A lesson in good English

Quick Solutions to Common Errors in English, Angela Burt, Macmillan India Ltd, Pp 227 (PB), Rs 220.00

THIS is a reference book written for students of English language and also for the general reader. It tries to tackle the basic questions about spelling, punctuation, grammar and word usage that the student and the general reader may ask. There are clear explanations and exemplar sentences where needed. Where it is essential to draw attention to spelling rules and patterns, these are given so that the reader is further empowered to deal with hundreds of related words. The aim is to make the reader more confident and increasingly self-reliant.

This is a fast-track reference book and not a dictionary though arranged alphabetically like a dictionary. It concentrates on problems areas; it anticipates difficulties; it invites cross references. By exploring punctuation, for example, and paragraphing, it goes far beyond a dictionary’s terms of reference. It is not intended to replace the dictionary; it rather supplements it.

The book teaches all about punctuation, grammar, comparative and superlative terms, double negatives, nouns, paragraphing, participles, possessive pronouns, preposition, sequence in tenses, split infinitives, subjects and predicates. At the end of the book are three appendices for further reference and include literary terms, parts of speech and planning, drafting and proof-reading.

Written by an English teacher, the book is a useful tool without being dogmatic or patronising in its approach. It is a book that belongs to the desk of every person who has to put pen to paper.

-MG

(Macmillan India Ltd, 2/10 Ansari Road, Daryaganj, New Delhi-110002.)