Five Brilliant Books to Improve Your Written English
Many of us need a little help with grammar, punctuation and spelling rules, as we then have the ability to edit our written work effectively. Here are some recommended books which can help us achieve our goals.
My eldest son is now a home-schooler and I’m planning to sit some of the exams with him, because I dropped out of school and consequently have no formal qualifications. Obviously we must study English and I want us to attain the best grades we can, so I’ve invested in some books to help us.
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There are many books written about writing skills, but these are some I actually own and can confirm are very useful:
Improve your Written English – By Marion Field
The author is a GCSE examiner and was formerly the Head of English at a UK comprehensive. The book covers everything from grammar and sentence construction, to spelling and completing written tasks, such as formal letters, job applications, etc.
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My Grammar and I (or should that be me?) – By Caroline Taggart & J.A.Wines
This book covers grammar and punctuation, in depth, as well as common spelling errors, and is written in a refreshingly humorous way. Highly recommended.
What If? – By Anne Bernays & Pamela Painter
This book contains eighty-three separate exercises for fiction writers, which aid authors in starting and ending stories, engaging in dialogue, transforming fact into fiction, and finding appropriate language. The authors have over twenty-five years writing experience between them and teach at Havard Extension school.
Line by Line: how to edit your own writing – By Calire Kehrwald Cook
This book identifies and helps you solve five problems: loose baggy sentences; faulty connections; ill-matched partners; managing numbers and references; and problems with punctuation. It’s an expensive book at it’s usual price of £49.99 but happily, it is currently on offer at £11.50 (at amazon.co.uk) – and well worth that price.
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And finally, since it’s been recommended by so many of those who’ve taken the time to comment on this article:
Elements of Style – By William Strunk, which you can read online here.
You can find all these book on amazon.co.uk, along with many others you might find helpful. Happy reading!
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Never read any of these but I’m pretty sure they will have something constructive if you’ve mentioned it.
This is a very helpful article. Thank you so much!
Good recommendations. I would also suggest Strunk and White’s Elements of Style. It’s only 100 pages, and it has helpful, easy-to-follow rules on grammar, style, spelling, and composition. I think it’s the best book available on this subject.
Thank-you all for your comments!
@ Martie – I’m glad to have been of service, they’re proving most helpful for me and my son.
@WriteEditSeek – I happen to have that book on my wish-list at amazon. It’s a much older book, isn’t it? It was published in the ’30s, if I remember correctly…
Good books to read..
Writers should constantly study writing and not just write. You and your son are setting a good example for all of us.
Very helpful!
thanks for sharing!
good article.
Good article- I recommend Elements of Style as well. It is a tiny book but it is extremely helpful.
Quite useful article, especially for the people to whom English is a second language.Thank you.
Hope I can find those books in the bookstores!
well, it is good.
A great and useful article. Thanks so much!
I too use ‘Elements of Style’ and a rather large Dictionary and Thesaurus.
Hey, great article! I’m going to have to check some of those out – thanks for sharing.
Thank-you all for your comments, I’m glad to have been of help!
I think I might have to edit the piece to include Elements of Style, as it comes so highly recommended by so many of you. Then I must buy it…
@Louie Jerome – I agree, never forget the trusted dictionary and thesaurus!
I have a few of these books and I agree they’re awesome.