Grammar Girl's 101 Words Every High School Graduate Needs to Know

"Good writing skills are a must in any professional career, and there's no secret to being a good writer: Learn the tools of English, and practice. And read, of course. A lot. Students can use a hand learning the basics—and the trickier points—of language, and that's where three new books come in. Mignon Fogarty, better known as 'Grammar Girl' . . . wrote her three latest books just for students, to help them learn new words, navigate tricky meanings, and put them all together into clear, coherent English. 101 Words Every High School Graduate Needs to Know and 101 Misused Words You'll Never Confuse Again are short, handy word guides. The first is simply a list of good words for students to know, such as 'canard,' 'ironic' and 'rancor.' Each is defined and then illustrated with an example taken from literature, TV shows, politics, movies and journalism. The examples are largely fresh and modern, and do a good job of showing the words in context . . . It's all done in a light, friendly style with copious examples of what to do, and focuses much more on doing than on not-doing. The main message [is]: You can write; here are the tools."—Lisa McLendon, The News & Observer (Raleigh)