidelines of English grammar and usage, The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation Read more

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From the Publisher Be Specific Use concrete rather than vague language. This is especially important when offering a description or providing details. Write in Active Voice Use active voice whenever possible. Active voice means the subject is performing the verb. Passive voice means the subject receives the action. Name Names Avoid overusing there is, there are, it is, it was, etc. Stay Positive To avoid confusion (and pompousness), don't use two negatives to make a positive without good reason. Pay Attention to Form Use consistent grammatical form when offering several ideas. This is called parallel construction. Give a Good Description Place descriptive words and phrases as close as is practical to the words they modify. Put Things in Order Word order is important. If you start a sentence with an incomplete phrase or clause, it must be followed closely by the person or thing it describes. Furthermore, that person or thing is always the main subject of the sentence. Breaking this rule results in the dreaded, all-too-common dangling modifier, or dangler. Watch Out for Fragments A sentence fragment is usually an oversight, or a bad a idea. It occurs when you have only a phrase or dependent clause but are missing an independent clause. Punctuate Your Dialogue When writing dialogue, indent each new line, enclose it in quotation marks, and attribute it to the speaker. Once the speakers are established, their attributions may be dropped until needed again for clarity. Each change in speaker also begins a new line. If a speaker's dialogue continues beyond one paragraph, an opening quotation mark is placed at the start of each new line. The closing quotation mark appears at the end of the dialogue.