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Summary: Who would have thought grammar could be this much fun?
Review: This is one of the most valuable 'Grammar Texts' I have read. In fact, as I write this review, I'm hoping that what I have learned will demonstrate itself (yikes!). This book is funny, informative, and makes learning very fun and easy.Patricia O'Connor demonstrates the proper use of verbs, pronouns, plurals, how to write with ease, avoiding split infinitives, etc. Essentially everything one needs to know about the elements of the English language are in this text. Moreover, O'Connor's neat remedies and jokes make learning very fun. O'Connor emphasizes punctuation, verbal usage and misuse of certain words, especially certain verbs which often get confused (i.e. 'lay' and 'lie'). There is a lot in this book that is valuable to writers, students, and anyone who simply wants to sharpen their grammar skills. If you have been wanting a book that is not your typical grammar text, then this book is for you. I highly recommend this book!
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Summary: A funny look at a serious subject!
Review: Yes, I am a Grammarphobe! When I write, I always have a nagging little feeling that perhaps I have been tripped up by some grammar rule. With this book in hand, you will have a handy reference guide to look up plain English usage. It is a free-flowing, fun read for all those who aspire to good grammar. Patricia T. O'Conner, presents the seemingly arbitrary rules of English in terms anyone can understand. She uses words in sentences so you can easily see the difference in usage. As the editor at the New York Times Book Review, she looks at life in a lighthearted way and gives us all a look at grammar on the funny side. Her entertaining and instructive writing will help you see all those funny mistakes in an easy-to-understand way. "Wow! Who would have thought that you could have such a delicious time with a grammar book? Woe Is I is great fun." --Susan Isaacs. Now tell me...is anyone really fooled by that title?...I thought it was great! If your editor drives you absolutely crazy, this might be a nice break! Perhaps a fun gift from editor to writer. No matter what...I still like "Woe is me!" It just seems more personal. As far as a book title, it is just brilliant and is sure to get everyone's attention.
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Summary: Exceptional book. Highly recommended! 10 stars!!!
Review: I'll keep this short and sweet. I manage a group of technical writers at work. For consistency in the professional world of writing, they use the Chicago Manual of Style as the definitive source. Secretly, our lead writer told me she likes "Woe is I" better. I know why: It is much easier to use, has a great index, is fun to read (no one will ever say that about the Chicago Manual of Style), and covers all the essentials. I highly recommend "Woe Is I" to everyone that cares about grammar. For those people, like me, that just want a quick reference to help them write well enough, this is perfect. If you are a professional, buy "Woe Is I" to complement your Chicago Manual of Style. I bet you will use "Woe Is I" more often :)
Rating: 
Summary: Useful reference
Review: I agree with several recurring criticisms in these reviews: O'Conner's neglect of the issues surrounding the title (though you can roughly figure it out for yourself, something she may have intended), her arbitrary approach to other grammarians--one moment scoffing at their rigidity, the next moment unloading stink-bombs and rhetorical miscues of her own--and the relentless witticisms. But I use this book almost every day; when I read, I keep this and a copy of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary close at hand. Having read it, I'm proud to be able to pinpoint all sorts of grammatical errors in stuffy scholarly journals like the Wilson Quarterly. Her glossary and bibliography are immensely useful, and the indexing and chapter layour make it easy to relocate relevant material. It is not very comprehensive, but it has the potential to sharpen your awareness and basic understanding of grammar. I've moved on to the 'Elements of Style,' and have found O'Conner's book helpful in navigating that text as well.
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Summary: Take Your Grammar -- This Won't Hurt a Bit
Review: This is a promise -- you will write better and be more aware of what you write after reading this book. In fact, you don't even have to read it to benefit. Thanks to a superb Index you can look up your particular point of interest and most likely find that it is clarified somewhere in the book (and, in the text, cross-referenced if there is more than one occasion where it is discussed). Troubled by that nasty it's/its bugaboo? It's demystified in two separate entries. O'Connor's grammatical medicine is particularly painless and great entertainment thanks to the sentences that illustrate the rules of usage. Just opening the book at random here, I find her giving "paradigm" a thoroughly deserved debunking (a "pattern or example," not "a standard of perfection"), "...the darling of those who like to dress up ordinary ideas in technicalities. 'Our ad campaign has paradigmatic resonance,' said Mr. Palaver." Similarly witty examples abound in this very useful and affordable reference for good writing.
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Summary: The grammatical medicine you WILL want to take.
Review: If you need to keep your writing sharp, or simply want to be taught, in common, everyday terms, the correct rules and usage of the English grammar, then this is the perfect guidebook for you: straightforward, enlightening, fun and free of technical jargon and grammatical fluff.
Extremely well organized, masterfully indexed and fully cross-referenced, it makes all topics readily accessible for fast checkups and repeated consultations. Written in a concise, lighthearted style, and combining witty instruction with sound advice and excellent examples that illustrate beyond any doubt the points being made, this is the most useful, entertaining and humorous book on English grammar available today.
Treated along the most common topics (pronouns, numbers, possessives, punctuation, plurals, cliches, etc.) are other not so common, yet invaluable, subjects: a list of frequent mistakes writers make, a discussion on outdated choices of usage and a glossary.
Overall, this is a very affordable, handy reference and delightful read that you'll keep going back to again and again. If you are a professional writer, you might consider complementing this book with other, more extensive publications like the latest edition of The Chicago Manual of Style and Strunk's The Elements of Style. And, for even further study, the book's bibliography constitutes a first-class resource for choosing additional reading material.
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Summary: Good grammar ain't always good usage
Review: Patricia O'Conner's book about the fundamentals of English grammar is both down-to-earth and fun to read. A sampling of some of the topics covered in this volume are the misuse of common English words; the overuse of cliches; the plurals dilemma, and the Great Pronoun Problem (I'm always confused about whether to use "that" or "which"). O'Conner points out that some of the biggest grammatical blunders have resulted from trying to be too correct, such as the classic misuse of subject for object pronouns. Remember your fourth grade teacher admonishing that one should always say "Tom and I", never "Tom and me"? which lead to such common bloopers as "She gave the book to Tom and I". (To see how much sense this doesn't make, take out the "Tom and" and see what's left.) Along with explaining the rules, O'Conner emphasizes that a dose of common sense helps matters considerably. I remember my fifth grade grammar teacher, an old battle-axe who used to scare the daylights out of us, laying down the law that one must never, ever, ever end a sentence with a preposition. This used to lead to all kinds of convoluted messes, which undoubtedly engendered Winston Churchill's classic protest statement, "This is the sort of English up with which I will not put." The book's title is a sly kick at the perils of grammatical over-correctness: it should actually be "Woe Am I", but that just wouldn't sound right. Perhaps the greatest strength of the English language is its flexibility; some rules were made to be bent. O'Conner's book helps to shed some light on how far rules can be bent before they are broken.
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Summary: Woe Is I: The Grammarphobe's Guide to Better English in Plai
Review: A lighthearted guide written for the grammatically challenged (that includes just about everyone) giving straight advice on the most common mistakes made by writers. O'Conner (copy editor, considers pronouns, split infinitives, subject verb agreement, and cliches, handing over understandable, adult explanations devoid of jargon and dashed with humor e.g. "alright. No, is not <-->it's all wrong." The volume has been selected as a Book-of-the-Month Alternate Selection.
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Summary: A Professional Nitpicker's Delight!
Review: Patricia T. O'Conner has accomplished the impossible: She's written a book as informative and enjoyable as Strunk and White's "Elements of Style." Recently, my teenaged son checked out "Woe Is I" from our public library. Being an editor with nineteen years' experience, I probably would have overlooked the book, thinking I didn't need it. Well, the very week he borrowed it, I encountered a puzzling entry in a book I was editing. Sure enough, O'Conner had a section addressing the question (about "since" versus "because"). I was hooked. I found myself taking several extra bathroom breaks just so that I could browse more of "Woe Is I." O'Conner's humor and knowledge shine through nearly every section. Another favorite aspect is that the book continues on from where Strunk and White left off. Some writing rules have changed since the 1979 S&W edition, and I especially appreciated O'Conner's chapter focusing on RIP (outdated) rules. For example, because I often had difficulty teasing out the difference between "like" and "such as," I was thrilled that O'Conner says we no longer need to worry about this distinction. Finally, her list of redundant, hackneyed turns of phrase will help keep my own writing sharper and fresher. I look forward to the updated edition coming out in 2004.
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Summary: Witty and easy to read
Review: This is one of the best books on the English language that I have read. It makes the subject of grammar (which you probably reply with "Ugh!" and think of those awful middle school and high school hours of studying) actually interesting. It is simple to read and very straightforward without the extra "fluff" that is often found in text books (which is what usually causes me to loose interest very quickly in a book or subject). It also incorporates humor, which is a nice touch and certainly a break from the dry monotony so often found elsewhere. If you are at all interested in grammar or being able to speak well, then this is ten dollars that you cannot afford not to spend.
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