Why the best grammar and punctuation books?

Don’t get me wrong: proofreading tools like Grammarly can help you correct small typos, but they can’t fix major grammatical mistakes.

Just like you (hopefully) wouldn’t start building a skyscraper without solid foundations, you need to be confident with grammar and punctuation whenever you write for your badass female-founded business.

Did you know that a single spelling mistake can cut down sales by 50%? 

Plus, it’ll make you look unprofessional and put people off from seeing you as an expert in your field, whether that’s on your business website, email marketing campaigns, or social media posts.

Luckily, the best grammar and punctuation books can help!

They’ll offer you a deeper understanding, clear common doubts, and always be there for you to use them as a quick reference whenever you need them again.

To make things easier for you, I’ve included both English grammar books providing a wider overview on the subject and the best books on punctuation if that’s what you’re mainly struggling with.

[This article contains affiliate links which simply means that, should you decide to buy one of these punctuation and grammar books through them, I’ll receive a small percentage without extra costs for you.

Also, yeah: they’re from a more ethical platform than the one you were probably expecting. Just thought we could support a business that doesn’t avoid taxes nor lead to couriers weeing in bottles.]

Top 5 grammar and punctuation books for mistake-free marketing 

Let’s make sure you find the right grammar or punctuation book for your specific needs.

1. The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation (With Quizzes) - Best English grammar book

Honestly? This volume contains so many specific, in-depth chapters that I’m pretty sure even Aunt Josephine from A Series of Unfortunate Events would agree that it’s the BEST grammar book of all time.

It starts with the very basics, so it’s handy if you struggle to remember what exactly a noun or an adjective is.

However, it holds a ton of value for more seasoned readers and writers, too, with chapters such as ‘common whom pitfall’, ‘use of single quotation marks for quotations within quotations’, and ‘thorny aspects of capitalization’.

It also includes loads of useful quizzes to help you put what you’ve learned into practice.

2. The Penguin Guide to Punctuation - Best punctuation book 

Here are some examples from this punctuation book:

• “Lisa speaks French, Juliet speaks Italian.”

• “She groped for her cigarettes and finding them, hastily lit one.”

• “Saturn was long thought to be the only ringed planet, however, this is now known not to be the case.”

• “You must hand in your essay by Friday or you will receive a mark of zero.”

ALL of these sentences contain mistakes: if you thought that even a single one of them was correct, do your business a favour and invest in this punctuation book.

I always use The Penguin Guide to Punctuation as a reference whenever in doubt.

Just in case you were curious, here are the correct sentences:

• “Lisa speaks French, and Juliet speaks Italian.” (or you could either use ‘, whereas’ or have a full stop. You just can’t connect two full sentences with a comma. That’s a comma splice, my friend. And it’s baaaaad)

• “She groped for her cigarettes and, finding them, hastily lit one.” (You need another comma to section off that part of the sentence that gives you additional information)

• “Saturn was long thought to be the only ringed planet; however, this is now known not to be the case.” (You can either use a semi-colon or a full stop before ‘however’: not a comma)

• “You must hand in your essay by Friday, or you will receive a mark of zero.” (You need a joining comma if ‘or’ is preceded and followed by full sentences).

3. The Only Grammar & Style Workbook You'll Ever Need - Comprehensive grammar book

Well, the title says it all.

More specifically, I think this could be the best grammar book for you if what you’re looking for is a good overview of the most common mistakes and issues.

For example, it goes from basic sentence structure to punctuation & style and even eliminating wordy phrases (hint hint: great tool to improve the readability of your online copy!).

As well as clear explanations and examples, this English grammar book includes a ton of exercises that you can use to put what you’ve learned into practice.

4. Eats, Shoots & Leaves - Engertaining grammar and punctuation book

For me, this was more of an enjoyable read (I know. I’m not fun at parties) rather than a reference volume or workbook. 

It’s written in a witty way that’ll make you fall in love with grammar all over again. 

The title itself is a clever pun that proves how a punctuation mark can completely change the meaning of an entire sentence:

• a panda would probably ‘eat shoots and leaves’

• when you add two commas, you get a very angry panda who ‘eats (something), shoots (with a gun), and (then) leaves’

This grammar book focuses on apostrophes, commas, dashes, and hyphens, but it still covers broader grammar and punctuation topics, too.

It doesn’t include exercises but it does have a few useful examples.

5. My Grammar and I (Or Should That Be 'Me'?) - Great grammar book to clarify existing doubts

As you’ve probably guessed from the title, this grammar book will make you question everything you had ever taken for granted when it comes to sentence structure and punctuation.

As well as typical grammatical topics, it includes two extremely useful sections that immediately stood out for me: ‘spelling and confusable’ and ‘odds and sods’ (perfect to clarify any doubts and avoid potential pitfalls).

This is the best grammar book for you if you were hoping for something that’s both full of examples and witty, conversational passages.

Well, these are the best grammar and punctuation books for me, but I’m always looking for new titles for my geeky shelves. Know any other good ones? Drop them in the comments.

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FAQs on punctuation and grammar books for female entrepreneurs

Lemme clarify a couple more things.

1. Why is grammar important in communication?

Using correct grammar is vital in communication because it facilitates reading and avoids potential misunderstandings.

When it comes to business and marketing? It’s even more important because it helps you be perceived as a trustworthy professional who knows the difference between ‘knowing your shit’ and ‘knowing you’re shit’.

2. So, what is the best book to improve your grammar?

I’d say that the best book to improve your grammar is The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation. However, if you’re mainly struggling with punctuation alone, it’d make more sense to opt for The Penguin Guide to Punctuation.

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