Recommendation for Grammar Books? Forum

[karina]

I am a 0L expected to enter law school in Fall 2013. I was born and raised in a country whose language is vastly different from English. Although I believe I have a pretty good grasp of English grammar by now after living in the US for almost 6 years, I still make some grammatical mistakes here and there. I know it is absolutely required of lawyers to have a perfect grasp of grammar, so I was wondering if anyone (possibly someone whose mother language is not English, like me) could recommend me some study materials that would be useful for me.

Thanks a lot!

[portaprokoss]

There are tons of ESL books, which I'm sure you're aware of.

The best non-ESL grammar book is called "Grammar by Diagram, 2nd Edition" by Cindy L. Vitto. There is a workbook as well called "Grammar by Diagram Workbook." You read those, as well as as the revised edition of "Modern English Usage," by Wilson Follet. That'll be a solid foundation.

[kuttlefish]

I always liked "The Elements of Style" by Strunk/White. It's a little out of date, and it's geared towards fine-tuning your grammar instead of laying down the fundamentals. If you want to be a snooty know-it-all that feels compelled to correct everyone that's beneath you... there's no better source.

You should also check out, "Typography for Lawyers." It's not a grammar book specifically, but it does cover some grammar issues as well as formatting, professionalism and other topics to keep you from looking uneducated.