business skills

The Gregg Reference Manual is the most thorough and readable handbook I've found in thirty-years-plus of teaching writing. As the author of an online grammar resource, I get hundreds of questions about writing every week, and I find myself reaching for GRM over and over again to help me define a grammatical point or resolve an issue of English usage. I find GRM very easy to use (unlike an earlier reviewer on this page); its index is enormous and you don't waste time being bounced from one cross-reference to another. The organization is admirably simple: the section on letter-writing, for example, begins with an extensive section on formatting, and then proceeds to the business of what you put on the envelope, how to use return addresses, etc., right down to the letter's closing. The book contains an abundance of examples, complete with acceptable ranges of formality (with a tip of the hat to what is still acceptable but somewhat too formal by today's tastes). All of this information is nicely, thoroughly indexed with references to paragraph numbers and pages where appropriate. GRM also contains up-to-date advice on altering templates in today's software packages (for stationery, etc.) to individual and corporate needs. William Sabin's even-handed style is ideal for this kind of text; he will state a grammatical rule concisely and then give just enough illustrations to make the rule stick in the mind. Where there is disagreement among other style books, Sabin provides for those differences and often suggests a commonsense resolution of disputes. But GRM is more than just a compilation of rules: Sabin gets into the nitty-gritty of writing, of style, and all users, at whatever level, will write with more economy and energy --whether they're writing a memo to the boss or an academic research paper -- if they keep GRM handy. (The spiral-bound edition is handy for this purpose: you can use that spiral ring to grab it off the shelf and then it lies nice and flat on the desktop.)

I have had a current copy of The Gregg Reference Manual for over 10 years. It was a required purchase for a business correspondence course in college. It is an excellent source for any aspect of writing. It covers proper use of grammer, punctuation, spelling, editing, letter writing--you name it. Whenever I'm in doubt about ANYTHING I need to write, I use this book, and can always find the answer. The manual is very well organized into sections and numbered paragraphs. Examples are used for clarity, as well as examples of what not to do. I highly recommend this book.

I am an independent corporate trainer who teaches people to write better at work. When my students ask me for my advice about good books to guide them as they write at work, this is the reference book I recommend.

I also tell them several other things about the book. First, this is not just some handbook that secretaries can use to look up how to format a letter. It is an authoritative reference for all aspects of writing English. It should be next to the dictionary and thesaurus on the shelf of everyone who needs to write at work, from clerks to executives. Second, if your boss or anyone else argues with you about any rule of writing, you only have to point to the relevant entry in this book. All arguments stop there. Third, the size of the book is deceptive. It uses small font and thin paper. With normal font and paper, it would be the size of two or three large dictionaries. That's how much useful stuff is packed in this book.

It takes a while to get used to how the information in the book is formatted, but it is well worth the effort. All entries in the index include page numbers as well as topic numbers, which they call "rules." The book is logically structured around these rules, and it makes related topics easy to find.

I rated this book 5 stars because I think it is superior in all categories for a reference book: comprehensive content, abundant examples, thorough index, authoritative author, and reasonable price.