The New Well-Tempered Sentence: A Punctuation Handbook for the Innocent, the Eager, and the Doomed

Any of Karen Elizabeth Gordon's books on the use of language are essential for a writer's book shelf, or anyone interested in the correct use of written English. Not only does this book explain the convolutions and quirks of punctuation concisely, it does so with wit, so it's fun to read while you check out a point you're not sure of, or simply want to learn more about how to use punctuation properly.

Couldn't be more pleased.

book for my daughter

Some wear & tear, as described.

OK. For many people punctualtion is just something that "has to be done" and roughly right will do.If, however, you'd like to do better than that - here is the information you need.

Karen Elizabeth Gordon writes excellent references for writers.

This is a great little book on sentence writing. I love all the humorous examples. Wish I'd known there is an updated version.

Wer English wirklich lernen will.... muß dieses Buch auswendig lernen! Und es ist sehr amusant! You wanna know English? You betta read that!

I find that most grammar books fail to give complete coverage to punctuation thus leaving writers repeatedly stranded in situations that are not touched on in the text. This is a whole book dedicated to nothing but punctuation. It gives the most extensive coverage that I have found to the subject, and it has the added benefit of not being boring. It's not a joke book. Don't expect deep belly laughs, and the style is occasionally a little silly. I don't care. For me, the most important things are that the information it provides is extensive and its style is imaginative and pleasant to read.

This book is a fun way to brush up and learn about punctuation. It reads more like a story than an instruction book and has many examples. Some of the examples are a little out there, which make you pause as you try to figure them out – and not in a good way. I understand that the author was trying to inject humor and have fun with a subject that is, let’s face it, pretty bland for most of us.