I was in a bind. I applied for a job as an Admin Assistant at a local advertising concern. Then through some quirk of fate, I landed a job as a copywriter.

It was my "book of accomplishments" - which I cobbled together to show I understood the tenets of advertising and marketing - that had my boss saying he liked my style and would I consider writing? Sure.

Unfortunately, I knew that without an editor reading over my shoulder, the grammar skills necessary to make words resonate with readers needed some serious polish. I went on the hunt for a book that would get me quickly up to speed.

The local bookstore chain offered a good cross section of books on grammar and writing like "Eats, Shoots and Leaves" and "Elements of Style" but I needed something that would reinforce the grammar lessons that did not stick when I was in school. I chose Barron's English, The Easy Way.

With 23 chapters over 289 pages, English, The Easy Way is written for "adult students who want an all-inclusive self-help program in grammar."

Students can pick the chapter they need most, but the book design has each chapter lesson building upon the one before. For example: "Linking Verbs" (chapter 7) will not make sense if the student does not understand "The Simplest Complete Thought" (chapter 1).

A short excerpt from a published source begins each chapter. From this story comes the lesson. Interspersed between each grammar point are examples and practice sentences to reinforce the lesson. A quiz comes at the conclusion of each lesson with the answer key following making each chapter a self contained unit.

After a series of chapters, there is a cumulative review test. So when I did poorly on a review test, I knew what I had to "do over" before I could continue.

There is an entire section on Word Usage (chapter 20) that I found quite beneficial as it explained Commonly Misused Words (accept-except, stationary- stationery) that are the bane of many writers.

The last lesson chapter is entitled "Writing It Right." I made sure I read that also. Even seasoned writers can gain insight from this chapter with learning points such as:

• Thinking Before You Write
• Who Is Your Reader?
• Checking Your Writing
• Wordiness and Stilted Phrases.

There is another grammar book in the "Easy Way" series called Grammar the Easy Way. "Written primarily for high school seniors and college freshmen, this all-new /Easy Way/ book points out the simple logic that underlies correct grammar and clear expression."

Barron's has a web site for ordering if books cannot be found through local sources. www.Barronseduc.com 

Reviewed by SusanLynn Doyle