About the Author

I’m the author of a stack of grammar books (English Grammar For Dummies, English Grammar Workbook For Dummies, Webster’s New World Punctuation: Simplified and Applied, and more) and an educator with four decades of experience teaching every level of English from 5th grade through adult writing classes. A recent book, 25 Great Sentences and How They Got That Way (Norton, 2020), explores the techniques authors use to make their writing more effective.  My only remotely cool moment came when I was interviewed by a reporter from MTV about the decision by “Panic! At the Disco” to drop their exclamation point.

Probably my best qualification for this blog, though, is that I am obsessed with words and language. I play Scrabble, do crossword puzzles, and walk into traffic when I’m trying to decide why “flammable” and “inflammable” mean the same thing. This blog is for anyone interested in language. It arises from my home, New York City.

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23 thoughts on “About the Author”

  1. Ellie Presner

    Cool site! I think you and I are on the same page…so to speak. 😉 Love the whole signs thing.

    At my office, I have a sign up (saw it somewhere on a site, blew it up and cut it out) that says: “Open 24/7” and then under that it says CLOSED.

    Let’s stay in touch!

    Ellie
    P.S. – You paid a premium to not have “WordPress” in your URL, huh? Big spender? ;-))

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  2. Denise Wong

    Dear Ms. Woods,

    I, too, love words. Errors are like stumbling blocks to me when I read. I have no education or background in editing but being an avid reader, I always spot errors – both a blessing and a curse.
    Last week I borrowed your book, “Basic English Grammar For Dummies”. With all due respect,
    Ms. Woods, there is a spelling error on page 18. Under School Assignments: “basked”. I know you mean “based” but alas, there it is. Your editors should have caught that for you.

    Aloha from Hawaii,
    Denise Wong

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  4. rudy

    Hi Gerri,
    I always enjoy reading your blog and look forward to finding it in my inbox. On my way home from HM recently, I was driving up Broadway when I encountered a truck which had the following words on its rear end: “Construction Vehicle..Do Not Follow”; It fits in with your pursuit of the ungrammatical and illogical. Obviously, I didn’t obey the command to not follow, but I did get the hint about not trying to pass this behemoth on the right (it had an arrow pointing to the left hand side saying “Passing Side”; on the left it said “Suicide”. .

    Rudy

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    1. Geraldine Post author

      Hi, Rudy. Glad you like the blog. I have a lot of fun writing it. I love the “Do Not Follow” sign. What did they want you to do? Give up and make a U-turn? Leap over the truck?

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  5. Windischgirl

    Gerri, I think of you at least once a day, on my commute to work. I pass a middle school with a sign out front expressing pride in their basketball team, The Drakes. Of course, the girls’ team is billed as The Lady Drakes.
    And then I wonder: shouldn’t the girls team be The Ducks?
    Thanks for making me smile! All the best.

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    1. Geraldine Post author

      The middle school sign intrigued me, so I did some research on ducks and drakes. “Drake” is defined as “a male duck,” but “duck” applies to both male and female. It can also be more specifically female when it’s paired with “drake.” Interesting that the feminine term is also unisex. Maybe the teams should be “the Ducks” and the Lord Ducks”! That thought makes me smile — so thanks!

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  6. Junior Augusto dos Santos

    Dear Woods,

    Heard of the blog from reading English Grammar for Dummies, 3rd Edition, and I’m really enjoying it. It was love at first post read! And is a kind of addictive this sign-spotting activity: days ago my uncle showing a photo of his daughter living in Australia on his cell phone, and there I was, not paying much attention to the photo itself, zooming in on the signs and placards around her looking for flaws.

    All the best!

    Junior Santos
    Brazil

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  7. Alana

    I’ve been reading one of your For Dummies books to help with a class I’m taking. I found the book so much more helpful than the text. It is easy to understand and funny! Thank you. When I read your bio and saw that it mentioned signs I knew I’d love your blog.

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  8. Linda Katz

    I have been enjoying your book, “Twenty-Five Great Sentences” and came across a stunning error. Shylock is most definitely NOT the merchant in “Merchant of Venice.” Antonio is. This is either a monumental misreading of the play, or, as I suspect, neither you (nor your editor) has read the play. Shylock is a moneylender, and as a Jew, excluded from almost all other occupations.

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    1. Geraldine Post author

      Thanks for pointing out the error. I have read the play, many times, and unfortunately misstated Shylock’s role. It was a lapse in writing, but not in knowledge.

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    2. Geraldine Post author

      I’ve been trying to figure out how I made that error. Here, I believe, is the explanation, but definitely not an excuse: Shylock has always been the focus of my attention when I read or see the play. I’ve winced at Shakespeare’s antisemitic lines in other plays (the witches’ brew in “Macbeth,” for example), but in “Merchant of Venice,” with its “happy” ending, the antisemitism overwhelms me. I recall seeing Dustin Hoffman portray Shylock on Broadway. As Portia hands down her decision, someone — perhaps the guards? — snatches Shylock’s skullcap off his head. Hoffman instantly covers his head with his hands. The devastation on his face pierced my heart. I’ve thought a lot about Shylock’s “Hath / not a Jew eyes?” speech, hoping, I guess, to find evidence that Shakespeare was aware of the stereotypes and prejudices of his day and was able to rise above them. With all that as background, I think I unconsciously elevated Shylock to the status of title character, which of course he is not. Again, I thank you for pointing out the mistake, which I will have corrected in future editions.

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  9. robert hoffman

    A couple of quick items:

    I’ve run a writers conference in Whidbey Island for the past 5 years.
    I’ve been threatening to theme a conference on nothing but How to Write a Sentence.
    Most of my friends have smiled at this announcement as though I’d lost my mind. That’s a nice, Bob.
    This year I found a way to get it done. Money Page! How to keep them turning; how to write them.
    Yesterday at B&N I saw “25 Great Sentences and How They Got That Way” – I snatched it up faster than you can say “pass the cranberry sauce” on Thanksgiving. I went through the whole book.
    Your presence at this year’s conference would make it perfect.
    Do you Zoom? I can’t find any other way to reach you to ask, so I’m asking here. Thanks so much for your time. Your book is awesome. (really!)

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    1. Geraldine Post author

      Hi, Robert. Thanks for your comment. I’m so glad you like the book. I do Zoom and actually offered a class on sentences for Hugo House, with a sequel coming up in May. It would be lovely to participate in your writers conference. I’ll send you a direct email so that you will have my email address. If it doesn’t arrive, post another comment.

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  10. John Broadbent

    Dear Ms. Woods: I have recently read you book “English Grammar for Dummies” , which I very much enjoyed. I wanted to ask you a question, one which has been on my mind for a long time. Could you please comment on whether it is better to use the word “like” or the word “as” when introducing a clause? For example, I personally prefer to say “As I said,…..” rather than “Like I said,…”. The latter sounds somehow crude to me, for some unknown reason. The word ‘as’ just seems more elegant. Is there a rule in grammar to answer my question?
    Thank you, John Broadbent

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    1. Geraldine Post author

      I’m glad you enjoyed the book! To answer your question: in formal English, “as” (a conjunction) introduces a clause and “like” (when used as a preposition, not a verb) begins a phrase. So the proper wording, if you’re adhering to formal English standards, is “as I said.” Here’s an example of “like” as a preposition: “Like Peter, I read grammar books often.” I hope this helps.

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  11. Mary O'Shaughnessy

    Are you the Mrs. Woods who taught at St. Monica’s until 1975?

    You were a rock star and kept me from being bored. I am grateful for everything you did for me.

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    1. Geraldine Post author

      Thanks so much for your kind words. I have fond memories of St. Monica’s, and of that era in general. In fact, I’m at work on a mystery novel set in 1973.

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  12. Judah Cobble

    Greetings Mrs. Woods,

    I wonder if I may request to your assistance on a couple of matters related to your work on grammar materials? If so please feel free to contact me at your convenience. I recently became aware of your work. Thanks for taking the time to read this, hope to chat soon.

    Sincerely IN CHRIST JESUS – THE MIGHTY GOD!!!

    Judah Cobble

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