Whether it’s for a professional document, a school paper, an Internet blog, or something more personal, effective communication depends on clear, concise, and grammatically correct writing. Punctuation, spelling, and grammar rules can trip up anyone, while organization and word choice can make writing memorable—or banal. The Handy English Grammar Answer Book is an engaging guide to writing with clarity for all occasions. It offers fundamental principles, grammar rules, and punctuation advice, as well as insights on writing for different occasions and audiences. From a brief history of the English language to the deconstruction—and explanation—of the different parts of a sentence, and from showing how to punctuate correctly to how to organize a well-argued essay, this easy-to-use reference answers nearly 500 questions and offers fun facts on the English language and its usage, including How did English become a language spoken worldwide? What is a sentence fragment? When do I use “that” versus “which”? How do I use materials ethically on my own websites? How do I write an outline? Several appendices, including model papers and sample writing for every occasion, a glossary of commonly used terms, a bibliography, and an index add to the book's usefulness.