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The Penguin Guide to Punctuation (Penguin Reference Books) [Paperback]

R L Trask
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
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Book Description

7 Aug 1997 Penguin Reference Books
The Penguin Guide to Punctuation is indispensable for anyone who needs to get to grips with using punctuation in their written work. Whether you are puzzled by colons and semicolons, unsure of where commas should go or baffled by apostrophes, this jargon-free, succinct guide is for you.

Frequently Bought Together

The Penguin Guide to Punctuation (Penguin Reference Books) + The Penguin Dictionary of English Grammar (Penguin Reference Books) + The Penguin Writer's Manual (Penguin Reference Books)
Price For All Three: £18.87

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Product details

  • Paperback: 176 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin (7 Aug 1997)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0140513663
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140513660
  • Product Dimensions: 12.9 x 1 x 19.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 4,916 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • See Complete Table of Contents

More About the Author

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Product Description

From the Publisher

A sample extract:

THE APOSTROPHE

5.2 Unusual Plurals

As a general rule, we never use an apostrophe in writing plural forms. (A plural form is one that denotes more than one of something.) Hence the things that those shops are selling are pizzas, videos, fine wines, cream teas, and mountain bikes. It is absolutely wrong to write pizza's, video's, fine wine's, cream tea's, and mountain bike's if you merely want to talk about more than one pizza or video or whatever. The same goes even when you want to pluralize a proper name:

She's trying to keep up with the Joneses.

There are four Steves and three Julies in my class.

Several of the Eleanor Crosses are still standing today.

Do not write things like Jones's, Steve's, Julie's or Eleanor Cross's if you are merely talking about more than one person or thing with that name.

About the Author

R L Trask has taught in the School of Cognitive and Computing Sciences at the University of Sussex since 1988. He is the author of a number of books, including A DICTIONARY OF GRAMMATICAL TERMS IN LINGUISTICS, LANGUAGE CHANGE, LANGUAGE: THE BASICS, A DICTIONARY OF PHONETICS AND PHONOLOGY, HISTORICAL LINGUISTICS and THE HISTORY OF BASQUE.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
46 of 46 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars commas galore 3 Dec 2003
By A Customer
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This a good, straightforward, easy-to-read guide to punctuation. The table of contents is clearly laid out with chapters and sub-headings that allow easy searches for what you need to know - whether it's possessive apostrophes, the ellipsis or the slash that you're looking for.
An excellent reference book for those who want to learn and those who just need a reminder.
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37 of 37 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
"Easy to follow, this step by step guide will dispel the mysteries of punctuation and provide an invaluable aid to writing clear English". This quote from the cover describes "The Penguin Guide to Punctuation" in a nutshell. Well structured, with a clear style and good layout, it deals separately with each area of punctuation, both British and American, and provides illustrative examples for each case.

If you need to learn modern English punctuation quickly and easily, or if you just need a ready reference to verify the punctuation of your writing from time to time, buy this book. Not only is it an excellent book but it is also good value.
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32 of 32 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Written by an author who clearly has strong feelings on the subject, this guide addresses each punctuation mark in turn, citing examples to cover every conceivable instance of its use. Differences between British and American usages are always highlighted where necessary (which is a nice touch I haven't seen in many other guides).

Despite being such a small book, the content is pretty much exhaustive, and Trask always expresses his opinion without pontificating. It's also written in an approachable style (where most guides are rigidly formal).

Worth every penny.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Great!
The book is excellent, easy to read, funny and very helpful, especially for language students! (but not only). Thanks a lot!
Published 27 days ago by Joanna
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent reference book
Book recommended to me for the work I do and it has been great. No nonsense language and answers questions.
Published 1 month ago by sharon stark
5.0 out of 5 stars Guide to punctuation
A very useful little book containing clear descriptions and examples of the many aspects of punctuation, including all of those "grey areas" that often confuse the writer.
Published 3 months ago by Royston
5.0 out of 5 stars An essnetial aid to publishing
This is a brilliant little book that can teach you the often complex and difficult rules of punctuation, clearly and relatively easily. Succinct and accessible; highly recommended.
Published 3 months ago by ja
5.0 out of 5 stars My review
The Penguin guide to punctuation is a fine book .it seems well thought out and explains it's self well done.
Published 5 months ago by Chris Parkinson
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
I purchased this book after going back into education at the age of 40. After submitting my first couple of assignments I was told to work on my puntuation and sentance structure. Read more
Published 10 months ago by S.P.
5.0 out of 5 stars Short, clear, with lots of practical examples - a legendary book
If you ever struggle with knowing the precise punctuation to use, this is the book to buy. It's clear, concise, and full of examples. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Ian Howlett
5.0 out of 5 stars The best guide available
This is by far the best punctuation guide available. It is simple and easy to understand and communicates complicated concepts in a straight forward manner. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Tig
5.0 out of 5 stars Helpful, to the point
Having picked this up with some other penguin reference books some months ago, I just turned to it to clear up a proof-reading squabble over ; : and - in a PhD application. Read more
Published 16 months ago by N. Rutherford
5.0 out of 5 stars THE PNGUIN GUIDE TO PUNCTUTION
I learned a lot from this guide and I became a good writer so I recommend it to English students.
Published 17 months ago by swimming in ink
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