The Grouchy Grammarian: A How-Not-To Guide to the 47 Most Common Mistakes in English Made by Journalists, Broadcasters, and Others Who Should Know Better

Product Description:
Do you commit apostrophe atrocities? Are you tormented by the lie/lay conundrum? Do you find yourself stuck between floaters and danglers? Do your subjects and your verbs refuse to agree? If so, you’re not alone. Some of the most prominent professionals in TV broadcasting and at major newspapers and magazines–people who really should know better–are guilty of making all-too-common grammatical errors. In this delightfully amusing, clever guide, Thomas Parrish points out real-life grammar gaffes from top-notch publications such as the New York Times and the New Yorker to illustrate just how widespread these errors are. With red pen in hand, Parrish’s fictional friend the Grouchy Grammarian leads the charge, examining the forty-seven most common mistakes in English and imparting the basics of good grammar with a charming mixture of fussiness and common sense. All of which makes The Grouchy Grammarian the most entertaining, accessible how-not-to guide you’ll ever read.

Dusting off cobwebs 
Very particular. Sometimes I didn't understand the point the author was trying to make. I guess I need that. Good explanations.

Great resource! 
This is a great quick guide to some of the trickiest rules of English grammar. I recommend it for high school and college students and anyone who has to write in their profession!

Grouchy Buyer 
I thought this book would have been a fun-filled, easily understood education in grammar. Instead, it has turned out to be a waste of my time, money and will be useless to me as a teacher. Mr. Parrish's presentation of the subject is done in such a way that one has to read and reread to get what he is attempting to say. This is not a good resource tool for those in search of such...

A passionate guide on how-not-to write. 
In "The Grouchy Grammarian," historian and long-time editor Thomas Parrish offers an easy-to-read, informational, entertaining and blithesome reference filled with advice on how to avoid 47 of the most common mistakes in English grammar.
Each topic is covered in a short chapter with a handy summary at the end for quick check-ups, and each is humorously presented through the point of view of the author's alter ego, The Grouch, a clever, witty, and very opinionated fictional curmudgeon who is a self-proclaimed guardian of grammar and calls errors "infelicities to be corrected."
Not only will The Grouch teach you the rules of grammar, usage and good writing, reinforcing his point by ruthlessly citing real-life examples of grammatical gaffes, careless errors, and basic mistakes taken from the blunders of some of today's best-known newspapers, magazines, and TV broadcasts, he will also make your learning experience enjoyable by having you laugh, chuckle or at least smile at his passionate remarks and his quixotic personality.
As a bonus, for those who wish to go deeper into the subject, the book includes a vast bibliography, and a thorough index for quick consultations.
Overall, this is an excellent resource that combines narrative and reference to help you learn or review the elements of precise writing that are most often forgotten, also throwing in for good measure some general and common sense advice on writing.
--Reviewed by M. E. Volmar

Like a well-furnished room... 
At one point, author Thomas Parrish's persnickety friend, the grammar hawk referred to in the title, likens a well-constructed sentence to an automobile engine. Others may prefer Parrish's own analogy of a well-furnished room. Automobile engines suggest a highly specialized knowledge, something intimidating for those without vocational training. Pretty much anybody can set up a room that looks nice, however, and enjoy the results. A well-furnished room is a room that has everything one might need while seeming empty and spacious. Likewise, good prose has the feel not of something dense or impenetrable, but of something easy to apprehend quickly and digest. Parrish assumes the persona of a reasonable go-between, someone moves easily between the grammatically-challenged and the scowling figure, imagined yet feared, of the lexical inquisitor. The book is entertaining and reduces a lot of the mystery of grammatical usage. I keep a copy of it, along with my Strunk & White, right on my desk.