Best grammar books according to redditors
We found 598 Reddit comments discussing the best grammar books. We ranked the 210 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 598 Reddit comments discussing the best grammar books. We ranked the 210 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
Generally in order to enjoy stories they have to be written in a language that you understand. Judging by your spelling and grammar, I will assume you don't read or write English. As these stories are written in English, they may be difficult for you to enjoy. Hopefully this will help you enjoy Marvel.
Amazon UK
Amazon CA
Amazon CN
Amazon IT
Amazon DE
Amazon FR
Amazon ES
Amazon JP
Just in case OP isn't American (South American countries seem to be able to order on amazon.es).
It's quite ridiculous, by the way, that there is no amazon Australia but an amazon Austria that just redirects to the German amazon :/
The thorn is for the unvoiced "th" while the eth is for the voiced "th". The way to tell the difference is to say the words "thin" and "then": the only difference between the two words is whether the "th" is voiced or not. Place your fingers on your voice box and say the two words, and you'll notice that with "then" the voice box vibrates with the "th" - that's an eth; with "thin" there is no vibration - that is the unvoiced thorn.
Edit: My source is my language mentor's user-friendly Old English Grammar: Robert E. Diamond (1920-1985), Old English Grammar and Reader (1970). The difference in use between the thorn and eth in Anglo-Saxon and in Old Norse was strictly determined by the sound of the "th"; they were not interchangeable.
I know this isn't what you want to hear, but you can't learn a language without learning its grammar. Your request is like someone who wants to be a surgeon saying he doesn't want to bother with studying anatomy. It just doesn't work like that.
Sure, with Duolingo or Youtube or a smart phone app, you could probably pick up some vocabulary and maybe even a few stand-alone phrases. Without understanding the grammar, though, you'll never be able to put those words together into meaningful sentences and arrange those sentences into meaningful conversations.
It would be like listening to someone in English who always says things like "Me want store please to go." Sure, a native English speaker will probably understand that you really meant "I want to go to the store, please." However, after two minutes of a conversation like that, the native speaker will be mentally exhausted.
So, as someone who himself didn't start learning German until he was 18, please believe me when I tell you that you will be doing yourself a huge favor in the long run if you take it slow here at the beginning and don't try to jump ahead until you get a firm grasp on the grammar. This won't necessarily be easy, and it won't necessarily be thrilling, but it *is* necessary. Having a large vocabulary and knowing cool slang words don't mean anything if you can't put them together correctly to make sentences.
Finally, you mentioned that you don't know English grammar very well. This is part of the problem, too. How can you learn the grammar of a foreign language if you don't have a frame of reference via the grammar of your own language? A grammar guide that was used in the German department where I studied might be helpful. It's relatively inexpensive on its own, but you might even be able to find it for free at a local public or university library, if you have access to one.
Finally, don't hesitate to ask grammar questions here (but help us help you by not asking 20 different grammar questions in the same post).
Viel Spaß und viel Erfolg!
Steven Pinker's The Language Instinct is a strong layperson's introduction to lingistics.
Ohio State has a huge undergraduate linguistics program and publishes an omnibus introductory linguistics textbook to boot. I've heard good things about it: Language Files.
Get this
Building off of what others have said— it helps to look at bilingual dictionaries and see the varied ways terms translate. As an example, see the English Wiktionary entry for French gentil. This word is what English borrowed 'gentle' from, but there are still senses and differences from what you get with the related English word. Ideally, just about every word will have at least a bit of complexity- even words that translate to very concrete concepts like 'tree' or 'rock' may have metaphorical extensions, idiomatic uses, etc.
For more 'grammatical' parts of the language, it's good to remember that labels like 'accusative' or 'passive' only refer to one aspect of a construction's use. In Latin, the accusative and ablative both appeared with prepositions, and which case was used determined whether the sense was location or movement, like 'in' vs 'into' (sorry, I don't remember which case is which). You'd never get that just by reading the definition of an accusative case though.
In English, there are two main possessive constructions: X's Y and Y of X. However the usage of each is somewhat different, and both include usages that wouldn't be considered ownership. Your language should have some way of expressing all of the senses these English constructions do, but they should have different distributions and range of semantics.
Wikipedia can be a good resource for learning about some of the possibilities of various grammatical categories. If you can, I'd recommend grabbing a copy of Describing Morphosyntax - it goes through many possibilities for different constructions and gives plenty of examples.
Perhaps this might be of some use to you.
1 this is reddit, not a submission of our dissertations
2 troll somewhere else
3 lol Ayn Rand ok
4 http://www.amazon.com/English-Grammar-Dummies-Geraldine-Woods/dp/0764553224
Start by reading this.
You might get some benefit from Payne 1997's Describing Morphosyntax: A Guide for Field Linguists, which goes over methods, gives examples of common problems, and gives potential solutions to problems incurred with such a project. However, it focuses on reference grammar writing over historical linguistics.
Sin and Syntax: How to Craft Wickedly Effective Prose
You should consider checking out Spunk & Bite, as well.
Well first you have to look at what the subscores are; if you're doing 26/40 on Reading/Writing, then my advice will obviously be to focus on Reading. For argument's sake, let's say you're at 33/33. This suggests you probably know both Reading and Writing pretty intuitively and just need some gaps filled up and additional practice.
For Reading, Erica Meltzer is recommended, but I would suggest sticking to practice tests and doing deep analyses of your mistakes and all the answer choices (know WHY every wrong answer is incorrect). Reading is a lot less concept-heavy than Writing or Math, so you'll benefit more from exposure to the way the CollegeBoard asks questions. Train yourself from the beginning to look for an answer 100% supported by the text; you MUST NOT introduce outside assumptions EVEN when a question is asking about an "inference" or "suggestion." If you're afraid of running out of the tests, maybe use PSATs in the beginning.
For Writing, you've got Erica Meltzer if you want a very thorough writing style or College Panda if you like things more to-the-point. Meltzer also has a separate workbook of practice tests for after you're done drilling concepts. Give yourself an official section every few concepts to see how much of it you are retaining when forced to deal with the concepts all together without the benefit of being told what to look for. Know your grammar concepts cold but also realize that this section tests some reading too; you'll need to draw from context to determine the best place to put a sentence, identify the most relevant details, or even determine what word is most appropriate. As with Reading, analyze your errors thoroughly; take particular care in trying to tie back errors to concepts.
On the online resource front, you can use Khan Academy (free) for different types of reading passages and grammar concepts and Uworld (requires subscription) solely as a question bank. Feel free to also download the free official SAT Question of the Day App for daily questions (every other day will have an English question).
You can obtain good explanations of practice tests with 1600.io (only first 4 tests are free).
Good luck!
Top score is a 1600, lowest score is a 400. Theres 3 sections (Math, Reading, & Writing/Language) and an optional essay (max score is a 24). The average score is a 1060, most colleges are okay with just about anything between an 1100-1300, though more selective colleges will have an average of 1350, and top colleges usually have an average of 1520 or so.
Practice is always the best way to prepare: The Official SAT Study Guide is the most realistic practice you're going to get. It includes 8 full-length tests (though you can get those for free on the CollegeBoard website) and review of all the topics on the test.
I'm going to be taking the June SAT tomorrow and I've been using Erica L Meltzer's Grammar and Reading Guides (which are worshiped on this subreddit, for good reason), as well as the QAS Released Tests on this subreddit (scroll down and you'll see "Prep Materials" on the right-hand side. They're real tests!)
One thing that helps is identifying my mistakes and reviewing them, making sure they don't happen again the next time I practice. Typically a (responsible) person will begin preparing for the SAT about 3 months in advance, and they'll take the test about 3 times.
I hope this helps!
​
Erica Meltzer: https://www.amazon.com/Critical-Reader-3rd-Complete-Reading/dp/0997517875/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=3QJ7NNDCFZME1YAVRHE4
​
https://www.amazon.com/4th-Ultimate-Guide-SAT-Grammar/dp/0997517867/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2/143-3214858-8357969?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0997517867&pd_rd_r=a2f63509-83e3-11e9-b0f3-5fc5494b71c2&pd_rd_w=5Oxt6&pd_rd_wg=XSG76&pf_rd_p=a2006322-0bc0-4db9-a08e-d168c18ce6f0&pf_rd_r=961V20KBVK1215JA12QN&psc=1&refRID=961V20KBVK1215JA12QN
I think the general consensus is:
Reading | Writing | Math
-------|-------|----
Erica Meltzer Critical Reader | Erica Meltzer Grammar | College Panda Math
| |College Panda Writing | Steve Warner 28 New Lessons - Advanced
| | |College Panda 10 SAT Practice Tests
I really respect the time and effort you are putting into studying for the SAT. That is quite a number of practice tests you have completed.
To bump up that reading, I highly recommend Erica Meltzer's SAT Critical Reading (2nd Edition). It's been an outstanding book for many to bump up that score. I find her to be a very outstanding author.
If grammar/writing seems to be the issue, fortunately, Erica Meltzer offers a book covering this topic! Link to her 3rd edition grammar. To reiterate, Erica Meltzer is an outstanding author who really uncovers tips to score high for SAT.
As for math, your best option is College Panda's SAT Math Workbook. I have heard great reviews about this book and I am looking to purchase this book, too. This book should really help you for the math section.
I hope you find these options helpful. You should continue to use Khan Academy daily for general practice on the three categories.
Always remember, quality over quantity. A person that practiced with 4 tests could outperform a person that practiced with 21 tests. I appreciate your studying and wish you the best luck to improve your great score!
I find that it's really easy to teach yourself once you have a sound foundation. At that point, you sort of know what you don't know.
I broke my learning into a few main topics:
I listed them in the order I learn them. I really focus on #1-3 because I think they're the true indicators of fluency, and #3 makes movie-watching a lot easier. Verbs can be tricky if you can't spot their tenses and conjugated forms. Nouns and adjectives are the easiest to pick up. I make my own study decks using Anki.
This and that are good for translating phrases.
I think accents come naturally. Anyway, that's not so important if you can't formulate your ideas in coherent French ;) This is a fun site for testing out pronunciation.
Hope this helps!
I don’t have any PDFs, but your local or university library might have a copy of the syntax book I used when I had that class (both at undergrad and grad level). It’s called Syntax: A Generative Introduction by Andrew Carnie. Here’s a link to the paperback on Amazon, for reference: https://www.amazon.com/Syntax-Generative-Introduction-Andrew-Carnie/dp/0470655313
And I just have to say that your professor not using a textbook is pretty dumb, especially at undergrad level. It’s important to have a reference you can look at and read to explain anything you don’t understand in class, and the prof should know that.
You might want to check out English Grammar for Students of Latin to brush up on your grammar.
There are a few good grammar review books out there. The Ultimate French Review and Practice is good, as is Practice Makes Perfect: Complete French Grammar.
Depending on how well you read, a quick read of the Bescherelle books (in particular Grammaire would be good). You're reading in French and just getting a solid presentation of the grammar. It might be boring, but what I have done is read one small bit and then focus on that for the next little bit while I read/talk/speak. Then I grab another bit of grammar (doesn't even have to be related to the previous one) and just focus on that for a bit. I've found that you don't have to fully review every little bit to death- once you start using that part of your brain again things kinda just fall back into place on their own.
The first thing that I suggest is that you buy a reputable book that will teach you how to write. I'm not saying that you're a bad writer, but I would wager that most people write three times worse than they think they can (I am including myself). On Writing Well is a classic, and you might also want to read this one and this one, although I strongly recommend completing the first one. What's included is:
a) Keep it simple. Don't say it's going to be a turbulent precipitation, say that it's going to rain. A lot.
b) Study each adverb and adjective. Any words that aren't necessary should be cut. Is it really important to say that the violin was wooden? Probably not. What about the sentence "She smiled happily"? The "happily" isn't necessary, that's what "smiled" means.
c) Use specific verbs.
d) Consistency is key. Switching tenses or something similar in the middle of writing is generally a bad move.
e) Proofread. Duh. That goes hand in hand with editing.
So, yeah. You should
reallylook into thatstuffarea. One read-through will help significantly.Ok. So now that I finished preaching to you, let's move on. I didn't find any templates in my quick search, so that's of no use right now. What you can do, though, is study
verywell-written program notes. Are their sentences long or short? When are they longer or shorter, and why? Is the tone active or passive (psst. it's probably active)? What's the tone that they use, and what is your impression at the end? You get the gist. If you write downwhat you thinkyour thoughts for three of these, you'll have a good idea what you're shooting for. Other than that, it's all up to you, so go nuts.Anecdotes are also a nice way to make things entertaining. Search for stories, or impacts on the audience. Did you know there are at least six editions of the Rite of Spring? Why was the one your orchestra's performing (let's assume) created? Many people also don't know about the riot after its premier. Stravinsky escaped out the back entrance to avoid the aristocratic mob. Say fun things, win fun prizes, or something like that.
It's also important to know that stories tend to follow the path of one person. The Odyssey could have had its crew be the focus, instead it was Odysseus. Inside Out could have placed all the emotions front and center, but it was Sadness and Joy that saved the girl. Keep that in mind if you're going down a similar path.
Man, I went all out on this. Good luck with your program.
No, but I have this textbook:
here!
Sure, check out one of the more recent editions of Andrew Carnie's Textbooks. Most professors I know use that for their intro to Syntax, so if you're a potential student it'll put you ahead of the game.
My Syntax class uses Andrew Carnie's "Syntax: A Generative Introduction".. Granted, we haven't made it past chapter 6 yet; but I believe this book goes a bit further than X-Bar, as that is covered in chapter 7. Here's the link for it on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Syntax-Generative-Introduction-Andrew-Carnie/dp/0470655313
To be honest, this book is really helpful and clear; it's one of the first dense books that I have enjoyed reading. May be too simple for you, but it does get into some advanced syntax.
Here, you need this.
Word Power Made Easy. It was the text that we used for vocabulary during my Sophomore year and I've since used it while teaching classess of my own. It's a fantastic resource that teaches you vocabulary by giving you a solid base in the root words that make up our language.
http://www.amazon.com/English-Grammar-Dummies-Geraldine-Woods/dp/0764553224
This was my introductory textbook. I found it pretty approachable, and you can wiki / google anything you don't understand. Pretty cheap, too (Amazon has it as only $40 or so new; you should be able to get it cheaper elsewhere).
If you don't know IPA, I found this really useful for audio clips. Also, figuring out how they're made isn't that difficult, and it makes understanding the different sounds easier.
You might also want to check out a few books from your library. I've heard good things about Stephen Pinker's The Language Instinct. You can find other book recommendations elsewhere on the subreddit.
Google and Wikipedia are your friends. Google things about language that you're interested in, figure out what that issue is 'called', wiki that, look at the sources it gives, google more stuff... Simple English is your friend on wikipedia.
There's also this link in the sidebar, so you'll get more information there.
I found English Grammar for Students of German to be very helpful when I was taking German. It is light on vocabulary but goes pretty in depth with cases, tenses, and sentence structure.
I have personally only used Meltzer's english book, CP's english book, and CP's math book and can vouch that all of these are amazing, but others on this sub also recommend other books. Here is a list of many of them. I hope they serve you well :] (Edit: I apologize for how huge this post is, lol)
English
https://www.amazon.com/4th-Ultimate-Guide-SAT-Grammar/dp/0997517867/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1519610454&sr=1-1&keywords=erica+meltzer+sat+writing
https://www.amazon.com/College-Pandas-SAT-Writing-Advanced/dp/0989496430/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1519610514&sr=1-1&keywords=college+panda+writing&dpID=41iRh%252BJb19L&preST=_SX218_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch
Reading
https://www.amazon.com/Critical-Reader-3rd-Complete-Reading/dp/0997517875/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519610443&sr=8-1&keywords=erica+meltzer+sat+reading&dpID=51cR4Uh0YBL&preST=_SX218_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch
Math
https://www.amazon.com/College-Pandas-SAT-Math-Advanced/dp/0989496422/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1519610506&sr=1-1&keywords=college+panda+math
https://www.amazon.com/Dr-John-Chungs-Math-Fourth/dp/197452602X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1519610536&sr=1-1&keywords=dr+chungs+sat+math&dpID=51gqq9mu0XL&preST=_SX218_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch
For Reading: https://www.amazon.com/Critical-Reader-3rd-Complete-Reading/dp/0997517875
For Writing: https://www.amazon.com/College-Pandas-SAT-Writing-Advanced/dp/098949649X/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=college+panda+sat+writing&qid=1563901164&s=gateway&sprefix=college+panda&sr=8-3 or https://www.amazon.com/4th-Ultimate-Guide-SAT-Grammar/dp/0997517867/ref=pd_aw_fbt_14_img_2/133-6279214-8476330?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0997517867&pd_rd_r=b1b3ba1b-4d03-4aef-8534-fb724df88793&pd_rd_w=tVeGd&pd_rd_wg=AG0DL&pf_rd_p=3ecc74bd-d08f-44bd-96f3-d0c2b89f563a&pf_rd_r=S0E4J8G00TRD6F0ZY1ZK&psc=1&refRID=S0E4J8G00TRD6F0ZY1ZK
For Math: https://www.amazon.com/College-Pandas-SAT-Math-Advanced/dp/0989496422/ref=pd_aw_fbt_14_img_2/133-6279214-8476330?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0989496422&pd_rd_r=6bc275dd-8dee-497b-aa49-17576266463e&pd_rd_w=YjIig&pd_rd_wg=Pc71l&pf_rd_p=3ecc74bd-d08f-44bd-96f3-d0c2b89f563a&pf_rd_r=P3X7H8SAQZT59M5F6FNV&psc=1&refRID=P3X7H8SAQZT59M5F6FNV or https://www.amazon.com/PWN-SAT-Guide-Mike-McClenathan/dp/1523963573/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?keywords=pwn+sat+math&qid=1563901232&s=gateway&sprefix=pwn+sa&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1
For Essay (if you’re taking it): https://www.amazon.com/College-Pandas-SAT-Essay-Battle-tested/dp/0989496465/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=college+panda+essay&qid=1563901277&s=gateway&sr=8-3
For General Strategy: https://www.amazon.com/SAT-Prep-Black-Book-Strategies/dp/0692916164/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?keywords=sat+black+book&qid=1563901330&s=gateway&sprefix=sat+bla&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1
For Practice Tests: https://www.amazon.com/Official-SAT-Study-Guide-2020/dp/1457312190/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=college+board+sat+2020&qid=1563901505&s=gateway&sprefix=college+board+&sr=8-3 (NOTE: These practice tests are available online but I prefer having them on paper, which is why I bought this book.) and https://amp.reddit.com/r/Sat/comments/9544rw/all_qas_tests_and_scoring_in_pdf_form/
Good online resources include Khan Academy, UWorld, and 1600.io. Also, I recommend taking a timed practice test often to follow along with your progress and see what you need to work on. Make sure to do the practice test all at once (don’t break it up into section) and try to do it in the morning like you would in the real SAT. Then, go over your mistakes very carefully (this is VERY IMPORTANT) until you truly understand the mistake so that you won’t make it again in the future. This is the most important step. If you skip this, it’s unlikely that you see any meaningful score improvement. Also, It’s up to you which resources you buy/use based on what sections you need help with. Good luck!
Yes, this is some advanced grade A butthurt. I'd recommend an immediate trip to the ER.
Btw, here's something you might want to look into buying: https://www.amazon.com/English-Grammar-Dummies-Geraldine-Woods/dp/0470546646
His success's what?
Everything in linguistics is basicially a logic puzzle. You must prove that the data justifies your conclusion, whatever that conclusion may be. You find data in research about your subject, or from first-hand fieldwork where you're interviewing a speaker of your language. Undergrad research doesn't have to be splitting the atom, you're making too big a deal of this. Follow the format of other research you can find - believe me, 100 pages sounds like a lot, but after data formatting and some prose, it's a lot less than you think.
Essentially what you're trying to do is apply a guided roadmap to the thing that you've learned about, such that someone else can learn from it. From the complete basics to the conclusions, you should find an interesting question or a few about the field that you studied. What do you feel is interesting the dataset didn't cover? Maybe there was something that was covered, but not in enough detail for your liking? In simply reading data you should find these sort of interesting questions as you read. Try to poke holes in the research you read just as a thought exercise, does the data support it? These holes may spark a topic for you to get interested in.
It sounds like you might be struggling with the lack of basics. Is that correct? It sounds like a lot of your classes may have been taught by non-linguists stuck in these teaching positions, unfortunately. Can you read/write IPA? How much actual linguistics have you studied as part of your degree? Knowing this would allow me to be more helpful. If it's not a lot, try finding some introductory textbooks in various fields, like this for morphology, or this for syntax. Search through syllabi posted for various ling courses at BU/MIT/wherever aind see which texts are avaiable to you. Work through these intros to the topics and see if you can find some features or processes that interest you.
Amazon Link for OP
I learned from the crosspost that you do not want to reveal the language because of privacy issues. Please reconsider as it would be much easier for the community to help. Giving at least the language family would help.
At this point, it seems that if you're serious about this language you have to do linguistics one way or another. Even if you do not plan to read a paper on the language, you would still have to learn at least some linguistics in order to figure out how the language works from speakers (i.e. doing fieldwork)--basically knowing what to do or ask, which is your question. But if you did know linguistics, perhaps it would be easier to access the existing linguistic resources. Fieldwork is a difficult and painstaking process and it takes even professional field linguists many years literally living with the native speakers to really understand the workings of a language.
If you do decide to start learning linguistics for this situation, try a typologically oriented introduction to linguistics, like Payne's Describing Morphosyntax and Exploring Language Structure.
The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language is essentially the gold standard here, but it is pretty overwhelming.
Instead, the same authors have a much smaller and more manageable guide, A Student's Introduction to English Grammar, which I highly recommend. It's geared toward beginners and covers pretty much everything your average English speaker needs to know.
English Grammar for Students of Latin
Warriner's English Grammar and Composition, complete course. Stephen King recommends this in his On Writing. This is the one I have been self-teaching from. It has served me well.
Your textbooks don't explain what nominative, genitive, dative and accusative are?
The book I normally recommend is English Grammar for Students of German, but I can't guarantee it's better than what you already have.
There are four grammatical cases in German: Nominative, Accusative, Dative, and Genitive - these are pretty much equated with, respectively, the subject, direct object, indirect object, and possessive in English.
The nominative forms of the definite articles (der, die, das) and the indefinite articles (ein, eine, ein) that indicate gender will change to indicate what the role of each element in the utterance is:
-'Der Apfel ist rot.' - the apple is the subject and, therefore, the nominative 'der' is used.
But:
-"Ich kaufe den Apfel" - the apple becomes the direct object, as it is being acted upon by the subject, 'ich'. the nominative masculine form 'der' has been inflected to the accusative masculine form 'den'.
Then:
-"Ich gebe ihm den Apfel" - now, the apple that is being acted upon, through the act of giving remains in the accusative as the direct object. But we now have an indirect object in 'ihm' the dative masculine form of the nominative 'er'.
Now, this is just a basic gloss of what the accusative and dative cases functions are, but it should answer what you've asked.
Since you didn't ask about genitive I'm not getting into that, as getting the accusative and dative down can be a task in itself.
Here are a couple of links to great resources for grammar:
Schaum's Outline of German Grammar
Also, English Grammar for Students of German
Schreiben Lernen was helpful, as was Deutsch: Na Klar!
Also consider using lots of flashcards, because building up a vocab is going to be really helpful.
For grammatical structure try: English Grammar for students of German.
Viel Glück!
First, I would check to see if the language requirements are for entering the program or if they are for achieving candidacy. I know it varies widely by program, but if it is a candidacy requirement (or even maybe a requirement to be fulfilled by the end of the first year), the program you enroll in might have a path to achieving proficiency that doesn't require remedial language courses or self-instruction.
That being said, I am doing this right now. I would recommend a healthy dose of Duolinguo, but also some French for reading books. Karl Sandberg's French for Reading is an excellent resource that is aimed at the academic. Additionally, I have heard that Jacqueline Morton's English for Students of French is great, too. I have also picked up a few side-by-side French/English novels to practice on. After about a month of this (maybe 3-5 hours a week), I am already feeling like I could struggle bus my way through the exam if I could beg another half hour out of the proctor.
There are some informal extension courses offered by some universities for rather cheap, as well. Just googling "French reading summer online" or something like that makes a bunch of them pop up.
Lastly, in the next few weeks I am going to be rounding up some music theory/musicology articles in French that have English translations (or perhaps the reverse) so that I can practice. PM me if you want me to send them to you when I get them.
I hate to say it, but maybe you should invest some more time in reading. You will learn something about story structure from examples.
As for grammar and punctuation, there are certainly resources for that. You might also want to read this, the ebook is free.
If you can write humor, that's actually a better start than some people who have come here asking, basically, "what's funny?" That's pretty much impossible to teach, I think.
Erica Meltzer's Reading is an absolute godsend and her grammar book is also amazing.
Here are a few I think are good:
Getting Started
On Writing: This book is great. There are a lot of nice principles you can walk away with and a lot of people on this subreddit agree it's a great starting point!
Lots of Fiction: Nothing beats just reading a lot of good fiction, especially in other genres. It helps you explore how the greats do it and maybe pick up a few tricks along the way.
For Editing
Self-Editing For Fiction Writers: there isn't anything in here that will blow your writing away, land you an agent, and secure a NYT bestseller, but it has a lot of good, practical things to keep an eye out for in your writing. It's a good starting place for when you are learning to love writing (which is mostly rewriting)
A Sense of Style by Steve Pinker: I really loved this book! It isn't exclusively about fiction, but it deals with the importance of clarity in anything that is written.
Garner's Modern American Usage: I just got this about a month ago and have wondered what I was doing before. This is my resource now for when I would normally have gone to Google and typed a question about grammar or usage or a word that I wasn't sure I was using correctly. It's a dictionary, but instead of only words, it is filled with essays and entries about everything a serious word-nut could spend the rest of their^1 life reading.
^1 ^Things ^such ^as ^the ^singular ^their ^vs ^his/hers
Publishing
Writer's Market 2016: There are too many different resources a writer can use to get published, but Writer's Market has a listing for Agents, publishers, magazines, journals, and contests. I think it's a good start once you find your work ready and polished.
There are too many books out there that I haven't read and have heard good things about as well. They will probably be mentioned above in this thread.
Another resource I have learned the most from are books I think are terrible. It allows you to read something, see that it doesn't work, and makes you process exactly what the author did wrong. You can find plenty of bad fiction if you look hard enough! I hope some of this helps!
https://www.amazon.com/English-Grammar-Dummies-Geraldine-Woods/dp/0470546646
http://www.amazon.com/English-Grammar-Dummies-Geraldine-Woods/dp/0470546646
stop playing and you can buy this book for less than one month's subscription
Here, hope this helps.
For you, my friend.
Sweet Black fucking Sabbath kid, do us all a favor and please go buy this immediately.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0470546646/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1420366178&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SY200_QL40
Don't forget Amazon IN
Depends on what parts of linguistics you're most interested in. I like morphology, so I'd recommend this.
Start with Wikipedia. For linguistics is pretty good and some of my professors have suggested I used to get familiar with topics before I research them a bit a more. The nice thing about wikipedia articles is if you are interested in reading more you can just go to the articles and books they cite at the bottom. I would also suggest you check out Describing Morphosyntax. It gives a really good introduction to various topics and just all around interesting.
Someone on here suggested the Language Construction Kit and I would also suggest that because even though it might now be the best introduction out there it will introduce you to the magical world of conlanging. For me if it wasn't for conlanging I probably wouldn't have been as motivated to learn linguistic topics and to get familiar with a wide range of languages.
Here is a book I saw mentioned on a linguistics blog that seems to be a rigorous and very up to date college level grammar book:
A Student's Introduction to English Grammar
I haven't read it myself though.
The text I used in high school, which I thought was fine though unexciting, was Warriner's Grammar. There are several editions listed on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=warriner+grammar
I think the one I used was the 'Third Course'. A user review for the 'Complete Course' mentions that Stephen King had used this book when he was in school.
>Wasn't that your comment? Didn't I directly address it?
You said I was a dumbass. You didn't attack my argument, you attacked me personally. That's called an "Ad Hominem" logical fallacy. Look it up.
>"I like how you look at the bible, which is one book" was one of his points.
No - it was a smaller section of his main point (and not even relevant to it), which was:
>I like how you look at the bible,..., and know it's true even though there are countless scientific volumes contradicting the events..." (emphasis mine - because that's the fucking point)
Apparently you fail at reading comprehension.
Edit: Maybe this would help you
Just do it. Just put it out there. Some of the worst stuff I have written, that I still call "trash fiction", is the stuff people loved best. Some of the best stuff I have written has gotten the harshest critiques. The point, here, is to be careful of becoming "married" to things, that is, being unwilling to change it if someone has a valid critique.
Basically, take everything that is said to you about your work, process it as feedback rather than attack, and use it to help your writing get better. If someone took the time to critique your work, rather than defending the work, thank them for the criticism. Take the criticim, apply it, and see if it makes your work stronger. If it does, keep it, if not ignore it. Rough criticim has helped me immensely.
I also cannot emphasize how much a few writing classes and good books can help. Check out On Writing Well by William Zinsser, and Sin in Syntax by Constance Hale. Worth their weight in gold.
Feel free to inbox me with your stories. I promise to be thorough, yet non-douchy! Here's my online portfolio , if you want to check out my stuff. :)
EDIT: A comma.
Sin and Syntax by Constance Hale. It is about the parts of language, rather than punctuation, but it's amazing. It will teach you the "right way" and the "wrong, but awesome" way to write.
Edit: I feel that I should add that I have read this book through twice. It's not often I can just read a book about grammar, but this book is very well written, in my opinion. She makes language fun.
This was my Intro to Linguistics textbook; it does a good job of surveying the different fields.
My Intro Linguistics course used Ohio State's Language Files. I was very impressed with it, not just as an introductory text, but as a textbook in general. It has exercises at the end of each chapter. You can probably find a key online, but I (and I'm sure the rest of /r/linguistics) would be happy to help with any questions you have.
I started with Old English Grammar and Reader, by Robert Diamond. I've depended a lot upon a few dictionaries I've downloaded and the wonderful thing that is Wiktionary.
I started with this, and also spend a lot of time on Wiktionary.
I need to read the actual texts some more, but I've gotten good enough to recognise when the show Merlin has gotten silly with their spells (that's ridiculously often).
English Grammar For Students of Spanish is excellent!
I recommend English grammar for students of Spanish
This kind of book is a rockin' idea: http://www.amazon.com/English-Grammar-Students-Spanish-Learning/dp/0934034303
Simplest terms? Given that request and your stated language background, I think English Grammar for Students of Latin would help immensely. A lot of the 'not clicking' part might just be missing out on how grammar works even in your native tongue. You can get it for less than twenty bucks on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/English-Grammar-Students-Latin-Learning/dp/0934034346/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1549069987&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=English+grammar+for+students+of+Latin&dpPl=1&dpID=41VGnfQiBBL&ref=plSrch
Depending on what language you want to learn, there may be a book that explains the grammar you'll need for that language by connecting it to English. For example: German,
Spanish, Russian.
If there's a term that you're unfamiliar with, you can also poke around on Wikipedia to get a better idea behind some of the concepts. But when things get too technical, just keep looking up unfamiliar terminology and you'll be on your way.
For a little bit of fun, check out:
Split Ergativity,
where you can see this gem of a sentence:
>An example of split ergativity conditioned by tense and aspect is found in the Hindustani language (Hindi/Urdu), which has an ergative case on subjects in the perfective aspect for transitive verbs in the active voice, while in other aspects (habitual, progressive) subjects appear in the nominative case.
If English is your first language I recommend this book: https://www.amazon.com/English-Grammar-Students-German-Learning/dp/0934034389 (buy a used copy)
I use:
Starter Kit
Understanding Grammar
(https://www.amazon.com/English-Grammar-Students-German-Learning/dp/0934034389/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1540389052&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=german+for+english+speakers&dpPl=1&dpID=41RAyW9uzAL&ref=plSrch)
Verb overview with full conjugations and sample sentences
Grammar exercises (this is great but in 100% German)
I have some online resources but prefer books. I also think these don’t „expire“ too soon and you can use them into A2. If you find used versions, it’s not too expensive.
German is one of the most widely spoken languages on the internet, so you're able to find a lot of grammar and other info. If you do decide to teach yourself, I'd highly recommend the book English Grammar for Students of German (assuming your native language is English). It might help you to get set up something where you're speaking German with someone via skype.
Fwiw, I'm really good at grammar. For me, it's a puzzle begging you to solve it.
Edit: I also highly recommend this site. It's really good and I've used it before as well for clarification on some of the more obscure grammar points.
Hello. Actually, it does not make sense in English with the blank. ‘Est-ce que Marc en France?’ means ‘Is it that Marc in France?’, which is incomplete. The blank would be ‘is’, which is ‘est’ in French. So, the correct answer should be ‘est-ce que Marc est en France?’.
Also, ‘ils sont’ and ‘elles sont’ are the same thing, except ‘ils’ is masculine and ‘elles’ is feminine.
I highly recommend ‘English Grammar for Students of French’ by Jacqueline Morton for clear explanations, translations, and comparisons of French and English grammar.
Hey you can use any or all of the below mentioned resources:
WEBSITES:
BOOKS:
Hope this helps. If liked, please don't forget to up-vote. And all the best for your preparation and test.
Haha it's ok, I'm not a native English speaker myself.
r/W: I got Erica Meltzer's Reading and Writing guides. I got the writing workbook but the practices inside are lackluster compared to UWorld or Khan.
Maf: Can't really help, my practice materials are in Chinese, but feel free to PM me for details if you can understand the bloody language.
I did get the Official SAT Guide but it sucks & I only used it for the practice tests, which are free to download from Khan/Collegeboard.
Barron's book for SAT I is shit. Do NOT get them. Their questions are off topic.
The best tip I can give you is to study as much as you can and understand your mistakes. You're not doing a part-time job here so studying for hours without thinking is useless: you'll just repeat your mistakes. I jot down the reasons for choosing the incorrect answers each time I found one wrong. I literally wrote careless mistakes if I made one, it sounds stupid but trust me, it helps.
Also, use practice tests as benchmarks for your progress and take it in real settings (e.g. same break time as real tests.) They're pretty accurate. I got 1410 on my first practice test and 1400 on my first real test.
If you don't have time, try doing bits by bits on the smartphone app. It's not ideal but at least you can do them when using public transportations or have bits and pieces of free time.
Edit: go subscribe to a newspaper, I recommend The New York Times. Read them when you want to take a break from questions and just do some normal reading. I think frequently reading is one of the main reasons I'm able to score 750.
Edit: fuck the new Reddit comment box
After studying Italian for about 6 months, I decided I really needed to dive into the grammar because there seemed to be a lot of exceptions and general concepts that I wasn't fully understaning. I purchased Practice Makes Perfect and I'm almost halfway through the book. It has helped tremendously thus far.
What I've done is gone through and done all of the exercises in the chapter. I circle the questions that I get wrong and others that I think might be useful and I put them in a Cloze Deletion deck in Anki. When the sentence comes up, I have to type in the missing word or words. Here are some examples:
Front of Anki Card:
Dov'è Diane? Non l'ho [...] per mesi. (vedere)
Front of Anki Card:
Ho dato quegli stivali ai miei amici ieri.
[...] ho dato quegli stivali ieri.
This forces me to type in the missing word to complete the card. It really helps with showing what my grammatical weaknesses are exactly.
Yes it is. But it also has some vocabulary and other notes included to help develop your Italian beyond the grammar.
Practice Makes Perfect Complete Italian Grammar
What I did was duolingo and a grammar book (I used this http://www.amazon.com/Practice-Makes-Perfect-Complete-Italian/dp/0071603670/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422064174&sr=8-1&keywords=italian+grammar , not free obviously but I think it's worth it to make sure you get an analytical knowledge of the grammar) to get started, eventually move on to listening to people on youtube like this guy http://youtu.be/4xXT-ysjrKE?list=PLTvJgY2rGJY8c5MzWbfjrPP2E5-I6F_Hd who makes videos for learners
Then I moved on to reading fables and passages from the Bible. Lingocracy is useful for that. I also started adding the words I didn't know onto memrise and using that daily.
I haven't pursued Italian as much as I should but I gained a moderate amount of reading comprehension doing that within less than two months.
Alright, here goes nothing! Kinda Long list, sorry for wall of text!
YouTube
Twitch.tv
Sites
Here are all of my books that I bought, I can't find some of the old ones that were given to me though!
Italian movies I recommend
Others
Other resources include the free ones that are giving in the language resources! I also go over to /r/Italy and /r/Italianlearning and read topics and help others with Italian!
You're welcome!! Thank you for liking my explanation ヾ(＾-＾)ノ. My comment got downvoted for quite a few times so i thought that maybe I wrote something wrong (´･ω･`)? . Anyway, it depends on your level actually so may I know where your level is at now?
This one has the grammar book that is said to be good for any level. I've browsed through it and it's quite thorough. and there is also the vocab book on the same page.
https://www.reddit.com/r/French/comments/4n18w7/just_came_across_the_practice_makes_perfect/
For me I personally love this one, even though it's not really complete, but it's still very thorough. Ultimate French Review if u don't wanna buy it i'm sure the the pdf is somewhere on the internet. however i only recommend this for those who are at least A2, or preparing for B1, and you totally don't need it if you're sitting for A1.
Idiomatic expressions are a pain to understand, much less remember, but it is necessary to use the appropriate expressions to sound like a native speaker. Use Rosetta Stone, Duolingo, etc... but also have a grammar book you can consult, that would help you with expressions and phrases and the different ways in which verbs are employed. I strongly recommend The Ultimate French Review and Practice.
If you literally meant a textbook than here's a highly rated and cheap one http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0071744142?cache=9d038235a42201e0a4e3a28badfdfd5e&pi=SY200_QL40&qid=1406256742&sr=8-3#ref=mp_s_a_1_3
Also don't miss out on duolingo, a free online and phone app for learning languages. Bonne chance
http://www.amazon.com/Garners-Modern-American-Usage-Garner/dp/0195382757
[This book] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0195382757?pc_redir=1408272184&robot_redir=1) has at least ten times as many entries as that article.
I totally understand. I need some structure as well.
I've bought so many creative writing books, and I've realized the best ones are the ones used in college classrooms.
This one is my favorite. You can do a writing exercise from it everyday, and you'll improve greatly. Unfortunately it's pricey at $67 (try to get a used version at half the cost).
What If? Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers (3rd Edition)
What's great is that each chapter builds your skills gradually, starting with exercises to write good intro sentences, then to character development, point of view, dialogue, interior landscape of characters, plot, element of style, revisions, learning from the greats, etc.
The authors have said this has been the best way to see improvements from their students, and it's been working for me. Unlike other writing exercise books, this one has a clear structure, and moreover, they really go in depth in explaining the exercise and it's goal -- the technique it's trying to develop.
What I find especially helpful is that the book includes student examples for most of the examples. I own many writing exercises books, and so often I need to a clue on how to execute the exercises or I'm lost. The book also comes with short stories to study, too.
I was so skeptical about the book, since it isn't cheap, but the reviews on Amazon won me over. Read those reviews -- so many people recommend the book.
Note, if you can't afford it, there is the original, much cheaper version. It's much smaller, and doesn't have as many student examples or extra content (like the short stories), but it's costs way less. I'm guessing this was the original book before they expanded into a college textbook. I also own it also and it's still good. It's nice to carry around with me if I don't want to take the much larger newer version.
My other recommendation is this book:[The Making of a Story: A Norton Guide to Creative Writing by Alice LaPlante](
https://www.amazon.com/Making-Story-Norton-Creative-Writing/dp/0393337081/)
LaPlante is great at explaining the little nuances, the details in what makes creative fiction work. She goes into more details, and has writing exercises at the end of each chapter, including a short story to read. So she gives more theory of how good writing works. She avoids flowery or abstract advice found in so many other books.
I found it an excellent companion to the "What If" book.
This book is also used in college courses, and it's thick! Lots of material. Fortunately, however, this version I linked is around $13. This is the same exact book as the college version for $52 (named "Method and Madness: The Making of a Story").
Lastly, this isn't a college writing book, but just a bunch of really helpful exercises on how to improve as a writer.
Writing Tools: 55 Essential Strategies for Every Writer by Roy Peter Clark
What I like is that he gives examples to his exercises, too, from books, newspaper articles, etc. I really love all of Roy Peter Clark's writing books.
Anyway, good luck. I was in a deep writing funk. Depressed I wasn't improving, and I decided to write everyday using exercises from those books, and it's helped me so much.
Edit: typos.
Some of these aren't on Amazon, but all of them outside of amazon are on my wishlist, is that okay?
1.) Something that is grey.
[This compilation of xkcd comics!] (http://www.amazon.com/xkcd-0-Randall-Munroe/dp/0615314465/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1KXQQYMQ3MHEJ&coliid=I12D1D7CV12AVC) Though there aren't any formerly-unseen comics included, this is perfect for the lover of the famous (and always relevant) Xkcd webcomics.
2.) Something reminiscent of rain.
[This t-shirt for fans of Incubus that is apparently out of stock now, but I'm keeping it on my wishlist to gaze wistfully at.] (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/315rOsJeWzL._SL135_.jpg)
Incubus has always been one of my favorite bands, and all art that the lead singer (Brandon Boyd) produces is amazing, so I had high faith in this shirt being wonderful if I had the money to buy it.
3.) Something food related that is unusual.
[So I typed in "candy" and this popped up..] (http://www.amazon.com/LOCOMO-Rainbow-Hedgehog-Plastic-Baseball/dp/B00BRWH99K/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_2_49?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1376327288&sr=1-49&keywords=candy)
I'm not sure what I was expecting.
4.) Something on your list that is for someone other than yourself. Tell me who it's for and why.
[My mom has always wanted to learn calligraphy and someone recommended this book to me] (http://www.amazon.com/Learn-Calligraphy-Complete-Lettering-Design/dp/0767907329/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1KXQQYMQ3MHEJ&coliid=I35YCU37X7E6Y2)
She paints signs for people, usually featuring newborn babies or pets, and she always has to print out a guide and trace it if her customers request a font for their name.
5.) A book I should read! I am an avid reader, so take your best shot and tell me why I need to read it!
[This compilation of postsecrets-- artistic postcards with secrets written on them-- that are all touching in their own way.] (http://www.amazon.com/PostSecret-Extraordinary-Confessions-Ordinary-Lives/dp/0060899190/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1KXQQYMQ3MHEJ&coliid=I22JZDFLS686V8)
If you haven't heard of Postsecret yet, you should check it out [here] (http://www.postsecret.com/)
6.) An item that is less than a dollar, including shipping... that is not jewelry, nail polish, and or hair related!
I dunno!
7.) Something related to cats. I love cats! (keep this SFW, you know who you are...)
I have two cats, but I got nothing for this one.
8.) Something that is not useful, but so beautiful you must have it.
[This key from KeypersCove] (http://www.amazon.com/Handmade-Winter-Rose-Key-Necklace/dp/B00D3S4GVU/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376329005&sr=8-1&keywords=keypers+cove)
I had a similar one on my wishlist but it's out of stock now.
9.) A movie everyone should watch at least once in their life. Why?
[Cloud Atlas!] (http://www.amazon.com/Cloud-Atlas/dp/B00CRWJ5GO/ref=sr_sp-btf_title_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1376329072&sr=8-4&keywords=clouds+atlas)
Terribly confusing unless you see the [trailer] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWnAqFyaQ5s) first, it's surprisingly appropriate for this sub.
10.) Something that would be useful when the zombies attack. Explain.
[This climbing pick] (http://www.amazon.com/Omega-Pacific-Mountain-Axe-80cm/dp/B002J91R1G/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1376330277&sr=8-2&keywords=climbing+pick)
Ever played Telltale's The Walking Dead? Well, one character had a climbing pick that they used pretty frequently to scale buildings and kill zombies..it opened my eyes to the possibilities and dual uses of items.
11.) Something that would have a profound impact on your life and help you to achieve your current goals.
[This book] (http://www.amazon.com/The-Emotion-Thesaurus-Character-Expression/dp/1475004958/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top) for my writing skills, I always have trouble finding just the right way to convey the proper emotion, plus I have severe social anxiety so it would help me figure out how to act in real life as well.
[Or this book by the famous Virginia Woolf] (http://www.amazon.com/The-Waves-Harvest-Book-ebook/dp/B004R1Q41C/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1KXQQYMQ3MHEJ&coliid=IHP0D0N718720) just the type of writing style I'm aiming for.
[Or this book that I'm sure would help me with my technique.] (http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Tools-Essential-Strategies-Writer/dp/0316014990/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top)
12.) One of those pesky Add-On items.
Hm?
13.) The most expensive thing on your list. Your dream item. Why?
I used to have this on my list, but a [Geiger counter] (http://www.amazon.com/Radex-RD1503-RADEX-Radiation-Detector/dp/B00051E906/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376331004&sr=8-1&keywords=geiger+counter) because I'm paranoid about radiation and etc. Deleted it off my list because it's not useful for everyday life.
14.) Something bigger than a bread box. EDIT A bread box is typically similar in size to a microwave.
I got nothing on my list.
15.) Something smaller than a golf ball.
[These socks] (http://www.amazon.com/Portal-Chells-Aperture-Science-Socks/dp/B008JGPSJU/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1KXQQYMQ3MHEJ&coliid=I2KUOG9B813AXT) because they're ultra thin and I'm sure they could be crumpled up that small.
16.) Something that smells wonderful.
I'd put something here, but there's nothing I'm sure of. [This book] (http://www.amazon.com/White-Fluffy-Clouds-Inspiration-Forward/dp/0974512001/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1KXQQYMQ3MHEJ&coliid=I16LKBYPI8BE5U) because it could smell like Brandon Boyd?
17.) A (SFW) toy.
I've got nothing!
18.) Something that would be helpful for going back to school.
[This shirt] (http://www.designbyhumans.com/shop/rising-t-shirt/13087/) because I find it amazing, oh my god oh my god.
19.) Something related to your current obsession, whatever that may be.
[I've been trying to learn Irish for quite awhile now..] (http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Irish-Michael-OSiadhail/dp/0300121776/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376331377&sr=8-1&keywords=learn+irish)
20.) Something that is just so amazing and awe-inspiring that I simply must see it. Explain why it is so grand.
[This poster, this poster!] (http://smbc.myshopify.com/products/dear-human-19x27-poster) To see what it's based on, the original comic is [here] (http://www.smbc-comics.com/?id=2223)
And I have these in my list on amazon. Would love to get some opinions on them:
 
How to Win Friends and Influence People
by Dale Carnegie
 
Secrets of a Freelance Writer: How to Make $100,000 a Year or More
by Robert Bly
 
Words that Sell
by Richard Bayan
 
Tested Advertising Methods
by Caples and Hahn
 
Writing That Works
by Kenneth Roman and Joel Raphaelson
 
Confessions of an Advertising Man
by David Ogilvy
 
The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing
by Al Ries and Jack Trout
 
The Robert Collier Letter Book
by Robert Collier
 
Nicely Said: Writing for the Web with Style and Purpose
by Nicole Fenton and Kate Kiefer Lee
 
Letting Go of the Words
by Janice (Ginny) Redish
 
Essential English for Journalists, Editors and Writers
by Harold Evans
 
Can I Change Your Mind?: The Craft and Art of Persuasive Writing
by Lindsay Camp
 
Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer
by Roy Peter Clark
 
Read Me: 10 Lessons for Writing Great Copy
by Roger Horberry and Gyles Lingwood
 
Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This: The Classic Guide to Creating Great Ads
by Luke Sullivan
 
WRITE IN STEPS: The super simple book writing method
by Ian Stables
 
On Writing Well
by William Zinsser
 
The Wealthy Freelancer
by Steve Slaunwhite, Pete Savage and Ed Gandia
 
Write Everything Right!
by Denny Hatch
 
The Secret of Selling Anything
by Harry Browne
 
The Marketing Gurus: Lessons from the Best Marketing Books of All Time
by Chris Murray
 
On Writing
by Stephen King
 
Writing for the Web
by Lynda Felder
 
Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content
by Ann Handley
 
This book will teach you how to write better
by Neville Medhora
You clearly have poor grammar and English.
Your is a pronoun that means belonging to or associated with any person in general. If I were speaking about myself, I would have said “my people.”
I’ve [linked] (https://www.amazon.com/English-Grammar-Dummies-Geraldine-Woods/dp/0470546646) you an English Grammar for Dummies book to help you with your ineptitude.
Sure, blame it on autocorrect.
Also, it's too ugly, not to ugly.
http://www.amazon.com/English-Grammar-Dummies-Geraldine-Woods/dp/0470546646
You need this: https://www.amazon.com/English-Grammar-Dummies-Geraldine-Woods/dp/0470546646
And some anger management lessons as well.
I hadn't realized that language just ceased to evolve when you last learned it.
Did you know that yolo is now a word in the dictionary?
Did you know that you can end sentences in prepositions? Eg. "Where you at?"
The "are" is understood by the way. Something you're having trouble grasping.
Did you know that the word "literally" also has an informal definition, used to create emphasis on a subject?
You can check out all this cool new info here!
http://www.dictionary.com/
https://www.amazon.com/English-Grammar-Dummies-Geraldine-Woods/dp/0470546646
http://www.amazon.com/English-Grammar-Dummies-Geraldine-Woods/dp/0470546646
Reading Describing Morphosyntax may result in something a bit more complicated than what you're looking for, but the end product will be awesome, and you'll probably learn a ton along the way. I certainly have been.
EDIT: Also, the final section of the Language Construction Kit offers some advice and a possible outline.
A few years ago, I made a language for an independent study at my university. It mostly consisted of translating the Tower of Babel into the language. It was something that showed my language had at least limited use.
I've tried twice since then to create another language, somewhat based off my previous work- but mostly trying out new things, doing more research than before, etc. It hasn't been successful. I keep getting indecisive about things.
I've been using The Language Construction Kit as a reference - especially the book version. It's a pretty decent book that does cover things more in detail than the site (plus, very handy to carry around). How to Create a Language is another useful site. These are great sources for going through the process of making a language (in the book, the author includes part of a grammar on one of his languages, and includes commentary on the decisions and mistakes he made).
I also really love Describing Morphosyntax. It's much more detailed than any of the above- as it's more aimed for linguists. It goes through the process of things to look for in a language when documenting it. It explains variation of the different aspects of grammar, which I've found very helpful to determine ideas to incorporate for my language.
Livejournal's Conlangs community is another good resource.
Edit (#4?) I just found the Conlangs Wikia (check out the conlangs category or list of conlangs to see example languages)
I'd highly recommend The Structure of Language. It's not actually published yet, but we used a sort of preview version for my Syntax & Semantics course and I liked it. Also I know lots of people who like Describing Morphosyntax. I didn't like it a lot (probably because I didn't spend enough time reading it as I should have). It's quite thorough.
Edit: I just looked through Simpler Syntax on google books. It seems interesting, but I don't know if it would make a very good educational book. It's really more of a description of an individual syntactic theory.
Start with Huddleston and Pullum's A Student's Introduction to English Grammar. If you get through that, you can graduate to the authors' Cambridge Grammar of the English Language.
I learned traditional grammar when I learned Latin and Ancient Greek. As others
have said, learning a foreign language (especially a dead one) is a great way
to bulk up on grammatical knowledge in general... at least as long as the
foreign language is sufficiently similar to English. (For example, I'm not sure
if learning Mandarin would help your knowledge of English as much as learning,
say, German or Latin would, but maybe.)
That being said, if you want to learn standard, traditional, but up-to-date,
descriptive English grammar, I suggest Huddleston and Pullum's A Student's
Introduction to English
Grammar.
It's written by two highly respected and prolific linguists/grammarians. It's
based on their much more comprehensive tome The Cambridge Grammar of the
English
Language.
Best $7 you'll ever spend
Here you go : Word Power Made Easy
Like this.
Source: https://www.amazon.com/English-Grammar-Dummies-Geraldine-Woods/product-reviews/0764553224/ref=cm_cr_getr_d_paging_btm_11?ie=UTF8&reviewerType=all_reviews&filterByStar=five_star&pageNumber=11
Some fun books to start with:
Eats, Shoots and Leaves, by Lynne Truss
Sin and Syntax, Constance Hale
Is it Transitive Vampire or Sin & Syntax?
NLP is actually exactly what I'm aiming for. It's pretty interesting stuff.
My favorite book for entry level linguistics stuff is what I used in my intro class: Language Files: Materials for an Introduction to Language and Linguistics. It's very well organized and separated, so you can pretty much skip anything that isn't really interesting without suffering later. It's also really well written and has a lot of examples and other fun stuff in it.
FIRST is a fantastic organization. Being involved in the FRC team that we founded in my high school was literally the thing that got me interested in STEM. I was a junior, and planning on going to a really non-traditional, liberal arts focused school (with no computer science department at all!). Because of FIRST, I instead chose a school where I would be able to keep learning about programming and robots, which was definitely for the better.
I think the USA has the stereotype for being anti-science because there is a significant portion of the population that is. Even in my University, there was a girl (studying Biology of all things!) in my first year dorm who believed that the Earth was 10,000 years old and that evolution was a lie meant to discredit Christianity. My intro Astronomy class had a whole day devoted to countering Young Earth Creationism, because so many of the students in the class were trying to use it to counter what the professor said.
However, we have an absurdly large population, so you also have a lot of people on the exact opposite end of that spectrum. I think that is why the US can maintain a reputation of being anti-science while at the same time leading the charge in many scientific fields.
I strongly recommend Ohio State University's book Language Files. If you buy the most recent edition it is fairly expensive, but if you go back a few editions you can get "very good" used copies for under $15. The Table of Contents for the current edition is here and gives you a good feeling for how much ground it covers. Each section has clear explanations and some examples to work through. It gives you a good understanding of what it's like to actually DO linguistics.
I recommended this book to someone a few years back who gave me Reddit Gold in return. It really is that good!
Edit: you have a good chance of finding this book in a local library (public or academic) because it is so popular. Look for it on worldcat.org.
My introductory linguistics class in college used Language Files, 11th Edition. I still have it and enjoy looking through it once in a while.
I originally pmed this, since I have no idea how to source it or such and it's just rambling, but OP said I should put it here anyways so everyone can gain from the rambly insight.
"I have no idea where you could specifically read, it's mostly just gleaned for being very interested in Germanic philology but... Basically, multilingualism was /very/ common and even by the Roman Silver Age people would go to schools to learn written Latin as we have today, rather speaking Vulgar Latin and when we get to the various Germanic (that is, from the Germanic tribes that invaded Rome) rulers, they would speak their language and very soon, inside of 3 generations they'd speak the language of the conquered too (getting wives and such from that population+all their servants...) and sometimes learn Latin. ...but in many cases the nobles wouldn't actually know Latin and would use scribes for that. "Literate" meant solely "literate in latin" (one of the English kings actually tried to get "universal" (that is for free men) literacy in Old English and talks about how it's on par to Latin and so on in the text) (at least in the areas they cared about that, in the east, they used other languages, like Old Church Slavonic and Greek...) when many people would have some comprehension of basic writing in their own languages. There was a wonderful... BBC(?) article on literacy in the middle ages. To that end, there was actually a fair amount of literature written in them, still nowhere near as much as that in Latin though, but... yeah.
Hopefully that was helpful, I'm not sure how to structure it better. :/ http://www.amazon.com/Old-English-Grammar-Reader-Edition/dp/0814315100/ref=cm_srch_res_rpsy_1 this mentions a lot of such things to the side and in texts, just inadvertently mentioning some guy doing this or this... It's of course a different case from what you'd end up with in France, but... Old Norse and Old English were very fluid (not that they're particularly different from another) with a large amount of the population speaking them, and in the Celtic areas Welsh or Old Irish would be thrown in too/be there instead of the Old English portion, depending on where they were. "
I have A Guide to Old English, Introduction to Old English and Old English: Grammar and Reader at home and they all are pretty useful if you are interested in the language (plus Clark-Hall's dictionary). I've never tried to study it as a live language - I just wanted to read some old texts :)
There is also Complete Old English - not sure how good it is but you may want to look at it.
The best book is English Grammar for Students of Latin. I make the students I teach take this book.
https://www.amazon.com/English-Grammar-Students-Latin-Learning/dp/0934034346
It helps because you can easily understand what a gerund or a participle is in English so that a gerund or participle in Latin is easier to understand.
It has little exercises at the end of each chapter to help you practice and apply what you learned about English and Latin grammar.
It isn't very comprehensive, so eventually, you want to use Allen and Greenough or Bennet's Latin grammar. You can download those for free here
http://www.textkit.com/latin_grammar.php
However, as you said, grammar is your bane, so this is why I recommend English Grammar for Students of Latin. It's elementary and will get you up to speed with understanding how grammar works in general so that you can grasp Latin grammar more easily.
Title : English Grammar for Students of German: The Study Guide for Those Learning German
3rd Edition
Author : Cecile Zorach
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0934034389/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_HHpqDbBHPH31J
This book explains English grammar in a way most of us native speakers fail to understand. English is hard.
For beginners: http://www.amazon.com/English-Grammar-Students-German-Learning/dp/0934034389/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1413161749&sr=1-2&keywords=german+english+grammar
Beginning to intermediate: http://www.amazon.com/Schaums-Outline-German-Grammar-4ed/dp/0071615679/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1413161727&sr=1-6&keywords=german+grammar
Beginning to intermediate: http://www.amazon.com/Hammers-German-Grammar-Usage-Edition/dp/1444120166
Intermediate to advanced: http://www.amazon.com/Practice-Grammar-German/dp/3190272557/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1413161823&sr=1-1&keywords=hueber+practice+grammar+german
In the same way that die can be either an article or a relative pronoun in German, that can be either a relative pronoun or a simple subordinating conjunction in English. Sometimes the same form fulfills multiple functions in a language. It's simply a different way of dividing up the grammatical work.
Edit: I will point out that we actually can make a distinction here in English, but only for inanimate vs. animate antecedents. If it's a relative pronoun, you can get that or who(m). If it's just a plain subordinating conjunction, you'll only get that.
I know who he is already here.(conjunction, so the form does not change)If you have never been taught basic grammar, you might find this book useful in drawing comparisons between English and German.
I am no sure if a single text can help you achieve your goals for self-study.
However, I have heard great things about the "Erkundungen" and "Begegnungen" Deutsch Als Fremdspreche series from Schubert-Verlag for existing self-study learners, which also has an online site for grammar exercises, http://www.schubert-verlag.de/aufgaben/index.htm
Alternatively, an English and progressive teaching grammar like this well known one may suit you better:
"English Grammar for Students of German"
Duolingo
English Grammar for Students of French
French videos? I've never used this, but it looks fine
FSI might be a little easy
These grammar charts
Also, for practice with a teacher, you could try a website like italki
I'm pretty sure it's from Erica Meltzer's The Ultimate Guide to SAT Grammar.
​
https://www.amazon.com/4th-Ultimate-Guide-SAT-Grammar/dp/0997517867
It sounds like you're struggling on the writing part. Use this book https://www.amazon.com/4th-Ultimate-Guide-SAT-Grammar/dp/0997517867 to help. Your English will become better.
I got 3rd edition reading
https://www.amazon.com/Critical-Reader-3rd-Complete-Reading/dp/0997517875
And 4th edition grammar
https://www.amazon.com/4th-Ultimate-Guide-SAT-Grammar/dp/0997517867
Here is the link to the reading book: https://www.amazon.com/Critical-Reader-3rd-Complete-Reading/dp/0997517875
Here is the link to the grammar book: https://www.amazon.com/4th-Ultimate-Guide-SAT-Grammar/dp/0997517867
The Ultimate Guide to SAT Grammar by Erica Meltzer.
https://www.amazon.com/3rd-Ultimate-Guide-SAT-Grammar/dp/1511944137
There you go, it is purely for Grammar if you wanna do reading check out the Critical Reader by the same Author. For Math check Out College Panda
I honestly can not even begin to thank you enough. This is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you so much, again.
EDIT: Found The Elements of Style Kindle edition for free!
You can get the kindle version for free too! https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005IT0V8O?storeType=ebooks
I used this book: https://www.amazon.com/Math-Lessons-Improve-Score-Month/dp/1519617372/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
These Erika Metzler books: https://www.amazon.com/3rd-Ultimate-Guide-SAT-Grammar/dp/1511944137/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1500323642&sr=1-2&keywords=erika+meltzer+sat
https://www.amazon.com/Critical-Reader-2nd-Erica-Meltzer/dp/1515182061/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1500323642&sr=1-1&keywords=erika+meltzer+sat
Bite the bullet, and learn your grammar rules. When the questions get hard, everything “sounds” bad. And if you’re really reading every answer choice for “sound,” you’re taking too long. You need to eliminate answer choices according to grammar rules. For our GMAT students who have really struggled with SC - and many had exhausted the resources already suggested - we’ve recommended this SAT book with much success:
3rd Edition, The Ultimate Guide to SAT Grammar https://www.amazon.com/dp/1511944137/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_OejPAb9MEZ08Z
Disclaimers: We don’t get any kickbacks for recommending this. It is an SAT book, and the GMAT SC is obviously more difficult. But, the author gives - hands down - the most detailed, yet succinct plain language treatment of English grammar from a standardized test prep point of view. Buy an old, used edition. Work through it. Apply those principles to Official Guide and practice exam questions you got right and wrong. Worst case, you’ll be out a few bucks. But, it certainly will not hurt.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1511944137/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1506792925&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=erica+meltzer+grammar&dpPl=1&dpID=514ZbvAwFxL&ref=plSrch
Practice. Practice. Practice. I'd suggest starting with writing.
Try to write an article which describes some complex thing you already understand so that someone unfamiliar with the topic could also understand it. Write the first draft. Then edit it. Then edit it again. Keep editing it until you're confident that the content clearly relays the information in a concise manner. Then do it with a few more topics.
Going through this process should help train your brain to sort through many pieces of information, identify the most important ones, and translate your understanding of them into words. The more you do it, the easier it will become. As your brain gets faster at breaking down complex concepts into communicable chunks, it should eventually improve your verbal communication as well.
For a general primer on writing more clearly, Strunk and White's Elements of Style is beyond compare. The Kindle edition is currently free.
https://www.amazon.com/3rd-Ultimate-Guide-SAT-Grammar/dp/1511944137/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1500189095&sr=8-2&keywords=erika+meltzer+sat
No problem! Later today, when I get some time, I'll check through my notebook. I might not have anything useful, or I might not be able to remember the exercises I was writing for, but I'll see if I can find anything.
One exercise I saw on here, actually, looked interesting. What you do is give your student an ending, and then he was to write a story from the beginning that uses the ending.
/u/oneder_woman mentioned maybe finding some things for your student to read that would help him with writing. The Elements of Style by Strunk and White is really considered the most essential, authoritative book on the more technical parts of writing. I'd also recommend On Writing by Stephen King. I don't really care for King as a writer, haven't read any of his other books and don't plan to, but I think it's a great book for writers. It really helped me understand the writing process more, how you think about coming up with story ideas and then how you go about executing them and writing a story. It's a memoir about his life as a writer, but he also writes about his tips for becoming a better writer. I read it for my senior writing seminar in college, but I noticed my cousin was reading it for an AP writing class as a high school senior, so it's good for younger students too.
I've also heard Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury and The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers by John Gardner are good. I haven't read them personally, but I know those are two great authors.
Non-mobile: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005IT0V8O?ie=UTF8&redirectFromSS=1&pc_redir=T1&noEncodingTag=1&fp=1
^That's ^why ^I'm ^here, ^I ^don't ^judge ^you. ^PM ^/u/xl0 ^if ^I'm ^causing ^any ^trouble. ^WUT?
I started writing Pokémon fanfics back when I was in junior high. Now I'm 26, I'm a produced playwright with some awards under my belt, and I'm doing a second draft of my first novel.
The way you start writing is two fold.
Two books you need to read:
"The Elements of Style"
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005IT0V8O?ie=UTF8&redirectFromSS=1&pc_redir=T1&noEncodingTag=1&fp=1
Free on kindle.
Next is Stephen King's "On Writing." You can find that one somewhere. That book inspired me and gave me a good writer's toolbox. I still go back to both of them.
Last piece of advice. Write for you. Write things that you like. At first, it won't matter what other people think because they won't be reading it. Only share stuff when you feel like getting your story broken. The good part about a broken story is that you can always fix it, but it's painful. Writing is 90% rewriting. It's what makes it feel like work.
But writing is one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. It got me through a lot of tough times. It still does. I would be happy to help you in any way I can. Feel free to message me privately (I'll figure out how this works on mobile).
The world needs more writers because writers are adventurers.
https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Italian-Vocabulary-Thematic-Approach/dp/0764123955
https://www.amazon.com/Practice-Makes-Perfect-Complete-Italian/dp/0071603670
This will get you to B2, maybe C1. It's what I used when learning Italian, and at this point, I just find online Italian chats to refine my vocabulary, grammar, and what not.
I found it effective to learn the basic grammar before I began vocabulary study. I would write English words with Italian grammar in order develop my grammar skills.
Couple those with Duolingo.
I plan on using the German editions of those while I take German 1 and 2.
Good luck!
(Also, please pardon any poor writing in my response. I'm a bit tired and I'm not focusing very hard)
EDIT: You can find those books cheaper.
If you are in the US:
https://www.amazon.com/Practice-Makes-Perfect-Complete-Italian/dp/0071603670
I almost bought this last week, but can't justify the cost right now (I'm working at a pretty slow pace so probably can't rent it). I ended up buying two other books:
They're being delivered today so I'm not sure if they live up to the reviews; I can update my thoughts on them later.
EDIT
These are my first thoughts after working through the first few pages of each book.
I really like all the Ultimate French series. There's one specifically for grammar http://www.amazon.com/The-Ultimate-French-Review-Practice/dp/0071744142
Memrise and Duolingo do different things. Duolingo is for learning the basic grammar and vocabulary of a language; Memrise is just for memorizing vocabulary. I've already learned all the vocabulary on the Duolingo French course, so I have no use for it anymore. On Memrise, there is no limit to the number of words I can memorize. I add new words to my Memrise course every week. Plus, I find that Memrise has a more effective spaced repetition system, so it's much easier to remember the words I learn on it.
I am currently using this book: https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-French-Review-Practice/dp/0071744142
Oh, I see. No, I did not make it and I have nothing to do with it. I just found it at the bookstore and it worked really well for me. It is this book:
https://www.amazon.ca/Ultimate-French-Review-Practice-CD-ROM/dp/0071744142
The Ultimate French Review and Practice and The Ultimate French Verb Review and Practice
These cover pretty much everything.
>There are a few good grammar review books out there. The Ultimate French Review and Practice is good, as is Practice Makes Perfect: Complete French Grammar.
Would you recommend one over the other? Or both?
Dictionaries are pretty much fully descriptive these days. This wasn't always the case, but it is today, and it means that they stay away from judgments about which definitions are correct and just report the actual usage.
So you can't look to a descriptive source and presume to find prescriptive guidance: the lack of judgment doesn't mean the usage is good, and it certainly doesn't mean that others won't make judgments about your use of a term. E.g., Bryan Garner says,
> When literally is used figuratively -- to mean "emphatically," "metaphorically," or the like -- the word is stretched paper-thin (but not literally).
I and many others would agree with this assessment.
Certainly literally is in as bit of a touchy spot. Perhaps, going back to Garner, literally is in stage two of his categorization of verbal change:
> Stage 2: The form spreads to a significant portion of the language community, but it remains unacceptable in standard usage... Terms in stage 2 often get recorded in dictionaries as variant forms, but this fact alone is hardly a recommendation for their use.
Maybe it has even reached stage three ("The form becomes commonplace among well-educated people, but is still avoided in careful usage.")
But again, this change is not necessarily good, and not necessarily inevitable. And until and if the transformation becomes universally accepted, you have to accept that many people will label the figurative use of literally a mistake. It's their judgment to make, not the dictionaries'.
Ok its not that bad, but it's definatley not in a state to be read by anyone.
Maybe give this a read while working on a new draft. (The title sounds like click bait but the book is actually great.)
I think these are both worthy reads. Fairly easy to dip in and out of too:
Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer - Roy Peter Clark
The Elements of Eloquence: How to Turn the Perfect English Phrase - Mark Forsyth
The last one I found especially interesting.
I prescribe these two books for you to read in this order:
Writing Tools: 55 Essential Strategies for Every Writer
On Writing Well, 25th Anniversary Edition: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction
Read these two books carefully and apply the advice to your own writing.
Good luck.
Morthy demands:
old posh Englishman: old posh Englishmen like to write, right? (Writing Stuff)
Never seen in public: these slippers would look ridiculous in public (Other Stuff)
Most phallic: this is the best I've got(Other Stuff)
Akeleie demands:
Most geeky: probably my Adipose toy (Other Stuff)
Achieve a goal: I would love to be a writer (Writing Stuff)
Deserted island: who doesn't need a ukulele on and island? (Other Stuff)
Thanks for the contest!! :D
If you wrote like a human who had more than a 3rd grade education people wouldn't have to assume what you were saying. I'm sorry you're not able to articulate your thoughts into speech or text.
I think everyone is aware that it's a fucking movie. You said Ohio reformatory wasn't a real place, then you said prison life isn't like it is portrayed in a movie which is fairly obvious.
Here this should help you
Does your mom know you are up past your bedtime? No dessert for a week young man!
But seriously, considering saving your allowance and investing in this book. You sorely need it.
https://www.amazon.com/English-Grammar-Dummies-Geraldine-Woods/dp/0470546646
I have something for you too.
this is more in my price range
Considering that you apparently already have some fluency, and assuming: British English, and that you are "merely" trying to incrementally improve; the following may be of use:
http://www.amazon.com/English-Grammar-Dummies-Geraldine-Woods/dp/0470546646
http://www.amazon.com.au/Learning-Grammar-Punctuation-Collins-English-ebook/dp/B005IH026C
http://www.amazon.com/A-Students-Introduction-English-Grammar/dp/0521612888
http://www.amazon.com/Comprehensive-Grammar-English-Language-General/dp/0582517346
Ummm...what? Good try, but once again you are incorrect.
 
First of all.
>That year was in the past. It has passed us by.
This statement itself is correct, but the context is completely different from your original post, so we will ignore it.
 
Now for your mistake.
>This passed season was OK
You are not saying that the season did pass (verb) and it was OK, you are describing the season which is in the past (we'll call this one an adjective) and that it was OK.
One helpful trick could be to think about this sentence using the other tenses. This future season will be OK. This present season is OK. The tenses of past, present, and future are clarifying the noun which in this case is "season".
 
It's one thing to be a dick to someone who is trying to help you improve your grammar. It's another thing to completely ignore it while being so fucking condescending.
There are many websites which explain the difference of past vs. passed far better than the one you provided. If you need further reading, I suggest this book.
If you're referring to my lattermost statement, welcome to reddit big guy, maybe brush up on your grammar a bit before you get too deep because that tends to be a point of contention on this website.
I guess my point with my original reply was that his comment added literally nothing of substance. There was no straw man! hahaha idk if he took philosophy or something as a freshman and stored a few cool words deep in that clearly eloquent lexicon, but the first post pointing out that he knew an SAE who was a great guy is in NO WAY A STRAW MAN!!!!! This is all induction! They are fucking stereotypes and inductive reasoning can be easily disproven through counterexamples!!!!
I should post this to r/rant, cause seriously this is the reddit circlejerkery that is the only part of this amazing website that kills me. BilyBlaze makes a statement that holds no water whatsoever, but because reddit is 90% insecure pussies who have some beef with greek life, it gets upvotes out the ass. classic!
and finally, i know i already asked, but to what fucking school does this kid go?
" People get raped at the SAE chapter at my school all the time"
back that up a bit. most 'rapes' get reported so you should have some statistics to back up that ridiculous bull shit. or were they unreported? did you happen to be the guy in whom all these poor victims confided? that's how you know?
EDIT and obviously I was asking about his school originally because of the regular rapings. not because of his poor grammar, but now that I've properly considered it, I need to know for both reasons.
Here
Ok here are a few ideas.
I would suggest this Yale course on Literary Theory as a good introduction from the humanities angle.
The major focus of literary analysis these days usually seems to be some variant of "close reading"
For a general overview of linguistics the wiki page is pretty decent. Martin Hilpert's Introductory Linguistics and Congnitive Linguistics courses on youtube are pretty good.
I don't know how much or what type of grammar is covered in an English degree but I would pick up a book on syntax such as:
Carnie - Syntax
A more traditional take:
Traditional Diagramming
Alerternatively, you can find a free book on Syntax here
Being able to parse a sentence into it's constituent pieces is useful for analysis. After that, major fields to look into are:
Some books and resources that fall under these catagories in general (I haven't read all of these):
And because we are learning about English, here is a cheesy documentary that's actually pretty decent.
EDIT: Here is the reddit Linguistics wiki for reference.
If you're interested in pursuing these concepts further, I recommend Andrew Carnie's Syntax: A Generative Introduction. I think you'll come to realize how much human languages have in common, including such grammatical elements as direct objects and subjects.
If you mean get into, as in you want to be interested but just can't find the motivation, what got me interested was reading about it. Learn from the best. Here are some good ones on documentation itself (I guess more on the eminence of languages dying and the need for documentation):
Fieldwork is often closely associated with typology, so here are some books that explain some of what's possible in the world's languages:
And then there are reference grammars, often the fruits of fieldwork. Here are some good ones I've gone through:
Then again, if you mean get into it meaning what language should you pick and what part of the world, that's a harder question to answer. I feel like languages just sort of happen to people: they know someone who happens to come from a community of minority language speakers, or they have a friend who says they ran into an understudied language while abroad, or you yourself happened to live in that part of the world for whatever reason. It's hard to go study a language out of the blue because you need an "in" somehow, which is hard to purposely get, I think.
This is good:
http://www.amazon.com/A-Students-Introduction-English-Grammar/dp/0521612888
The informal style (it's me; that's him) is used much, much more often than the formal style (it is I; that is he), so you'll be safer sticking to that.
I'm not making this stuff up, by the way, I'm getting it from A Student's Guide to English Grammar by linguists Huddleston and Pullum.
> Compared to some other languages, English is already virtually devoid of grammar.
Completely and laughably wrong. Read this. Or for a quicker read, try this. Hell, just read some posts from LanguageLog.
> It's not the occasional typo I mind per se, but the cultural propagation of progressively devolved grammar, gradually reducing the language to a hybrid of hillbilly, valley girl, inner-city slang and various grunts.
Your hysteria is based on superstition and moronic suppositions. Non-standard and non-prestige varieties of language have existed for the entirety of recorded history alongside standard varieties. Sometimes they even make the leap to being standard languages. Ever heard of the Romance languages?
Do some research before you post next time!
http://www.amazon.com/Word-Power-Made-Norman-Lewis/dp/067174190X is a good book to improve in this area
Accept: from Latin acceptare, frequentative of accipere ‘take something to oneself’, from ad- ‘to’ + capere ‘take’.
Except: from Latin except- ‘taken out’, from the verb excipere, from ex- ‘out of’ + capere ‘take’.
If you know a little etymology (the study of the origin of words and the way in which their meanings have changed throughout history), you can make educated guesses at what a word means.
Try a book like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Word-Power-Made-Norman-Lewis/dp/067174190X
Another way you can try and remember the difference is like this:
accept- acknowledge
Her mother accepted her daughter's apostasy.
At least her mother, acknowledges that her daughter was an apostate.
except - exclude
Her mother could forgive any sin except apostasy.
Her mother excluded her from the family gatherings as she was an apostate.
I used to feel this way. I luckily had an awesome high school teacher that made us study this book. In my 20s I started reading a bunch of in Henry Miller. I remember the word "ennui" killing me. Simple answer, look them up. The worst part was looking up these words I didn't know and then having to speak them, as I had no idea how to pronounce them. I just turned 31 today, and I still don't know a lot. Don't feel embarrassed.
Elements of Style by Strunk and White is an excellent grammar book. You didn't mention a grammar problem but the architecture of your writing is important when you start out. Ideas is the next step.
Word Power Made Easy is a great vocab book that got be started on words.
I look up every word I don't know. Time consuming.
If there is another language used in your family or by your ancestors learn that language. It will just expand your mind and not just your vocabulary.
One language is not enough.
> Can someone guide me how to improve my grammar/verbal/vocab for GMAT.
Word Power Made Easy
Great! Lots of other good, similar things in xkcd. As it calls itself, it's "A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language."
I'm 44 and remember the Texas Sesquicentennial in 1986. I also had an 8th grade English teacher who really pushed etymology and used Word Power Made Easy (I should order some for my kids!). So when I took a "Greek and Latin Elements in English" class in college (for fun!), it was a good refresher.
[A beginner's guide to making friends] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/067174190X/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1414181632&sr=1-1#)
I was thinking this book might be better
Is this a message to your camp counselor, your opinion on the experience, or what?
I'm confused as to how your title, first paragraph, and the body of the content have any correlation whatsoever. The title gives me a premise that allows me to presume that this is a copypasta'd correspondence with your counselor from Bible Camp. Your first paragraph is what throws me through a loop.
I'm going to assume that this is, in fact, a letter to your counselor. In that respect, your sentiment fits well at r/atheism. Enjoy circle-jerking with the rest of us and I hope you continue educating yourself on matters that are important.
here try this
Write On!
Perhaps you'd like some more Sin & Syntax in your life. How 'bout adding more Spunk & Bite to your writing? Or doing something everyday that scares you?
I'd like this so I can keep my dirty paws off my phone.
I go through phases. Sometimes I read poetry (nothing in particular, usually a trip to the library looking for collections instead of one single author). Sometimes I read fiction. Sometimes I read non-fiction.
The other part of the equation is to make sure you're reading actively. It doesn't matter how much you read if you don't really understand it. Pay attention to the way the author says things.
An issue I have with just reading nonfiction books on a particular subject (ie. philosophy as you've stated) doesn't really help if the books are dry. You're wanting to learn how to turn a phrase--you don't get that from a lot of non-fiction. The philosophy part might help you look at the world differently or become more aware of things outside your own point of view, but they don't usually help you understand how to write a crafty sentence (or lyric). In other words, it might give you something to write about, but not how to write about it!
Something else that might help is to read books about writing. Not textbooks, but books about grammar and style. I also recommend books written by successful authors on their own writing.
Two books that I have next to me pretty much always are:
https://www.amazon.com/Sin-Syntax-Craft-Wickedly-Effective/dp/0767903099
and
https://www.amazon.com/Elements-Eloquence-Secrets-Perfect-Phrase/dp/042527618X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483465760&sr=8-1&keywords=elements+of+eloquence
Of course, you can also enroll in a creative writing course. Having guidance and feedback is worth more than most people think.
I recently finished a book entitled, Sin & Syntax that is quite good - a lot of fun, and goes over not only the basics, but also artful writing.
Otherwise, if you read a lot of books with very good grammar/writing you'll tend to pick it up - I don't mean to make any unfounded judgments on your taste, but, as a general comment, read something like The Anatomy of Melancholy instead of Dan Brown. (At least, I think his writing is dreadful.) Otherwise, one comment suggests learning another language, and that is definitely a step in the right direction if you can manage it - I recommend Latin.
I'll second the recommendation of The Language Instinct. Pinker approaches it from the perspective of a cognitive scientist, but it's a good book if you want an overview of linguistics and linguistic theory (although some of his claims are controversial and as breads mentioned, it's somewhat outdated).
As for English syntax, I don't think there are any books out there intended for the layman, so your best bet would probably be to pick up an introductory textbook with a syntax unit. I'd recommend Language Files from the Ohio State University Press. It's an excellent and comprehensive introductory text, one of the best.
An Introduction to Language by Fromkin, Rodman, & Hyams is also well-regarded, but I haven't taught from it, so I can't speak to it personally.
Start with:
and this little gem:
http://www.amazon.com/Language-Files-Materials-Introduction-Linguistics/dp/081425179X
Don't jump straight into historical linguistics without at least skimming an intro book, or you'll find yourself with a pretty skewed idea of what linguistics is.
Me encanta English Grammar for Students of Spanish.
Last November I went to Argentina with essentially no knowledge of Spanish. I started off using this. It's pretty solid. The section on grammar is really short, but it has plenty of conversational phrases, a very basic dictionary, and simple conjugation charts for maybe 15 or so of the most frequently used verbs.
It was pretty helpful. I also used this book as an introduction to grammar: http://www.amazon.com/English-Grammar-Students-Spanish-Learning/dp/0934034303
You can pick up a decent 2 way dictionary in BsAs, there are bookstores everywhere. Walrus Books sells mostly used English language books but I found a cheap Spanish-English dictionary there as well as one of those "500 verb conjugations" books.
Enjoy your time in Argentina!
Edit: Obviously the book isn't specific to Argentine Spanish, but you'll figure it out quickly.
The vos form is simple; just drop the i from the vosotros form, unless the i is an í in which case there won't a preceding é or á. And in the pretérito vos is identical to tú. And in the imperativo just drop the d of the vosotros form, and stress the final syllable.
There are differences in a lot of vocabulary, but people will understand you fine and fill you in on what the Argentine word choice would be if you ask them to.
If your understanding of grammar needs work, I highly recommend at a minimum picking up a used Latin grammar (like this one or this one) and reading through the grammar explanation bits. That should give you more solid ground, especially with declensions.
edit: Oh, or maybe this.
I learned the usage before I started school - my mother is a teacher. I didn't learn the grammatical theory of it till high school, and then only because I learned German, which uses the subjunctive mood more than English.
If you're interested (and know a foreign language at least a little), check out the English Grammar for Students of series - e.g., English Grammar for Students of Latin.
I have this book: English Grammar for students of German. It compares English and German in lots of areas of grammar in easy terms. I find it pretty helpful.
Also you could probably find a better price for the book but I just linked a better description.
If what you want to achieve is A1 and nothing beyond, you best bet would be getting one of the many course books:
A arguably better alternative would be the free online course offered by Deutsche Welle (http://deutschkurse.dw.de/KursPlattform/WebObjects/KursPlattform.woa/wo/6.1). Do register and try it. Really valuable resource. Together with Deutsch – warum nicht? (http://www.dw.de/deutsch-lernen/deutsch-warum-nicht/s-2163) you can go far. (In case you didn't realise already, both the sound files and pdf notes can be found on the right, featuring four series.)
Maybe the only problem you would encounter is speaking. The speaking test is actually like this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGNd-6pDkEI), and you may panic if you don't already speak in German for a several hours. Try to find someone who speaks German and wants to do a language exchange with you. (http://www.language-exchanges.org/) is one of them. You may as well find one on Reddit.
By the way, if you really want to have a strong command of German sooner or later, there are some good, though popular (popular doesn't always mean bad) books for foundation, apart from your already awesome German for Reading:
If you insist on getting a grammar book, a nice start would be:
And eventually you may want to take down the boss:
Finally I recommend you to take a look at my favourite reading material when I started, Studien und Plaudereien (http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/22160), freely offered by Project Gutenberg.
the books that I have are:
Hammer's German Grammar and Usage - it's a huge comprehensive in-depth look at everything grammatical, breaks everything down completely. good as a reference book but not really to go through and study
English Grammar for Students of German - it's a really brief overview comparing English grammar to German grammar with examples, but doesn't get really specific
Berlitz Self Teacher: German - some of the vocab is a little outdated but it's a cute concise book that's really good to carry on the subway or whatever and read in short spurts. there's special parts dedicated to helping you "think in german" which is important for fluency. it's a pretty good book for beginners I think.
I also have Barron's 501 German verbs but I actually haven't started looking through it yet.
and then if we add an audio section to this list is highly recommend Pimsleur's audio courses, though they're pricey so you may want to try and obtain them ahem another way.
Hammer's German and Usage
Hammer's German and Usage Workbook
German Grammar drills
Secondary grammar book
Personally, Hammer's Grammar book is quite enough. It is around 500 pages of dry grammar. It is very well constructed and very easy to understand, get it with workbook. It is logical, as it teaches you from the most essential and easiest structures. Nouns -> genders, -> cases, that way it is easier to learn.
Secondary Grammar book is not necessary.
Advice her to use Anki, its a very helpful tool i think for the most easiest words to learn. Especially it helps a lot with German genders.
I actually think this is a great book for German learners!
English Grammar for Students of French
Many professors/teachers praise this book for French grammar and all its intricacies. However, I bought it way back when I first started studying French and opened it maybe once or twice. Honestly, I think about.com has the best explanations for grammar points. Whenever I come across a weird grammatical structure or am trying to form a sentence a certain way, I google some key words related to it (ex. pendant vs. depuis) and about.com always has the best explanation. If you're just a learner/student of French, I would stick to google/about.com. It's really the best source and all you need plus it's free.
Well, I should say that I learn best when I understand the grammar, both for comprehension and composition. It's like a logic puzzle for me. Plain immersion doesn't do it for me. There's a reason why French school children are drilled in written grammar - it's quite different from spoken. Moreover, I am a firm believer in learning hard core grammar to prepare for standardized language testing - it counts for about 30% of any test, at least. It's the middle section in the TCF.
So, I found french grammar books written for French students - it forces you to work completely in French and improves comprehension faster, I think. It also introduces you to French cultural stuff at the same time. Something like the Grammaire progressive du francais series.
I did lots of random online French website conjugation exercises. There are plenty of them, although they look like sites from 1998.
For listening, I used the TV5 Monde website mentioned above a lot for preparation, first with videos and then just the listening exercises. And then as I started to feel confident, I did their online timed tests. BTW they closely match the real TCF material because they provide the content for the test!
I watched French movies with French subtitles, not English. And I watched French news online - their accents are quite clear.
However, within 60 days of the test I generally listened to radio online, with transcripts if I could find them. Video news becomes a problem because you build a false sense of comprehension for testing. TCF listening tests are audio-only, no video.
Finally, when you get stuck on a grammar point, as I still do, I highly recommend either English Grammar for Students of French or Side-By-Side French and English Grammar.
Good luck!
I've got a copy of French for Readng which I've found helpful. Its focused entirely on increasing reading comprehension and French-to-English translation skills, plus it briefly reviews grammatical rules covered by other materials.
Also, English Grammar for Students of French is an excellent resource for improving your grammatical foundations in both English and French.
figure out what you're weaknesses are by taking practice tests and target those. here are my book recommendations:
​
Math: Dr. Chung's SAT Math
English: Erica Meltzer's Grammar Book
Reading: Powerscore Reading Bible
​
Also, I feel like if you're prepping for the PSAT you might as well just take the SAT
The Critical Reader, 3rd Edition: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0997517875
​
If you want, you can also get her Grammar one as well, she is just as good in Writing as she is in Reading: https://www.amazon.com/4th-Ultimate-Guide-SAT-Grammar/dp/0997517867/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2/132-1800003-9892148?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0997517867&pd_rd_r=704ad00b-9cdc-11e9-8f2e-7b657eb7b6fa&pd_rd_w=p9yLW&pd_rd_wg=S9kup&pf_rd_p=a2006322-0bc0-4db9-a08e-d168c18ce6f0&pf_rd_r=D1AEY435E7KTTF4HRTBA&psc=1&refRID=D1AEY435E7KTTF4HRTBA
To improve your writing score, get either Erica Meltzer's Writing or College Panda's SAT Writing
My top 2 SAT grammar books:
https://www.amazon.com/4th-Ultimate-Guide-SAT-Grammar/dp/0997517867/
4th Edition, The Ultimate Guide to SAT Grammar https://www.amazon.com/dp/0997517867/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_2g7SDbCADK738
The Critical Reader, 3rd Edition: The Complete Guide to SAT Reading https://www.amazon.com/dp/0997517875/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_uh7SDb4SK8C3G
These are some rather expensive books but they really do work. Good luck!
The Critical Reader, 3rd Edition: The Complete Guide to SAT Reading by Erica L. Meltzer and if needed,
4th Edition, The Ultimate Guide to SAT Grammar by Erica L. Meltzer
Here is Erica Meltzer's chapter about colons and dashes from her book The Ultimate Guide to SAT Grammar. I would definitely recommend the book, it does an awesome job of easily explaining every type of question you might see on the test.
Im reading this one https://www.amazon.com/3rd-Ultimate-Guide-SAT-Grammar/dp/1511944137
http://wilson.med.harvard.edu/nb204/AuthorityAndAmericanUsage.pdf
EDIT: And hey, http://www.amazon.com/Garners-Modern-American-Usage-Garner/dp/0195382757, while you're at it.
Response to your edit: You might disagree with those interpretations, but I would argue that your battle is over the appropriateness of the word "racism," not what was actually going on in his statements. That's why I personally don't like using "racism" in that way, it starts angry arguments about language when people should be having discussions about other things. (Like what's happening right now.)
https://www.amazon.com/English-Grammar-Dummies-Geraldine-Woods/dp/0470546646
I think you'll find this book most helpful.
OP your wording is very unclear.
LPT for OP: http://www.amazon.com/Syntax-Generative-Introduction-Andrew-Carnie/dp/0470655313/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1394207936&sr=8-3&keywords=syntax+and+grammar
Found the book review here
The one by Nikolai Krestinsky
It’s okay, if you sound out the words r e a l s l o w you’ll eventually understand what I’m saying. I can’t help you with context though.
If you can’t understand how your first comment is a faulty presumption that I said anything about Yen being “morally greater”, and how my reply is simply highlighting how idiotically defensive you’re being a simple discussion — I can’t help you, maybe this can?, but at this point I doubt it.
http://www.amazon.com/English-Grammar-Dummies-Geraldine-Woods/dp/0764553224
<3
This gives 0 actual value to anyone- it's just a list of positive traits. Also, the writing is sub-par at best, I recommend reading a guide: https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Tools-Essential-Strategies-Writer/dp/0316014990/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1522185432&amp;sr=8-3&amp;keywords=writing
I recommend English grammer for students of Spanish
FTFY
I think you could also learn use this.
Non-referral link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/English-Grammar-Dummies-UK-Edition/dp/0470057521
For my colonial cousins: http://www.amazon.com/English-Grammar-Dummies-Geraldine-Woods/dp/0470546646