English Writing Skills Book List by Ruth Paget
I have used books like the following to prepare for college entrance exams and to write media releases over the years:
For writing organization:
-Traits of Writing: The Complete Guide to Middle School by Ruth Culham
-Rhetorical Devices: A Handbook and Activities for Students by Prestwick House
-Cracking the AP English Language and Composition Exam by the Staff of Princeton Review
For Vocabulary Building:
-The Reading Teacher’s Book of Lists by Jacqueline E. Kress and Edward B. Fry
-Gruber’s SAT Word Master by Gary R. Gruber
-1100 Words You Need to Know by Murray Bromberg and Melvin Gordon
-Word Smart: 823 Words You Need to Know by Adam Robinson
-Word Smart II by Adam Robinson
-Word Smart: Genius Edition by Michael Freedman
For Grammar and Punctuation:
-English Grammar for Dummies by Geraldine Woods
-English Grammar Workbook for Dummies by Geraldine Woods
-Complete English Punctuation Rules by Farlex International
Reward for Learning the Basics:
-A Poetry Handbook by Mary Oliver
-The Making of a Poem: The Norton Anthology of Poetic Forms by Mark Strand and Eavan Boland
When I was the Youth Services Library for the Monterey County Free Libraries (California), I purchased books like these for the Youth Services Nonfiction Collection. This collection is updated yearly so there are probably even more books like these now to keep tomorrow’s writers busy.
Happy Writing!
By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
