Maxwell Nurnberg (1897–1984)

This is a wonderful and witty, practical and comprehensive guide to English grammar. From hyphens to parallel structure, this is enlightening as well as entertaining. Entertainment comes from taking down famous novelists and prominent newspapers, etc. with examples of inaccurate usage. The frequent self-tests and pretests allow the reader to gauge, and realize both deficiency and progress, but I wish the answers were on the same page. Maybe upside down at the bottom of the page. This is good show more to peruse or retain as a reference, as I may need to refer to it again to get the whole "who" and whom" thing straight, once and for all.

I put this right up there with The Elements of Style as a joy for reading and betterment. show less

Despite typographical flaws and dated references and language, this turned out to be a pretty fun read. I decided to read it after getting through Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian and realizing I knew nothing about the English language. All in all, having gone through it without the pressure of preparing for a standardized test, I definitely feel my vocabulary has grown (along with my etymological understanding of our language's component parts). I can't say this was a brilliant book (if show more there is one, please let me know) but I had fun with it. show less

Despite typographical flaws and dated references and language, this turned out to be a pretty fun read. I decided to read it after getting through Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian and realizing I knew nothing about the English language. All in all, having gone through it without the pressure of preparing for a standardized test, I definitely feel my vocabulary has grown (along with my etymological understanding of our language's component parts). I can't say this was a brilliant book (if show more there is one, please let me know) but I had fun with it. show less

If there's anything I dislike about this book, it's its dry and boring title, which gives the book an utterly incorrect image. "How to Build a Better Vocabulary" is not about memorizing lists of words. Instead, it's about what's behind words. It's filled with etymological facts, stories, funny examples, headlines, and common errors. Rather than tedious as the title emanates, this book is an engaging read for anyone who loves words.