English in Blue & White: Lessons with Practice and Resources in Grammar, Composition and Literature

When you told me about Giles and Powell’s in general terms, I expected to like it. I was not disappointed. As a streamlined explanation of English grammar’s basic concepts and categories, English in Blue and White is exactly what is most needed and too often withheld from the middle-school students for whom it is primarily designed. It is accessible without being simplistic and thus also an excellent resource for older students playing catch-up in the field of grammar. I also admired the authors’ incisive advice on the art of writing, an Elements of Style, in effect, for younger students. What I enjoyed the most, however, was their use of sample sentences of genuine literary merit, e.g., exemplifying adverbs with that great quip from Mark Twain: “I was glad to be able to answer promptly, and I did. I said I didn’t know.” All in all, a very sensible and attractive work in a field where textbooks with those attributes are in short supply. -- David Mulroy, Professor, Classics, University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee.
Author of The War Against Grammar