The Case for an English Handbook

How often do you consult a trusted reference book just to be sure that fine points of usage, capitalization, and punctuation are correct? And how many decades have you been using this language?

Why not afford students (mere fledglings with the language) the same opportunity? All too often they do not have easy access to the information they are attempting to assimilate. They may need frequent reminders of new concepts that were presented in class. Perhaps the main points were on a page of exercises, which students lost or threw away. Perhaps information is in a textbook along with exercises and superfluous discourse.

Why not provide students with an English handbook when they most need it, when they are just beginning to write significant compositions? With a personal handbook in which information is easy to find and easy to understand, students will be able to check information as often as necessary. They will feel independent, and their writing will be more accurate. Caught in an upward spiral of success, students will gain confidence.

The more students use their handbook, the more quickly they will be able to find the information they need. The handbook will become for them a trusted companion. Eventually, most information will become internalized, and students will consult the handbook less often. They will be masters of the language who care about producing quality compositions.

Portico Books offers the following products to help anyone, including students and writers, write better.

• Hands-On English, an English handbook

• The Activity Book, which helps students master the concepts presented in Hands-On English

• Hands-On Sentences, a grammar and sentence construction game

• Hands-On Icons, enlarged visuals to facilitate the teaching and learning of grammar