June Casagrande

June Casagrande is my personal deity. You should know that before you read the rest of this review (or while deciding whether or not to do so).

She's funny, she's smart, and she knows when to take grammar seriously and when to tell it to get over itself, already.

I could quote this book like mad -- and, let's face it, I have and will continue to do so. But really, there are only two things you need to know about it.

The first is that Casagrande doesn't mind saying that there are plenty of times show more when our language hasn't decided what the rules are.

For instance, which of the following is correct: "I appreciate you taking the time to meet with me," or "I appreciate your taking the time to meet with me?"

When should you use "each other," and when should you employ "one another" instead?

Is it correct to say "It is I she loves," or "It is me she loves"?

Here's Casagrande's answer, and boy howdy does she back it up with research:

The answer to all these questions and more: Nobody knows.

When I say nobody knows, I don't mean that the experts bicker over the right way to do these things. These are not cases in which they simply disagree. These are cases in which they truly don't have a clue. If they tell you otherwise, they're bluffing. They would like us to believe that they hold such mystical wisdom, but the truth is they're as clueless as the rest of us.

Which basically sums up the difference between a grammar nerd, who finds this answer fascinating and a little reassuring, and a grammar snob, who enjoys hitting other people over the head with the force of her rightness and does NOT relish the idea of having to live and let live when it comes to language usage.

The second thing you need to know about this book is that it's called Grammar Snobs Are Great Big Meanies. This title will either give you a giggle or make your face pucker up like you just bit a lemon.

If it's the first, buy this book, because the whole thing is written in exactly this tone. It's ridiculously informative, and you'll enjoy every minute of learning how our language actually works.

If you made the lemon face, buy this book and read it because I want to watch you cry.

Either way, long live June Casagrande.

And now if you'll excuse me, I have some incense to light. That altar I have set up in the corner is getting chilly. show less

Do you know the difference between an em dash and an en dash? Or when you should spell out numbers and when you should write the numerals? Do you care? If you answers were no, no, and yes, then I have a book for you. It is part narrative and part reference book, and the type of thing that I want to have at the office for business writing and at home for things like Cannonball Read reviews and personal blog posts. It's functional and easy to navigate, although it is a bit dry.

I can't remember show more where I got this one - probably at the local bookstore that I need to avoid most days if I don't want to drop $50 on books I never knew I needed or wanted. As I mentioned in an earlier review this summer, I write a lot. Most of what I do at work involves writing plans that other people need to understand; at home I write for fun and am currently working on my first book (that some day future Cannonballers might read and review - a girl can dream). I'm not an editor, so I probably didn't need this book, but I do think it will improve my writing.

It's a logically organized book, with sections on each punctuation symbol, from the comma all the way down to the aforementioned em dash. The chapters give overviews of the different functions and then breaks down usage by type of writing. So, in the colon chapter you'll learn how to use a colon to introduce lists, as well as its function in writing out time or ratios. The different types of writing included are book, academic, scientific and news, with the suggestion that folks use news style for business writing and blogs. For pedants like me, it's fascinating to see all the nuances of language, including disagreements about usage (that damn Oxford comma!) or decisions that seemingly don't make sense.

Is this book going to change your life? No. But it's interesting and useful, and I know I'll be consulting it regularly. show less

This is the only grammar book I've read that has made me do a spit-take. (I probably would have done more but I commenced a plan of not drinking and reading following the incident.) It's humor is relaxing and the grammar tips are useful and understandable. My only caveat is that the humor is aimed toward an older, less-easily-offended audience.

Apart from being entirely useful, June Casagrande's Grammar Snobs Are Great Big Meanies is nothing less than a hoot! She has a style of seemingly off-the-cuff writing that makes an otherwise tedious subject quite easily digestible.

Grammar- and East Coast-snob than I am, I would never have imagined that a Southern California girl could pull this off. But she does -- and masterfully (or mistressfully) so!

For those of you who write for a living or for others who simply want to brush up on some show more of the stickier (and pricklier) points of the English language, I can't encourage you enough to pick up a copy of Ms. Casagrande's book, read it, then give it a well-deserved berth on your bookshelf right next to Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English and Lynn Truss's Eats(,) Shoots & Leaves. I can assure you: the three will make excellent stable-mates!

RRB
07/26/13
Brooklyn, NY, USA show less