My Grammar and I by Caroline Taggart
Summary
My Grammar and I (or Should That Be ‘Me’?) is a witty, accessible guide to English usage. Caroline Taggart and J. A. Wines cover the fundamentals (homophones, verb/noun distinctions, collective nouns, and transitive/intransitive verbs), while incorporating historical curiosities (such as the origins of “dunce” and “lynch mob”). The book is not a dry grammar textbook; it is more of a pocket companion, designed to sharpen a reader’s instincts about correctness, clarity, and precision.
Key Insights
Clarity matters: Distinctions such as fewer vs less and between vs among are explained with straightforward examples.
Verb/noun precision: English often shifts meaning by suffix (license vs licence, advise vs advice), and the book insists on correctness.
Conditional vs factual: “If only that were possible” illustrates the subjunctive mood—a nuance often lost in casual speech.
Word origins: Historical anecdotes (e.g., John Duns Scotus leading to “dunce”) make the material memorable.
Brevity and precision: Echoing Churchill, the authors urge simpler, stronger alternatives to clunky constructions (“ready-made” over “pre-fabricated”).
Common traps: Misuses such as “try and” for “try to,” or “the wife and I” instead of “the wife and me,” are corrected with plain examples.
Strengths
Entertaining as well as educational: The blend of grammar rules with etymological trivia makes for enjoyable reading.
Practical: Examples are clear and immediately applicable to real writing.
Memorable anecdotes: Linking usage to history and culture helps cement lessons.
Compact and digestible: Easy to dip into for quick reference.
Weaknesses
Surface-level depth: It is not a comprehensive grammar manual, so advanced readers may find it too light.
Prescriptivist tone: At times the advice can sound overly rigid, ignoring how language evolves in practice.
Overlap with other grammar primers: Readers well-versed in Strunk & White or similar guides will find much of the ground familiar.
Reflections
Conclusion
My Grammar and I is less a technical grammar manual and more a corrective to careless writing and careless speech. Its enduring message is that clutter is “the disease of writing,” and precision is the cure. For anyone who wants their prose to be clear, correct, and occasionally enriched with delightful trivia, Taggart and Wines provide both guidance and entertainment. It may not satisfy the professional linguist, but for everyday readers and writers, it offers a helpful nudge toward clarity and style.
Book Details
Title: My Grammar and I (Or Should That Be ‘Me’?): Old-School Ways to Sharpen Your English (I Used to Know That)
Author: Caroline Taggart, J. A. White
Publication Year: 2011
Genre: Writing
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