General Books

The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition

William Strunk Jr., E. B. White

Amazon Price: $9.95 List Price: $9.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Longman Amazon Marketplace: 315 new & used starting at $1.27

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 369 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Great Reference 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE is a great little pocket reference for all writers (creative, essay, or nonfiction).

What is most amazing is how it consolidates a wealth of information into accessible, bite-size chapters that are easy to search on and then easy to comprehend.

The sections that I have found the most helpful are:
1) Verb Subject Agreement for the exceptions, "one of" and "each and every".
2) Why using the Active Voice is better through exhibition and not b/c it's the general rule.
3) Putting statements into positive form (something I had not considered).
4) And the entire section on "Approach to Style".

I think that for the price, you can not go wrong with this one. I have GRAMMATICALLY CORRECT by Stilman and SOLUTIONS FOR WRITERS by Stein, both of which I recommend, but if you had to choose the order in which to buy: ELEMENTS OF STYLE, SOLUTIONS FOR WRITERS (as it's not just about writing but the craft of story telling), and then GRAMMATICALLY CORRECT.

Editorial Review:

A masterpiece in the art of clear and concise writing, and an exemplar of the principles it explains.

1001 Most Useful Spanish Words (Beginners' Guides)

Seymour Resnick

Amazon Price: $2.00 List Price: $2.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Dover Publications Amazon Marketplace: 51 new & used starting at $0.01

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 100 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Outstanding value 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Particularly useful for intermediate-level speakers of the Spanish language. This book very concisely presents a wealth of vocabulary and demonstrates the grammar of each palabra introduced. For a very small price, it represents a terrific value.

Why Is This Book Useful? 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

After learning German from scratch, I realized about eight months later that my unwieldy and large German-English dictionaries were a drag. They were slow and clunky. When I decided to learn Spanish, the first thought I had was to find the right reference book for starting out with the basic vocabulary. This book has the perfect form and function for the beginning student. When I'm doing exercises, I can find the word I need in this book without skipping a beat or losing my train of thought. Buy this book if you're looking for efficiency. It has, for the most part, all the vocabulary a beginning student needs without the clutter of word entries a student doesn't need. It's easy to work with because I know from the moment I need it whether it will have the word I need or not. It's a two dollar workhorse that's a pleasure to use.

Editorial Review:

Indispensable learning aid includes definitions of common Spanish words arranged by such categories as foods, numbers, days of the week, months, colors, seasons and family. At the book's heart is a dictionary, from a to zapato, where each word is used in a Spanish sentence (with English translation) demonstrating its proper use.

How Fiction Works

James Wood

Amazon Price: $16.32 List Price: $24.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Farrar, Straus and Giroux Amazon Marketplace: 39 new & used starting at $14.14

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 20 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Amazon Best of the Month, July 2008: The first thing you'll notice about How Fiction Works is its size. At 252 pages, it's a marvel of economy for a book that asks such a huge question and right away you'll want to know (as you might at the start of a new novel) what the author has in store. James Wood takes only his own bookshelves as his literary terrain for this study, and that in itself is the most delightful gift: he joins his audience as a reader, citing his chosen texts judiciously--ranging from Henry James (from whom he takes the best epigraph to a book I've ever read) to Nabokov, Joyce, Updike, and more--to explore not just how fiction works, mechanically speaking, but to reflect on how a novelist's choices make us feel that a novel ultimately works ... or doesn't. Wood remarks that you have to "read enough literature to be taught by it how to read it." His terrific bibliography will surely be a boon to anyone's education, but it's his masterful writing that you'll want to keep reading over the course of your life. --Anne Bartholomew

English Grammar for Dummies

Geraldine Woods

Amazon Price: $13.59 List Price: $19.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: For Dummies Amazon Marketplace: 78 new & used starting at $7.09

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 27 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

A few years ago, a magazine sponsored a contest for the comment most likely to end a conversation. The winning entry? "I teach English grammar." Just throw that line out at a party; everyone around you will clam up or start saying "whom."

Why does grammar make everyone so nervous? Probably because English teachers, for decades – no, for centuries – have been making a big deal out of grammar in classrooms, diagramming sentences and drilling the parts of speech, clauses, and verbals into students until they beg for mercy. Happily, you don't have to learn all those technical terms of English grammar – and you certainly don't have to diagram sentences – in order to speak and write correct English.

So rest assured – English Grammar For Dummies will probably never make your English teacher's top-ten list of must-read books, because you won't have to diagram a single sentence. What you will discover are fun and easy strategies that can help you when you're faced with such grammatical dilemmas as the choice between "I" and "me," "had gone" and "went," and "who" and "whom." With English Grammar For Dummies, you won't have to memorize a long list of meaningless rules (well, maybe a couple in the punctuation chapter!), because when you understand the reason for a particular word choice, you'll pick the correct word automatically.

English Grammar For Dummies covers many other topics as well, such as the following:

• Verbs, adjectives, and adverbs – oh my!
• Preposition propositions and pronoun pronouncements
• Punctuation: The lowdown on periods, commas, colons, and all those other squiggly marks
• Possession: It's nine-tenths of grammatical law
• Avoiding those double negative vibes
• How to spice up really boring sentences (like this one)
• Top Ten lists on improving your proofreading skills and ways to learn better grammar

Just think how improving your speaking and writing skills will help you in everyday situations, such as writing a paper for school, giving a presentation to your company's big wigs, or communicating effectively with your family. You will not only gain the confidence in knowing you're speaking or writing well, but you'll also make a good impression on those around you!

Scholastic Dictionary of Synonyms, Antonyms, and Homonyms

Scholastic Inc.

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Not the best resource. 3 out of 5 stars.
24 of 24 people found this review helpful.

We found this book to be lacking in the number of entries/words it carries. My daughter is in a 3rd grade GT class, and a number of the words on her spelling list are not even included in this book. I find the book to be average, at best.

Scholastic Dictionary of Syn, Ant, and Hom 4 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

A quick, efficient reference with the most commonly used words for students on the go

Classroom resource 4 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

This is a quick reference for classroom use. Sometimes a teacher cannot come up with one of these elements and this reference helps.

Good quick reference 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

A good quick reference book, but I will say that some words are not listed. It is focused for 2nd - 5th grade in my opinion. A handy addition for a home reference library!

Great Fun For Kids! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

New readers love to learn the differences in words. My after school kids set a timer so each gets equal time with this book, They love it.

Editorial Review:

Containing 12,000 synonyms, 10,000 antonyms, and 2,000 homonyms, this versatile book is the perfect reference tool for student writers. Not only will it help students expand their vocabularies, this lightweight volume will help young people pick the perfect words to express their thought and feelings.

First Spanish Reader: A Beginner's Dual-Language Book (Beginners' Guides)

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Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> Short Stories -> General
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 32 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

bilingual parables 1 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I was hoping for something different. The parables are not i nteresting for high school kids. The stories are not laid out for best bilingual appreciation.

Me gusto mucho este libro! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I found this book most helpful in reviewing my knowledge and understanding of Spanish. I could attempt to read the passages in Spanish and then seen if I had understood them correctly by then reading the English version. It is a wonderful resource for intermediate and advanced students of the Spanish language to help reinforce what they have learned, and also exposes non-native speakers to the rich Latino literary culture.

Helps extend your knowledge 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Great book with traditional stories that give you an insight into South American culture through language. What's best about this book is that it also has target questions about each of the stories that help you to extend your understanding of the text. There are a variety of stories of different lengths which means it's not too daunting. A great buy- I was more than impressed

Editorial Review:

Delightful stories, other material based on works of Don Juan Manuel, Luis Taboada, Ricardo Palma, other noted writers. Complete faithful English translations on facing pages. Exercises.

The Crosscultural Language and Academic Development Handbook: A Complete K-12 Reference Guide (3rd Edition)

Lynne T. Diaz-Rico, Kathryn Z. Weed

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

CTEL Study Guide 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

This book seriously saved my life while I was studying for the CTEL. I read it from cover to cover in a week. All of the information was useful and helped me pass the test!

CTEL 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

It helped me pass the CA CTEL test on the first try. I read no other book, this did it for me.

Editorial Review:

The third edition of this popular handbook brings together theories, ideas, and resources for promoting crosscultural awareness, language development, and academic progress for English learners. It ties together culture and language in a comprehensive format and delves deeply into the educational challenges faced by classroom teachers. Written specifically for the mainstream teacher, the guide clearly shows the effects of cultural differences on learning and presents an excellent treatment of cultural diversity and learning styles. It comes at a time when more than two million students nationwide with limited English proficiency fill our classrooms -- a time when today's teachers desperately need practical, effective resources to help these students succeed in school.

Viva la Repartee: Clever Comebacks and Witty Retorts from History's Great Wits and Wordsmiths

Mardy Grothe

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

For most of us, that perfect retort or witty reply often escapes us when we need it most, only to come to mind with perfect clarity when it's too late to be useful. The twentieth-century writer Heywood Broun described this all-too-common phenomenon when he wrote "Repartee is what we wish we'd said."

In Viva la Repartee, Dr. Mardy Grothe, author of Oxymoronica, has lovingly assembled a collection of masterfully composed -- and perfectly timed -- replies that have turned the tables on opponents and adversaries. This delightful volume is a celebration of the most impressive retorts, ripostes, rejoinders, comebacks, quips, ad-libs, bon mots, off-the-cuff comments, wisecracks, and other clever remarks ever to come out of the mouths -- and from the pens -- of people throughout history. Touching on all areas of human endeavor, including politics, the arts, literature, sports, relationships, and even the risqué, the book features contributions from Oscar Wilde, Mark Twain, Dorothy Parker, Mae West, Groucho Marx, Winston Churchill, Dolly Parton, and scores more.

As entertaining as it is intellectually enriching, Viva la Repartee is sure to capture the attention of language lovers and is the perfect antidote for anyone who's ever thought I wish I'd said that!

The Mother Tongue

Bill Bryson

Amazon Price: $10.17 List Price: $14.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Harper Perennial Amazon Marketplace: 115 new & used starting at $1.89

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 122 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Who would have thought that a book about English would be so entertaining? Certainly not this grammar-allergic reviewer, but The Mother Tongue pulls it off admirably. Bill Bryson--a zealot--is the right man for the job. Who else could rhapsodize about "the colorless murmur of the schwa" with a straight face? It is his unflagging enthusiasm, seeping from between every sentence, that carries the book.

Bryson displays an encyclopedic knowledge of his topic, and this inevitably encourages a light tone; the more you know about a subject, the more absurd it becomes. No jokes are necessary, the facts do well enough by themselves, and Bryson supplies tens per page. As well as tossing off gems of fractured English (from a Japanese eraser: "This product will self-destruct in Mother Earth."), Bryson frequently takes time to compare the idiosyncratic tongue with other languages. Not only does this give a laugh (one word: Welsh), and always shed considerable light, it also makes the reader feel fortunate to speak English.

Oxymoronica: Paradoxical Wit & Wisdom From History's Greatest Wordsmiths

Mardy Grothe

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 28 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

ox-y-mor-on-i-ca (OK-se-mor-ON-uh-ca) noun, plural: Any variety of tantalizing, self-contradictory statements or observations that on the surface appear false or illogical, but at a deeper level are true, often profoundly true. See also oxymoron, paradox.

examples:

"Melancholy is the pleasure of being sad."
Victor Hugo

"To lead the people, walk behind them."
Lao-tzu

"You'd be surprised how much it costs to look this cheap."
Dolly Parton

You won't find the word "oxymoronica" in any dictionary (at least not yet) because Dr. Mardy Grothe introduces it to readers in this delightful collection of 1,400 of the most provocative quotations of all time. From ancient thinkers like Confucius, Aristotle, and Saint Augustine to great writers like Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, and G. B. Shaw to modern social observers like Woody Allen and Lily Tomlin, Oxymoronica celebrates the power and beauty of paradoxical thinking. All areas of human activity are explored, including love, sex and romance, politics, the arts, the literary life, and, of course, marriage and family life. The wise and witty observations in this book are as highly entertaining as they are intellectually nourishing and are sure to grab the attention of language lovers everywhere.