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Practical Grammar: A Canadian Writer's Resource
Practical A Canadian Writers' Resource demonstrates how learning the basics of grammar can improve the effectiveness of students' writing. It includes easy-to-understand explanations of important grammatical concepts, expert advice on how to avoid common problems, and a variety of helpful tips to improve writing style.
238 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
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June 1, 2012Wow amazingly instructive and full of things I wasn't able to learn in either high school or elementary.
September 13, 2022
This is a clearly written, well-constructed, interesting book on grammar that has lots of exercises to use to test your learning along the way. In addition to grammar instruction, it also includes a couple of chapters on writing well and on style and documentation.
I highly recommend it for those who want to brush up on their grammar and improve their writing. I referenced it a lot while I was taking a six-week grammar course, even though it wasn't a text for the course.
I highly recommend it for those who want to brush up on their grammar and improve their writing. I referenced it a lot while I was taking a six-week grammar course, even though it wasn't a text for the course.
August 2, 2017
This book is very clear and easy to work through. I know I will refer to it whenever I have a grammar question.
December 31, 2023
A clear and excellent resource for all things grammar. I'm glad to have such a comprehensive resource specific to Canada and all our weird language eccentricities.
February 17, 2013
This is a great resource for anyone who wants a clearer understanding of English grammar. It also includes helpful general tips on researching, writing, and citing sources.
This book is very well organized. Its chapters are thematic, working logically from the parts of speech and through syntax to punctuation before wrapping up with the final chapters and writing, style, and citations. The writing is clear and accessible without being patronizing, and the explanations are plain and thorough. Each grammar section concludes with helpful exercises, and it's easy to quickly verify your answers with the answer keys at the end of the book. Ruvinsky concisely and logically describes both basic and complex rules—so it's a useful book for beginners and experts alike. You can read it cover to cover, and it has a pleasing continuity when you read it this way, but it's also well indexed and works as an effective reference book to have if you're ever unsure about a specific grammatical point.
But despite these considerable strengths, like most grammar guides this book sometimes falsely presents an absolute rule for situations that can actually be treated in different ways. It only tangentially acknowledges the different practices of major style guides, and it sometimes explains one practice as the only solution even when the issue is contentious just in Canada—not to mention internationally. Of course, this is "a Canadian's writer's resource," and it makes sense to focus on Canadian conventions, but when so many Canadian writers work for companies beyond our borders, it isn't helpful not to mention that there are international alternatives. And while the intended audience for Ruvinsky's guide is writers rather than editors, it isn't helpful to treat variant practices as absolute grammatical rules. If not for this tendency, I would have given the guide five stars.
All in all, though, I definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in English grammar and writing.
This book is very well organized. Its chapters are thematic, working logically from the parts of speech and through syntax to punctuation before wrapping up with the final chapters and writing, style, and citations. The writing is clear and accessible without being patronizing, and the explanations are plain and thorough. Each grammar section concludes with helpful exercises, and it's easy to quickly verify your answers with the answer keys at the end of the book. Ruvinsky concisely and logically describes both basic and complex rules—so it's a useful book for beginners and experts alike. You can read it cover to cover, and it has a pleasing continuity when you read it this way, but it's also well indexed and works as an effective reference book to have if you're ever unsure about a specific grammatical point.
But despite these considerable strengths, like most grammar guides this book sometimes falsely presents an absolute rule for situations that can actually be treated in different ways. It only tangentially acknowledges the different practices of major style guides, and it sometimes explains one practice as the only solution even when the issue is contentious just in Canada—not to mention internationally. Of course, this is "a Canadian's writer's resource," and it makes sense to focus on Canadian conventions, but when so many Canadian writers work for companies beyond our borders, it isn't helpful not to mention that there are international alternatives. And while the intended audience for Ruvinsky's guide is writers rather than editors, it isn't helpful to treat variant practices as absolute grammatical rules. If not for this tendency, I would have given the guide five stars.
All in all, though, I definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in English grammar and writing.
December 19, 2019
Along with Ruvinsky's _Practical Writing_, this book is particularly good for first year university students who still have difficulty with basic grammar concepts and principles. I would recommend her books to all who teach writing at this level.
November 29, 2013
This book really helped me make sense of grammar and all of its nasty tricks.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews