Patricia T. O'Conner

A revised and updated edition of the iconic grammar guide for the 21st century. In this expanded and updated edition of Woe Is I, former editor at The New York Times Book Review Patricia T. O'Conner unties the knottiest grammar tangles with the same insight and humor that have charmed and enlightened readers of previous editions for years. With fresh insights into the rights, wrongs, and maybes of English grammar and usage, O'Conner offers in Woe Is I down-to-earth explanations and plain-English solutions to the language mysteries that bedevil all of us. Books about English grammar and usage are... never content with the status quo, O'Conner writes. That's because English is not a stay-put language. It's always changing--expanding here, shrinking there, trying on new things, casting off old ones... Time doesn't stand still and neither does language. In this fourth edition, O'Conner explains how the usage of an array of words has evolved. For example, the once-shunned they, them, and their for an unknown somebody is now acceptable. And the battle between who and whom has just about been won, O'Conner says (hint: It wasn't by whom). Then there's the use of taller than me in simple comparisons, instead of the ramrod-stiff taller than I. May and might, use to and used to, abbreviations that use periods and those that don't, and the evolving definition of unique are all explained here by O'Conner. The result is an engaging, up-to-date and jargon-free guide to every reader's questions about grammar, style, and usage for the 21st century.

Patricia T. O'Conner, the bestselling language maven who charmed legions of readers into civilizing their grammar (Woe Is I) and their writing (Words Fail Me), now drags proper English kicking and screaming into the Age of E-Mail. Do the old truths still apply? Yes, insist O'Conner and co-author Stewart Kellerman, her journalist husband. In fact, good English and good manners are even more important online. Thanks to the computer, we're writing again, but we'll have to upgrade our lousy language and social skills or suffer the cyber-consequences. With chapters on etiquette (To E or Not to E), beefier writing (The E-Mail Eunuch), deconstructing a message (All's Well That Sends Well), and civilized English (Grammar la Modem), You Send Me delivers everything you need to connect with real people in the virtual world.

Whether you are working on the novel that's been in the back of your mind for years or simply facing an increasing demand to write well at work or school, the fact remains: more and more of us are writing more often these days-reports, e-mails, faxes, and newsletters. But despite the increase in written communication, something has been lost-the fundamentals of good writing. Grammar maven Patricia T.O'Conner comes to the rescue with the most painless, practical, and funny writing book ever written. In short, snappy chapters filled with crystal-clear examples, amusing comparisons, and humorous allegories that cover everything from "Pronoun Pileups" and "Verbs That Zing" to "What to Do When You're Stuck," O'Conner provides simple, straightforward tips to help you sort your thoughts and make sentences that make sense. Push aside those stuffy old-fashioned rule books, because O'Conner has written the most accessible and enjoyable book yet for today's writer.