Never will you have so much fun reading a book about, of all things — grammar! Believe it or not, this book will have you absolutely howling. It makes great bedtime or bathroom reading. Hale teaches you all the necessary grammar and usage rules about everything from parts of speech to how to write sentences. Perhaps most importantly, she helps you create a voice for yourself as a writer. There are useful sections on what not to do, and how to use (and break) the rules to create really stunning prose. She also has a great list of some other standard and not-so-standard writing references you can tap into. This book is not written specifically for academics, but academic prose does not have to (indeed, shouldn’t) be boring, and there are many ideas in here that can be very effectively applied.
Sin and Syntax: How to Create Wicked Good Prose, by Constance Hale, Three Rivers Press
Angela Roskop Erisman 