Okay, confession time. First of all, I think my grammar and spelling are okay, maybe even pretty good. (Actually, I don’t want to boast, but my spelling is good, due to lots and lots of childhood practice. But just in case I’m sounding too pleased with myself, I’ll admit right now that I’m rubbish at science and maths.) Anyway, I digress. My confession is that I find when it comes to grammar, I tend to know what’s right and what’s wrong, but sometimes I don’t exactly know why something is right or wrong.
Kiss My Asterisk is described on the cover as ‘A Feisty Guide to Punctuation and Grammar’ and that sums it up pretty well. Baranick is an English Professor, who teaches classes on grammar, and therefore she knows what she’s talking about, and she knows how to make it interesting. There are 17 bite-size chapters, with titles such as ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bars: En Dashes, Em Dashes and Hyphens’, ‘Avoid Premature Ejaculation: Email Etiquette’ and ‘Missed Periods: Run-On Sentences’. Each chapter is clearly explained and contains plenty of funny examples of when to use/not use certain punctuation, etc.. There are also exercises at the end of each chapter (don’t worry, they’re only very quick; it doesn’t feel like homework).
Baranick is very engaging and witty, and even if you don’t always need the advice she’s giving, it’s still fun to read. I think this book would be ideal to keep nearby if you do a lot of writing, and ever have questions about grammar. Definitely recommended.
Between the Pages 
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