Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

Online sensation Grammar Girl makes grammar fun and easy in this "New York Times" bestseller

Are you stumped by split infinitives? Terrified of using "who" when a "whom" is called for? Do you avoid the words "affect" and "effect" altogether?

Grammar Girl is here to help

Mignon Fogarty, a.k.a. Grammar Girl, is determined to wipe out bad grammar--but she's also determined to make the process as painless as possible. A couple of years ago, she created a weekly podcast to tackle some of the most common mistakes people make while communicating. The podcasts have now been downloaded more than twenty million times, and Mignon has dispensed grammar tips on "Oprah" and appeared on the pages of "The New York Times," "The Wall Street Journal," and "USA Today."

Written with the wit, warmth, and accessibility that the podcasts are known for, "Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing" covers the grammar rules and word-choice guidelines that can confound even the best writers. From "between vs. among" and "although vs. while" to comma splices and misplaced modifiers, Mignon offers memory tricks and clear explanations that will help readers recall and apply those troublesome grammar rules. Chock-full of tips on style, business writing, and effective e-mailing, Grammar Girl's print debut deserves a spot on every communicator's desk.

Mignon Fogarty is the creator of Grammar Girl and founder of the Quick and Dirty Tips Network. A technical writer and entrepreneur, she has served as an editor and producer at a number of health and science Web sites. She has a B.A. in English from the University of Washington in Seattle and an M.S. in biology from Stanford University. She lives in Reno, Nevada.

In 2007, Mignon Fogarty, perhaps better known as Grammar Girl, created a weekly podcast to tackle some of the most common mistakes people make while communicating. Her concise lessons aim to teach, or refresh, grammar knowledge as simply as possible. The podcasts have now been downloaded more than seven million times, and Fogarty has dispensed grammar tips on "Oprah" and appeared on the pages of "The New York Times," "The Wall Street Journal," and "USA Today."
Written with the wit, warmth, and accessibility for which the podcasts are known, "Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing" covers the grammar rules and word-choice guidelines that can confound even the best writers. Her tips include stylistic choices, business writing, and effective e-mailing. From "between vs. among" and "although vs. while" to comma splices and misplaced modifiers, Fogarty offers memory tricks and clear explanations that will help readers recall and apply those troublesome grammar rules.
"Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing" is also available on CD as an unabridged audiobook, read by the author. Please email academic@macmillan.com for more information.

Mignon Fogarty, perhaps better known as Grammar Girl, has compiled her concise lessons aimed to teach, or refresh, grammar knowledge as simply as possible. Written with the wit, warmth, and accessibility for which her weekly online podcasts are known, "Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing" covers the grammar rules and word-choice guidelines that can confound even the best writers. Her tips include stylistic choices, business writing, and effective e-mailing. "I teach English at a small high school in Orfordville, Wisconsin. I am very impressed with the quality and ease of information on grammar at your site."--Geri Acker
"This semester, my students are teaching grammar to one another. Rules: be correct, be creative, be interactive. We've already kicked off the journey by agreeing to use sample sentences starring Aardvark and Squiggly. (If you haven't met these characters yet, I suggest you start listening to the Grammar Girl podcast with the rest of the country.) The inclusion of mullets and eye patches into our sentences may send us right off the fun scale. I know we're in college; rest assured we've reserved plenty of time for seriousness--should the need arise. Truth be told, however, it's all about the retention triggered by vivid images and good times. Can't wait to see what Aardvark and Squiggly are up to this afternoon."--Hillary Clemens, Brigham Young University, Idaho
"My mom is a language arts teacher at a lockdown facility for middle school and high school girls who have committed felonies. These are some really disturbed young ladies who have had really awful lives. One of my mom's goals is to break them out of their habits of speaking 'street' all the time, and especially to never write in slang. Her point is not to belittle colloquial speech but to impress upon these girls that there's a time and place for everything and if they want to succeed, they will need to learn to express themselves in an educated manner . . . For her birthday I gave mom your book and she loves it It's now part of her curriculum. She says these girls are amazed that someone can become a celebrity via good grammar and if she says, 'Grammar Girl says . . . " they sit up and listen. She says your ideas for remembering grammar rules are terrific for these girls."--Karen Roth, Scottsdale, Arizona
"Your book is great. It reminds me of when I first read "Strunk and White." I will use it in my classroom."--Fourth Grade Teacher, Las Vegas Public School System
"I am a special education teacher and this year I have a cluster of kids in a self contained language arts class. It is my goal to make them decent writers. Most don't know a noun from ketchup so using your memory tricks will help "--Samantha Jenses, Phoenix Public School System (Middle School)
"I went into my high school senior son's English class for a conference. What's on the wall? The Grammar Girl article, laminated, from the "Atlanta Journal Constitution.""--Barbara Nixon, Atlanta, Georgia

"While "Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for