Help me improve an employee's writing skills.

May 15, 2008 12:29 PM

Looking for recommendations for English grammar workbook(s) designed for adults who did not finish high school years ago.

I have an employee of mine, who's progressed from a bottom rung employee to a shift supervisor over the course of almost 20 years. The guy knows the facility inside and out, he's a great day-to-day supervisor, and I want to see him be able to progress up the management ranks in the future.

One of his annual goals I set for him this year was to work on his grammar/writing skills. He never finished high school (but later attained his GED), but his spelling and writing skills are pretty bad. I am looking for some workbooks that will help him improve his business/technical writing.

Books with titles like "English Grammar for Dummies" don't send the message I'm looking for if I'm handing this to an employee.

Any ideas?

posted by bartinpc to Education (2 answers total)

I highly recommend any grammar/writing book by Barbara Fine Clouse. She specializes in developmental English for adults who need remedial work in grammar and the basics of writing. I'm fond of her Jumpstart! series because it is a workbook. I teach developmental English courses for college students and she is huge resource of mine. Drop her name into am Amazon search and you'll get dozens of results.
posted by archimago at 1:02 PM on May 15, 2008

The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation might be a good start. It bills itself as "An indispensable reference and workbook for professionals, teachers, students, homeschoolers, editors, writers, and proofreaders"

There are quizzes in the back to test your skills.
posted by caroljean63 at 7:07 PM on May 15, 2008