Book Description

Syndicated columnist and grammarian, Don Ferguson is an inveterate note-taker, recording mistakes in grammar or word usage and when observing an incorrect punctuation mark. It seems that people make the same mistakes over and over again. Accumulating a small mountain of short, cryptic notes, Ferguson wondered how they might be made useful, perhaps to his children in the years to come. Out of these thoughts, Ferguson's column "Grammar Gremlins" was born and now this book. Ferguson's work should not be confused with a "school lesson", nothing boring or schoolteacherish, in a nineteenth century stereotypical sense of the word. The reader will find this book interesting and charming; and consistent with our age of sound bites and demands for brevity, the segments are mercifully short but energized with useful, interesting, and thoughtful information. Ferguson's material comes from snippets of conversations overheard on the street, from correspondence that crosses his desk, from public speakers, and from brochures and pamphlets, among many other sources. It seems that no one is exempt from grammar and usage problems.