Things That Make Us (Sic): The Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar Takes on Madison Avenue, Hollywood, the White House, and the World, ISBN:9780312378080
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Binding: Hardcover Release Date: October 2008 List Price:$19.95
Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com
Summary:
This book is for people who experience heartbreak over love notes with subject-verb agreements…for anyone who’s ever considered hanging up the phone on people who pepper their speech with such gems as “irregardless,” “expresso,” or “disorientated”…and for the earnest souls who wonder if it’s “Woe is Me,” or “Woe is I,” or even “Woe am I.”
Martha Brockenbrough’s Things That Make Us (Sic) is a laugh-out-loud guide to grammar and language, a snarkier, American answer to Lynn Truss’s runaway success Eats, Shoots & Leaves. Brockenbrough is the founder of National Grammar Day and SPOGG -- the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar -- and as serious as she is about proper usage, her voice is funny, irreverent, and never condescending. Things That Make Us (Sic) addresses common language stumbling stones such as evil twins, clichés, jargon, and flab, and offers all the spelling tips, hints, and rules that are fit to print. It’s also hugely entertaining, with letters to high-profile language abusers, including David Hasselhoff, George W. Bush, and Canada’s Maple Leafs [sic], as well as a letter to – and a reply from – Her Majesty, the Queen of England.
Brockenbrough has written a unique compendium combining letters, pop culture references, handy cheat sheets, rants, and historical references that is as helpful as it is hilarious.
Customer Reviews:
Average Customer Rating:
A Book and a Tool
Customer Rating:
This is the best book on the English grammar I have read. Martha is hilarious and her ability to connect with her readers is first-rate superstardom! After reading the book--in two sittings--I commented to Martha that this book will be used, abused, and highlighted like my Bible.
I have been working towards my Doctoral degree, and my professor is adamant about proper grammar. 60-70% of my term-papers are based on how well a person writes and uses proper grammar. Well, I have struggled with the English grammar for many years now; however, this book will be more than a useful guide. It will be a constant companion, which I'll keep within reach while writing for years to come.
Thank you Martha for such a wonderful book. And, I'm sure you'll find many errors for your red-pen on this review. If not you, then I know for sure my professor. Ah!
This book is a must-buy, and a must-read, for every student, professor, editor, and writer! An excellent work.
Adrian A Bernal, M.T.S.
snarky, fun & informative
Customer Rating:
What a great and informative book this was! Never overwhelming and always funny, Martha Brockenbrough's dedication to and enthusiasm for grammar and language is impressive and important--it's like the difference between having a teacher who's counting down the clock until retirement while boring you to death and the one that, you know, actually wants to teach AND makes you enjoy what you're learning to boot! Any book that's going to help me out of a tricky grammar situation and make me laugh at the same time gets an A+ from me. I have a feeling I'll be keeping my copy of Things That Make Us [Sic] close by for easy reference. I adored the snark. Pick this one up!
Ironic
Customer Rating:
Do you want proof of the value of this book? Just look at the title of the book in Amazon's listing. The word "sic" is capatalized, which it should not be. On top of that, it is put in parantheses instead of brackets. Argh!
Can Grammar be Funny? Oh, yes!
Customer Rating:
Grammar can be funny? Oh, yes. In Martha Brockenbrough's hilarious book, Things That Make Us (Sic) you will laugh out loud at the droll humor. Drawing on current events, blog postings and cultural icons, she pokes fun at those who dare to demean the King's English. Brockenbrough started the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar (SPOGG) because of two things: in a column she writes, she researched private societies and found that historically, they have made profound changes in the world; second, she was teaching high school English and wanted some way to engage the students.
The result is a clear, vivid explanation of common grammar problems told in a hilarious, faux-pompous style that sets your face to smiling. If you teach grammar for any age, plan your lessons around these chapters and see your students perk up - and, yes, watch your students learn while having fun.
Throw out your Eats, Shoots & Leaves and tune into the SPOGG [...] for ongoing discussions of grammar faux pas in today's pop culture.
Hippest Grammar Book in Town
Customer Rating:
Martha's Brockenbrough's "Things that Make us [sic]" is without question the funniest, hippest book on grammar you'll ever read. Brokenbrough certainly isn't the first writer to take a humorous approach to such issues as comma misuse, uncalled-for apostrophes and scrambled tenses (think "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" by Lynne Truss and Patricia T. O'Connor's "Woe is I.") But what other book on grammar showcases examples of what not to do drawn from, among other things, emails from former congressman Mark Foley to his intern, the online ramblings of Courtney Love, or the illiterate pronouncements of the infamous LOLcats?
Beyond the humor and the hipness, though, this book has some serious substance. In addition to the usual conjugations of "lie" and "lay" and list of commonly misspelled words, Brockenbrough gives the reader some rare treats such as lists of common Latin phrases, an enlightening discussion of cliches, and an entire chapter on slicing buzzwords and bloat from our written communications. Writers, editors and students will want to keep the book handy as a reference for those nagging mechanics and usage questions that always seem to pop up.
The only drawback to this book is that its references to current politics and pop culture are bound to feel dated within a few years. That's a shame, because "Things that Make us [sic]" is an incisive look at language that deserves to be around for a long, long time.
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