Reddit mentions: The best grammar books

Hey you can use any or all of the below mentioned resources:

WEBSITES:

1. Khan Academy; Official partner of the College Board. It consists of videos & questions related to each & every section of the SAT Test with detailed explanations & performance tracking. And it's totally free!
   
2. UWorld; This websites boasts of having a collection of more than 1800+ questions. with detailed explanation, detailed rationales for incorrect answers, performance tracking, vivid illustrations, track time to improve your speed, compare your results to peers and a lot more. PAID.
   
3. 1600.io; Offers multidimensional online instruction for the SAT. In addition to it also offers course-by-course basis preparation. It covers about 3,000 real SAT questions in 200 hours of video instruction. Although I don't have an experience with this site but it's highly appreciated by other test takers. PAID.
   
   BOOKS:
   
   

• Mathematics: Personally I don't fine this section on SAT abstruse so I think following books are more than enough to ace the SAT-Maths section;
  
  

1. The College Panda's SAT Math: Advanced Guide and Workbook for the New SAT; The best thing about this book is that it focuses on every particular section of SAT making it easy to comprehend & more helpful than the books that randomly talks about all the topics at once. Practice questions are incredible and are backed-up with Nielson's very simple & easy to understand answers & explanations. Also, there is a Website and any errors made in printing are mentioned on it.
   
2. The College Panda's 10 Practice Test For The SAT Math; Running out of Practice test? Want something more? Well this book has some relatively realistic versions of the SAT's mathematics sections (both calculator and no-calculator).
   
3. PWN The SAT: Math Guide; Still not satisfied with your SAT preparation? Longing for something more? When you're done with this book you'll be able to approach the SAT with confidence - very few questions will surprise you, and even fewer will be able to withstand your withering attacks.
   
   

• Writing:
  
  

1. The Ultimate Guide To SAT Grammar, 4th Ed; It isn't about drilling as most of them (books) are. It's about the philosophy of the SAT. Author backs up her advice with relevant questions from Khan Academy in each chapter & provides comprehensive coverage of all the grammar & rhetoric tested on the redesigned SAT Writing & Language Test. Two things that you'd miss - lack of enough practice questions & its overpricing (Especially for International Students). She had a Website where you can look-up for Errata & other college related information. You'll also get a practice question each day prepared by Erica herself!
   
2. The Ultimate Guide To SAT Grammar WB, 4th Ed; Fall short on practice questions? Need something to execute what you've learned so far? This accompanying workbook to The Ultimate Guide to SAT® Grammar contains six full-length tests in redesigned SAT format, each accompanied by thorough explanations designed to reinforce the concepts and strategies covered in the main grammar book.
   
3. The College Panda's SAT Writing: Advanced Guide & WB, 2nd Ed; This one is truly geared towards the student aiming for the perfect score. It leaves no stones unturned. It has clear explanations of all the tested SAT grammar rules, from the simplest to the most obscure, tons of examples to illustrate each question type and the different ways it can show up, hundreds of drills and practice questions to help you master the concepts and a lot more. AND, THREE PRACTICE TESTS.
   
   

• Reading: Probably the "hardest-to-score" section on the SAT test.
  
  

1. The Critical Reader, 3rd Edition; Intended to clearly and systematically demystify what is often considered the most challenging section of the SAT, this book provides a comprehensive review of the reading skills tested on the redesigned exam for students who are serious about raising their scores. Meltzer's explanations and tricks are very descriptive and include hints to easily discern the correct answer through process of elimination. Major drawback? Well, it lacks enough practice questions & is highly overpriced!
   
   

• ESSAY: For this section I'd say Khan Academy + these 2 books are more than enough. If you work with these modestly I guarantee you can easily achieve a perfect score on SAT Essay;
  
  

1. The College Panda's SAT Essay; The writer covers all of the main facets of the new SAT Essay, including the scoring, structure and key elements of a rhetorical analysis, combined with more strategic advice regarding such topics as paragraph structure, transitions, vocabulary usage, length, writing speed, quotations, examples, and the elements of persuasion. Author's high-scoring essay from the May 2016 exam is included where he shares everything from what he did right as well as the subtle things he initially missed.
   
2. SAT Vocabulary: A New Approach; Covers key vocabulary for the Reading Test, Writing and Language Test, and Essay. This book offers an approach that is aligned with the new SAT’s focus on vocabulary in context. The concluding chapter on the Essay is short but outstanding. The chapter features a particularly helpful presentation on 6 persuasive devices, a list of 25 top Essay vocabulary words, and best of all a real Level 24 essay written by a real student on the November 2016 SAT.
   
   Hope this helps. If liked, please don't forget to up-vote. And all the best for your preparation and test.

I totally understand. I need some structure as well.

I've bought so many creative writing books, and I've realized the best ones are the ones used in college classrooms.

This one is my favorite. You can do a writing exercise from it everyday, and you'll improve greatly. Unfortunately it's pricey at $67 (try to get a used version at half the cost).

What If? Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers (3rd Edition)

What's great is that each chapter builds your skills gradually, starting with exercises to write good intro sentences, then to character development, point of view, dialogue, interior landscape of characters, plot, element of style, revisions, learning from the greats, etc.

The authors have said this has been the best way to see improvements from their students, and it's been working for me. Unlike other writing exercise books, this one has a clear structure, and moreover, they really go in depth in explaining the exercise and it's goal -- the technique it's trying to develop.

What I find especially helpful is that the book includes student examples for most of the examples. I own many writing exercises books, and so often I need to a clue on how to execute the exercises or I'm lost. The book also comes with short stories to study, too.

I was so skeptical about the book, since it isn't cheap, but the reviews on Amazon won me over. Read those reviews -- so many people recommend the book.

Note, if you can't afford it, there is the original, much cheaper version. It's much smaller, and doesn't have as many student examples or extra content (like the short stories), but it's costs way less. I'm guessing this was the original book before they expanded into a college textbook. I also own it also and it's still good. It's nice to carry around with me if I don't want to take the much larger newer version.

My other recommendation is this book:[The Making of a Story: A Norton Guide to Creative Writing by Alice LaPlante](
https://www.amazon.com/Making-Story-Norton-Creative-Writing/dp/0393337081/)

LaPlante is great at explaining the little nuances, the details in what makes creative fiction work. She goes into more details, and has writing exercises at the end of each chapter, including a short story to read. So she gives more theory of how good writing works. She avoids flowery or abstract advice found in so many other books.

I found it an excellent companion to the "What If" book.

This book is also used in college courses, and it's thick! Lots of material. Fortunately, however, this version I linked is around $13. This is the same exact book as the college version for $52 (named "Method and Madness: The Making of a Story").

Lastly, this isn't a college writing book, but just a bunch of really helpful exercises on how to improve as a writer.

Writing Tools: 55 Essential Strategies for Every Writer by Roy Peter Clark

What I like is that he gives examples to his exercises, too, from books, newspaper articles, etc. I really love all of Roy Peter Clark's writing books.

Anyway, good luck. I was in a deep writing funk. Depressed I wasn't improving, and I decided to write everyday using exercises from those books, and it's helped me so much.

Edit: typos.

The first thing that I suggest is that you buy a reputable book that will teach you how to write. I'm not saying that you're a bad writer, but I would wager that most people write three times worse than they think they can (I am including myself). On Writing Well is a classic, and you might also want to read this one and this one, although I strongly recommend completing the first one. What's included is:

a) Keep it simple. Don't say it's going to be a turbulent precipitation, say that it's going to rain. A lot.

b) Study each adverb and adjective. Any words that aren't necessary should be cut. Is it really important to say that the violin was wooden? Probably not. What about the sentence "She smiled happily"? The "happily" isn't necessary, that's what "smiled" means.

c) Use specific verbs.

d) Consistency is key. Switching tenses or something similar in the middle of writing is generally a bad move.

e) Proofread. Duh. That goes hand in hand with editing.

So, yeah. You should really look into that stuff area. One read-through will help significantly.

Ok. So now that I finished preaching to you, let's move on. I didn't find any templates in my quick search, so that's of no use right now. What you can do, though, is study very well-written program notes. Are their sentences long or short? When are they longer or shorter, and why? Is the tone active or passive (psst. it's probably active)? What's the tone that they use, and what is your impression at the end? You get the gist. If you write down what you think your thoughts for three of these, you'll have a good idea what you're shooting for. Other than that, it's all up to you, so go nuts.

Anecdotes are also a nice way to make things entertaining. Search for stories, or impacts on the audience. Did you know there are at least six editions of the Rite of Spring? Why was the one your orchestra's performing (let's assume) created? Many people also don't know about the riot after its premier. Stravinsky escaped out the back entrance to avoid the aristocratic mob. Say fun things, win fun prizes, or something like that.

It's also important to know that stories tend to follow the path of one person. The Odyssey could have had its crew be the focus, instead it was Odysseus. Inside Out could have placed all the emotions front and center, but it was Sadness and Joy that saved the girl. Keep that in mind if you're going down a similar path.

Man, I went all out on this. Good luck with your program.

Some of these aren't on Amazon, but all of them outside of amazon are on my wishlist, is that okay?

1.) Something that is grey.

[This compilation of xkcd comics!] (http://www.amazon.com/xkcd-0-Randall-Munroe/dp/0615314465/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1KXQQYMQ3MHEJ&coliid=I12D1D7CV12AVC) Though there aren't any formerly-unseen comics included, this is perfect for the lover of the famous (and always relevant) Xkcd webcomics.

2.) Something reminiscent of rain.

[This t-shirt for fans of Incubus that is apparently out of stock now, but I'm keeping it on my wishlist to gaze wistfully at.] (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/315rOsJeWzL._SL135_.jpg)
Incubus has always been one of my favorite bands, and all art that the lead singer (Brandon Boyd) produces is amazing, so I had high faith in this shirt being wonderful if I had the money to buy it.

3.) Something food related that is unusual.

[So I typed in "candy" and this popped up..] (http://www.amazon.com/LOCOMO-Rainbow-Hedgehog-Plastic-Baseball/dp/B00BRWH99K/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_2_49?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1376327288&sr=1-49&keywords=candy)
I'm not sure what I was expecting.

4.) Something on your list that is for someone other than yourself. Tell me who it's for and why.

[My mom has always wanted to learn calligraphy and someone recommended this book to me] (http://www.amazon.com/Learn-Calligraphy-Complete-Lettering-Design/dp/0767907329/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1KXQQYMQ3MHEJ&coliid=I35YCU37X7E6Y2)
She paints signs for people, usually featuring newborn babies or pets, and she always has to print out a guide and trace it if her customers request a font for their name.

5.) A book I should read! I am an avid reader, so take your best shot and tell me why I need to read it!

[This compilation of postsecrets-- artistic postcards with secrets written on them-- that are all touching in their own way.] (http://www.amazon.com/PostSecret-Extraordinary-Confessions-Ordinary-Lives/dp/0060899190/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1KXQQYMQ3MHEJ&coliid=I22JZDFLS686V8)
If you haven't heard of Postsecret yet, you should check it out [here] (http://www.postsecret.com/)

6.) An item that is less than a dollar, including shipping... that is not jewelry, nail polish, and or hair related!

I dunno!

7.) Something related to cats. I love cats! (keep this SFW, you know who you are...)

I have two cats, but I got nothing for this one.

8.) Something that is not useful, but so beautiful you must have it.

[This key from KeypersCove] (http://www.amazon.com/Handmade-Winter-Rose-Key-Necklace/dp/B00D3S4GVU/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376329005&sr=8-1&keywords=keypers+cove)
I had a similar one on my wishlist but it's out of stock now.

9.) A movie everyone should watch at least once in their life. Why?

[Cloud Atlas!] (http://www.amazon.com/Cloud-Atlas/dp/B00CRWJ5GO/ref=sr_sp-btf_title_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1376329072&sr=8-4&keywords=clouds+atlas)
Terribly confusing unless you see the [trailer] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWnAqFyaQ5s) first, it's surprisingly appropriate for this sub.

10.) Something that would be useful when the zombies attack. Explain.

[This climbing pick] (http://www.amazon.com/Omega-Pacific-Mountain-Axe-80cm/dp/B002J91R1G/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1376330277&sr=8-2&keywords=climbing+pick)
Ever played Telltale's The Walking Dead? Well, one character had a climbing pick that they used pretty frequently to scale buildings and kill zombies..it opened my eyes to the possibilities and dual uses of items.

11.) Something that would have a profound impact on your life and help you to achieve your current goals.

[This book] (http://www.amazon.com/The-Emotion-Thesaurus-Character-Expression/dp/1475004958/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top) for my writing skills, I always have trouble finding just the right way to convey the proper emotion, plus I have severe social anxiety so it would help me figure out how to act in real life as well.

[Or this book by the famous Virginia Woolf] (http://www.amazon.com/The-Waves-Harvest-Book-ebook/dp/B004R1Q41C/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1KXQQYMQ3MHEJ&coliid=IHP0D0N718720) just the type of writing style I'm aiming for.

[Or this book that I'm sure would help me with my technique.] (http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Tools-Essential-Strategies-Writer/dp/0316014990/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top)

12.) One of those pesky Add-On items.

Hm?

13.) The most expensive thing on your list. Your dream item. Why?

I used to have this on my list, but a [Geiger counter] (http://www.amazon.com/Radex-RD1503-RADEX-Radiation-Detector/dp/B00051E906/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376331004&sr=8-1&keywords=geiger+counter) because I'm paranoid about radiation and etc. Deleted it off my list because it's not useful for everyday life.

14.) Something bigger than a bread box. EDIT A bread box is typically similar in size to a microwave.

I got nothing on my list.

15.) Something smaller than a golf ball.

[These socks] (http://www.amazon.com/Portal-Chells-Aperture-Science-Socks/dp/B008JGPSJU/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1KXQQYMQ3MHEJ&coliid=I2KUOG9B813AXT) because they're ultra thin and I'm sure they could be crumpled up that small.

16.) Something that smells wonderful.

I'd put something here, but there's nothing I'm sure of. [This book] (http://www.amazon.com/White-Fluffy-Clouds-Inspiration-Forward/dp/0974512001/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1KXQQYMQ3MHEJ&coliid=I16LKBYPI8BE5U) because it could smell like Brandon Boyd?

17.) A (SFW) toy.

I've got nothing!

18.) Something that would be helpful for going back to school.

[This shirt] (http://www.designbyhumans.com/shop/rising-t-shirt/13087/) because I find it amazing, oh my god oh my god.

19.) Something related to your current obsession, whatever that may be.

[I've been trying to learn Irish for quite awhile now..] (http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Irish-Michael-OSiadhail/dp/0300121776/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376331377&sr=8-1&keywords=learn+irish)

20.) Something that is just so amazing and awe-inspiring that I simply must see it. Explain why it is so grand.

[This poster, this poster!] (http://smbc.myshopify.com/products/dear-human-19x27-poster) To see what it's based on, the original comic is [here] (http://www.smbc-comics.com/?id=2223)

I know this isn't what you want to hear, but you can't learn a language without learning its grammar. Your request is like someone who wants to be a surgeon saying he doesn't want to bother with studying anatomy. It just doesn't work like that.

Sure, with Duolingo or Youtube or a smart phone app, you could probably pick up some vocabulary and maybe even a few stand-alone phrases. Without understanding the grammar, though, you'll never be able to put those words together into meaningful sentences and arrange those sentences into meaningful conversations.

It would be like listening to someone in English who always says things like "Me want store please to go." Sure, a native English speaker will probably understand that you really meant "I want to go to the store, please." However, after two minutes of a conversation like that, the native speaker will be mentally exhausted.

So, as someone who himself didn't start learning German until he was 18, please believe me when I tell you that you will be doing yourself a huge favor in the long run if you take it slow here at the beginning and don't try to jump ahead until you get a firm grasp on the grammar. This won't necessarily be easy, and it won't necessarily be thrilling, but it *is* necessary. Having a large vocabulary and knowing cool slang words don't mean anything if you can't put them together correctly to make sentences.

Finally, you mentioned that you don't know English grammar very well. This is part of the problem, too. How can you learn the grammar of a foreign language if you don't have a frame of reference via the grammar of your own language? A grammar guide that was used in the German department where I studied might be helpful. It's relatively inexpensive on its own, but you might even be able to find it for free at a local public or university library, if you have access to one.

Finally, don't hesitate to ask grammar questions here (but help us help you by not asking 20 different grammar questions in the same post).

Viel Spaß und viel Erfolg!

I really respect the time and effort you are putting into studying for the SAT. That is quite a number of practice tests you have completed.

To bump up that reading, I highly recommend Erica Meltzer's SAT Critical Reading (2nd Edition). It's been an outstanding book for many to bump up that score. I find her to be a very outstanding author.

If grammar/writing seems to be the issue, fortunately, Erica Meltzer offers a book covering this topic! Link to her 3rd edition grammar. To reiterate, Erica Meltzer is an outstanding author who really uncovers tips to score high for SAT.

As for math, your best option is College Panda's SAT Math Workbook. I have heard great reviews about this book and I am looking to purchase this book, too. This book should really help you for the math section.

I hope you find these options helpful. You should continue to use Khan Academy daily for general practice on the three categories.
Always remember, quality over quantity. A person that practiced with 4 tests could outperform a person that practiced with 21 tests. I appreciate your studying and wish you the best luck to improve your great score!

Are you asking whether you could learn new language with this method? Its best you follow a language learning system for that.

It worked for me with english because I grew up learning it from childhood and obsessively read nearly hundred or more novels in my teen and young adult phase.

>What did you do/what was your method?

To put it in simple words, its basically taking great writers work, and imitate their content. For example here's
from the book The scarlet pimpernel first paragraph, chapter 3:

>Feeling in every part of England certainly ran very high at this time against the French and their doings. Smugglers and legitimate traders between the French and the English coasts brought snatches of news from over the water, which made every honest Englishman's blood boil, and made him long to have “a good go” at those murderers, who had imprisoned their king and all his family, subjected the queen and the royal children to every species of indignity, and were even now loudly demanding the blood of the whole Bourbon family and of every one of its adherents.

Now rewrite this paragraph to your own liking randomly like this:

>In nearly every part of new york, the feeling of tiredness ran very high against the southerners and their army. Runaway slaves and legitimate human traffickers between the two high parts of texas bought news from over by carts and by doves, which increased the animosity of the northerners towards the slave owners and made the northerners blood boil, and some of them even wished to have "good go" at those war mongers, who had imprisoned even the little black children in dark slave rooms, subjected their parents and the northern soldiers who tried to save them with every known piece of indecency, and were even now demanding the blood of the whole confederate army and every one of its supporters.

Yeah, this doesn't make much sense if you read it too much, but as you can see, I imitated that paragraph with few things added and few things removed. This is how you learn to write effectively. The more you imitate the great writers, the more your own writing will improve.

>How did you use this for English?

The only way you could have mastery over writing is to seriously finish reading books like these and apply its concepts everyday until you get better:



This is a classic book on sentence writing and gives you tons of examples and explanations, although it can get quiet challenging to read it in first try.



This book is quite challenging read and at times very hard to comprehend, but read it one chapter at a time slowly.

Next, this book gives you a basic introduction to the field of rhetoric, which is something that writers in this sub don't usually talk very much, but its one of the biggest things you should focus on if you want to improve your writing to the advanced level from basic and intermediate level.

Finally, this book is the one you should definitely read, and this book is the one that basically inspired my initial comment.

Alright, here goes nothing! Kinda Long list, sorry for wall of text!

YouTube

• Learn Italian with Lucrezia
  
  
• Tia Taylor (More culture than anything; but American Girl who lives (or lived) in Italy for awhile. While I feel like she tries to make videos JUST for views, some of her earlier ones are very informational!
  
  
• Debby Arts: I really enjoy drawing, and I came across her one day. Her main youtube channel is in English, but she does have an Italian version.
  
  
• FavijTV is a decent gamer youtuber. I don't watch him that often, but decent none-the-less.
  
  Twitch.tv
  
  
• Rengoland (my personal favorite, super chill dude, also fluent in English but streams in Italian for his viewers)
  
  
• Paoloidolo
  
  Sites
  
  
• I believe Uni. of Vermont Italian
  
  
• Italian Grammar Exercises!
  
  
• Reading of Italian Passages This site has everything though.
  
  Here are all of my books that I bought, I can't find some of the old ones that were given to me though!
  
  
• Practice Makes Perfect: Italian
  
  
• English Grammar for Students of Italian
  
  
• 501 Italian Verbs
  
  
• I love this buy, I dislike Anki Vocabulary Cards
  
  
• Same thing as above, but grammar
  
  
• Regret this buy, but I own it: Living Language
  
  
• This is a picture vocab book. A SIMILAR ITEM (i.e. not this one specifically) was given to me when I first was learning Italian. Picture Voacb Book
  
  
• Grammar cheat sheet
  
  
• And I have some school books from uni classes I took.
  
  Italian movies I recommend
  
  
• Benvenuti al Sud
  
  
• Benvenuti al Nord
  
  
• La Vita è Bella
  
  
• Un americano a Roma
  
  
• La grande Guerra
  
  
• Il Postino
  
  Others
  
  Other resources include the free ones that are giving in the language resources! I also go over to /r/Italy and /r/Italianlearning and read topics and help others with Italian!

For Reading: https://www.amazon.com/Critical-Reader-3rd-Complete-Reading/dp/0997517875

For Writing: https://www.amazon.com/College-Pandas-SAT-Writing-Advanced/dp/098949649X/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=college+panda+sat+writing&qid=1563901164&s=gateway&sprefix=college+panda&sr=8-3 or https://www.amazon.com/4th-Ultimate-Guide-SAT-Grammar/dp/0997517867/ref=pd_aw_fbt_14_img_2/133-6279214-8476330?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0997517867&pd_rd_r=b1b3ba1b-4d03-4aef-8534-fb724df88793&pd_rd_w=tVeGd&pd_rd_wg=AG0DL&pf_rd_p=3ecc74bd-d08f-44bd-96f3-d0c2b89f563a&pf_rd_r=S0E4J8G00TRD6F0ZY1ZK&psc=1&refRID=S0E4J8G00TRD6F0ZY1ZK

For Math: https://www.amazon.com/College-Pandas-SAT-Math-Advanced/dp/0989496422/ref=pd_aw_fbt_14_img_2/133-6279214-8476330?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0989496422&pd_rd_r=6bc275dd-8dee-497b-aa49-17576266463e&pd_rd_w=YjIig&pd_rd_wg=Pc71l&pf_rd_p=3ecc74bd-d08f-44bd-96f3-d0c2b89f563a&pf_rd_r=P3X7H8SAQZT59M5F6FNV&psc=1&refRID=P3X7H8SAQZT59M5F6FNV or https://www.amazon.com/PWN-SAT-Guide-Mike-McClenathan/dp/1523963573/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?keywords=pwn+sat+math&qid=1563901232&s=gateway&sprefix=pwn+sa&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1

For Essay (if you’re taking it): https://www.amazon.com/College-Pandas-SAT-Essay-Battle-tested/dp/0989496465/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=college+panda+essay&qid=1563901277&s=gateway&sr=8-3

For General Strategy: https://www.amazon.com/SAT-Prep-Black-Book-Strategies/dp/0692916164/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?keywords=sat+black+book&qid=1563901330&s=gateway&sprefix=sat+bla&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1

For Practice Tests: https://www.amazon.com/Official-SAT-Study-Guide-2020/dp/1457312190/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=college+board+sat+2020&qid=1563901505&s=gateway&sprefix=college+board+&sr=8-3 (NOTE: These practice tests are available online but I prefer having them on paper, which is why I bought this book.) and https://amp.reddit.com/r/Sat/comments/9544rw/all_qas_tests_and_scoring_in_pdf_form/

Good online resources include Khan Academy, UWorld, and 1600.io. Also, I recommend taking a timed practice test often to follow along with your progress and see what you need to work on. Make sure to do the practice test all at once (don’t break it up into section) and try to do it in the morning like you would in the real SAT. Then, go over your mistakes very carefully (this is VERY IMPORTANT) until you truly understand the mistake so that you won’t make it again in the future. This is the most important step. If you skip this, it’s unlikely that you see any meaningful score improvement. Also, It’s up to you which resources you buy/use based on what sections you need help with. Good luck!

the books that I have are:

Hammer's German Grammar and Usage - it's a huge comprehensive in-depth look at everything grammatical, breaks everything down completely. good as a reference book but not really to go through and study

English Grammar for Students of German - it's a really brief overview comparing English grammar to German grammar with examples, but doesn't get really specific

Berlitz Self Teacher: German - some of the vocab is a little outdated but it's a cute concise book that's really good to carry on the subway or whatever and read in short spurts. there's special parts dedicated to helping you "think in german" which is important for fluency. it's a pretty good book for beginners I think.

I also have Barron's 501 German verbs but I actually haven't started looking through it yet.

and then if we add an audio section to this list is highly recommend Pimsleur's audio courses, though they're pricey so you may want to try and obtain them ahem another way.

Make sure first that the resources you are working with are top-notch. According to the sub, the best online resource to learn concepts (across all the sections) is Khan Academy. In terms of Reading, this means doing the practice with the various passage types (fiction, social studies, and science). In terms of Writing, this means learning the various conventions of the English language. Feel free to also download the free official SAT Question of the Day App for daily questions (every other day will have an English question).

If you are a book person and willing to spend some money ...

The best Reading resource, according to the sub, is Erica Meltzer. My personal recommendation is that you stick with official practice sections for this one because, quite simply, no one makes questions like the CollegeBoard. Mark off select practice tests for use as full-length exams ... the other tests' sections can be used individually. In the case of Reading, use those for practice. If you're afraid of running out of official material, maybe start with PSATs, which are also easier and can ease you in. Make sure you do deep analyses of your errors (know HOW you picked the wrong answer, HOW to avoid doing that again, WHY the correct answer is right, and WHY the incorrect answers are wrong ... you must do all of those things to really obtain value from your practice) and also examine the questions you were not super confident in. Even take a second look at questions you got right to see if you could find a faster way of arriving at the answer. Note down any vocabulary that might have impeded your ability to understand the passages/questions/answers. Make sure to keep a log of all your analyses.

For Writing, the best resources are Erica Meltzer (if you prefer a very dense writing style) or College Panda (if you prefer something more to the point). Meltzer also has a separate workbook of practice tests. Work through either of these by chapter. After every couple of chapters, do a practice section for a mixed review to see if you can handle dealing with the concepts when you no longer have the benefit of being told what to look for. Keep in mind that Writing isn't all just grammar ... there is a reading component to it in which you must think about adding a relevant detail, shifting a sentence, or replacing a word in context ... this is where your Reading skills should blend in as well.

For explanations to the official tests, use 1600.io. Only the first four tests are free, but the site is quite highly regarded. Give that free trial a go, and see if you think it's worth the money.

Be aware that you'll likely see quick gains with Writing, but I promise that once you get the hang of Reading, that score will also see similar improvement. It just takes some time for most people to grasp it. The main thing is accepting that the correct answer is always supported by something in the passage ... you cannot rely on outside assumptions.

Good luck!

And I have these in my list on amazon. Would love to get some opinions on them:

 

How to Win Friends and Influence People

by Dale Carnegie

 

Secrets of a Freelance Writer: How to Make $100,000 a Year or More

by Robert Bly

 

Words that Sell

by Richard Bayan

 

Tested Advertising Methods

by Caples and Hahn

 

Writing That Works

by Kenneth Roman and Joel Raphaelson

 

Confessions of an Advertising Man

by David Ogilvy

 

The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing

by Al Ries and Jack Trout

 

The Robert Collier Letter Book

by Robert Collier

 

Nicely Said: Writing for the Web with Style and Purpose

by Nicole Fenton and Kate Kiefer Lee

 

Letting Go of the Words

by Janice (Ginny) Redish

 

Essential English for Journalists, Editors and Writers

by Harold Evans

 

Can I Change Your Mind?: The Craft and Art of Persuasive Writing

by Lindsay Camp

 

Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer

by Roy Peter Clark

 

Read Me: 10 Lessons for Writing Great Copy

by Roger Horberry and Gyles Lingwood

 

Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This: The Classic Guide to Creating Great Ads

by Luke Sullivan

 

WRITE IN STEPS: The super simple book writing method

by Ian Stables

 

On Writing Well

by William Zinsser

 

The Wealthy Freelancer

by Steve Slaunwhite, Pete Savage and Ed Gandia

 

Write Everything Right!

by Denny Hatch

 

The Secret of Selling Anything

by Harry Browne

 

The Marketing Gurus: Lessons from the Best Marketing Books of All Time

by Chris Murray

 

On Writing

by Stephen King

 

Writing for the Web

by Lynda Felder

 

Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content

by Ann Handley

 

This book will teach you how to write better

by Neville Medhora

NLP is actually exactly what I'm aiming for. It's pretty interesting stuff.

My favorite book for entry level linguistics stuff is what I used in my intro class: Language Files: Materials for an Introduction to Language and Linguistics. It's very well organized and separated, so you can pretty much skip anything that isn't really interesting without suffering later. It's also really well written and has a lot of examples and other fun stuff in it.

FIRST is a fantastic organization. Being involved in the FRC team that we founded in my high school was literally the thing that got me interested in STEM. I was a junior, and planning on going to a really non-traditional, liberal arts focused school (with no computer science department at all!). Because of FIRST, I instead chose a school where I would be able to keep learning about programming and robots, which was definitely for the better.

I think the USA has the stereotype for being anti-science because there is a significant portion of the population that is. Even in my University, there was a girl (studying Biology of all things!) in my first year dorm who believed that the Earth was 10,000 years old and that evolution was a lie meant to discredit Christianity. My intro Astronomy class had a whole day devoted to countering Young Earth Creationism, because so many of the students in the class were trying to use it to counter what the professor said.

However, we have an absurdly large population, so you also have a lot of people on the exact opposite end of that spectrum. I think that is why the US can maintain a reputation of being anti-science while at the same time leading the charge in many scientific fields.

I strongly recommend Ohio State University's book Language Files. If you buy the most recent edition it is fairly expensive, but if you go back a few editions you can get "very good" used copies for under $15. The Table of Contents for the current edition is here and gives you a good feeling for how much ground it covers. Each section has clear explanations and some examples to work through. It gives you a good understanding of what it's like to actually DO linguistics.

I recommended this book to someone a few years back who gave me Reddit Gold in return. It really is that good!

Edit: you have a good chance of finding this book in a local library (public or academic) because it is so popular. Look for it on worldcat.org.

If you mean get into, as in you want to be interested but just can't find the motivation, what got me interested was reading about it. Learn from the best. Here are some good ones on documentation itself (I guess more on the eminence of languages dying and the need for documentation):

• Linguistic Fieldwork—Claire Bowern
  
  
• When Languages Die—David Harrison
  
  
• Vanishing Voices—Daniel Nettle & Suzanne Romaine
  
  
• Endangered Languages—Sarah G. Thomason
  
  Fieldwork is often closely associated with typology, so here are some books that explain some of what's possible in the world's languages:
  
  
• Describing Morphosyntax—Thomas Payne
  
  
• Ergativity—R.M.W. Dixon
  
  
• Changing Valency—R.M.W. Dixon & Alexandra Aikhenvald
  
  And then there are reference grammars, often the fruits of fieldwork. Here are some good ones I've gone through:
  
  
• A Grammar of Tariana—Alexandra Y. Aikhenvald
  
  
• A Grammar of Hup—Patience Epps
  
  
• Basically any other one in the Mouton Grammar Library, plus here are some free ones from Language Science Press.
  
  Then again, if you mean get into it meaning what language should you pick and what part of the world, that's a harder question to answer. I feel like languages just sort of happen to people: they know someone who happens to come from a community of minority language speakers, or they have a friend who says they ran into an understudied language while abroad, or you yourself happened to live in that part of the world for whatever reason. It's hard to go study a language out of the blue because you need an "in" somehow, which is hard to purposely get, I think.

I originally pmed this, since I have no idea how to source it or such and it's just rambling, but OP said I should put it here anyways so everyone can gain from the rambly insight.

"I have no idea where you could specifically read, it's mostly just gleaned for being very interested in Germanic philology but... Basically, multilingualism was /very/ common and even by the Roman Silver Age people would go to schools to learn written Latin as we have today, rather speaking Vulgar Latin and when we get to the various Germanic (that is, from the Germanic tribes that invaded Rome) rulers, they would speak their language and very soon, inside of 3 generations they'd speak the language of the conquered too (getting wives and such from that population+all their servants...) and sometimes learn Latin. ...but in many cases the nobles wouldn't actually know Latin and would use scribes for that. "Literate" meant solely "literate in latin" (one of the English kings actually tried to get "universal" (that is for free men) literacy in Old English and talks about how it's on par to Latin and so on in the text) (at least in the areas they cared about that, in the east, they used other languages, like Old Church Slavonic and Greek...) when many people would have some comprehension of basic writing in their own languages. There was a wonderful... BBC(?) article on literacy in the middle ages. To that end, there was actually a fair amount of literature written in them, still nowhere near as much as that in Latin though, but... yeah.

Hopefully that was helpful, I'm not sure how to structure it better. :/ http://www.amazon.com/Old-English-Grammar-Reader-Edition/dp/0814315100/ref=cm_srch_res_rpsy_1 this mentions a lot of such things to the side and in texts, just inadvertently mentioning some guy doing this or this... It's of course a different case from what you'd end up with in France, but... Old Norse and Old English were very fluid (not that they're particularly different from another) with a large amount of the population speaking them, and in the Celtic areas Welsh or Old Irish would be thrown in too/be there instead of the Old English portion, depending on where they were. "

I started writing Pokémon fanfics back when I was in junior high. Now I'm 26, I'm a produced playwright with some awards under my belt, and I'm doing a second draft of my first novel.

The way you start writing is two fold.

1. Write a lot. Every day. Maybe it's ten minutes to start. Maybe you start with journaling. Just spitballing about characters, plots, whatever. That will evolve into writing actual content.
   
   
2. You need to read a lot. A lot. What do you like to read? When I was in college, I read everything from Shakespeare to Stephen King. Find an author your like. Mimic their style at first. It will evolve into your own quickly.
   
   Two books you need to read:
   
   "The Elements of Style"
   http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005IT0V8O?ie=UTF8&redirectFromSS=1&pc_redir=T1&noEncodingTag=1&fp=1
   
   Free on kindle.
   
   Next is Stephen King's "On Writing." You can find that one somewhere. That book inspired me and gave me a good writer's toolbox. I still go back to both of them.
   
   Last piece of advice. Write for you. Write things that you like. At first, it won't matter what other people think because they won't be reading it. Only share stuff when you feel like getting your story broken. The good part about a broken story is that you can always fix it, but it's painful. Writing is 90% rewriting. It's what makes it feel like work.
   
   But writing is one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. It got me through a lot of tough times. It still does. I would be happy to help you in any way I can. Feel free to message me privately (I'll figure out how this works on mobile).
   
   The world needs more writers because writers are adventurers.

First, I would check to see if the language requirements are for entering the program or if they are for achieving candidacy. I know it varies widely by program, but if it is a candidacy requirement (or even maybe a requirement to be fulfilled by the end of the first year), the program you enroll in might have a path to achieving proficiency that doesn't require remedial language courses or self-instruction.

That being said, I am doing this right now. I would recommend a healthy dose of Duolinguo, but also some French for reading books. Karl Sandberg's French for Reading is an excellent resource that is aimed at the academic. Additionally, I have heard that Jacqueline Morton's English for Students of French is great, too. I have also picked up a few side-by-side French/English novels to practice on. After about a month of this (maybe 3-5 hours a week), I am already feeling like I could struggle bus my way through the exam if I could beg another half hour out of the proctor.

There are some informal extension courses offered by some universities for rather cheap, as well. Just googling "French reading summer online" or something like that makes a bunch of them pop up.

Lastly, in the next few weeks I am going to be rounding up some music theory/musicology articles in French that have English translations (or perhaps the reverse) so that I can practice. PM me if you want me to send them to you when I get them.

No problem! Later today, when I get some time, I'll check through my notebook. I might not have anything useful, or I might not be able to remember the exercises I was writing for, but I'll see if I can find anything.

One exercise I saw on here, actually, looked interesting. What you do is give your student an ending, and then he was to write a story from the beginning that uses the ending.

/u/oneder_woman mentioned maybe finding some things for your student to read that would help him with writing. The Elements of Style by Strunk and White is really considered the most essential, authoritative book on the more technical parts of writing. I'd also recommend On Writing by Stephen King. I don't really care for King as a writer, haven't read any of his other books and don't plan to, but I think it's a great book for writers. It really helped me understand the writing process more, how you think about coming up with story ideas and then how you go about executing them and writing a story. It's a memoir about his life as a writer, but he also writes about his tips for becoming a better writer. I read it for my senior writing seminar in college, but I noticed my cousin was reading it for an AP writing class as a high school senior, so it's good for younger students too.

I've also heard Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury and The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers by John Gardner are good. I haven't read them personally, but I know those are two great authors.

I almost bought this last week, but can't justify the cost right now (I'm working at a pretty slow pace so probably can't rent it). I ended up buying two other books:

1. Practice Makes Perfect: Complete Italian Grammar
   
2. Easy Italian Reader
   
   They're being delivered today so I'm not sure if they live up to the reviews; I can update my thoughts on them later.
   
   EDIT
   
   These are my first thoughts after working through the first few pages of each book.
   
   

• Practice Makes Perfect: Seems like it's going to be great as a general overview, and the review questions are actually tolerable unlike the countless French homework assignments I suffered through in high school. It's hard to judge at the moment because I've already been using Duolingo for a while so obviously the first few chapters are going to be pure review for me.
  
  
• Easy Italian Reader: This book focuses more on reading passages; after reading small chunks of text you read and answer questions completely in Italian, and so far this is exactly what I was looking for; something that would allow me to practice reading stories and passages in Italian without being forced to read young children's books (hoping to read the first Harry Potter book in the near future). It's a bit dry (the first story focuses on two friends and their school life and whatnot), but I think it's perfect for someone who wants to start reading Italian early in their studies.

Building off of what others have said— it helps to look at bilingual dictionaries and see the varied ways terms translate. As an example, see the English Wiktionary entry for French gentil. This word is what English borrowed 'gentle' from, but there are still senses and differences from what you get with the related English word. Ideally, just about every word will have at least a bit of complexity- even words that translate to very concrete concepts like 'tree' or 'rock' may have metaphorical extensions, idiomatic uses, etc.


For more 'grammatical' parts of the language, it's good to remember that labels like 'accusative' or 'passive' only refer to one aspect of a construction's use. In Latin, the accusative and ablative both appeared with prepositions, and which case was used determined whether the sense was location or movement, like 'in' vs 'into' (sorry, I don't remember which case is which). You'd never get that just by reading the definition of an accusative case though.

In English, there are two main possessive constructions: X's Y and Y of X. However the usage of each is somewhat different, and both include usages that wouldn't be considered ownership. Your language should have some way of expressing all of the senses these English constructions do, but they should have different distributions and range of semantics.

Wikipedia can be a good resource for learning about some of the possibilities of various grammatical categories. If you can, I'd recommend grabbing a copy of Describing Morphosyntax - it goes through many possibilities for different constructions and gives plenty of examples.

A few years ago, I made a language for an independent study at my university. It mostly consisted of translating the Tower of Babel into the language. It was something that showed my language had at least limited use.

I've tried twice since then to create another language, somewhat based off my previous work- but mostly trying out new things, doing more research than before, etc. It hasn't been successful. I keep getting indecisive about things.

I've been using The Language Construction Kit as a reference - especially the book version. It's a pretty decent book that does cover things more in detail than the site (plus, very handy to carry around). How to Create a Language is another useful site. These are great sources for going through the process of making a language (in the book, the author includes part of a grammar on one of his languages, and includes commentary on the decisions and mistakes he made).

I also really love Describing Morphosyntax. It's much more detailed than any of the above- as it's more aimed for linguists. It goes through the process of things to look for in a language when documenting it. It explains variation of the different aspects of grammar, which I've found very helpful to determine ideas to incorporate for my language.

Livejournal's Conlangs community is another good resource.

Edit (#4?) I just found the Conlangs Wikia (check out the conlangs category or list of conlangs to see example languages)

Just do it. Just put it out there. Some of the worst stuff I have written, that I still call "trash fiction", is the stuff people loved best. Some of the best stuff I have written has gotten the harshest critiques. The point, here, is to be careful of becoming "married" to things, that is, being unwilling to change it if someone has a valid critique.

Basically, take everything that is said to you about your work, process it as feedback rather than attack, and use it to help your writing get better. If someone took the time to critique your work, rather than defending the work, thank them for the criticism. Take the criticim, apply it, and see if it makes your work stronger. If it does, keep it, if not ignore it. Rough criticim has helped me immensely.

I also cannot emphasize how much a few writing classes and good books can help. Check out On Writing Well by William Zinsser, and Sin in Syntax by Constance Hale. Worth their weight in gold.

Feel free to inbox me with your stories. I promise to be thorough, yet non-douchy! Here's my online portfolio , if you want to check out my stuff. :)

EDIT: A comma.

I go through phases. Sometimes I read poetry (nothing in particular, usually a trip to the library looking for collections instead of one single author). Sometimes I read fiction. Sometimes I read non-fiction.

The other part of the equation is to make sure you're reading actively. It doesn't matter how much you read if you don't really understand it. Pay attention to the way the author says things.

An issue I have with just reading nonfiction books on a particular subject (ie. philosophy as you've stated) doesn't really help if the books are dry. You're wanting to learn how to turn a phrase--you don't get that from a lot of non-fiction. The philosophy part might help you look at the world differently or become more aware of things outside your own point of view, but they don't usually help you understand how to write a crafty sentence (or lyric). In other words, it might give you something to write about, but not how to write about it!

Something else that might help is to read books about writing. Not textbooks, but books about grammar and style. I also recommend books written by successful authors on their own writing.

Two books that I have next to me pretty much always are:

https://www.amazon.com/Sin-Syntax-Craft-Wickedly-Effective/dp/0767903099

and

https://www.amazon.com/Elements-Eloquence-Secrets-Perfect-Phrase/dp/042527618X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483465760&sr=8-1&keywords=elements+of+eloquence

Of course, you can also enroll in a creative writing course. Having guidance and feedback is worth more than most people think.

Many professors/teachers praise this book for French grammar and all its intricacies. However, I bought it way back when I first started studying French and opened it maybe once or twice. Honestly, I think about.com has the best explanations for grammar points. Whenever I come across a weird grammatical structure or am trying to form a sentence a certain way, I google some key words related to it (ex. pendant vs. depuis) and about.com always has the best explanation. If you're just a learner/student of French, I would stick to google/about.com. It's really the best source and all you need plus it's free.

I find that it's really easy to teach yourself once you have a sound foundation. At that point, you sort of know what you don't know.

I broke my learning into a few main topics:

1. Grammar - Advanced French Grammar and this one
   
2. «La colle française» - (the glue) this mostly includes prepositions, adverbs, interjections, and temporal vocabulary--it's the little things which count!
   
3. Idiomatic expressions - phrases like, "it turns out that" and "on the spot" to "Rome wasn't built in a day"
   
4. Verbs
   
5. Nous + adjectives
   
   I listed them in the order I learn them. I really focus on #1-3 because I think they're the true indicators of fluency, and #3 makes movie-watching a lot easier. Verbs can be tricky if you can't spot their tenses and conjugated forms. Nouns and adjectives are the easiest to pick up. I make my own study decks using Anki.
   
   This and that are good for translating phrases.
   
   I think accents come naturally. Anyway, that's not so important if you can't formulate your ideas in coherent French ;) This is a fun site for testing out pronunciation.
   
   Hope this helps!

Syntax as Style by Tufte is the best for sentence level mechanics. By far.

On Writing Well by Zinsser is the best for non-fiction.

If you're interested in fiction, Story Engineering by Brooks is the one I usually recommend for structure. But you might use Knight's Creating Short Fiction for that purpose. Or Save the Cat by Snyder.

People often recommend Elements of Style by Strunk and White. It has the benefit of being very short and direct. It will make your writing better, if you're a beginner. Your essays will read more smoothly. But I don't like recommending this book because it lacks nuance and is sometimes wrong. If you just want to improve your writing as quickly as possible, get this book. If you actually care about language, get Virginia Tufte's book instead.

Start with Wikipedia. For linguistics is pretty good and some of my professors have suggested I used to get familiar with topics before I research them a bit a more. The nice thing about wikipedia articles is if you are interested in reading more you can just go to the articles and books they cite at the bottom. I would also suggest you check out Describing Morphosyntax. It gives a really good introduction to various topics and just all around interesting.

Someone on here suggested the Language Construction Kit and I would also suggest that because even though it might now be the best introduction out there it will introduce you to the magical world of conlanging. For me if it wasn't for conlanging I probably wouldn't have been as motivated to learn linguistic topics and to get familiar with a wide range of languages.

Top score is a 1600, lowest score is a 400. Theres 3 sections (Math, Reading, & Writing/Language) and an optional essay (max score is a 24). The average score is a 1060, most colleges are okay with just about anything between an 1100-1300, though more selective colleges will have an average of 1350, and top colleges usually have an average of 1520 or so.

Practice is always the best way to prepare: The Official SAT Study Guide is the most realistic practice you're going to get. It includes 8 full-length tests (though you can get those for free on the CollegeBoard website) and review of all the topics on the test.

I'm going to be taking the June SAT tomorrow and I've been using Erica L Meltzer's Grammar and Reading Guides (which are worshiped on this subreddit, for good reason), as well as the QAS Released Tests on this subreddit (scroll down and you'll see "Prep Materials" on the right-hand side. They're real tests!)

One thing that helps is identifying my mistakes and reviewing them, making sure they don't happen again the next time I practice. Typically a (responsible) person will begin preparing for the SAT about 3 months in advance, and they'll take the test about 3 times.

I hope this helps!

​

Erica Meltzer: https://www.amazon.com/Critical-Reader-3rd-Complete-Reading/dp/0997517875/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=3QJ7NNDCFZME1YAVRHE4

​

https://www.amazon.com/4th-Ultimate-Guide-SAT-Grammar/dp/0997517867/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2/143-3214858-8357969?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0997517867&pd_rd_r=a2f63509-83e3-11e9-b0f3-5fc5494b71c2&pd_rd_w=5Oxt6&pd_rd_wg=XSG76&pf_rd_p=a2006322-0bc0-4db9-a08e-d168c18ce6f0&pf_rd_r=961V20KBVK1215JA12QN&psc=1&refRID=961V20KBVK1215JA12QN

Well, I should say that I learn best when I understand the grammar, both for comprehension and composition. It's like a logic puzzle for me. Plain immersion doesn't do it for me. There's a reason why French school children are drilled in written grammar - it's quite different from spoken. Moreover, I am a firm believer in learning hard core grammar to prepare for standardized language testing - it counts for about 30% of any test, at least. It's the middle section in the TCF.

So, I found french grammar books written for French students - it forces you to work completely in French and improves comprehension faster, I think. It also introduces you to French cultural stuff at the same time. Something like the Grammaire progressive du francais series.

I did lots of random online French website conjugation exercises. There are plenty of them, although they look like sites from 1998.

For listening, I used the TV5 Monde website mentioned above a lot for preparation, first with videos and then just the listening exercises. And then as I started to feel confident, I did their online timed tests. BTW they closely match the real TCF material because they provide the content for the test!

I watched French movies with French subtitles, not English. And I watched French news online - their accents are quite clear.

However, within 60 days of the test I generally listened to radio online, with transcripts if I could find them. Video news becomes a problem because you build a false sense of comprehension for testing. TCF listening tests are audio-only, no video.

Finally, when you get stuck on a grammar point, as I still do, I highly recommend either English Grammar for Students of French or Side-By-Side French and English Grammar.

Good luck!

I have personally only used Meltzer's english book, CP's english book, and CP's math book and can vouch that all of these are amazing, but others on this sub also recommend other books. Here is a list of many of them. I hope they serve you well :] (Edit: I apologize for how huge this post is, lol)


English

• The Ulimate Guide to SAT Grammar by Erica Meltzer
  https://www.amazon.com/4th-Ultimate-Guide-SAT-Grammar/dp/0997517867/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1519610454&sr=1-1&keywords=erica+meltzer+sat+writing
  
  
• SAT Writing: Advanced Guide and Workbook by College Panda
  https://www.amazon.com/College-Pandas-SAT-Writing-Advanced/dp/0989496430/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1519610514&sr=1-1&keywords=college+panda+writing&dpID=41iRh%252BJb19L&preST=_SX218_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch
  
  
  
  Reading
  
  
• The Critical Reader by Erica Meltzer
  https://www.amazon.com/Critical-Reader-3rd-Complete-Reading/dp/0997517875/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519610443&sr=8-1&keywords=erica+meltzer+sat+reading&dpID=51cR4Uh0YBL&preST=_SX218_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch
  
  
  
  Math
  
  
• SAT Math Advanced Guide and Workbook by College Panda
  https://www.amazon.com/College-Pandas-SAT-Math-Advanced/dp/0989496422/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1519610506&sr=1-1&keywords=college+panda+math
  
  
• Dr. John Chung's SAT Math
  https://www.amazon.com/Dr-John-Chungs-Math-Fourth/dp/197452602X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1519610536&sr=1-1&keywords=dr+chungs+sat+math&dpID=51gqq9mu0XL&preST=_SX218_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch
  

Practice. Practice. Practice. I'd suggest starting with writing.

Try to write an article which describes some complex thing you already understand so that someone unfamiliar with the topic could also understand it. Write the first draft. Then edit it. Then edit it again. Keep editing it until you're confident that the content clearly relays the information in a concise manner. Then do it with a few more topics.

Going through this process should help train your brain to sort through many pieces of information, identify the most important ones, and translate your understanding of them into words. The more you do it, the easier it will become. As your brain gets faster at breaking down complex concepts into communicable chunks, it should eventually improve your verbal communication as well.

For a general primer on writing more clearly, Strunk and White's Elements of Style is beyond compare. The Kindle edition is currently free.

The best book is English Grammar for Students of Latin. I make the students I teach take this book.

https://www.amazon.com/English-Grammar-Students-Latin-Learning/dp/0934034346

It helps because you can easily understand what a gerund or a participle is in English so that a gerund or participle in Latin is easier to understand.

It has little exercises at the end of each chapter to help you practice and apply what you learned about English and Latin grammar.

It isn't very comprehensive, so eventually, you want to use Allen and Greenough or Bennet's Latin grammar. You can download those for free here

http://www.textkit.com/latin_grammar.php

However, as you said, grammar is your bane, so this is why I recommend English Grammar for Students of Latin. It's elementary and will get you up to speed with understanding how grammar works in general so that you can grasp Latin grammar more easily.

Ummm...what? Good try, but once again you are incorrect.

 

First of all.

>That year was in the past. It has passed us by.

This statement itself is correct, but the context is completely different from your original post, so we will ignore it.

 

Now for your mistake.

>This passed season was OK

You are not saying that the season did pass (verb) and it was OK, you are describing the season which is in the past (we'll call this one an adjective) and that it was OK.

One helpful trick could be to think about this sentence using the other tenses. This future season will be OK. This present season is OK. The tenses of past, present, and future are clarifying the noun which in this case is "season".

 

It's one thing to be a dick to someone who is trying to help you improve your grammar. It's another thing to completely ignore it while being so fucking condescending.

There are many websites which explain the difference of past vs. passed far better than the one you provided. If you need further reading, I suggest this book.

I'll second the recommendation of The Language Instinct. Pinker approaches it from the perspective of a cognitive scientist, but it's a good book if you want an overview of linguistics and linguistic theory (although some of his claims are controversial and as breads mentioned, it's somewhat outdated).

As for English syntax, I don't think there are any books out there intended for the layman, so your best bet would probably be to pick up an introductory textbook with a syntax unit. I'd recommend Language Files from the Ohio State University Press. It's an excellent and comprehensive introductory text, one of the best.

An Introduction to Language by Fromkin, Rodman, & Hyams is also well-regarded, but I haven't taught from it, so I can't speak to it personally.

If what you want to achieve is A1 and nothing beyond, you best bet would be getting one of the many course books:

• Schritte (http://www.amazon.com/dp/3190018510/). You may simply ignore the 1 stars review as they're irrelevant.
  
• Lagune (http://www.amazon.de/dp/3190016240/) and a lot more others. Actually it doesn't really matter which one you pick. Any one of them is sufficient.
  
  A arguably better alternative would be the free online course offered by Deutsche Welle (http://deutschkurse.dw.de/KursPlattform/WebObjects/KursPlattform.woa/wo/6.1). Do register and try it. Really valuable resource. Together with Deutsch – warum nicht? (http://www.dw.de/deutsch-lernen/deutsch-warum-nicht/s-2163) you can go far. (In case you didn't realise already, both the sound files and pdf notes can be found on the right, featuring four series.)
  
  Maybe the only problem you would encounter is speaking. The speaking test is actually like this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGNd-6pDkEI), and you may panic if you don't already speak in German for a several hours. Try to find someone who speaks German and wants to do a language exchange with you. (http://www.language-exchanges.org/) is one of them. You may as well find one on Reddit.
  
  By the way, if you really want to have a strong command of German sooner or later, there are some good, though popular (popular doesn't always mean bad) books for foundation, apart from your already awesome German for Reading:
  
  
• German: How to Speak and Write It (http://www.amazon.com/dp/9650060359/)
  
• The Everything Learning German Book (http://www.amazon.com/dp/159869989X/)
  
  If you insist on getting a grammar book, a nice start would be:
  
  
• Essential German Grammar (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0340741899/)
  
• English Grammar for Students of German (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0934034389/)
  
  And eventually you may want to take down the boss:
  
  
• Hammer's German Grammar and Usage (http://www.amazon.com/dp/1444120166/)
  
• Duden 04. Die Grammatik (http://www.amazon.de/dp/product/3411040483/)
  
  Finally I recommend you to take a look at my favourite reading material when I started, Studien und Plaudereien (http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/22160), freely offered by Project Gutenberg.

Sin and Syntax by Constance Hale. It is about the parts of language, rather than punctuation, but it's amazing. It will teach you the "right way" and the "wrong, but awesome" way to write.

Edit: I feel that I should add that I have read this book through twice. It's not often I can just read a book about grammar, but this book is very well written, in my opinion. She makes language fun.

This was my introductory textbook. I found it pretty approachable, and you can wiki / google anything you don't understand. Pretty cheap, too (Amazon has it as only $40 or so new; you should be able to get it cheaper elsewhere).

If you don't know IPA, I found this really useful for audio clips. Also, figuring out how they're made isn't that difficult, and it makes understanding the different sounds easier.

You might also want to check out a few books from your library. I've heard good things about Stephen Pinker's The Language Instinct. You can find other book recommendations elsewhere on the subreddit.

Google and Wikipedia are your friends. Google things about language that you're interested in, figure out what that issue is 'called', wiki that, look at the sources it gives, google more stuff... Simple English is your friend on wikipedia.

There's also this link in the sidebar, so you'll get more information there.

Hammer's German and Usage

Hammer's German and Usage Workbook

German Grammar drills

Secondary grammar book

Personally, Hammer's Grammar book is quite enough. It is around 500 pages of dry grammar. It is very well constructed and very easy to understand, get it with workbook. It is logical, as it teaches you from the most essential and easiest structures. Nouns -> genders, -> cases, that way it is easier to learn.

Secondary Grammar book is not necessary.

Advice her to use Anki, its a very helpful tool i think for the most easiest words to learn. Especially it helps a lot with German genders.

I have a BA and MA in German, so that's pretty much how I learned. I also did some studying on my own for grammar points that I found confusing. There're a lot of websites for German grammar. Watching videos in German is a good way to improve your listening comprehension. I can watch most films in German starring Germans without much of a problem. However, I can't understand Austrians. It sounds to me like they're speaking German with a mouth full of food. I don't want to brag (well maybe a little), but I'm really good at German grammar. To me it just makes sense. If you want a good German grammar book, I'd recommend English Grammar for Students of German. I also highly recommend this website. It's by a native German speaker, but he really knows his stuff and understands how to teach it to native English speakers. I've used it especially for some of the finer grammar points.

I recently finished a book entitled, Sin & Syntax that is quite good - a lot of fun, and goes over not only the basics, but also artful writing.
Otherwise, if you read a lot of books with very good grammar/writing you'll tend to pick it up - I don't mean to make any unfounded judgments on your taste, but, as a general comment, read something like The Anatomy of Melancholy instead of Dan Brown. (At least, I think his writing is dreadful.) Otherwise, one comment suggests learning another language, and that is definitely a step in the right direction if you can manage it - I recommend Latin.

An em dash is a fermata, a grand pause. Think about the power there—how much that can do for the cadence of your prose. I would call it the most dramatic of the marks.

Semicolons are used to set apart two very related sentences, sure, but if that’s the case, why not use a period? Any two sentences next to each other, we expect as readers, will be closely related. Two sentences separated by a semicolon are of equal weight, and the semicolon is a sort of intellectual play. The two sentences feed off one another; their meanings play off one another like two kids seesawing. My rules for determining whether to use a semicolon: It feels right (I want to, I like it, my intuition urges me to); The two sentences are really very similar in meaning and play off one another; I could, theoretically, switch the order of the sentences, even if I wouldn’t. If you can’t switch the order, you might be looking for a colon, instead.

Above I use semicolons in their other capacity, which is to set apart items of a list in which at least one of the items in the list is complex (contains a period, comma, parenthetical expression, etc).

I cannot overstate how wonderful Artful Sentences: Syntax as Style by Virginia Tufte is. If you’re trying to learn to write artfully, get yourself a copy today.

In the same way that die can be either an article or a relative pronoun in German, that can be either a relative pronoun or a simple subordinating conjunction in English. Sometimes the same form fulfills multiple functions in a language. It's simply a different way of dividing up the grammatical work.

Edit: I will point out that we actually can make a distinction here in English, but only for inanimate vs. animate antecedents. If it's a relative pronoun, you can get that or who(m). If it's just a plain subordinating conjunction, you'll only get that.

• I know that he is already here. (conjunction)
  
• I know who he is already here. (conjunction, so the form does not change)
  
• That is the most beautiful house that I have ever seen. (relative pronoun)
  
• That is the most beautiful woman who I have ever seen. (relative pronoun, so the form may change)
  
  If you have never been taught basic grammar, you might find this book useful in drawing comparisons between English and German.

I hate to say it, but maybe you should invest some more time in reading. You will learn something about story structure from examples.

As for grammar and punctuation, there are certainly resources for that. You might also want to read this, the ebook is free.

If you can write humor, that's actually a better start than some people who have come here asking, basically, "what's funny?" That's pretty much impossible to teach, I think.

In my complete honest opinion, I do not associate Khan Academy as the "Bible" in preparing for SAT. While it is very helpful and provides accurate questions that resemble what you would see on test day, it's all just practice.

In other words, Khan Academy doesn't really explain the concepts well, it just hosts a bunch of practice questions (and tests) that you can repeatedly go over. Yes, I'm aware they provide step-by-step solutions, but some may not be sufficient enough. There are about 1-2 videos per math topic, for example, but they are all focusing on one type of concept (e.g. one particular way to solving a proportion problem).

I think KA is great for Reading, a less conceptual and needing to memorize facts subject. Math and Reading though, I think you're going to have to hit the books.

Now you might be wondering, what books?

Well here's the general consensus, brought to you by /r/SAT:


Reading | Writing | Math
-------|-------|----
Erica Meltzer Critical Reader | Erica Meltzer Grammar | College Panda Math
| |College Panda Writing | Steve Warner 28 New Lessons - Advanced
| | |College Panda 10 SAT Practice Tests

I'd highly recommend The Structure of Language. It's not actually published yet, but we used a sort of preview version for my Syntax & Semantics course and I liked it. Also I know lots of people who like Describing Morphosyntax. I didn't like it a lot (probably because I didn't spend enough time reading it as I should have). It's quite thorough.

Edit: I just looked through Simpler Syntax on google books. It seems interesting, but I don't know if it would make a very good educational book. It's really more of a description of an individual syntactic theory.

What I did was duolingo and a grammar book (I used this http://www.amazon.com/Practice-Makes-Perfect-Complete-Italian/dp/0071603670/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422064174&sr=8-1&keywords=italian+grammar , not free obviously but I think it's worth it to make sure you get an analytical knowledge of the grammar) to get started, eventually move on to listening to people on youtube like this guy http://youtu.be/4xXT-ysjrKE?list=PLTvJgY2rGJY8c5MzWbfjrPP2E5-I6F_Hd who makes videos for learners

Then I moved on to reading fables and passages from the Bible. Lingocracy is useful for that. I also started adding the words I didn't know onto memrise and using that daily.

I haven't pursued Italian as much as I should but I gained a moderate amount of reading comprehension doing that within less than two months.

Generally in order to enjoy stories they have to be written in a language that you understand. Judging by your spelling and grammar, I will assume you don't read or write English. As these stories are written in English, they may be difficult for you to enjoy. Hopefully this will help you enjoy Marvel.

My Intro Linguistics course used Ohio State's Language Files. I was very impressed with it, not just as an introductory text, but as a textbook in general. It has exercises at the end of each chapter. You can probably find a key online, but I (and I'm sure the rest of /r/linguistics) would be happy to help with any questions you have.

I learned from the crosspost that you do not want to reveal the language because of privacy issues. Please reconsider as it would be much easier for the community to help. Giving at least the language family would help.

At this point, it seems that if you're serious about this language you have to do linguistics one way or another. Even if you do not plan to read a paper on the language, you would still have to learn at least some linguistics in order to figure out how the language works from speakers (i.e. doing fieldwork)--basically knowing what to do or ask, which is your question. But if you did know linguistics, perhaps it would be easier to access the existing linguistic resources. Fieldwork is a difficult and painstaking process and it takes even professional field linguists many years literally living with the native speakers to really understand the workings of a language.

If you do decide to start learning linguistics for this situation, try a typologically oriented introduction to linguistics, like Payne's Describing Morphosyntax and Exploring Language Structure.

Great! Lots of other good, similar things in xkcd. As it calls itself, it's "A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language."

I'm 44 and remember the Texas Sesquicentennial in 1986. I also had an 8th grade English teacher who really pushed etymology and used Word Power Made Easy (I should order some for my kids!). So when I took a "Greek and Latin Elements in English" class in college (for fun!), it was a good refresher.

Elements of Style by Strunk and White is an excellent grammar book. You didn't mention a grammar problem but the architecture of your writing is important when you start out. Ideas is the next step.

Word Power Made Easy is a great vocab book that got be started on words.

I look up every word I don't know. Time consuming.

If there is another language used in your family or by your ancestors learn that language. It will just expand your mind and not just your vocabulary.

One language is not enough.

You're welcome!! Thank you for liking my explanation ヾ(＾-＾)ノ. My comment got downvoted for quite a few times so i thought that maybe I wrote something wrong (´･ω･`)? . Anyway, it depends on your level actually so may I know where your level is at now?

This one has the grammar book that is said to be good for any level. I've browsed through it and it's quite thorough. and there is also the vocab book on the same page.
https://www.reddit.com/r/French/comments/4n18w7/just_came_across_the_practice_makes_perfect/

For me I personally love this one, even though it's not really complete, but it's still very thorough. Ultimate French Review if u don't wanna buy it i'm sure the the pdf is somewhere on the internet. however i only recommend this for those who are at least A2, or preparing for B1, and you totally don't need it if you're sitting for A1.

The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language is essentially the gold standard here, but it is pretty overwhelming.

Instead, the same authors have a much smaller and more manageable guide, A Student's Introduction to English Grammar, which I highly recommend. It's geared toward beginners and covers pretty much everything your average English speaker needs to know.

Schaum's Outline of German Grammar is good.

Also, English Grammar for Students of German

And as RadiiRadish has said, Memrise is fantastic for vocabulary. I haven't been to German is easy! so I can't attest to it's merits.

Here is a pretty good site with likely familiar fairy tales in German.

Get Germanized is a fun youtube channel that teaches vocabulary, culture, etc. I know it's not reading material, but fun no less.

I have not used the book you have mentioned, but I have found the teaching method to be utterly ineffective with most of the glossy and colourful books that are generally published/prescribed these days, with few exceptions.

My first French textbook was Cours de langue et de civilisation françaises by Gaston Maugher. I have gone through many, many books since then, but this remains to be my favourite.

I recommend The Ultimate French Review and Practice and English Grammar for Students of French - the former covers all basics in a clear, concise and thorough manner and the latter draws neat comparisons with English grammar to help you understand French grammar.

Morthy demands:

old posh Englishman: old posh Englishmen like to write, right? (Writing Stuff)

Never seen in public: these slippers would look ridiculous in public (Other Stuff)

Most phallic: this is the best I've got(Other Stuff)

Akeleie demands:

Most geeky: probably my Adipose toy (Other Stuff)

Achieve a goal: I would love to be a writer (Writing Stuff)

Deserted island: who doesn't need a ukulele on and island? (Other Stuff)

Thanks for the contest!! :D

This gives 0 actual value to anyone- it's just a list of positive traits. Also, the writing is sub-par at best, I recommend reading a guide: https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Tools-Essential-Strategies-Writer/dp/0316014990/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1522185432&sr=8-3&keywords=writing

I think these are both worthy reads. Fairly easy to dip in and out of too:

Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer - Roy Peter Clark

The Elements of Eloquence: How to Turn the Perfect English Phrase - Mark Forsyth

The last one I found especially interesting.

>There are a few good grammar review books out there. The Ultimate French Review and Practice is good, as is Practice Makes Perfect: Complete French Grammar.

Would you recommend one over the other? Or both?

I am no sure if a single text can help you achieve your goals for self-study.

However, I have heard great things about the "Erkundungen" and "Begegnungen" Deutsch Als Fremdspreche series from Schubert-Verlag for existing self-study learners, which also has an online site for grammar exercises, http://www.schubert-verlag.de/aufgaben/index.htm

Alternatively, an English and progressive teaching grammar like this well known one may suit you better:

"English Grammar for Students of German"

I've got a copy of French for Readng which I've found helpful. Its focused entirely on increasing reading comprehension and French-to-English translation skills, plus it briefly reviews grammatical rules covered by other materials.

Also, English Grammar for Students of French is an excellent resource for improving your grammatical foundations in both English and French.

Here is Erica Meltzer's chapter about colons and dashes from her book The Ultimate Guide to SAT Grammar. I would definitely recommend the book, it does an awesome job of easily explaining every type of question you might see on the test.

I honestly can not even begin to thank you enough. This is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you so much, again.

EDIT: Found The Elements of Style Kindle edition for free!

Last November I went to Argentina with essentially no knowledge of Spanish. I started off using this. It's pretty solid. The section on grammar is really short, but it has plenty of conversational phrases, a very basic dictionary, and simple conjugation charts for maybe 15 or so of the most frequently used verbs.

It was pretty helpful. I also used this book as an introduction to grammar: http://www.amazon.com/English-Grammar-Students-Spanish-Learning/dp/0934034303

You can pick up a decent 2 way dictionary in BsAs, there are bookstores everywhere. Walrus Books sells mostly used English language books but I found a cheap Spanish-English dictionary there as well as one of those "500 verb conjugations" books.

Enjoy your time in Argentina!


Edit: Obviously the book isn't specific to Argentine Spanish, but you'll figure it out quickly.


The vos form is simple; just drop the i from the vosotros form, unless the i is an í in which case there won't a preceding é or á. And in the pretérito vos is identical to tú. And in the imperativo just drop the d of the vosotros form, and stress the final syllable.


There are differences in a lot of vocabulary, but people will understand you fine and fill you in on what the Argentine word choice would be if you ask them to.

I learned traditional grammar when I learned Latin and Ancient Greek. As others
have said, learning a foreign language (especially a dead one) is a great way
to bulk up on grammatical knowledge in general... at least as long as the
foreign language is sufficiently similar to English. (For example, I'm not sure
if learning Mandarin would help your knowledge of English as much as learning,
say, German or Latin would, but maybe.)

That being said, if you want to learn standard, traditional, but up-to-date,
descriptive English grammar, I suggest Huddleston and Pullum's A Student's
Introduction to English
Grammar.
It's written by two highly respected and prolific linguists/grammarians. It's
based on their much more comprehensive tome The Cambridge Grammar of the
English
Language.

Reading Describing Morphosyntax may result in something a bit more complicated than what you're looking for, but the end product will be awesome, and you'll probably learn a ton along the way. I certainly have been.

EDIT: Also, the final section of the Language Construction Kit offers some advice and a possible outline.

I have this book: English Grammar for students of German. It compares English and German in lots of areas of grammar in easy terms. I find it pretty helpful.

Also you could probably find a better price for the book but I just linked a better description.

The books Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Guide to Better Writing and Woe Is I helped me learn the parts of speech. They both break things down pretty simply and are easy to follow. Both use lots of examples, which I found helpful!

Depending on what language you want to learn, there may be a book that explains the grammar you'll need for that language by connecting it to English. For example: German,
Spanish, Russian.

If there's a term that you're unfamiliar with, you can also poke around on Wikipedia to get a better idea behind some of the concepts. But when things get too technical, just keep looking up unfamiliar terminology and you'll be on your way.

For a little bit of fun, check out:
Split Ergativity,

where you can see this gem of a sentence:
>An example of split ergativity conditioned by tense and aspect is found in the Hindustani language (Hindi/Urdu), which has an ergative case on subjects in the perfective aspect for transitive verbs in the active voice, while in other aspects (habitual, progressive) subjects appear in the nominative case.

Duolingo

English Grammar for Students of French

French videos? I've never used this, but it looks fine

FSI might be a little easy

These grammar charts

Also, for practice with a teacher, you could try a website like italki

Yes it is. But it also has some vocabulary and other notes included to help develop your Italian beyond the grammar.

Practice Makes Perfect Complete Italian Grammar

Erica Meltzer's Reading is an absolute godsend and her grammar book is also amazing.

4th Edition, The Ultimate Guide to SAT Grammar https://www.amazon.com/dp/0997517867/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_2g7SDbCADK738

The Critical Reader, 3rd Edition: The Complete Guide to SAT Reading https://www.amazon.com/dp/0997517875/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_uh7SDb4SK8C3G

These are some rather expensive books but they really do work. Good luck!

I prescribe these two books for you to read in this order:

Writing Tools: 55 Essential Strategies for Every Writer

1. https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Tools-Essential-Strategies-Writer/dp/0316014990
   
   On Writing Well, 25th Anniversary Edition: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction
   
   
2. https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Well-25th-Anniversary-Nonfiction/dp/0060006641/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1539787015&sr=1-4&keywords=on+writing+well
   
   Read these two books carefully and apply the advice to your own writing.
   
   Good luck.

Steven Pinker's The Language Instinct is a strong layperson's introduction to lingistics.

Ohio State has a huge undergraduate linguistics program and publishes an omnibus introductory linguistics textbook to boot. I've heard good things about it: Language Files.

>[...] [S]tyle books make different recommendations, some suggesting you should leave off the extra s, and others recommending that you add the apostrophe s to almost all singular words that end with s. The exceptions are words such as Moses and Bridges that end with an s that makes an "iz" sound, and classical names such as Zeus and Venus, and Jesus. Some style guides suggest that all these words should end with just an apostrophe (e.g., Moses' tablets). So our first tough issue--how to make words that end with s possessive--doesn't actually have an answer; it's a style issue and you can do it either way. Many people have written in telling me the rule they use is that if they pronounce the second s, they write it out; and if not, they leave it off. Nevertheless, I prefer to pick one style and stick with it--I leave off the final s because doing so looks cleaner and saves space.

-- From Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing, which is a great podcast with a great accompanying book.

Sweet Black fucking Sabbath kid, do us all a favor and please go buy this immediately.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0470546646/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1420366178&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SY200_QL40

Schreiben Lernen was helpful, as was Deutsch: Na Klar!

Also consider using lots of flashcards, because building up a vocab is going to be really helpful.

For grammatical structure try: English Grammar for students of German.

Viel Glück!

Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer

Amazon

Play Books

The Best Punctuation Book, Period: A Comprehensive Guide for Every Writer, Editor, Student, and Businessperson

Amazon

Play Books

On Writing Well

Amazon

Play Books

If you're interested in a book there's

Artful sentences: Syntax as Style by Virginia Tufte

which goes over lots of lovely usage examples.

sample pdf

amazon

Word Power Made Easy. It was the text that we used for vocabulary during my Sophomore year and I've since used it while teaching classess of my own. It's a fantastic resource that teaches you vocabulary by giving you a solid base in the root words that make up our language.

The Critical Reader, 3rd Edition: The Complete Guide to SAT Reading by Erica L. Meltzer and if needed,


4th Edition, The Ultimate Guide to SAT Grammar by Erica L. Meltzer

Yes, this is some advanced grade A butthurt. I'd recommend an immediate trip to the ER.

Btw, here's something you might want to look into buying: https://www.amazon.com/English-Grammar-Dummies-Geraldine-Woods/dp/0470546646

Strunk & White isn't a grammar book. There's only a little grammar in it, and much of that is wrong.

I recommend Harbrace. It's a solid grammar book with lots of examples. It's well-organized so you can find the information you seek easily.

Garner's Modern English Usage is also excellent.

I started with Old English Grammar and Reader, by Robert Diamond. I've depended a lot upon a few dictionaries I've downloaded and the wonderful thing that is Wiktionary.

Hello. Actually, it does not make sense in English with the blank. ‘Est-ce que Marc en France?’ means ‘Is it that Marc in France?’, which is incomplete. The blank would be ‘is’, which is ‘est’ in French. So, the correct answer should be ‘est-ce que Marc est en France?’.

Also, ‘ils sont’ and ‘elles sont’ are the same thing, except ‘ils’ is masculine and ‘elles’ is feminine.

I highly recommend ‘English Grammar for Students of French’ by Jacqueline Morton for clear explanations, translations, and comparisons of French and English grammar.

So many. There's a great book English Grammar for Students of Germen. English has so many words and a surprising number of tenses.

I have A Guide to Old English, Introduction to Old English and Old English: Grammar and Reader at home and they all are pretty useful if you are interested in the language (plus Clark-Hall's dictionary). I've never tried to study it as a live language - I just wanted to read some old texts :)

There is also Complete Old English - not sure how good it is but you may want to look at it.

http://www.amazon.com/Word-Power-Made-Norman-Lewis/dp/067174190X is a good book to improve in this area

Depends on what parts of linguistics you're most interested in. I like morphology, so I'd recommend this.

Here is a list of great books on grammar and punctuation.

• High School English Grammar and Composition by P.C. Wren, H. Martin
  
• Garner’s Modern English Usage by Bryan Garner
  
• Shorter Oxford English Dictionary by Oxford Dictionaries
  
  More books are here: ‘Grammar Books for Technical Writers’.

Memrise and Duolingo do different things. Duolingo is for learning the basic grammar and vocabulary of a language; Memrise is just for memorizing vocabulary. I've already learned all the vocabulary on the Duolingo French course, so I have no use for it anymore. On Memrise, there is no limit to the number of words I can memorize. I add new words to my Memrise course every week. Plus, I find that Memrise has a more effective spaced repetition system, so it's much easier to remember the words I learn on it.

I am currently using this book: https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-French-Review-Practice/dp/0071744142

I'm pretty sure it's from Erica Meltzer's The Ultimate Guide to SAT Grammar.

​

https://www.amazon.com/4th-Ultimate-Guide-SAT-Grammar/dp/0997517867

If you literally meant a textbook than here's a highly rated and cheap one http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0071744142?cache=9d038235a42201e0a4e3a28badfdfd5e&pi=SY200_QL40&qid=1406256742&sr=8-3#ref=mp_s_a_1_3

Also don't miss out on duolingo, a free online and phone app for learning languages. Bonne chance

I actually think this is a great book for German learners!

a book that highlights and examines great sentences: Artful Sentences

For me, I'm not even gonna break into the library because I'd be there all day. This comes to mind though: "Roaring noon."

It sounds like you're struggling on the writing part. Use this book https://www.amazon.com/4th-Ultimate-Guide-SAT-Grammar/dp/0997517867 to help. Your English will become better.

Ok its not that bad, but it's definatley not in a state to be read by anyone.

Maybe give this a read while working on a new draft. (The title sounds like click bait but the book is actually great.)

English Grammar For Students of Spanish is excellent!

Ah, good question. Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing has been recommended to me before, and might be worth checking out! And if you're ever unsure, the answer is always a Google search away.

If your understanding of grammar needs work, I highly recommend at a minimum picking up a used Latin grammar (like this one or this one) and reading through the grammar explanation bits. That should give you more solid ground, especially with declensions.

edit: Oh, or maybe this.

I use:

Starter Kit

• Living Language German
  
  Understanding Grammar
  
  
• [English Grammar for Students of German Learning]
  (https://www.amazon.com/English-Grammar-Students-German-Learning/dp/0934034389/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1540389052&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=german+for+english+speakers&dpPl=1&dpID=41RAyW9uzAL&ref=plSrch)
  
  Verb overview with full conjugations and sample sentences
  
  
• 501 German Verbs
  
  Grammar exercises (this is great but in 100% German)
  
  
• Hueber dictionaries and study-aids: Schritte Ubungsgrammatik
  
  I have some online resources but prefer books. I also think these don’t „expire“ too soon and you can use them into A2. If you find used versions, it’s not too expensive.

You can get the kindle version for free too! https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005IT0V8O?storeType=ebooks

The Ultimate French Review and Practice and The Ultimate French Verb Review and Practice

These cover pretty much everything.

The Critical Reader, 3rd Edition: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0997517875

​

If you want, you can also get her Grammar one as well, she is just as good in Writing as she is in Reading: https://www.amazon.com/4th-Ultimate-Guide-SAT-Grammar/dp/0997517867/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2/132-1800003-9892148?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0997517867&pd_rd_r=704ad00b-9cdc-11e9-8f2e-7b657eb7b6fa&pd_rd_w=p9yLW&pd_rd_wg=S9kup&pf_rd_p=a2006322-0bc0-4db9-a08e-d168c18ce6f0&pf_rd_r=D1AEY435E7KTTF4HRTBA&psc=1&refRID=D1AEY435E7KTTF4HRTBA

Some fun books to start with:

Eats, Shoots and Leaves, by Lynne Truss

Sin and Syntax, Constance Hale

My introductory linguistics class in college used Language Files, 11th Edition. I still have it and enjoy looking through it once in a while.

https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Italian-Vocabulary-Thematic-Approach/dp/0764123955

https://www.amazon.com/Practice-Makes-Perfect-Complete-Italian/dp/0071603670

This will get you to B2, maybe C1. It's what I used when learning Italian, and at this point, I just find online Italian chats to refine my vocabulary, grammar, and what not.


I found it effective to learn the basic grammar before I began vocabulary study. I would write English words with Italian grammar in order develop my grammar skills.

Couple those with Duolingo.

I plan on using the German editions of those while I take German 1 and 2.

Good luck!

(Also, please pardon any poor writing in my response. I'm a bit tired and I'm not focusing very hard)

EDIT: You can find those books cheaper.

The informal style (it's me; that's him) is used much, much more often than the formal style (it is I; that is he), so you'll be safer sticking to that.

I'm not making this stuff up, by the way, I'm getting it from A Student's Guide to English Grammar by linguists Huddleston and Pullum.

I think you'll find this book most helpful.

Garner's Modern American Usage may be of interest to you.

English Grammar for Students of Latin

Warriner's English Grammar and Composition, complete course. Stephen King recommends this in his On Writing. This is the one I have been self-teaching from. It has served me well.

I hadn't realized that language just ceased to evolve when you last learned it.

Did you know that yolo is now a word in the dictionary?

Did you know that you can end sentences in prepositions? Eg. "Where you at?"

The "are" is understood by the way. Something you're having trouble grasping.

Did you know that the word "literally" also has an informal definition, used to create emphasis on a subject?

You can check out all this cool new info here!

http://www.dictionary.com/

https://www.amazon.com/English-Grammar-Dummies-Geraldine-Woods/dp/0470546646

Start with:

• Steven Pinker
  
• Andrew Carnie
  and this little gem:
  http://www.amazon.com/Language-Files-Materials-Introduction-Linguistics/dp/081425179X
  
  Don't jump straight into historical linguistics without at least skimming an intro book, or you'll find yourself with a pretty skewed idea of what linguistics is.
  

Here, hope this helps.

Considering that you apparently already have some fluency, and assuming: British English, and that you are "merely" trying to incrementally improve; the following may be of use:

http://www.amazon.com/English-Grammar-Dummies-Geraldine-Woods/dp/0470546646
http://www.amazon.com.au/Learning-Grammar-Punctuation-Collins-English-ebook/dp/B005IH026C
http://www.amazon.com/A-Students-Introduction-English-Grammar/dp/0521612888
http://www.amazon.com/Comprehensive-Grammar-English-Language-General/dp/0582517346

You may find this to be useful.

This is good:

http://www.amazon.com/A-Students-Introduction-English-Grammar/dp/0521612888

> Can someone guide me how to improve my grammar/verbal/vocab for GMAT.

Word Power Made Easy

This was my Intro to Linguistics textbook; it does a good job of surveying the different fields.

To improve your writing score, get either Erica Meltzer's Writing or College Panda's SAT Writing

I really like all the Ultimate French series. There's one specifically for grammar http://www.amazon.com/The-Ultimate-French-Review-Practice/dp/0071744142

Yes. The 4th edition (2016) changed the name to Garner's Dictionary of Modern English Usage. To reflect the broader nature of the work compared with previous editions.

Garner's Modern English Usage https://www.amazon.com/dp/0190491485/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_VegWzbFS5R2VB

I learned the usage before I started school - my mother is a teacher. I didn't learn the grammatical theory of it till high school, and then only because I learned German, which uses the subjunctive mood more than English.

If you're interested (and know a foreign language at least a little), check out the English Grammar for Students of series - e.g., English Grammar for Students of Latin.

Haha it's ok, I'm not a native English speaker myself.

r/W: I got Erica Meltzer's Reading and Writing guides. I got the writing workbook but the practices inside are lackluster compared to UWorld or Khan.

Maf: Can't really help, my practice materials are in Chinese, but feel free to PM me for details if you can understand the bloody language.

I did get the Official SAT Guide but it sucks & I only used it for the practice tests, which are free to download from Khan/Collegeboard.

Barron's book for SAT I is shit. Do NOT get them. Their questions are off topic.

The best tip I can give you is to study as much as you can and understand your mistakes. You're not doing a part-time job here so studying for hours without thinking is useless: you'll just repeat your mistakes. I jot down the reasons for choosing the incorrect answers each time I found one wrong. I literally wrote careless mistakes if I made one, it sounds stupid but trust me, it helps.

Also, use practice tests as benchmarks for your progress and take it in real settings (e.g. same break time as real tests.) They're pretty accurate. I got 1410 on my first practice test and 1400 on my first real test.

If you don't have time, try doing bits by bits on the smartphone app. It's not ideal but at least you can do them when using public transportations or have bits and pieces of free time.

Edit: go subscribe to a newspaper, I recommend The New York Times. Read them when you want to take a break from questions and just do some normal reading. I think frequently reading is one of the main reasons I'm able to score 750.

Edit: fuck the new Reddit comment box

The thorn is for the unvoiced "th" while the eth is for the voiced "th". The way to tell the difference is to say the words "thin" and "then": the only difference between the two words is whether the "th" is voiced or not. Place your fingers on your voice box and say the two words, and you'll notice that with "then" the voice box vibrates with the "th" - that's an eth; with "thin" there is no vibration - that is the unvoiced thorn.

Edit: My source is my language mentor's user-friendly Old English Grammar: Robert E. Diamond (1920-1985), Old English Grammar and Reader (1970). The difference in use between the thorn and eth in Anglo-Saxon and in Old Norse was strictly determined by the sound of the "th"; they were not interchangeable.

Simplest terms? Given that request and your stated language background, I think English Grammar for Students of Latin would help immensely. A lot of the 'not clicking' part might just be missing out on how grammar works even in your native tongue. You can get it for less than twenty bucks on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/English-Grammar-Students-Latin-Learning/dp/0934034346/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1549069987&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=English+grammar+for+students+of+Latin&dpPl=1&dpID=41VGnfQiBBL&ref=plSrch

It’s okay, if you sound out the words r e a l s l o w you’ll eventually understand what I’m saying. I can’t help you with context though.

If you can’t understand how your first comment is a faulty presumption that I said anything about Yen being “morally greater”, and how my reply is simply highlighting how idiotically defensive you’re being a simple discussion — I can’t help you, maybe this can?, but at this point I doubt it.

For beginners: http://www.amazon.com/English-Grammar-Students-German-Learning/dp/0934034389/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1413161749&sr=1-2&keywords=german+english+grammar

Beginning to intermediate: http://www.amazon.com/Schaums-Outline-German-Grammar-4ed/dp/0071615679/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1413161727&sr=1-6&keywords=german+grammar

Beginning to intermediate: http://www.amazon.com/Hammers-German-Grammar-Usage-Edition/dp/1444120166

Intermediate to advanced: http://www.amazon.com/Practice-Grammar-German/dp/3190272557/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1413161823&sr=1-1&keywords=hueber+practice+grammar+german

I recommend English grammar for students of Spanish

I recommend English grammer for students of Spanish
FTFY

If English is your first language I recommend this book: https://www.amazon.com/English-Grammar-Students-German-Learning/dp/0934034389 (buy a used copy)

You clearly have poor grammar and English.

Your is a pronoun that means belonging to or associated with any person in general. If I were speaking about myself, I would have said “my people.”

I’ve [linked] (https://www.amazon.com/English-Grammar-Dummies-Geraldine-Woods/dp/0470546646) you an English Grammar for Dummies book to help you with your ineptitude.

Accept: from Latin acceptare, frequentative of accipere ‘take something to oneself’, from ad- ‘to’ + capere ‘take’.

Except: from Latin except- ‘taken out’, from the verb excipere, from ex- ‘out of’ + capere ‘take’.

If you know a little etymology (the study of the origin of words and the way in which their meanings have changed throughout history), you can make educated guesses at what a word means.

Try a book like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Word-Power-Made-Norman-Lewis/dp/067174190X

Another way you can try and remember the difference is like this:

accept- acknowledge

Her mother accepted her daughter's apostasy.

At least her mother, acknowledges that her daughter was an apostate.

except - exclude

Her mother could forgive any sin except apostasy.

Her mother excluded her from the family gatherings as she was an apostate.

Sin and Syntax: How to Craft Wickedly Effective Prose

You should consider checking out Spunk & Bite, as well.

figure out what you're weaknesses are by taking practice tests and target those. here are my book recommendations:

​

Math: Dr. Chung's SAT Math

English: Erica Meltzer's Grammar Book

Reading: Powerscore Reading Bible

​

Also, I feel like if you're prepping for the PSAT you might as well just take the SAT

I started with this, and also spend a lot of time on Wiktionary.

I need to read the actual texts some more, but I've gotten good enough to recognise when the show Merlin has gotten silly with their spells (that's ridiculously often).

My top 2 SAT grammar books:

1. Erica Meltzer / free version
   
   
2. College Panda / free version

Here is a book I saw mentioned on a linguistics blog that seems to be a rigorous and very up to date college level grammar book:

A Student's Introduction to English Grammar

I haven't read it myself though.

The text I used in high school, which I thought was fine though unexciting, was Warriner's Grammar. There are several editions listed on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=warriner+grammar

I think the one I used was the 'Third Course'. A user review for the 'Complete Course' mentions that Stephen King had used this book when he was in school.

You might want to check out English Grammar for Students of Latin to brush up on your grammar.

Oh, I see. No, I did not make it and I have nothing to do with it. I just found it at the bookstore and it worked really well for me. It is this book:

https://www.amazon.ca/Ultimate-French-Review-Practice-CD-ROM/dp/0071744142

If you are in the US:

https://www.amazon.com/Practice-Makes-Perfect-Complete-Italian/dp/0071603670

Garner's Modern English Usage.

<3

Get this

https://www.amazon.com/English-Grammar-Dummies-Geraldine-Woods/dp/0470546646

Non-referral link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/English-Grammar-Dummies-UK-Edition/dp/0470057521

For my colonial cousins: http://www.amazon.com/English-Grammar-Dummies-Geraldine-Woods/dp/0470546646

https://www.amazon.com/English-Grammar-Dummies-Geraldine-Woods/dp/0470546646

I have something for you too.

this is more in my price range

I think you could also learn use this.

For you, my friend.

http://www.amazon.com/English-Grammar-Dummies-Geraldine-Woods/dp/0470546646

Here

His success's what?

Here, you need this.

Perhaps this might be of some use to you.

Start with Huddleston and Pullum's A Student's Introduction to English Grammar. If you get through that, you can graduate to the authors' Cambridge Grammar of the English Language.

Best $7 you'll ever spend

Here you go : Word Power Made Easy

[A beginner's guide to making friends] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/067174190X/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1414181632&sr=1-1#)