Grammar Books for Technical Writers
Grammar is an essential part of writing, especially, of technical writing — documentation should be clear and grammatically correct. To be sure that you’ve written everything right, upgrade your skills. Here is a list of great books on grammar and punctuation.
High School English Grammar and Composition by P.C. Wren, H. Martin
It provides ample guidance and practice in sentence building, correct usage, comprehension, written composition and other allied areas so as to equip the student with the ability to communicate effectively in English.
Garner’s Modern English Usage by Bryan Garner
Bryan Garner is the most trusted living usage expert of our day, and Garner’s Modern English Usage is the preeminent guide to the effective use of the English language. With well over 6,000 entries on English grammar, syntax, word choice, punctuation, capitalization, spelling, and style, this book is adored by professional writers and general readers alike. In this major update to a timeless classic, Bryan Garner has dramatically expanded coverage of international English usage, making the volume for the first time a guide not only to American English usage, but to English usage around the globe.
Shorter Oxford English Dictionary by Oxford Dictionaries
It’s a new edition, with a new introductory essay by language expert David Crystal on the History of English, includes 2,500 new words and senses, plus thousands of antedatings of existing words, drawing on the huge ongoing research project for the Oxford English Dictionary and the wealth of information on language in use provided by the Oxford English Corpus. In addition, the work includes many new quotations from recent authors, a refreshed design, and a complete review of spelling forms and defining vocabulary, making it the most authoritative reference work available for both modern and historical English. For scholars and everyone with a serious interest in the English language, the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary is an unrivalled resource, providing a unique description of the historical development of the language together with excellent coverage of current English.
American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language by Heritage, American, the, of, Editors Dictionaries
It’s the fifth edition of the dictionary, published in 2011, included 10,000 new words and senses, as well as 4,000 new full-colour images. This comprehensive update continues the tradition of exhaustive research and thorough review. Thousands of revisions to definitions and etymologies, 150 new words and senses, and new usage advice make this updated printing the most current print dictionary of its size available today. The American Heritage Dictionary combines clear, precise definitions with useful features that make it easier to choose your words and express yourself clearly.
Oxford A-Z of Grammar and Punctuation by John Seely
Including examples of real usage taken from the Oxford Corpus, this handy volume provides clear information about grammar and punctuation that we need on a day-to-day basis in over 300 entries. Arranged alphabetically, it contains entries for standard grammatical terms such as pronoun, synonym, or transitive verb. It also discusses related questions of usage, for example how to distinguish between ‘may’ or ‘ might’, ‘that’ or ‘which’, and ‘it’s’ or ‘its’. For ease of use, over 40 feature entries on master headwords like adverb, hyphen, and spelling include diagrams listing related terms.
Revised and updated, The Oxford A-Z of Grammar and Punctuation offers accessible and coherent explanations across a broad range of topics, and is the first port of call for any reader seeking clear, authoritative help with grammar and punctuation.
If you’re eager to learn, here are more books on improving technical writing skills:
Moreover, I recommend you a guide that will answer to various questions:
- What industries use technical writing?
- What technical writers really do?
- Freelance vs. a 9–5 job.
- Essential skills of a good technical writer.
- Technical writer career path.
- Technical writing job challenges.
- Free tools for technical writers.
- Tips for documentation design.
- How to optimize documentation team workflow?
- Cross-team communication for technical writers.
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How did I become a technical writer? What skills do you need? Read FAQ on Technical Writing.
