Woe is I: The Grammarphobe's Guide to Better English in Plain English, 3rd Edition

I have been reading a number of grammar, writing, and style books. In my opinion, Patricia T. O’Connor’s Woe is I is a great book and stands out among others. All of us—even those with extensive knowledge of standard English—can benefit from this book.Not only does O’Connor sometimes show her sense of humor and wit, but she is able to reach out to all readers with a simple, helpful, and easy-to-follow style. Instead of using unnecessary grammatical terms, she speaks to her entire audience in layman’s terms, breaking down some of the hard rules and providing helpful pointers to troubleshoot difficult concepts. I found her list about words written both as one word or two words as helpful and useful. (i.e., a while or awhile, all ready or already, every day or everyday).O’Connor’s simple and direct style is not only impressive, but refreshing. In fact, much can be gleaned by all, even readers who may find standard English daunting at times. Overall, I found this book clear, concise, and easy to read and follow.

While I can identify the correct sentence in a multiple choice selection, I can't tell you why it is correct. That tends to make writing somewhat problematic at times.Enter "Woe is I," a first-rate grammar reference book (or read several pages at once). It provides just enough discussion and explanation for things to make sense, while omitting the tedious jargon-filled details that make your eyes cross. Other grammar books assume a level of knowledge of "grammar-speak" that I just don't possess. So if like me, you need your explanations served up in straight-forward English, this is the book for you. Bonus: as other reviews mention, her examples are amusing, making for engaging and entertaining reading as well.What has been valuable to me (so far)? I'm well on my way to losing my apostrophe phobia, I'm beginning to look for excuses to use the "unloved" semicolon, and I have real hope that I may get my verb tenses right - consistently.I bought the hard copy version (only because the third revision Kindle version was not offered at that time), but I now own - and use - both. Yes, it's that kind of book.

The content of the book is helpful and it is fun reading. My only concern is that I plan to use it as a reference book and I feel I'd be better served if I had purchased a hard copy. I'm a new user of e-books. It may be that I just have to become more familiar with using it. I'm finding it difficult to find the subjects I'm referencing.

I was referred to this book by a client and started reading it immediately. It's filled with great information about how grammar has changed, what we should be looking for and staying updated on proper grammar and usage in today's writing. O'Connor's easy-going writing style makes it a quick read with lots of takeaways and I love her undercurrent sense of humor that keeps reading about grammar fun. This could be a really dry subject, but the way it's presented is funny and light and I often found myself chuckling as I read about Tombstones and their related R.I.P. replies.Anyone who is a proofreader, copy editor, writer or blogger could benefit from this quick read. Used as a reference it keeps you on top of changes that others might or might not know. I have it in my Kindle and breeze through it often to remind myself of great grammar usage. And Patricia O'Conner doesn't talk with a thick accent like my college grammar professor did--at times I could barely understand the words coming from his mouth, not the case with this handy reference guide.

This is by far the best book on grammar I've ever read. Many are glorified glossaries (which can be good at times), but Woe is I provides you with information that is presented in a more narrative approach that helps you retain the information. However, the way the book is organized into small chunks within the chapters allows you to go back and find information easily. Don't skip any chapters, even if you think that it might be dull or that you have those concepts down. I almost did. But once I got a few paragraphs in, I found myself continuing on and picking up all kinds of great information along the way.The presentation is also great. O'Conner keeps things from getting dull with her sense of humor.

Whether you are an English teacher or someone who wants to improve your grammar for the fun of it, this a must have book!!

A great gift for everyone who enjoys language. Delivery could have been faster, but was still ok.

Had to reorder. Quality of pages was really bad.

Woe is Iは「be 動詞の補語は主格でなければならない」という規範文法のルールに従ってWoe is me !(ああ悲しきかな)を書き換えたものである。本書の初版は1996年、第2版が2003年、そして第3版が2009年で約6年ごとに改訂版がでているから欧米では人気があるのであろう。最近は英語の変化が激しいのでそれにつれて改訂毎に細かい修正と増補がなされている。たとえば、「単数の(Singular) they」という呼称は初版の索引には登場しないが，第2版では登場し「使用してはいけない」と本文では警告されている。しかし第3版では、Some day the all-purpose they will come backという具合に口調が幾分柔らかくなっている（単数のtheyはチョ－サーの時代には使われていた）。3つの版を比較して読むと英語の多様な変化と規範主義的な見方がそれにつれて変化しているさまが読みとれる。第4版が待ち遠しい。追加情報(第4版について)第4版が出たので早速購入した。随所に改訂が施されてる。単数のthey を見てみると、「今日の英語では下記の用法には何ら問題はない」と述べている。Everybody can eat what they want.Someone left their carry-on in the overhead bin.この用法は「第4版への序」でも取り上げられている。語法に関心のある人には必読の書である。

Il libro l'ho trovato molto scorrevole e interessante e gli esempi usati dall'autore per descrivere i temi trattati tengono viva la lettura.Assolutamente consigliato per chi vuole migliorare nella scrittura inglese poichè tratta di argomenti che per un non madrelingua non sono scontati e/o intuitivi.