By Marian Anders
Aviary Publishers
www.aviarypublishers.com
PO Box 46239
Raleigh, NC 27620-6239
919-331-0003
Did you never learn the rules of grammar in school? Or were you taught grammar but, like me, forgot much of what you learned? Do you have a child who needs to brush up on grammar? If so, My
Dog Bites the English Teacher: Practical Grammar Made Quick and Easy might just be the perfect book for you or your child.
My Dog Bites the English Teacher is a 200-page book that teaches grammar quickly and efficiently. The author, Marian Anders, states "ninety-five percent of the grammar that you need to know for writing is straightforward and relatively easy. That's the focus of this book." The main content of the book is divided into ten chapters. To make the book user friendly, Chapter 1 is "essential information" (teaches subjects and verbs), and the importance of the information in the remaining chapters diminishes, so Chapter 10 is "only for grammar lovers" (teaches gerunds, clause patterns, and other advanced grammar). The chapters in between cover phrases, independent and dependent clauses, fragments, comma splices, run-ons, punctuation, capitalization, case and agreement, homophones, passive versus active voice, and more.
The grammar concepts are presented in an easy-to-understand style, with several examples and explanations. When reading the book, I felt like Ms. Anders was in the room with me, teaching and explaining the grammar I'd long since forgotten. Throughout the text, there are gray "Getting Tricky" boxes that point the reader to more advance concepts in the book. For example, when the word "playing" isn't the verb in a sample sentence, the "Getting Tricky" box lets the reader know that it is a direct object and gerund and gives the page numbers for explanations of these topics. There are practice exercises throughout the text, and Chapter 11 contains additional practice for all of the grammar concepts taught in the book. Answers for all exercises are provided in the back of the book, along with an index and quick reference chart.
I've really enjoyed My Dog Bites the English Teacher. There are tips and tricks throughout the book that will be helpful for me when I teach my sons grammar, and it will also helpful for explaining corrections that need to be made to my sons' writing assignments. I'm sure we'll pull this book off the shelf quite often in the years to come when we can't quite remember a grammar concept. At $14.95, this book is a bargain, and I highly recommend it.
Product review by Courtney Larson, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, June 2010
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