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The Big Ten of Grammar: Identifying and Fixing the Ten Most Frequent Grammatical Errors
Identifies ten common errors in English grammar, including troublesome verbs, commas between adjectives, and misusing "I" and "Me."
135 pages, Hardcover
First published July 6, 2010
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April 24, 2018Lots of examples, dry
August 2, 2010
Rules and conventions that enable effective communication are important.
In this slender book, Dr William Bradshaw has identified what he considers to be the ten most common errors in English grammar and helps the reader to recognise and correct these mistakes. Dr Bradshaw’s ‘big ten’ include:
• Misusing ‘I’ and ‘me’
• Misusing the apostrophe
• The difference between ‘less’ and ‘fewer’
• The use of commas and semicolons in a series
• Those troublesome verbs – ‘lie’, ‘lay’, ’laid’, ‘lain’.
Dr Bradshaw notes that a couple of the grammatical rules identified are different for the United States than they are in the UK (and for Australia where the UK traditions generally are followed). Two of these differences relate to the use of quotation marks, and the use of ‘that and ‘which’. Most of the points made by Dr Bradshaw apply universally, and would be of value to each of us striving to communicate effectively in English.
I especially like two aspects of this book: the use of multiple examples to exemplify the points being paid; and the bonus section which includes a comprehensive list of commonly used verbs and their principle parts.
I enjoyed reading this book, and learned a number of things from it. I’d prefer, though, to refer to issues such as the use of quotation marks and other punctuation as stylistic conventions rather than grammatical rules but that is a very minor quibble. Consistency and clarity are of primary importance. It is well over forty years since I learned English grammar at school, and not all of the rules I learned then are still observed. As Dr Bradshaw observes, the rules of grammar (along with other aspects of language) undergo transition.
I’m keeping this book on my shelf so I can refer to the bonus section when necessary.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
In this slender book, Dr William Bradshaw has identified what he considers to be the ten most common errors in English grammar and helps the reader to recognise and correct these mistakes. Dr Bradshaw’s ‘big ten’ include:
• Misusing ‘I’ and ‘me’
• Misusing the apostrophe
• The difference between ‘less’ and ‘fewer’
• The use of commas and semicolons in a series
• Those troublesome verbs – ‘lie’, ‘lay’, ’laid’, ‘lain’.
Dr Bradshaw notes that a couple of the grammatical rules identified are different for the United States than they are in the UK (and for Australia where the UK traditions generally are followed). Two of these differences relate to the use of quotation marks, and the use of ‘that and ‘which’. Most of the points made by Dr Bradshaw apply universally, and would be of value to each of us striving to communicate effectively in English.
I especially like two aspects of this book: the use of multiple examples to exemplify the points being paid; and the bonus section which includes a comprehensive list of commonly used verbs and their principle parts.
I enjoyed reading this book, and learned a number of things from it. I’d prefer, though, to refer to issues such as the use of quotation marks and other punctuation as stylistic conventions rather than grammatical rules but that is a very minor quibble. Consistency and clarity are of primary importance. It is well over forty years since I learned English grammar at school, and not all of the rules I learned then are still observed. As Dr Bradshaw observes, the rules of grammar (along with other aspects of language) undergo transition.
I’m keeping this book on my shelf so I can refer to the bonus section when necessary.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
May 18, 2018
This brief refresher course to how to avoid making the ten grammatical errors that, in the opinion of the author, are the most frequently made and the most obvious provides an informative guide to how you can start to improve your grasp of the written language. Such errors, Dr. William B. Bradshaw finds, are widespread across the media, appearing in advertisements, in movie and TV scripts, on websites, in news broadcasts and articles, as well as elsewhere in both private and public parlance. Dr. Bradshaw states: “My goal in writing this book has been…to provide a practical, easy-to-use, and trustworthy resource that the average person will find understandable and helpful when brushing up on English grammar.” Practicing good grammar, the author believes, can put one ahead in the business and social field, helping to give you the self-confidence to become a better speaker
and communicator.
Throughout the work, Dr. Bradshaw provides examples of correct and incorrect grammar, so that one can clearly see how to implement the rules that he prescribes. In addition to the ten chapters that deal with the most common errors that people tend to make, the author provides a bonus section that covers exceptions to the general rules of grammar, and unusual and complex usage of grammar facing us on a daily basis.
In a perfect position to have written such a book, Dr. Bradshaw earned his Ph.D. under the instruction of Dr. Matthew Black, principal of St. Mary’s College at the University of St. Andrews, who was rigorous in the attention that he paid to grammatical correctness. Dr. Bradshaw himself is a firm adherent to the principles laid out in The Chicago Manual of Style: The Essential Guide for Writers, Editors, and Publishers.
Useful for anyone who has a keen interest in improving the correctness of the language that they speak and write, The Big Ten of Grammar: Identifying and Fixing the Ten Most Frequent Grammatical Errors makes an ideal volume to be kept by one’s side wherever one works, and should be acquired by all libraries, whether public or private collections.
and communicator.
Throughout the work, Dr. Bradshaw provides examples of correct and incorrect grammar, so that one can clearly see how to implement the rules that he prescribes. In addition to the ten chapters that deal with the most common errors that people tend to make, the author provides a bonus section that covers exceptions to the general rules of grammar, and unusual and complex usage of grammar facing us on a daily basis.
In a perfect position to have written such a book, Dr. Bradshaw earned his Ph.D. under the instruction of Dr. Matthew Black, principal of St. Mary’s College at the University of St. Andrews, who was rigorous in the attention that he paid to grammatical correctness. Dr. Bradshaw himself is a firm adherent to the principles laid out in The Chicago Manual of Style: The Essential Guide for Writers, Editors, and Publishers.
Useful for anyone who has a keen interest in improving the correctness of the language that they speak and write, The Big Ten of Grammar: Identifying and Fixing the Ten Most Frequent Grammatical Errors makes an ideal volume to be kept by one’s side wherever one works, and should be acquired by all libraries, whether public or private collections.
September 17, 2025
Everyone that is concerned with grammar should read this book.
October 6, 2010
When I was contacted by a publicist if I wanted to review The Big Ten of Grammar by William B. Bradshaw, I jumped at the chance because what better way to improve my writing than to read more about grammar and identify the errors which I might have made over the years?
Even with less than 150 pages, this book covered almost everything from the basic right down to identifying and fixing the most frequent grammatical errors we may have made unknowingly (e.g. How to use "I" or "me"; what's the difference between "who" and "whom", etc). But that is not all, this book also covered punctuation such as how should we use commas; do they go before or after the quotation marks, and many more. I also liked it that there are examples to show us both the incorrect and correct usages of grammar as well as stating some simple rules to remember.
I don't find it at all dry and boring while reading this book and in fact, I quite enjoyed the simple explanations offered by the author and wondered how easy it would be for my learning back during my old school days to have our textbooks written like that. However, it is never too late to learn, especially in these days when we mostly communicate via online more than the traditional letter writing method and very often the words are cut short for the sake of convenience as well as speed and in the long run, this would badly affect our grammar.
All in all, I think everyone would benefit from reading this handbook. Because the size of the book is light and easy to carry around, I can always put it in my handbag and refer to it whenever necessary.
Even with less than 150 pages, this book covered almost everything from the basic right down to identifying and fixing the most frequent grammatical errors we may have made unknowingly (e.g. How to use "I" or "me"; what's the difference between "who" and "whom", etc). But that is not all, this book also covered punctuation such as how should we use commas; do they go before or after the quotation marks, and many more. I also liked it that there are examples to show us both the incorrect and correct usages of grammar as well as stating some simple rules to remember.
I don't find it at all dry and boring while reading this book and in fact, I quite enjoyed the simple explanations offered by the author and wondered how easy it would be for my learning back during my old school days to have our textbooks written like that. However, it is never too late to learn, especially in these days when we mostly communicate via online more than the traditional letter writing method and very often the words are cut short for the sake of convenience as well as speed and in the long run, this would badly affect our grammar.
All in all, I think everyone would benefit from reading this handbook. Because the size of the book is light and easy to carry around, I can always put it in my handbag and refer to it whenever necessary.
August 2, 2010
I started to read this book and then I began to freak out. I apparently don't remember anything from school about grammar! I am appalled at some of the things I have been doing with my writing and such, this book makes me want to do better. As with anything else, it will take practice.
Seeing as this book is non-fiction and informational in nature I can't particularly go into detail about character and plot but I can describe a bit about what you might find inside this book's pages. I do have to say I wish the author could have found a more fun way of explaining his subject matter but we get what we get and the author's presentation of the information was slow and hard for me to plug through. On the other hand, there are great examples of errors and great ways to help yourself catch your grammatical blunders before you make them. There are also excellent introduction and conclusion chapters in this book, very good!
Inside you will find excellent examples of correct/incorrect punctuation and grammatical errors. The one I have the most trouble with I would say is the pronouns (him, her, his, hers, etc). I read through the entire book but of course I was unable to retain every detail so I am going to separate the chapters per week, for ten weeks and then focus on one grammatical blunder each week. Then practice, practice, practice.
Seeing as this book is non-fiction and informational in nature I can't particularly go into detail about character and plot but I can describe a bit about what you might find inside this book's pages. I do have to say I wish the author could have found a more fun way of explaining his subject matter but we get what we get and the author's presentation of the information was slow and hard for me to plug through. On the other hand, there are great examples of errors and great ways to help yourself catch your grammatical blunders before you make them. There are also excellent introduction and conclusion chapters in this book, very good!
Inside you will find excellent examples of correct/incorrect punctuation and grammatical errors. The one I have the most trouble with I would say is the pronouns (him, her, his, hers, etc). I read through the entire book but of course I was unable to retain every detail so I am going to separate the chapters per week, for ten weeks and then focus on one grammatical blunder each week. Then practice, practice, practice.
November 30, 2013
A decent review of some basic grammar. It does what it says and does it quickly. It felt less like a book than a fattened pamphlet; I read it on my Kindle, so I'm not sure how many of your human pages it takes up in print, but it felt like it barely limped past 100 pages. I was glad to see that most of my pet peeves were discussed in the book, albeit sometimes in the appendix rather than the titular Top Ten.
The book occupies a weird tonal space, though, where it is neither academic nor whimsical. Rather than delve into the nuts and bolts of grammar, the book focuses on simple tricks to remember proper grammar (or spot bad grammar). No discussion of the pluperfect subjunctive here! But while being less formal in tone, the book doesn't really try to entertain. Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation it is not. More than anything, the book will serve as a handy companion, a quick reference to keep by the typewriter. People still use those, right?
The book occupies a weird tonal space, though, where it is neither academic nor whimsical. Rather than delve into the nuts and bolts of grammar, the book focuses on simple tricks to remember proper grammar (or spot bad grammar). No discussion of the pluperfect subjunctive here! But while being less formal in tone, the book doesn't really try to entertain. Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation it is not. More than anything, the book will serve as a handy companion, a quick reference to keep by the typewriter. People still use those, right?
September 12, 2016
The grammatical errors in this book were well explained and illustrated with plenty of examples.
My complaints would be that it illustrated the points to death as part of the author's strategy to help the readers be able to hear the correct grammar.
The second complaint is that a few of the grammatical errors are so widespread that the grammar should probably be changed to reflect usage.
My complaints would be that it illustrated the points to death as part of the author's strategy to help the readers be able to hear the correct grammar.
The second complaint is that a few of the grammatical errors are so widespread that the grammar should probably be changed to reflect usage.
August 12, 2011
Well written, easy-to-follow, and informative, William B. Bradshaw’s The Big Ten of Grammar is a great addition to my work book shelf. To read this review in its entirety, please visit http://thereadersroundtable.com/nonfi...
January 22, 2013
Very informative.
August 30, 2013
Sometimes too many examples, but he did explain some things *I* get confused about!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews