Philip J. Skerry, Ph.D., is emeritus professor at Lakeland Community College, where he taught English and film classes for over forty years. Dr. Skerry has written several books on Alfred Hitchcock and has published numerous articles in scholarly journals.

Skerry covers a huge range of material in a manner both terse and clear. His smooth, conversational style goes a long way toward dispelling the unfortunate stigma of stiffness, complexity and “nerdiness” that has long surrounded the study of grammar. Best of all, his text and his pertinent examples make a cogent case for the importance of sound grammar and lucid writing. Rules of the Game will be a handy volume for students, teachers, and professors seeking s quick, user-friendly primer on this vital subject.

• Preface: What is Standard Written American English (SWAE)?Introduction: Why Writers Have Difficulty with SWAE.Part IChapter One: The Acronym SWAEChapter Two: Two Major Characteristics of SWAEChapter Three: Elements of SWAE: The ClauseChapter Four: Elements of SWAE: The PhraseChapter Five: Classifying ClausesChapter Six: The Flexible ClauseChapter Seven: Verbal PhrasesChapter Eight: Sentence PatternsChapter Nine: Additional Clause PatternsChapter Ten: The Flexible PhrasePart IIChapter Eleven: The Big ThreeChapter Twelve: Agreement I: Subjects and VerbsChapter Thirteen: Agreement II: PronounsChapter Fourteen: Additional Pronoun ProblemsChapter Fifteen: ModificationChapter Sixteen: PunctuationChapter Seventeen: “Form is the Shape of Content”Epilogue: Consummatum EstNotesBibliographyAuthor Biography

Philip J. Skerry, Ph.D., is emeritus professor at Lakeland Community College, where he taught English and film classes for over forty years. Dr. Skerry has written several books on Alfred Hitchcock and has published numerous articles in scholarly journals.

Skerry covers a huge range of material in a manner both terse and clear. His smooth, conversational style goes a long way toward dispelling the unfortunate stigma of stiffness, complexity and “nerdiness” that has long surrounded the study of grammar. Best of all, his text and his pertinent examples make a cogent case for the importance of sound grammar and lucid writing. Rules of the Game will be a handy volume for students, teachers, and professors seeking s quick, user-friendly primer on this vital subject.

• Preface: What is Standard Written American English (SWAE)?Introduction: Why Writers Have Difficulty with SWAE.Part IChapter One: The Acronym SWAEChapter Two: Two Major Characteristics of SWAEChapter Three: Elements of SWAE: The ClauseChapter Four: Elements of SWAE: The PhraseChapter Five: Classifying ClausesChapter Six: The Flexible ClauseChapter Seven: Verbal PhrasesChapter Eight: Sentence PatternsChapter Nine: Additional Clause PatternsChapter Ten: The Flexible PhrasePart IIChapter Eleven: The Big ThreeChapter Twelve: Agreement I: Subjects and VerbsChapter Thirteen: Agreement II: PronounsChapter Fourteen: Additional Pronoun ProblemsChapter Fifteen: ModificationChapter Sixteen: PunctuationChapter Seventeen: “Form is the Shape of Content”Epilogue: Consummatum EstNotesBibliographyAuthor Biography

Philip J. Skerry, Ph.D., is emeritus professor at Lakeland Community College, where he taught English and film classes for over forty years. Dr. Skerry has written several books on Alfred Hitchcock and has published numerous articles in scholarly journals.

Skerry covers a huge range of material in a manner both terse and clear. His smooth, conversational style goes a long way toward dispelling the unfortunate stigma of stiffness, complexity and “nerdiness” that has long surrounded the study of grammar. Best of all, his text and his pertinent examples make a cogent case for the importance of sound grammar and lucid writing. Rules of the Game will be a handy volume for students, teachers, and professors seeking s quick, user-friendly primer on this vital subject.

• Preface: What is Standard Written American English (SWAE)?Introduction: Why Writers Have Difficulty with SWAE.Part IChapter One: The Acronym SWAEChapter Two: Two Major Characteristics of SWAEChapter Three: Elements of SWAE: The ClauseChapter Four: Elements of SWAE: The PhraseChapter Five: Classifying ClausesChapter Six: The Flexible ClauseChapter Seven: Verbal PhrasesChapter Eight: Sentence PatternsChapter Nine: Additional Clause PatternsChapter Ten: The Flexible PhrasePart IIChapter Eleven: The Big ThreeChapter Twelve: Agreement I: Subjects and VerbsChapter Thirteen: Agreement II: PronounsChapter Fourteen: Additional Pronoun ProblemsChapter Fifteen: ModificationChapter Sixteen: PunctuationChapter Seventeen: “Form is the Shape of Content”Epilogue: Consummatum EstNotesBibliographyAuthor Biography