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

by R L Trask (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
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Frequently Bought Together

The Penguin Guide to Punctuation (Penguin Reference Books) + The Penguin Writer's Manual (Penguin Reference Books) + The Penguin Dictionary of English Grammar (Penguin Reference Books)
Price For All Three: £18.67

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Product details

  • Paperback: 176 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin (5 Aug 2004)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0140513663
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140513660
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.2 x 1.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 10,172 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #7 in  Books > Reference > Dictionaries & Thesauri > Usage Guides

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Product Description

Product Description
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.

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.

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Customer Reviews

16 Reviews
5 star:
 (13)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (16 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars commas galore, 3 Dec 2003
By A Customer
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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24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Penguin Guide to Punctuation by R. L. Task: Review by cpes31, 10 Aug 2005
By A Customer
"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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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Don't be fooled by its size: this is DEFINITIVE!, 1 Jun 2006
By M. Appleton - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
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

1.0 out of 5 stars rubbish
I was hoping this slim volume would pack a solid punch like Strunk & White's Elements of Style but it doesn't. Read more
Published 24 days ago by Bastet

4.0 out of 5 stars Penguin Guide to Punctuation
Speaks in plain English to the reader, very straight forward and informative. Very good reference guide.
Published 1 month ago by Mrs. R. Wilkinson

2.0 out of 5 stars Not very informative
This is a concise book that is no doubt helpful if you do not know much about punctuation. However, if you are looking for a definitive set of rules (especially as concerns... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Caren Firth

5.0 out of 5 stars The best guide
The best guide to punctuation available. I'd read a number of guides to this subject and I still wasn't completely clear on some points until I came across this excellent book... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Stephen Town

5.0 out of 5 stars The single most helpful reference book on English punctuation and related topics
As a native German and long-time anglophile I had been looking for something like this for ages. The author manages to convey his insights without any hint of intellectual... Read more
Published 12 months ago by R. Stadler

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice book to learn or 're-learn' your punctuation...
This is a nice little book to get you started or even refresh your memory on correct punctuation. It's a nice and easy book to read through and, though a mere 160 pages or so,... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Miseri57

5.0 out of 5 stars Splendid book
This is the best book on punctuation that I know. Each punctuation mark is very well explained. However, to be brief, I will comment only on how professor Trask explains the use... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Francisco Coutinho

5.0 out of 5 stars Best English lesson ever
Punctuation is the most confusing part of grammar for writers.

This book details the correct usage for each punctuation, in a way that a thirteen year old would... Read more
Published on 1 May 2007 by Enigma

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely the most authoritative text on the subject ever wrriten!
Dr Trask combines readabilty with rigor in a virtuoso treatise. Buy it!
Published on 9 Jun 2006 by Florence Nakayiza

5.0 out of 5 stars No more "comma phobia."
If, like me, you were once unsure of when to use a comma; where to place a semi-colon, this book will help you enormously. Read more
Published on 15 Feb 2005 by docdaneeka

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