Perfect English Grammar_The Indispensable Guide to Excellent Writing and ...

hhy210 · 发表于 2021-5-1 17:03:58

本帖最后由 hhy210 于 2021-5-1 17:05 编辑

Although this book features the word grammar in the title, it also pays a lot of attention to things that aren’t strictly grammar (at least in the academic linguistic sense of the word). You’ll find information on writing well, spelling, style, usage, and more.
Grammar does not exist alone: it is just one of the complex ways we communicate with each other. So, this book will also motivate you to improve your communication by using correct basic grammar as a framework around finding your own voice, which, in short, is about figuring out who you are, what you want to say, who you want to say it to, and how best to do it.
“Perfect” is what we shoot for but never achieve. It’s a shorthand for constantly working to improve your writing and speech while acknowledging that perfection is subjective. Try for perfect communication, but give yourself a break if you’re not there yet.
I encourage you to think about the contents not as “grammar rules” but as “grammar guidelines.” My goal is to help you make the best choice for your situation without having to fear somebody will hunt you down and make fun of you because you did it your way instead of their way.
In fact, if you try to follow all the rules or guidelines exactly, you will likely make a mess of your writing. There are few unassailable rules—you just have to become experienced enough to know when to challenge them.
I also encourage you to work on developing your speaker’s intuition. This is a fancy way of saying “your natural understanding of what is acceptable in English.” This is done by making it a daily habit to read and listen to many different writers and speakers who are a little more advanced than you are, and by consulting this book (and books like it) whenever you are in doubt.
If, after using this book for a while, you feel as though you’ve learned everything it has to teach you, go on to the books mentioned in the Further Reading section here. They’re works I know, by authors I trust, that offer practical advice anyone can use, even if you’re not a professional grammarian.