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The Rules of the Game

A Guide to Writing in Standard English

Philip J. Skerry

The Rules of the Game is an examination of Standard Written American English (SWAE), which is the dialect of educated people, and an analysis of the characteristics of that dialect. The book explains the special qualities of SWAE and why it frequently presents problems to students as well as to the general public. The book outlines the two key elements of SWAE: it is both rule bound and conservative. These two elements form the basis of the book’s main purpose: the examination of the elements of successful SWAE sentences. Once the elements have been presented in detail in the first half of the book, the second half shows how sentences can go wrong by violating the “rules” of SWAE. The Rules of the Game is more than just a grammar book: it presents the rationale for the strict application of grammar rules that characterizes the dialect so that readers come away with an understanding of why this dialect is so challenging. Whether you are a student faced with writing assignments or a worker having to write reports, you will find The Rules of the Game helpful and useful.

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 120 • Trim: 6¼ x 9½

978-1-4758-5296-7 • Hardback • September 2019 • $62.00 • (£48.00)

978-1-4758-5297-4 • Paperback • October 2019 • $32.00 • (£25.00)

978-1-4758-5298-1 • eBook • September 2019 • $30.00 • (£25.00)

Subjects: Education / Teaching Methods & Materials / Language Arts, Education / Essays, Education / Learning Styles

The Rules of the Game

A Guide to Writing in Standard English

Hardback

Paperback

eBook

Summary

The Rules of the Game is an examination of Standard Written American English (SWAE), which is the dialect of educated people, and an analysis of the characteristics of that dialect. The book explains the special qualities of SWAE and why it frequently presents problems to students as well as to the general public. The book outlines the two key elements of SWAE: it is both rule bound and conservative. These two elements form the basis of the book’s main purpose: the examination of the elements of successful SWAE sentences. Once the elements have been presented in detail in the first half of the book, the second half shows how sentences can go wrong by violating the “rules” of SWAE. The Rules of the Game is more than just a grammar book: it presents the rationale for the strict application of grammar rules that characterizes the dialect so that readers come away with an understanding of why this dialect is so challenging. Whether you are a student faced with writing assignments or a worker having to write reports, you will find The Rules of the Game helpful and useful.

Details

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 120 • Trim: 6¼ x 9½

978-1-4758-5296-7 • Hardback • September 2019 • $62.00 • (£48.00)

978-1-4758-5297-4 • Paperback • October 2019 • $32.00 • (£25.00)

978-1-4758-5298-1 • eBook • September 2019 • $30.00 • (£25.00)

Subjects: Education / Teaching Methods & Materials / Language Arts, Education / Essays, Education / Learning Styles

Author

Philip J. Skerry, Ph.D., is emeritus professor at Lakeland Community College, where he taught English and film classes for over forty years. Dr. Skerry has written several books on Alfred Hitchcock and has published numerous articles in scholarly journals.

Table of Contents

Preface: What is Standard Written American English (SWAE)?

Introduction: Why Writers Have Difficulty with SWAE.

Part I

Chapter One: The Acronym SWAE

Chapter Two: Two Major Characteristics of SWAE

Chapter Three: Elements of SWAE: The Clause

Chapter Four: Elements of SWAE: The Phrase

Chapter Five: Classifying Clauses

Chapter Six: The Flexible Clause

Chapter Seven: Verbal Phrases

Chapter Eight: Sentence Patterns

Chapter Nine: Additional Clause Patterns

Chapter Ten: The Flexible Phrase

Part II

Chapter Eleven: The Big Three

Chapter Twelve: Agreement I: Subjects and Verbs

Chapter Thirteen: Agreement II: Pronouns

Chapter Fourteen: Additional Pronoun Problems

Chapter Fifteen: Modification

Chapter Sixteen: Punctuation

Chapter Seventeen: “Form is the Shape of Content”

Epilogue: Consummatum Est

Notes

Bibliography

Author Biography

Reviews

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

The Rules of the Game

A Guide to Writing in Standard English

Philip J. Skerry

The Rules of the Game

A Guide to Writing in Standard English

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