Random House New Releases - Language Arts - Grammar

Script & Scribble by Kitty Burns Florey

2013-10-01T00:30:00-05:00

Script & Scribble The Rise and Fall of Handwriting
Written by Kitty Burns Florey

eBook | Melville House | Language Arts - Grammar; Reference - Writing Skills; Reference - Curiosities & Wonders | $16.95 | 978-1-61219-305-2 (1-61219-305-6)

"...a witty and readable (and fetchingly illustrated and glossed) excursion through the history of handwriting..." —Cullen Murphy, The Wall Street Journal

Steeped in the Palmer Method of Handwriting she learned in Catholic school, Kitty Burns Florey is a self-confessed "penmanship nut" who loves the act of taking pen to paper. So when she discovered that schools today forego handwriting drills in favor of teaching something called keyboarding, it gave her pause: "There is a widespread belief that, in a digital world, forming letters on paper with a pen is pointless and obsolete," she says, "and anyone who thinks otherwise is right up there with folks who still have fallout shelters in their backyards."

Florey tackles the importance of writing by hand and its place in our increasingly electronic society in this fascinating exploration of the history of handwriting. Weaving together the evolution of writing implements and scripts, pen-collecting societies, the golden age of American penmanship, the growth in popularity of handwriting analysis, and the many aficionados who still prefer scribbling on paper to tapping on keys, she asks the question: Is writing by hand really no longer necessary in today's busy world?

Todo lo que siempre quiso saber sobre la lengua castellana by Fundacion del Espanol Urgente

2013-09-10T00:30:00-05:00

Todo lo que siempre quiso saber sobre la lengua castellana Compendio illustrado y azaroso
Written by Fundacion del Espanol Urgente

Hardcover, 192 pages | Vintage | Foreign Language Study - Spanish; Language Arts - Reference; Language Arts - Grammar | $18.00 | 978-0-8041-6910-3 (0-8041-6910-1)

Fundéu, la Fundación del Español Urgente, es el servicio filológico de la Agencia EFE. Este compendio ilustrado pretende ordenar de forma atractiva el conocimiento que emite Fundéu y difundir el amor por el idioma.

Todo lo que siempre quiso sobre la lengua castellana by Fundacion del Espanol Urgente

2013-09-10T00:30:00-05:00

Todo lo que siempre quiso sobre la lengua castellana Compendio illustrado y azaroso
Written by Fundacion del Espanol Urgente

eBook, 192 pages | Vintage | Foreign Language Study - Spanish; Language Arts - Reference; Language Arts - Grammar | $11.99 | 978-0-8041-6915-8 (0-8041-6915-2)

More Nitty-Gritty Grammar by Judith Pinkerton Josephson

2012-06-20T00:30:00-05:00

More Nitty-Gritty Grammar Another Not-So-Serious Guide to Clear Communication
Written by Hope Edith Fine and Judith Pinkerton Josephson

eBook, 224 pages | Ten Speed Press | Language Arts - Grammar; Business & Economics - Business Communication | $9.99 | 978-0-307-78565-7 (0-307-78565-3)

Who or whom? Lay or lie? Conjunction, pronoun, predicate, or gerund? If such questions and terms leave you scratching your head, you need the hip and fun follow-up to NITTY-GRITTY GRAMMAR. With a new, easy-to-use alphabetical format and the same winning formula of wacky cartoons, off-the-wall examples, and catchy reminders, MORE NITTY-GRITTY GRAMMAR will help you sidestep common bloopers, untangle your malapropisms, secure those dangling modifiers, and teach you to speak and write with clarity and confidence.

From the Trade Paperback edition.

The Great Typo Hunt by Benjamin D. Herson

2011-10-04T00:30:00-05:00

The Great Typo Hunt Two Friends Changing the World, One Correction at a Time
Written by Jeff Deck and Benjamin D. Herson

Trade Paperback, 288 pages | Broadway | Reference - Writing Skills; Language Arts - Grammar; Travel - Road Travel | $14.00 | 978-0-307-59108-1 (0-307-59108-5)

The signs of the times are missing apostrophes.

The world needed a hero, but how would an editor with no off-switch answer the call? For Jeff Deck, the writing was literally on the wall: “NO TRESSPASSING.” In that moment, his greater purpose became clear. Dark hordes of typos had descended upon civilization… and only he could wield the marker to defeat them.

Recruiting his friend Benjamin and other valiant companions, he created the Typo Eradication Advancement League (TEAL). Armed with markers, chalk, and correction fluid, they circumnavigated America, righting the glaring errors displayed in grocery stores, museums, malls, restaurants, mini-golf courses, beaches, and even a national park. Jeff and Benjamin championed the cause of clear communication, blogging about their adventures transforming horor into horror, it’s into its, and coconunut into coconut.

But at the Grand Canyon, they took one correction too far: fixing the bad grammar in a fake Native American watchtower. The government charged them with defacing federal property and summoned them to court—with a typo-ridden complaint that claimed that they had violated “criminal statues.” Now the press turned these paragons of punctuation into “grammar vigilantes,” airing errors about their errant errand..

The radiant dream of TEAL would not fade, though. Beneath all those misspelled words and mislaid apostrophes, Jeff and Benjamin unearthed deeper dilemmas about education, race, history, and how we communicate. Ultimately their typo-hunting journey tells a larger story not just of proper punctuation but of the power of language and literacy—and the importance of always taking a second look.

From the Hardcover edition.

Write Right! by Jan Venolia

2011-02-09T00:30:00-05:00

Write Right! A Desktop Digest of Punctuation, Grammar, and Style
Written by Jan Venolia

eBook, 224 pages | Ten Speed Press | Reference - Writing Skills; Language Arts - Grammar; Business & Economics - Business Communication | $9.99 | 978-0-307-78418-6 (0-307-78418-5)

In this age of electronic correspondence and self-produced documents, we need a useful and reliable writing guide more than ever. WRITE RIGHT! covers the essentials of good writing in a concise and easy-to-follow format. The new edition of this classic handbook takes you through the entire writing process, from understanding the parts of speech to constructing a correct sentence to fine-tuning the mechanics. And with clever drawings and amusing quotations to illustrate its points, WRITE RIGHT! shows that language can be fun as well as an effective communication tool. Whether it'¬?s used to find a quick answer to a nagging question or to develop stronger writing skills, this handy reference is the ideal resource for writers of all levels.‚Ä¢ Previous editions have sold over 500,000 copies.‚Ä¢ Includes a resource section with a list of helpful websites and a glossary to quickly define difficult terms.

From the Trade Paperback edition.

Nitty-Gritty Grammar by Judith Pinkerton Josephson

2011-02-02T00:30:00-05:00

Nitty-Gritty Grammar A Not-So-Serious Guide to Clear Communication
Written by Hope Edith Fine and Judith Pinkerton Josephson

eBook, 112 pages | Ten Speed Press | Language Arts - Grammar | $9.99 | 978-0-307-78561-9 (0-307-78561-0)

With clear text, appealing cartoons, and a focus on common errors and how to correct them, this little volume is a real gem that should find a permanent place with companies, universities, and anyone seeking a user-friendly guide to style and usage.

From the Trade Paperback edition.

The Great Typo Hunt by Benjamin D. Herson

2010-08-03T00:30:00-05:00

The Great Typo Hunt Two Friends Changing the World, One Correction at a Time
Written by Jeff Deck and Benjamin D. Herson

eBook, 288 pages | Crown | Reference - Writing Skills; Language Arts - Grammar; Travel - Road Travel | $13.99 | 978-0-307-59109-8 (0-307-59109-3)

It Was the Best of Sentences, It Was the Worst of Sentences by June Casagrande

2010-07-27T00:30:00-05:00

It Was the Best of Sentences, It Was the Worst of Sentences A Writer's Guide to Crafting Killer Sentences
Written by June Casagrande

Trade Paperback, 224 pages | Ten Speed Press | Reference - Writing Skills; Language Arts - Composition & Creative Writing; Language Arts - Grammar | $14.00 | 978-1-58008-740-7 (1-58008-740-X)

Great writing isn’t born, it’s built—sentence by sentence. But too many writers—and writing guides—overlook this most important unit. The result? Manuscripts that will never be published and writing careers that will never begin.

In this wickedly humorous manual, language columnist June Casagrande uses grammar and syntax to show exactly what makes some sentences great—and other sentences suck.

With chapters on “Conjunctions That Kill” and “Words Gone Wild,” this lighthearted guide is perfect for anyone who’s dead serious about writing, from aspiring novelists to nonfiction writers, conscientious students to cheeky literati. So roll up your sleeves and prepare to craft one bold, effective sentence after another. Your readers will thank you.

Script and Scribble by Kitty Burns Florey

2009-01-20T00:30:00-05:00

Script and Scribble The Rise and Fall of Handwriting
Written by Kitty Burns Florey

Hardcover, 208 pages | Melville House | Language Arts - Grammar; Reference - Writing Skills; Reference - Curiosities & Wonders | $22.95 | 978-1-933633-67-1 (1-933633-67-0)

Steeped in the Palmer Method of Handwriting she learned in Catholic school, Kitty Burns Florey is a self-confessed “penmanship nut” who loves the act of taking pen to paper. So when she discovered that schools today forego handwriting drills in favor of teaching something called keyboarding, it gave her pause: “There is a widespread belief that, in a digital world, forming letters on paper with a pen is pointless and obsolete,” she says, “and anyone who thinks otherwise is right up there with folks who still have fallout shelters in their backyards.”

Florey tackles the importance of writing by hand and its place in our increasingly electronic society in this fascinating exploration of the history of handwriting. Weaving together the evolution of writing implements and scripts, pen-collecting societies, the golden age of American penmanship, the growth in popularity of handwriting analysis, and the many aficionados who still prefer scribbling on paper to tapping on keys, she asks the question: Is writing by hand really no longer necessary in today’s busy world?

When You Catch an Adjective, Kill It by Ben Yagoda

2008-02-12T00:30:00-05:00

When You Catch an Adjective, Kill It The Parts of Speech, for Better And/Or Worse
Written by Ben Yagoda

eBook, 272 pages | Broadway | Language Arts - Grammar; Language Arts | $13.99 | 978-0-7679-2931-8 (0-7679-2931-4)

What do you get when you mix nine parts of speech, one great writer, and generous dashes of insight, humor, and irreverence? One phenomenally entertaining language book.

In his waggish yet authoritative book, Ben Yagoda has managed to undo the dark work of legions of English teachers and libraries of dusty grammar texts. Not since School House Rock have adjectives, adverbs, articles, conjunctions, interjections, nouns, prepositions, pronouns, and verbs been explored with such infectious exuberance. Read If You Catch an Adjective, Kill It and:

Learn how to write better with classic advice from writers such as Mark Twain (“If you catch an adjective, kill it”), Stephen King (“I believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs”), and Gertrude Stein (“Nouns . . . are completely not interesting”).

Marvel at how a single word can shift from adverb (“I did okay”), to adjective (“It was an okay movie”), to interjection (“Okay!”), to noun (“I gave my okay”), to verb (“Who okayed this?”), depending on its use.

Avoid the pretentious preposition at, a favorite of real estate developers (e.g., “The Shoppes at White Plains”).

Laugh when Yagoda says he “shall call anyone a dork to the end of his days” who insists on maintaining the distinction between shall and will.

Read, and discover a book whose pop culture references, humorous asides, and bracing doses of discernment and common sense convey Yagoda’s unique sense of the “beauty, the joy, the artistry, and the fun of language.”

When You Catch an Adjective, Kill It by Ben Yagoda

2007-12-26T00:30:00-05:00

When You Catch an Adjective, Kill It The Parts of Speech, for Better And/Or Worse
Written by Ben Yagoda

Trade Paperback, 256 pages | Broadway | Language Arts - Grammar; Language Arts | $13.99 | 978-0-7679-2078-0 (0-7679-2078-3)

The Pen Commandments by Steven Frank

2007-12-18T00:30:00-05:00

The Pen Commandments
Written by Steven Frank

eBook, 336 pages | Anchor | Language Arts - Grammar; Language Arts - Composition & Creative Writing; Language Arts - Reference | $11.99 | 978-0-307-42915-5 (0-307-42915-6)

Steven Frank has a new approach to writing: fun first, rules to follow, success for all. In The Pen Commandments, his offbeat and entertaining guide, he's given us a book that all writers can turn to for help and a good laugh.

With outrageous anecdotes (how a kid's oral surgery led to the ultimate writing assignment) and irreverent advice (Thou Shalt Not Kill Thy Sentences), Frank shows how to conquer writer's block, make friends with punctuation, and live forever in words. If you want to inspire your kids of just want to brush up on your own skills, The Pen Commandments will change—and enliven—the way you write forever.

From the Trade Paperback edition.

Um. . . by Michael Erard

2007-08-21T00:30:00-05:00

Um. . . Slips, Stumbles, and Verbal Blunders, and What They Mean
Written by Michael Erard

Hardcover, 304 pages | Pantheon | Language Arts - Grammar | $24.95 | 978-0-375-42356-7 (0-375-42356-7)

Um… is about how you really speak, and why it’s normal for your casual, everyday speech to be filled with verbal blunders — about one in every ten words. Why do they happen? Why can’t we control them? What can you tell about the people who make them?

In this charming, engaging account of language in the wild, linguist and writer Michael Erard also explains why our attention to some verbal blunders rises and falls. Why was the spoonerism named after Reverend Spooner, not some other absent-minded person? Where did the Freudian slip come from? Why do we prize "umlessness" in speaking? And how do we explain the American presidents who are famous for their verbal blundering?

You’ll have new ways to listen to yourself and others once you’ve met the people who work with verbal blunders every day — journalists, transcribers, interpreters, police officers, linguists, psychologists, among others — and when you’ve learned what verbal blunders tell about who we are and what we want.

A rich investigation of a fascinating subject, full of entertaining examples, Um. . . is essential reading for talkers and listeners of all stripes.

Um. . . by Michael Erard

2007-08-21T00:30:00-05:00

Um. . . Slips, Stumbles, and Verbal Blunders, and What They Mean
Written by Michael Erard

eBook, 320 pages | Anchor | Language Arts - Grammar | $13.99 | 978-0-375-42515-8 (0-375-42515-2)

This original, entertaining, and surprising book investigates verbal blunders: what they are, what they say about those who make them, and how and why we've come to judge them.Um... is about how you really speak, and why it's normal for your everyday speech to be filled with errors—about one in every ten words. In this charming, engaging account of language in the wild, linguist and writer Michael Erard also explains why our attention to some blunders rises and falls. Where did the Freudian slip come from? Why do we prize "umlessness" in speaking—and should we? And how do we explain the American presidents who are famous for their verbal stumbles? Full of entertaining examples, Um... is essential reading for talkers and listeners of all stripes.

From the Trade Paperback edition.

When You Catch an Adjective, Kill It by Ben Yagoda

2007-02-13T00:30:00-05:00

When You Catch an Adjective, Kill It The Parts of Speech, for Better And/Or Worse
Written by Ben Yagoda

Hardcover, 256 pages | Broadway | Language Arts - Grammar; Language Arts | $21.95 | 978-0-7679-2077-3 (0-7679-2077-5)

What do you get when you mix nine parts of speech, one great writer, and generous dashes of insight, humor, and irreverence? One phenomenally entertaining language book.

In his waggish yet authoritative book, Ben Yagoda has managed to undo the dark work of legions of English teachers and libraries of dusty grammar texts. Not since School House Rock have adjectives, adverbs, articles, conjunctions, interjections, nouns, prepositions, pronouns, and verbs been explored with such infectious exuberance. Read If You Catch an Adjective, Kill It and:

Learn how to write better with classic advice from writers such as Mark Twain (“If you catch an adjective, kill it”), Stephen King (“I believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs”), and Gertrude Stein (“Nouns . . . are completely not interesting”).

Marvel at how a single word can shift from adverb (“I did okay”), to adjective (“It was an okay movie”), to interjection (“Okay!”), to noun (“I gave my okay”), to verb (“Who okayed this?”), depending on its use.

Avoid the pretentious preposition at, a favorite of real estate developers (e.g., “The Shoppes at White Plains”).

Laugh when Yagoda says he “shall call anyone a dork to the end of his days” who insists on maintaining the distinction between shall and will.

Read, and discover a book whose pop culture references, humorous asides, and bracing doses of discernment and common sense convey Yagoda’s unique sense of the “beauty, the joy, the artistry, and the fun of language.”

Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog by Kitty Burns Florey

2006-10-01T00:30:00-05:00

Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog The Quirky History and Lost Art of Diagramming Sentences
Written by Kitty Burns Florey

Hardcover, 200 pages | Melville House | Language Arts - Grammar; Reference - Writing Skills; Reference - Curiosities & Wonders | $19.95 | 978-1-933633-10-7 (1-933633-10-7)

Once wildly popular in grammar schools across the country, sentence diagramming has fallen out of fashion. But are we that much worse for not knowing the word-mapping method?

Now, in this illustrated personal history that any language lover will adore, Kitty Burns Florey explores the rise and fall of sentence diagramming, including its invention by a mustachioed man named Brainerd “Brainy” Kellogg and his wealthy accomplice Alonzo Reed ... the inferior “balloon diagram” predecessor ... and what diagrams of sentences by Hemingway, Welty, Proust, Kerouac and other famous writers reveal about them.

Florey also offers up her own common-sense approach to learning and using good grammar. And she answers some of literature’s most pressing questions: Was Mark Twain or James Fenimore Cooper a better grammarian? What are the silliest grammar rules? And what’s Gertude Stein got to do with any of it?

The Pen Commandments by Steven Frank

2004-09-14T00:30:00-05:00

The Pen Commandments
Written by Steven Frank

Trade Paperback, 336 pages | Anchor | Language Arts - Grammar; Language Arts - Composition & Creative Writing; Language Arts - Reference | $15.00 | 978-1-4000-3229-7 (1-4000-3229-6)

More Nitty-Gritty Grammar by Judith Pinkerton Josephson

2001-09-12T00:30:00-05:00

More Nitty-Gritty Grammar Another Not-So-Serious Guide to Clear Communication
Written by Hope Edith Fine and Judith Pinkerton Josephson

Trade Paperback, 224 pages | Ten Speed Press | Language Arts - Grammar; Business & Economics - Business Communication | $12.99 | 978-1-58008-228-0 (1-58008-228-9)

Write Right! by Jan Venolia

2001-08-21T00:30:00-05:00

Write Right! A Desktop Digest of Punctuation, Grammar, and Style
Written by Jan Venolia

Trade Paperback, 224 pages | Ten Speed Press | Reference - Writing Skills; Language Arts - Grammar; Business & Economics - Business Communication | $12.99 | 978-1-58008-328-7 (1-58008-328-5)

Random House New Releases - Language Arts - Grammar

Script & Scribble by Kitty Burns Florey

Script & Scribble The Rise and Fall of HandwritingWritten by Kitty Burns Florey

Todo lo que siempre quiso saber sobre la lengua castellana by Fundacion del Espanol Urgente

Todo lo que siempre quiso saber sobre la lengua castellana Compendio illustrado y azarosoWritten by Fundacion del Espanol Urgente

Todo lo que siempre quiso sobre la lengua castellana by Fundacion del Espanol Urgente

Todo lo que siempre quiso sobre la lengua castellana Compendio illustrado y azarosoWritten by Fundacion del Espanol Urgente

More Nitty-Gritty Grammar by Judith Pinkerton Josephson

More Nitty-Gritty Grammar Another Not-So-Serious Guide to Clear CommunicationWritten by Hope Edith Fine and Judith Pinkerton Josephson

The Great Typo Hunt by Benjamin D. Herson

The Great Typo Hunt Two Friends Changing the World, One Correction at a TimeWritten by Jeff Deck and Benjamin D. Herson

Write Right! by Jan Venolia

Write Right! A Desktop Digest of Punctuation, Grammar, and StyleWritten by Jan Venolia

Nitty-Gritty Grammar by Judith Pinkerton Josephson

Nitty-Gritty Grammar A Not-So-Serious Guide to Clear CommunicationWritten by Hope Edith Fine and Judith Pinkerton Josephson

The Great Typo Hunt by Benjamin D. Herson

The Great Typo Hunt Two Friends Changing the World, One Correction at a TimeWritten by Jeff Deck and Benjamin D. Herson

It Was the Best of Sentences, It Was the Worst of Sentences by June Casagrande

It Was the Best of Sentences, It Was the Worst of Sentences A Writer's Guide to Crafting Killer SentencesWritten by June Casagrande

Script and Scribble by Kitty Burns Florey

Script and Scribble The Rise and Fall of HandwritingWritten by Kitty Burns Florey

When You Catch an Adjective, Kill It by Ben Yagoda

When You Catch an Adjective, Kill It The Parts of Speech, for Better And/Or WorseWritten by Ben Yagoda

When You Catch an Adjective, Kill It by Ben Yagoda

When You Catch an Adjective, Kill It The Parts of Speech, for Better And/Or WorseWritten by Ben Yagoda

The Pen Commandments by Steven Frank

The Pen Commandments Written by Steven Frank

Um. . . by Michael Erard

Um. . . Slips, Stumbles, and Verbal Blunders, and What They MeanWritten by Michael Erard

Um. . . by Michael Erard

Um. . . Slips, Stumbles, and Verbal Blunders, and What They MeanWritten by Michael Erard

When You Catch an Adjective, Kill It by Ben Yagoda

When You Catch an Adjective, Kill It The Parts of Speech, for Better And/Or WorseWritten by Ben Yagoda

Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog by Kitty Burns Florey

Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog The Quirky History and Lost Art of Diagramming SentencesWritten by Kitty Burns Florey

The Pen Commandments by Steven Frank

The Pen Commandments Written by Steven Frank

More Nitty-Gritty Grammar by Judith Pinkerton Josephson

More Nitty-Gritty Grammar Another Not-So-Serious Guide to Clear CommunicationWritten by Hope Edith Fine and Judith Pinkerton Josephson

Write Right! by Jan Venolia

Write Right! A Desktop Digest of Punctuation, Grammar, and StyleWritten by Jan Venolia

Script & Scribble The Rise and Fall of Handwriting
Written by Kitty Burns Florey

Todo lo que siempre quiso saber sobre la lengua castellana Compendio illustrado y azaroso
Written by Fundacion del Espanol Urgente

Todo lo que siempre quiso sobre la lengua castellana Compendio illustrado y azaroso
Written by Fundacion del Espanol Urgente

More Nitty-Gritty Grammar Another Not-So-Serious Guide to Clear Communication
Written by Hope Edith Fine and Judith Pinkerton Josephson

The Great Typo Hunt Two Friends Changing the World, One Correction at a Time
Written by Jeff Deck and Benjamin D. Herson

Write Right! A Desktop Digest of Punctuation, Grammar, and Style
Written by Jan Venolia

Nitty-Gritty Grammar A Not-So-Serious Guide to Clear Communication
Written by Hope Edith Fine and Judith Pinkerton Josephson

The Great Typo Hunt Two Friends Changing the World, One Correction at a Time
Written by Jeff Deck and Benjamin D. Herson

It Was the Best of Sentences, It Was the Worst of Sentences A Writer's Guide to Crafting Killer Sentences
Written by June Casagrande

Script and Scribble The Rise and Fall of Handwriting
Written by Kitty Burns Florey

When You Catch an Adjective, Kill It The Parts of Speech, for Better And/Or Worse
Written by Ben Yagoda

When You Catch an Adjective, Kill It The Parts of Speech, for Better And/Or Worse
Written by Ben Yagoda

The Pen Commandments
Written by Steven Frank

Um. . . Slips, Stumbles, and Verbal Blunders, and What They Mean
Written by Michael Erard

Um. . . Slips, Stumbles, and Verbal Blunders, and What They Mean
Written by Michael Erard

When You Catch an Adjective, Kill It The Parts of Speech, for Better And/Or Worse
Written by Ben Yagoda

Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog The Quirky History and Lost Art of Diagramming Sentences
Written by Kitty Burns Florey

The Pen Commandments
Written by Steven Frank

More Nitty-Gritty Grammar Another Not-So-Serious Guide to Clear Communication
Written by Hope Edith Fine and Judith Pinkerton Josephson

Write Right! A Desktop Digest of Punctuation, Grammar, and Style
Written by Jan Venolia