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Adams 101
Grammar 101: From Split Infinitives to Dangling Participles, an Essential Guide to Understanding Grammar
Learn the rules of the English language with this easy and engaging style guide.
Grammar is complicated. But many textbooks and style guides are often so long and tedious that even English teachers use them as a classroom doorstop.
Grammar 101 is a fun, comprehensive guide focusing on the essentials of grammar. With simple explanations and entertaining examples, you can learn everything you need to know to employ commas, semicolons, and em dashes with confidence. You’ll even be prepared to wrangle your run-on sentences and sharpen your syntax with ease.
So whether you’re looking for an introduction to the rules of grammar or a refresher to keep on your desk, Grammar 101 has all the answers.
Grammar is complicated. But many textbooks and style guides are often so long and tedious that even English teachers use them as a classroom doorstop.
Grammar 101 is a fun, comprehensive guide focusing on the essentials of grammar. With simple explanations and entertaining examples, you can learn everything you need to know to employ commas, semicolons, and em dashes with confidence. You’ll even be prepared to wrangle your run-on sentences and sharpen your syntax with ease.
So whether you’re looking for an introduction to the rules of grammar or a refresher to keep on your desk, Grammar 101 has all the answers.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2017
233 people are currently reading
629 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 27, 2018
This was a solid reference book on grammar. I went through each chapter, example, and table, leaving nothing to waste. The book is about 280 pages, in hardcover portable size, and will be referred to frequently due to its logical construction.
December 18, 2018
Great and solid books as reference if you already have some knowledge in english and to understand more as this books only provide minimum example. I haven't read this till the end but i want to keep this books on my side as referenced books in the future.
March 24, 2019
Easy to understand.
Fast read.
Great for anyone wanting to brush up on theie grammar and even for those wanting to learn English.
Fast read.
Great for anyone wanting to brush up on theie grammar and even for those wanting to learn English.
August 25, 2020
A good book that explains English grammar in a simple and an easy manner. The book focuses in modern spoken and written English language.
January 7, 2026
Put bluntly, it is pretty ridiculous how poorly written this book is. Not even because the explanations are unclear (which some are, but some aren’t), but because the writing itself fails to use, and actively contradicts, the very rules it espouses. I had to DNF at page 77 because I got VERY worked up and no longer trusted what I was reading.
I’ll just show you through quoted examples why I feel this book needs to be avoided by those looking to learn about grammar.
———
On page 77, prior to providing a list, the ensuing quote is a standalone fragment following a full sentence - “For example:”
Three pages earlier on page 74, the following was said about colon usage - “You should never use a colon after a sentence fragment.”
And, in that same section of page 74, “For example,” in the same EXACT situation and context as on page 77, is followed by a comma and not a colon.
———
On page 69, the author states that commas are used after introductory words where “you can understand the sentence without them.”
In that case, why isn’t there a comma after ‘often’ in this sentence on page 77?
“Often semicolons are used with conjunctive adverbs and other transitional words or phrases…”
If you take ‘often’ out of that sentence, the meaning remains exactly the same.
Also, care to define conjunctive adverb? The book is titled Grammar 101 and is obviously geared towards beginners. Do you expect them to know what a conjunctive adverb is without a Google search?
This book claims to be a primer for reintroduction into grammar, as the introduction on page 8 cites this as a good “refresher on what you learned in high school or college” - but in that regard it fails its mission.
———
Page 60 - Apostrophes: Guideline 2
“When you have plural nouns than end in -s (and most do) add an apostrophe after the final -s”
Guidelines 1 and 3 specifically refer to the use of apostrophes in examples of possession, but Guideline 2 fails to reinforce that this SOLEY applies to instances of possession. That omission is a glaring inadequacy that invites confusion for readers taking each guideline at face value.
———
Page 67 - Comma Rules: Commas with Compound Sentences
“If you have a sentence with a compound verb, don’t put a comma between the verbs”
Does a layperson intuitively know that “needed to get” in the subsequent example is a compound verb? Will they be able to discern the rule from the example? If the book was well written, there wouldn’t be any confusion nor need to Google search ‘compound verb’ to understand the concepts discussed.
This is a common inadequacy in this book where parts of speech are discussed without confirmatory definitions. ‘Noun’ may not need a definition, but compound verb, subject/object, antecedent, etc. need these definitions particularly since Grammar 101 is, once again, obviously marketed towards grammar beginners who don’t know what we’re talking about. Layer in the irony that ‘verb’ is defined on page 24, one of the only words that DOESN’T need a definition!
———
Page 29 - Formatting error where the bullets for two separate examples are not separated by an empty line, but all other bullets in the list (which spans multiple pages) are separated by empty lines.
———
I honestly find it disturbing that the examples I listed above were not caught by an editor. I found myself aware of these issues starting on page 60 and immediately found enough errors to fill this review, only looking back to find the formatting error on page 29 because I remembered it. At the very least these errors more than erode, they completely shatter the author’s claim to authority over the very precise discipline of grammar - hence my harsh rating.
0/10
I’ll just show you through quoted examples why I feel this book needs to be avoided by those looking to learn about grammar.
———
On page 77, prior to providing a list, the ensuing quote is a standalone fragment following a full sentence - “For example:”
Three pages earlier on page 74, the following was said about colon usage - “You should never use a colon after a sentence fragment.”
And, in that same section of page 74, “For example,” in the same EXACT situation and context as on page 77, is followed by a comma and not a colon.
———
On page 69, the author states that commas are used after introductory words where “you can understand the sentence without them.”
In that case, why isn’t there a comma after ‘often’ in this sentence on page 77?
“Often semicolons are used with conjunctive adverbs and other transitional words or phrases…”
If you take ‘often’ out of that sentence, the meaning remains exactly the same.
Also, care to define conjunctive adverb? The book is titled Grammar 101 and is obviously geared towards beginners. Do you expect them to know what a conjunctive adverb is without a Google search?
This book claims to be a primer for reintroduction into grammar, as the introduction on page 8 cites this as a good “refresher on what you learned in high school or college” - but in that regard it fails its mission.
———
Page 60 - Apostrophes: Guideline 2
“When you have plural nouns than end in -s (and most do) add an apostrophe after the final -s”
Guidelines 1 and 3 specifically refer to the use of apostrophes in examples of possession, but Guideline 2 fails to reinforce that this SOLEY applies to instances of possession. That omission is a glaring inadequacy that invites confusion for readers taking each guideline at face value.
———
Page 67 - Comma Rules: Commas with Compound Sentences
“If you have a sentence with a compound verb, don’t put a comma between the verbs”
Does a layperson intuitively know that “needed to get” in the subsequent example is a compound verb? Will they be able to discern the rule from the example? If the book was well written, there wouldn’t be any confusion nor need to Google search ‘compound verb’ to understand the concepts discussed.
This is a common inadequacy in this book where parts of speech are discussed without confirmatory definitions. ‘Noun’ may not need a definition, but compound verb, subject/object, antecedent, etc. need these definitions particularly since Grammar 101 is, once again, obviously marketed towards grammar beginners who don’t know what we’re talking about. Layer in the irony that ‘verb’ is defined on page 24, one of the only words that DOESN’T need a definition!
———
Page 29 - Formatting error where the bullets for two separate examples are not separated by an empty line, but all other bullets in the list (which spans multiple pages) are separated by empty lines.
———
I honestly find it disturbing that the examples I listed above were not caught by an editor. I found myself aware of these issues starting on page 60 and immediately found enough errors to fill this review, only looking back to find the formatting error on page 29 because I remembered it. At the very least these errors more than erode, they completely shatter the author’s claim to authority over the very precise discipline of grammar - hence my harsh rating.
0/10
February 4, 2023
I had to read the basics once again in time for my law school exam. I loved it! The book covered all the basics, and it helped me to correct the things that I've been doing wrong for years. I find myself laughing out loud at times with the author's humor. It keeps me engaged after all.
September 24, 2023
Essential reference to own
Buy
Buy
December 28, 2023
Surprisingly readable reference/textbook.
November 11, 2025
This marks my 2nd Adams 101 series book, with the curious and diverse Kathleen Sears penning this book. Sears has written quite a few books in the 101 series, with the other titles including Socialism, Mythology, Astrology, American Government, and U.S. History. In this title, she gives a pretty decent reference guide to English grammar, with chapters including parts of speech, spelling, punctuation marks, and common mistakes in grammar.
I picked this book up to improve and refine my grammatical abilities, as I write often in the realms of poetry and academic essays. This book, perhaps due to its subject matter, excels as a reference guide and was an enjoyable, and at times, surprising read. For instance, I finally learned the correct usage of the object pronoun that is "whom", as well as the fact that "alot" is not an actual word. This guide far outshines the Philosophy 101 book, and as previously stated, this could be due to the subject material at hand.
I picked this book up to improve and refine my grammatical abilities, as I write often in the realms of poetry and academic essays. This book, perhaps due to its subject matter, excels as a reference guide and was an enjoyable, and at times, surprising read. For instance, I finally learned the correct usage of the object pronoun that is "whom", as well as the fact that "alot" is not an actual word. This guide far outshines the Philosophy 101 book, and as previously stated, this could be due to the subject material at hand.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews