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saranies's review
4.0
A delightful handbook for clarity and style, filled with humor and anecdotes. However, the best part of this book is that Dreyer recognizes that language evolves and much of what we consider strict grammar rules are really just preferences (except the series comma. That has to stay).
jessjegan's review
5.0
I can only see people in my field reading this book and yeah it got the job done 10/10 - I also love when authors read their own audiobook so that was fun.
amlibera's review
5.0
I enjoyed reading this on my Kindle so much that I am going to buy it in hardcover to have on hand when I want to look things up. It's funny and smart. It taught me a bunch of things that I didn't know and reinforced a couple I believe strongly (like read your written work aloud when you proofread it).
sarahareinhard's review
5.0
I don’t limit my fun reading to summer, but there is something about sitting on the porch during these long hours of daylight and reading something delightful.
The book that delighted me was from the library, but I’ll be buying my own copy: Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style, by Benjamin Dreyer.
I would have enjoyed this book immensely before I started working with copy editors and grammar sticklers, but now? Now, I can appreciate it in a whole new way.
Dreyer peppers experience, snark, and humor in with common-sense rules about punctuation, word use, and style. He reminds readers to look some things up every. Single. Time. (But, I can’t help but respond, isn’t that why we have copy editors? 😉)
Why slog through a list of 67 things, as found in chapter 3? Because of the belly laughs from such all-caps exhortations as this: “DO NOT EVER ATTEMPT TO USE AN APOSTROPHE TO PLURALIZE A WORD.
“‘NOT EVER” AS IN ‘NEVER.’”
For those who can’t help but facepalm every time we see such an error, this book is for you.
Why yes, you could read this book to learn something. There’s much to learn, and whole chapters devoted to straightening out confusing words, phrases, and punctuations.
I carted the book around with me, read it in snippets when I had odd moments (and in long stretches when I could), and laughed out loud. It was as much fun to read the footnotes as it was to quiz myself on what I’d forgotten, the misdeeds I’d committed recently, and the things I’d never really known.
Highly, highly recommended, especially if you’re ever going to find yourself thanking a copy editor for the important (and not-so-invisible) work they do to make your writing readable.
The book that delighted me was from the library, but I’ll be buying my own copy: Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style, by Benjamin Dreyer.
I would have enjoyed this book immensely before I started working with copy editors and grammar sticklers, but now? Now, I can appreciate it in a whole new way.
Dreyer peppers experience, snark, and humor in with common-sense rules about punctuation, word use, and style. He reminds readers to look some things up every. Single. Time. (But, I can’t help but respond, isn’t that why we have copy editors? 😉)
Why slog through a list of 67 things, as found in chapter 3? Because of the belly laughs from such all-caps exhortations as this: “DO NOT EVER ATTEMPT TO USE AN APOSTROPHE TO PLURALIZE A WORD.
“‘NOT EVER” AS IN ‘NEVER.’”
For those who can’t help but facepalm every time we see such an error, this book is for you.
Why yes, you could read this book to learn something. There’s much to learn, and whole chapters devoted to straightening out confusing words, phrases, and punctuations.
I carted the book around with me, read it in snippets when I had odd moments (and in long stretches when I could), and laughed out loud. It was as much fun to read the footnotes as it was to quiz myself on what I’d forgotten, the misdeeds I’d committed recently, and the things I’d never really known.
Highly, highly recommended, especially if you’re ever going to find yourself thanking a copy editor for the important (and not-so-invisible) work they do to make your writing readable.
angryeditor's review
5.0
The most hilarious read of late. Fellow linguists, please read. Everyone who writes anything ever – please read.
jasperburns's review against another edition
5.0
It makes sense that a professional copyeditor ought to have a well-written book, and Benjamin Dreyer delivered.
First, the book was useful. Having finished it, I am better prepared to analyze my work for common errors ranging from spelling and grammar to cliché and style. The book was also entertaining. It was funny enough that I believe most non-writers would enjoy reading it if merely to improve their daily English. His humor and prose do much to make reading a book about spelling, grammar, punctuation, and word use compelling and interesting. The book is also replete with myriad new and delightful words which he contextualizes well enough that the reader need not reach for a dictionary to understand them.
My big fear now, having imbibed his recommendations, is how often I might fail to reach his standards (especially in pieces as short as book reviews). To aid in dismantling this analysis, I’d recommend picking up Dreyer’s English, an utterly excellent read.
View my best reviews and a collection of mental models at jasperburns.blog.
First, the book was useful. Having finished it, I am better prepared to analyze my work for common errors ranging from spelling and grammar to cliché and style. The book was also entertaining. It was funny enough that I believe most non-writers would enjoy reading it if merely to improve their daily English. His humor and prose do much to make reading a book about spelling, grammar, punctuation, and word use compelling and interesting. The book is also replete with myriad new and delightful words which he contextualizes well enough that the reader need not reach for a dictionary to understand them.
My big fear now, having imbibed his recommendations, is how often I might fail to reach his standards (especially in pieces as short as book reviews). To aid in dismantling this analysis, I’d recommend picking up Dreyer’s English, an utterly excellent read.
View my best reviews and a collection of mental models at jasperburns.blog.