Who says grammar can't be fun? Tom Parrish's beautifully-written, light-hearted and easy-reading guide to frequent faux pas is a worthwhile romp through frequent gaffes in style. Parrish's engaging primer on verbal correctness is a gem.

If you've ever struggled with the proper placement of an apostrophe, or the usage of "lie" or "lay", or the difference between "compliment" and "complement", this book is for you. Most English-speaking people can't speak English. Perhaps they slept through every single English class they took. Perhaps they just don't care. It's written in a very humorous, readable style that will keep you interested rather than putting you to sleep. And with all the examples of atrocious grammatical errors, it will show people just how ridiculous they sound when they can't be bothered to get it right. Every chapter has something in it that will at least get a giggle out of you. I found it especially amusing after reading his numerous bashings of editors and proofreaders, to find that his own proofreader apparently wasn't paying too much attention on page 131. This book should be required reading for anyone who speaks English and for those that only think they do. Read it, learn it, and apply it. If it doesn't actually make you smarter, at least it will make you sound smarter.

Contrary to the title, this book is not some esoteric grammar book. It it a way to help you express your thoughts in writing and speech without redundancy or embarassing common errors. The writer is very reasonable and modern, not some old man just complaining about the demise of proper English, but someone truly attempting to help journalists, broadcatsers, and everyone avoid some of the simplest, but most common, mistakes made. You will also enjoy the humorous examples from the AP and New York Times.P.S.: slightly short on correct examples or full explanations sometimes, but still a 5 STAR BOOK and a MUST-READ for anyone

"The Grouchy Grammarian" is not a grouchy book. Parrish's fictional curmudgeon limits his irritation to public figures and national media outlets for spreading grammatical errors and "infelicities" throughout the populace. Parrish constructively channels his alter-ego's concerns, and the result is enlightening rather than chastening. Among usage guides, this one is particularly helpful for three reasons:1) Each topic is covered in a short chapter, and each chapter ends with a summary so you can learn a lot quickly.2) Parrish includes a thorough index, and a thoughtful annotated bibliography of guides to language, writing and usage.3) Parrish clearly explains why usage glitches are glitches. Now that I understand what NOT to do, I don't have to laboriously memorize rules about what to do. Rote memorization of grammar rules never worked for me--I resemble the student in "Up the Down Staircase" who complains that "semicolons don't stick to my head."I wish all people who worry about "weak", "watery" assaults upon English had mediators like Parrish to absorb their ire and deftly convey their championship and knowledge of precise language.

This book purports to be a "how-not-to" guide to errors in writing and speaking, but could just as easily be written in list form. While the author highlights a number of errors we should all try to avoid, the book is short on grammar rules. In fact, chapters in which a grammar rule is stated outright are few and far between. Moreover, quite a few of the chapters are on very petty "mistakes," which other works, such as The Merriam-Webster Dictionary of English Usage, do not treat as errors. As it is, the book comes across more as a rant against people who do not speak and write as "the grouchy grammarian" speaks and writes, and his style is seemingly quite terse.Still, the book should be required reading for all English and journalism majors in colleges and those people already working in related fields. A good grammar book and a dictionary of English usage would be complementary.