A Word, Please: A holiday gift list for mindful language lovers

If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you’re a language lover. And if you’re a language lover, there’s a good chance your holiday gift list includes some birds of a feather — fellow language lovers who’d be delighted to get the perfect language book for the holidays.

But picking out the right title can be tough. Language books run the gamut from dry-but-useful to hilarious to utter hooey. Luckily, you have an in with someone who’s spent years nose down in grammar and writing books. Me. Here are some of my recommendations for that perfect language gift book.

For the usage buff: You know who I’m talking about — the guy who, at cocktail parties, likes to begin sentences with “Did you know...” followed by arcane bits of wisdom about split infinitives and words like “decimate” and “peruse.”

You can help him get his facts straight with a copy of “Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage” or “Garner’s Modern American Usage.” These books aren’t dictionaries. They’re usage guides. For anyone who wants the real scoop on, say, starting a sentence with the word “and,” ending a sentence with a preposition or proper use of the word “enormity,” they’re gold mines.

For the high school senior or college freshman: “The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers,” published by the Modern Language Assn., is the official guide for many classrooms on how to handle all the dinky details of research papers — footnotes, bibliographies, grammar and punctuation — plus bigger issues such as plagiarism and sourcing.

For the writer who loves great writing: “The Elements of Expression” by Arthur Plotnik shows how to effectively put thoughts into words. Good stuff. But what makes this book great is that the author himself is a master. Plotnik’s writing is downright delightful and, as a result, inspiring.

For the aspiring professional writer: Anyone who aims to write a book or even a magazine article needs a copy of “The Chicago Manual of Style.” This reference explains everything from grammar, usage and punctuation to the editing process. Journalism types and business writers need “The Associated Press Stylebook.” This guide is to news media what Chicago is to book publishing: the official guide of the industry.

For the aspiring copy editor: When I taught copy editing for UC San Diego extension, our main text was “The Copyeditor’s Handbook” by Amy Einsohn. Every detail large and small about the editing profession is covered here, from spelling to working with authors.

For the slightly snooty observer of improper punctuation: This recommendation comes with a caveat. Lynne Truss’ “Eats, Shoots & Leaves” is about British punctuation, not American. Yes, there’s a difference. So this guide isn’t very practical.

Why am I recommending it? It’s hilarious. Truss’ writing is as fine an example of razor-sharp British wit as you’ll ever see. Plus, her rants about signs like “Carrot’s for sale” are salve for the punctuation stickler’s soul.

For the hardcore academic: Do you know someone who really, really wants to understand object complements, dummy operators and appositives? He needs a real-life, honest-to-goodness grammar. Not a grammar book. A grammar — an academic analysis of the mechanics of the English language. My favorite, “The Oxford English Grammar” by Sidney Greenbaum, is out of print. But you can still find it online. Dry as dust, yet I’m so glad I slogged through (most of) it.

For America’s next best-selling novelist: My favorite writing guide of late isn’t about language, it’s about story. Lisa Cron’s “Wired for Story” is a fascinating look at the psychological and neurological reasons why some stories grab us while others leave us yawning. Better yet, the author explains exactly how to tap that knowledge to write great novels and screenplays.

JUNE CASAGRANDE is the author of “The Best Punctuation Book, Period.” She can be reached at JuneTCN@aol.com.