The Rules of the Game

Skerry covers a huge range of material in a manner both terse and clear. His smooth, conversational style goes a long way toward dispelling the unfortunate stigma of stiffness, complexity and “nerdiness” that has long surrounded the study of grammar. Best of all, his text and his pertinent examples make a cogent case for the importance of sound grammar and lucid writing. Rules of the Game will be a handy volume for students, teachers, and professors seeking s quick, user-friendly primer on this vital subject. -- Joseph Smith, high school english teacher (Ret.); author, “Sex and Violence in the Bible” and “The Psycho File: A Comprehensive Guide to Hitchcock’s Classic Shocker”
Rules of the Game is an apt title for a book that succinctly outlines the conventional practices of SWAE—Standard Written American English. Beginning with the simplest grammatical constructions, Philip Skerry then proceeds to more complex sentence classifications, and includes discussions of clauses and phrases, and typical problems faced by writers, such as comma splices, subject/verb disagreements, and sentence fragments. He illustrates his arguments with a variety of examples of how sentences could be constructed. Skerry’s book is written in a prose style that’s at once clear, accessible, and graceful. Skerry’s volume would make and excellent college English textbook. -- Louis Giannetti, professor emeritus, English and Film, Case Western Reserve University; author, “Understanding Movies”, and other books