illustration by Jaime Temairik

Choose your favorite bookstore:

Amazon.com
Barnes & Noble
Borders
Your nearest independent book store

About the Book
Have you ever wanted to call out a pop star or public official for abusing the English language? Well, the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar has done it for you. In Things That Make Us [Sic], Founder Martha Brockenbrough takes on Madison Avenue, Hollywood, the White House, and the world.

The book breaks down the nuts and bolts of grammar and language, including punctuation, parts of speech, and when it's appropriate to use clichés like "nuts and bolts." It also covers misused and misspelled words you should know even if you've already taken the SAT.

It's not just a prescriptivist's handbook, though. Martha devotes an entire chapter to rules that can, should, and must be broken. It's all about communicating clearly as our language evolves.

Martha uses examples from Elvis to Eminem to make grammar relevant and memorable. She even gets Britney, Lindsay, and Paris to teach you a thing or two (not to or too). OK, not personally, but you'll learn from their mistakes. The book also pokes fun at the jargon users in your office, Craigslist posters, spammers—maybe even you.

But Martha isn't laughing behind people's backs. She's writing letters—to everyone from David Hasselhoff to the Queen of England. Want to know how she responded?

Things That Make Us [Sic] isn't just about celebrities who can't read or write. Martha also takes on language purists and uppity types who use big words for effect (They're affected. Don't know the difference?). But she wants you to understand what they're saying—and what all those funny words on our money mean.

Turns out, grammar can be fun, even if your high school English teacher didn't think so. If only Things That Make Us [Sic] had been your textbook. It makes grammar interesting—even easy—to learn. And perfection is not required. In the famously misspelled words of Lindsay Lohan, it's enough to "be adequite."

This book is for anyone who loves language, appreciates pop culture, and has a good sense of humor. Things That Make Us [Sic] is available in bookstores and online in October, 2008. You can order it now from Amazon.com.

Ten percent of the author's royalties will support The National Brain Tumor Society.