COULD EMBARRASSING GRAMMAR MISTAKES BE SABOTAGING YOUR JOB SUCCESS?

You need "101 Grammar Gaffes and How to Correct Them"!

OK, let's begin by clearing up one thing: IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT!

If you went to school within the last twenty years or so, there's a good chance you never learned grammar. That's the case for thousands of people who have taken part in my business writing workshops since 1990, and they were desperate to learn about grammar so that they wouldn't be embarrassed or ashamed of their mistakes.

Here are three good reasons to pay attention to your grammar:

1. English grammar is logical, and if we get it wrong we can unintentionally change our meaning or create confusion. For example, if I say, "When Mary met Elizabeth, she blinked with surprise"— who blinked? (For the answer, see page 18 of "101 Grammar Gaffes and How to Correct Them").

2. The English language is deteriorating, and the only way we can save it is by using it properly—that means watching our grammar.

3. Here's why this really matters to YOU. The people in senior business positions today went to school back in the days when grammar counted. They know what grammatical mistakes look like—and they don't think much of those who make them!

Could it really be true that poor grammar holds people back in their careers? You bet it is—that's why many of my clients bring me in to their companies to help people improve their writing skills!

Now it took me twelve years of school to learn what I know about grammar, and I know you don't want to make that kind of investment of your time. What you want is a fast, easy solution, and that's why I wrote "101 Grammar Gaffes and How to Correct Them". It takes a non-technical approach, teaching by example instead of by learning rules. Here are three of the "gaffes" to let you see how the book is laid out:

The gaffe: You should have seen the boy's faces when they opened their gifts.

The problem: There is more than one boy in this picture, so the apostrophe used to make the possessive form is in the wrong place. After plural nouns ending in 's', form the apostrophe by adding only an apostrophe.

The fix: You should have seen the boys' faces when they opened their gifts.

The Gaffe: A large amount of accidents have taken place at this corner.

The Problem: AMOUNT should be used to describe something in bulk. Use NUMBER for countable units.

The Fix: A large number of accidents have taken place at this corner.

A large amount of snow accumulated on the roads this winter.

The Gaffe: Smelling fruity and inviting, Christina took the cake from the oven.

The Problem: Misplaced participles create hilarious word pictures, often not the intention of the writer. In this case, was it really Christina who smelled fruity and inviting?

The Fix: Christina took the cake, smelling fruity and inviting, from the oven.

Recognize any of these? They are among the most common mistakes people make in grammar. This little book contains these examples and 98 more. Buy it now, refer to it often and memorize the examples one by one. Soon you'll find you can apply the rules to your own sentences, and you can apply your mind to the content of your message instead of worrying about your grammar. Your writing will improve, and your career prospects too!

I always used to confuse 'bring' and 'take'. After I corrected my mistake, a friend told me it had always annoyed him but he didn't like to correct me. Thank goodness I read Helen's book! —Roger, Denton, Texas

I want all the people who buy and read my books to succeed, so here's my promise to you. If you have any questions about anything you read in "101 Grammar Gaffes and How to Correct Them!", if there's anything I can clear up for you or help you with, just drop me an e-mail and I'll answer your question. Any time. No matter how long ago you bought the book. My e-mail address is hwilkie@mhwcom.com and I'll do my best to answer you within forty-eight hours.

If you order the soft-cover spiral bound book, we'll mail it to you within 48 hours. But if you just can't wait that long, order the electronic version instead—you'll be reading the pdf within moments of placing your order! The price is the same, just U.S.$13.95 for either one. Order now, and stop worrying about your poor grammar holding you back!

Click here to order the soft cover, spiral bound book.

Click here to order the pdf version. It will be delivered to you in a few moments.

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