The 21st Century Grammar Handbook is designed to give you direct and rapid answers to your questions about how to write or speak correctly. It is arranged like a dictionary: Its entries are in alphabetical order, covering not only grammar rules and examples of correct and incorrect usage but specific words or terms that often cause errors. It includes entries for be, is, am, are, was, and were, as well as the special names and terms used in English classrooms to analyze and categorize how these words work. The 21st Century Grammar Handbook is constructed to help you find solutions quickly and directly even if you don’t know classroom grammar terminology.
You can also use the 21st Century Grammar Handbook to improve your writing and speaking overall—to identify the areas in which you are weak or need pointers and then to find all the entries that will help.
To find answers to immediate problems you are having with your writing or speaking, simply look up the word or words that are bothering you. For example, to find out whether you should use “who” or “whom,” just look under who. You will discover right and wrong examples, an explanation of why the rules work the way they do, and suggestions for other entries to look at if you need more information.
But what if you know something is wrong but don’t know exactly what the problem is or what it is called? Then look at the next section of this book: “How to Know What You Don’t Know.” Here you will find a listing of the most common writing and speaking problems along with suggestions for places to look for answers. The list asks some questions that will help guide you to the places where your problems will be solved simply and swiftly.
If you don’t find a match for your problem by looking through this section, then try to look up words that are similar to the ones that are causing you difficulty or that you think are okay in your sentence but that might be hiding errors: Look under and or is or that or comma or-ly or s. Then follow the suggestions for looking at related entries until you have identified what’s wrong and how to fix it. If you still can’t find what you don’t know, try the entries on very broad topics like rules, style, bland writing, and similar subjects. There you will find not only specific answers to immediate problems but many hints about other areas you might consider to find the root of your difficulties.
If you do know the name of the grammar category or term with which you need help, you can look in the entries for the full citation and also find related entries on the subject that interests you.
To teach yourself better grammar and writing or speaking, first take the self-assessment quiz called “How Good Are My Grammar, Writing, and Speaking?” It will help you identify weak spots in your statements, places where tips and tricks will help make your writing or speaking stronger and more effective, and ways to avoid common pitfalls and take advantage of your stylistic strengths.
In each entry related subjects are highlighted in italic type. Examples are set off in quotation marks and clearly marked as RIGHT or WRONG.