English: The Easy Way by Harriet Diamond & Phyllis Dutwin
Tackles incomplete sentences, tense, adjectives/adverbs, pronouns, etc., but uses more general terms to describe and explain them. Practice exercises follow each section.

Flash Review: English Grammar by Blanche Ellsworth, John A. Higgins & Janice Wiggins-Clarke
Topics include: parts of a sentence, punctuation, mechanics and spelling, word choice, and paragraphs. Practice exercises follow each section.

A Grammar Book for You and I (Oops, Me): All the Grammar You Need to Succeed in Life by C. Edward Good
The author's introductory and concluding commentary on the importance of studying grammar is alone worth the cost of the book. If these persuasive appeals do not convince you, Good's approach to English grammar is light-handed, but never fails to emphasize why it is so important to learn grammar inside and out. This book works whether you require extensive review or a desk reference.

Grammar: The Easy Way by Dan Mulvey
Takes a more in-depth look at English grammar than English: The Easy Way and also makes a connection between grammar and writing.

Grammar Power (3rd edition) by Jane Schwartz
Touches upon nouns, verbs, pronouns, modifiers, and punctuation, and ends with some writing tips. Each section is followed by several exercises.

The Kid's Book of Questions by Gregory Stock
This is a resource for those times when you don't know what to write about.

On Writing Well (25th anniversary edition) by William Zinsser
This book contains wonderful advice for anyone who wants to write well. Best of all, Zinsser practices what he preaches!

Vocabulary and Spelling Success in 20 minutes a Day (3rd edition) by Learning Express
Each chapter presents a new word list that centers on a common theme. Some themes include technology, language and literature, business, legal, commonly tested words, etc. Each word list is followed by practice drills. This book also includes a discussion about spelling rules and prefixes, suffixes, and word roots.

Writing About Your Life: A Journey into the Past by William Zinsser
Whether you want to write about your life or not, this book is worth reading. Zinsser offers advice for writers by sharing anecdotes from his own life (most of which have been published elsewhere at some point). Even if you have no interest in writing about your own life, reading Zinsser's account is worthwhile and entertaining.

---

Standardized Test Preparation Books

Arco's Master the ACT Assessment 2005
I like to use this book when I teach ACT preparation classes because it contains a review section for each of the subject areas included on the ACT in addition to the standard practice tests and testing strategies that appear in most test prep books. The English review lists and explains the points of grammar test-takers should know, and the reading review contains a list of vocabulary words that are likely to appear on the test. The book is also sold with a CD that contains bonus lessons and practice tests. The 2005 edition also includes a section covering ACT's new writing test.

Getting into the ACT: Official Guide to the ACT Assessment
Includes real ACT tests and tips from the test makers.

Kaplan SAT 2006
Designed to help students prepare for the new SAT that will be administered for the first time in 2005. Includes quizzes, flash cards, online reviews, detailed answer explanations, score-raising strategies, and practice tests.

Kaplan ACT 2006
Designed to help students prepare for the 2005 ACT, including the new writing test. Includes comprehensive reviews, practice questions, detailed answer explanations, score-raising strategies, and practice tests.


The Official SAT Study Guide: For the New SAT
This prep guide was written by the College Board for the new SAT test that will be administered for the first time in 2005.


Verbal Builder: An Excellent Review for Standardized Tests by the Research & Education Association
Verbal Builder includes: a grammar and usage review with a diagnostic test, drills, and a practice test; a vocabulary section with word lists, drills, and a prefix, suffix, and root list; and an essay writing section with a review, writing samples, and suggestions for writing application essays. The drills make this book a nice supplement to one of the larger standardized test prep books. This book also refers the reader to specific pages depending upon which standardized test the reader plans to take. It addresses the following standardized tests: SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT, CBEST, PRAXIS, PPST, PSAT, CLEP, CLAST.

---