Read and tried to comprehend this book.
The best paper on English for GMAT - SC/RC and even for essays to schools.Pros- Concise and to the point with each topic covered in bullet points.
- No extra jargon or unnecessary words. On the contrary tells you when not to use !!!
- All the explanations are the same that
OG says in the explanations. I guess this is the book read by test-makers and the one I should have read in school in an educated manner.
Cons - From the GMAT angle, no need of going through - "IV. A Few Matters of Form"
- Some noticeable errors, but they are very less and purely because of the period when it was written.
for example, in topic "18. Place the emphatic words of a sentence at the end."
This steel is principally used for making razors, because of its hardness.Because of its hardness, this steel is principally used in making razors.The corrected version changes the meaning. It should be
Because of its hardness, this steel is principally used for making razors.- Another example from the same topic that is too wordy. Since it was published in 1918, that can be the reason for the wordiness.
Four centuries ago, Christopher Columbus, one of the Italian mariners whom the decline of their own republics had put at the service of the world and of adventure, seeking for Spain a westward passage to the Indies as a set-off against the achievements of Portuguese discoverers, lighted on America. This would be easy to understand as -
Four centuries ago, Christopher Columbus, one of the Italian mariners whom the decline of their own republics had put at the service of the world and of adventure, seeking for Spain a westward passage to the Indies to offset the achievement of Portuguese discoverers, lighted on America.- "V. Words and Expressions Commonly Misused" can be used as a primer, but again the examples have an old style. The best version is at
https://orwell.ru/library/others/style/english/estyleFor all the above examples, I referred
https://orwell.ru/library/others/style/english/estyle in conjunction.
For any grammar fanatic, who wants to learn the mathematical relationship between words, sentences, paragraphs and composition, there is a paper on Technical writing published by NASA at
https://www.sti.nasa.gov/publish/sp7084.pdfI have not read this, but would love to read a detailed review from anyone. Advance kudos to anyone who posts a review or even PMs me on this.