Rebel With A Clause: Tales and Tips from a Roving Grammarian

For several years now, Jovin has taken her folding table and collection of reference books to various spots around New York City and invited people to talk to her about grammar, punctuation, and usage. Some have questions, some want to vent about pet peeves, and some are simply curious about why she's doing this.

This book follows Jovin on her journey to take the Grammar Table to all 50 states; she got to 47 before COVID ended the tour, but is now planning trips to Hawaii, Alaska, and Connecticut.

Each chapter focuses on a specific grammar question, which Jovin presents through her conversations with her visitors. You get all the things you'd probably expect -- the Oxford comma, the slowly fading distinction between pronoun cases (that show more is, when to use "I," "me," and "myself"), frequently confused words (affect/effect, there/their/they're) .

Jovin's husband travels with her and films most of her Grammar Table sessions, with an eye towards making a documentary about the tour, so she's able to report her conversations in more detail and with more accuracy than in some books of this type. As a result, the individual personalities of her interlocutors shine through.

Ultimately, though, this book is neither fish nor fowl. If you need a usage guide, I suspect you will want something that is more concisely organized; the reader needing clarification on the difference between "than" and "then" probably doesn't want to wade through a three-page anecdote about a nice young woman from Decatur, Alabama. And if you don't need a usage guide, I'm not sure that all of the nice young women from Decatur and elsewhere are quite substantial enough to make the book worthwhile solely as a pleasure read. show less

How could I resist this title? I found myself laughing out loud and sharing some parts with my husband because they were so funny. And this is a book about grammar! The premise is as unique as the author – Ellen Jovin, professional writer, presenter, and trainer with facility in multiple languages and expertise in English grammar and business communication issues. In 2018 Ellen decided to set up a table (with sign) in a park near her New York home. Calling it “Grammar Table,” she was ready to answer and discuss any grammatical question that passersby wanted to ask. And the table became very popular. Turns out people have questions and opinions about all things grammar.

Ellen’s website explains what happened next: “Within six show more months Ellen and her husband, Brandt Johnson, decided to take the table on the road. They visited 47 states before the Covid-19 pandemic hit, and Brandt filmed the grammar action. In 2022, they brought the table to the last three states: Alaska, Hawaii, and that faraway land of Connecticut.

"Ellen talks about grammar with writers, editors, construction workers, salespeople, teachers, students, small children, doctors, dancers, seniors, and anyone else who uses words in this world. She creates community. Fan-favorite topics include the Oxford comma, spaces after periods, semicolons, “which” versus “that,” and whether you can end a sentence with a preposition (hint: you can!).

"But this story transcends grammar. It's the story of an epic quest, in a time of deep social division, to connect with America and bring us all closer together. Over grammar? Yeah. Say goodbye to your preconceptions. Say hello to Grammar Table.” show less

This was right up my alley. I love grammar, but I love the fluidity of language as well, so having conversations with people about how things are actually used is perfect. This errant grammarian asked people to vent about grammar all over the country and got lots of strong feelings everywhere she went. I love that Bozeman Montana was one of the places she went too.

I liked the premise of this book - the traveling grammar table. The author shares the discussions she has with people who visit her grammar table as she and her husband travel around the country. This book brought back memories of sentence diagrams and all those pesky terms of words and tenses. I was pleased to discover that I had retained a good amount knowledge of my English language - it's just not something I think about every day, although I do love reading and learning about linguistics. This book would be very entertaining for those well-versed in English and those wanting to learn more about grammar