Grammar Snobs Are Great Big Meanies: A Guide to Language for Fun and Spite | 
 enlarge | Author: June Casagrande
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Category: Book
List Price: $14.00
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Avg. Customer Rating:  23 reviews
Sales Rank: 314243
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 224
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 6.9 x 4.8 x 0.7
ISBN: 0143036831
Dewey Decimal Number: 428.00207
EAN: 9780143036838
ASIN: 0143036831
Publication Date: March 28, 2006
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Product Description
The antidote to Eats, Shoots and Leavesan uproarious and very American language book for those who are tired of getting pulled over by the grammar police
What do suicidal pandas, doped-up rock stars, and a naked Pamela Anderson have in common? Theyre all a heck of a lot more interesting than reading about predicate nominatives and hyphens. June Casagrande knows this and has invented a whole new twist on the grammar book. Grammar Snobs Are Great Big Meanies is a laugh-out-loud funny collection of anecdotes and essays on grammar and punctuation, as well as hilarious critiques of the self-appointed language experts.
Chapters include:
Im Writing This While NakedThe Oh-So Steamy Predicate Nominative
SemicolonoscopyColons, Semicolons, Dashes, and Other Probing Annoyances
Ill Take I Feel Like a Moron for $200, AlexWhen to Put Punctuation Inside Quotation Marks
Snobbery Up with Which You Should Not Put UpPrepositions
Is That a Dangler in Your Memo or Are You Just Glad to See Me?
HyphensLife-Sucking, Mom-and-Apple-Pie-Hating, Mime-Loving, Nerd- Fight-Inciting Daggers of the Damned
Casagrande delivers practical and fun language lessons not found anywhere else, demystifying the subject and taking it back from the snobs. In short, its a grammar book people will actually want to readjust for the fun of it.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 18 more reviews...
 Fun. July 18, 2008
June Casagrande, Grammar Snobs Are Great Big Meanies (Penguin, 2006)
The first thing that really struck me about this book is that Casagrande either misread, or deliberately distorted, Lynne Truss' take on the Oxford comma. After that, I started viewing the book with a great deal of skepticism. But even with a grain (or an entire lick) of salt, Grammar Snobs Are Great Big Meanies is a fun, and worthwhile, read. Just ignore Casagrande's swipes at Lynne Truss (or, better yet, read Eats, Shoots & Leaves to get the primary source; Truss is quite in favor of the Oxford comma, as everyone should be).
Casagrande, being American (Truss is English), will probably ring truer for American readers than Truss does, since she's much more closely acquainted with the foibles of grammar particular to the American version of the language. We just do a lot of weird stuff here that they don't do in England, and so Truss never addresses things like the basic idiocy of having two distinct (and often conflicting) grammatical standards for books and newspapers. Casagrande tears into them with all the fervor of a pit bull with a juicy porterhouse, and the resulting output is satisfying, in a vicarious sort of way.
If you're a fan of grammar books, this one's worth your time, as long as you question what you're seeing whenever it seems appropriate. ***
 Great Read July 30, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
While reading Grammar Snobs I kept wondering if it was healthy to be laughing this much at a book on grammar. I read the book in one sitting (excluding 15-minutes to walk the dog and another 5-minutes hiding from a door-to-door salesperson) and it has to be one of the most user friendly books I've ever encountered when it comes to grammar. In addition. Casagrande may be the first author I've encountered who doesn't immediately disparage modern "netspeak" or attempts at countering racism and sexism in language. A great read for anyone looking to brush up on their grammar or to become better familiarized with writing.
 Usage not Grammar June 17, 2007
1 out of 6 found this review helpful
This is a usage guide, not a grammar guide.
Grammar snobs beware! May 25, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I'm not an English major or teacher, but an engineer who occasionally writes technical and marketing literature. Although I've always had a keen grasp of tricky English rules and exceptions, at times I still fumble with such details as "which" vs. "that" and "three" vs. "3". I thought this book was hilarious and a fun way to learn the tricky rules. I usually have a very short attention span when reading any type of rule book. However, June's short and humorous chapters made this book easy to read. Besides the definite grammar rules, the best thing I got from this book is learning that, in many cases, there are no definite rules. The major sources of English reference disagree with each other, and the rules change over time. This quickly put my mind at ease as I often thought I was going crazy when reading different writing styles. I highly recommend this book for anyone who does any kind of writing for a living.
You must be a grammar snob if you gave this less than 4 stars! May 1, 2007
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
This book is hysterical! I (or is it me?) and most of my friends are at a loss when it comes to correct punctuation and grammar. We know most of it but, gosh darn if it isn't sometimes way too tricky! And we thought we were the only ones!! I personally cringe at the thought of using the words lie, lain, lay or whatever the heck it is and opt for something else.
While I did pick up some useful tips, I think the way in which she handles this topic is "right on" for so many of us. Her information is serious and yet delivered with such humor and ease, that I actually found myself recommending this book to others. And who, except a small group of grammar snobs, EVER recommends a grammar book to a friend??!!
Lighten up and enjoy the humor!
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