Let’s Party with Fogarty: Grammar That Is Actually Fun

 Let’s Party with Fogarty:
Grammar That Is Actually Fun

            Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing, a New York Times bestseller, to find these two helpful animals and advance your English skill level.

Within my lifetime, the best writing teachers I have found so far are no other than a little, yellow snail named Squiggly and a friendly, blue creature named Aardvark. These two magical beings of extreme grammatical powers are able to transform anyone, even those who have few English skills, into super writing machines. Just open up Mignon Fogarty’s

            Fogarty, also known as Grammar Girl, is the creator of not only the number one grammar podcast in the United States, but also is the author of a book that is filled with hundreds of useful language rules, grammar hints, and writing tips. Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing is an informative manual that discusses the basics as well as the nitty-gritty of the English language. Such topics include “who” versus “whom” (50), “affect” versus “effect” (9), and the difference between “.-.” and “  ̶  ” (yes, there is a difference) (97). Fogarty, a University of Washington and Stanford graduate with a bachelor’s degree in English, gives thorough explanations of each subject along with various illustrations that visual learners will find particularly helpful. These pictures help to show the application process of each grammar rule. For example, Fogarty uses a picture of Aardvark and Squiggly’s to show that one must use “affect” as a verb and “effect” as a noun.

            There have been many times in my life when I have been taught a lesson but was unable to completely understand it. However, this was not the case when reading this book. Grammar Girl makes sure her readers are able to fully comprehend and remember what is being taught by providing several hilarious, relatable, and clever memory tricks. For example, she provides a trick in which one can decide whether to use “toward” or “towards” in a sentence. She states how “Americans like shortcuts” and therefore we do not use the extra “s” unlike the British (14). She also helps one to remember that the correct prepositional phrase is “between you and me” by stating how “Jessica Simpson’s song ‘Between You and I” is wrong.” (143). No matter how atrocious a person’s memory is, it is guaranteed that at least one of these memory tricks will stick in his mind.

            Although this book focuses mainly on grammar skills, Fogarty also introduces a newer aspect of writing that many English authors have yet to dwell into: the Internet. In today’s times, the Internet impacts a large part of our lives. People send text messages, letters, and emails daily and it is now more important than ever to know the differences between “log in” and “log on” and why the “w” in “Web site” should be capitalized but not when in the compounded form, “website.”

Another interesting topic Fogarty discusses is how to deal with the dreaded writer’s block. We have all felt some sort of brain numbing sensation while writing an essay. Luckily, Fogarty is here to help the next time you come across writer’s block. She provides several tips for commonly occurring problems such as how to come up with new ideas and how to deal with outside distractions. Such advice includes having a change of location and trying free writing (187). These suggestions are truly helpful and could greatly improve one’s writing process. A person will find himself saying “Where have these tips been all my life?” I for certain am one of these people.

            My only critique is that Fogarty does not always teach grammar rules in a linear fashion going from easy to hard. She often jumps around from explaining a relatively simple topic, such as “can” versus “may,” to jumping into the more complex world of count and mass nouns as well as dangling modifiers. Those with basic English skills and those who are learning English as a second language might have trouble following along with Fogarty’s somewhat spastic organization.

            Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing is overall a phenomenal book for those who seek help or reference. Fogarty is able to do what seems impossible to most: make grammar easy to learn and even fun. Those who are already enthralled by grammar are sure to have the time of their lives when reading this book. Grammar Girl, with the help of Squiggly and Aardvark, dives into a wide range of topics, and everyone is sure to find something useful to him or her. If you ever come across a time where you are not sure when to add commas, capitalize a noun, or utilize any other grammar rule, be sure to pick up Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing!

 Works Cited

Fogarty, Mignon. Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing. New York: Henry Holt and, 2008. Print.